Gina Mirow

London Business School

“Pan-European sports lover with a passion for systems change and an interest in responsible business.”

Hometown: Multiple across Europe, but London feels like home at the moment.

Fun Fact About Yourself: I lived in a vegan commune for a year in Berkeley, California.

Undergraduate School and Major: Philosophy and Psychology, Trinity College Dublin

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Investment Associate at Skagen Conscience Capital, a family office.

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? One of my main motivations for pursuing an MBA was to gain broader access to catalytic career opportunities. As Europe’s financial capital, and as one of its centres for innovation (particularly in the impact and sustainability space), London was the best place to get this.

On a more personal level, my family and friends are spread across Germany and the UK. Given that I anticipate my time in business school to be some of the most challenging in my career to-date, I wanted to remain close to my community so that I can focus on my professional development over the next two years.

London Business School is one of the most culturally and professionally diverse MBA programs in the world. How do you see these global perspectives enhancing the value of your business education over the next two years? Climate change and economic inequality are major issues that have arisen as a by-product of the rapid globalization of our economy. Long-term solutions to these problems will need to involve perspectives from across the globe. London Business School is the ideal place in which similarly passionate people from multiple cultures and communities can come together to think about, and begin working towards, a more sustainable and equal world.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of London Business School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The duration and the flexibility.

I wanted to stay in Europe for my MBA because much of the work around impact and sustainability is more developed in this region. Upon researching the top universities (i.e. LBS, INSEAD, and Oxford Said), I was particularly drawn to LBS as it was the only school that offered a two-year program, and better yet, it offered flexibility to tailor the MBA so that I could choose to complete the program in 15, 18 or 21 months.

This was attractive to me for two key reasons: first, there would be a more structured approach to the summer internship. Second, there would be opportunity to contract or extend the programme, depending on how long I wanted to take to explore potential career avenues before committing to one.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at London Business School? On a professional level, I want to play a role in the Finance, Private Equity and Venture Capital Clubs as well as the Consulting Club. These clubs encourage students who are interested in these sectors and preparing for interviews to learn and prepare together.

On a more social level, I am looking forward to joining the Cycling Cub and the Expedition Club.

London Business School sits in the beautiful Regent’s Park, the circumference of which is a cycling track. I can’t wait to go for pre-class cycles with the club, to clear our heads before delving back into the busy MBA life. The Expedition Club on the other hand is the hub for all climbers and avid hikers. I am really looking forward to testing problem solving skills with my classmates in nature; perhaps on Europe’s most challenging hike, the GR-20 in Corsica?!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My proudest achievement to-date is having taken the time to understand the different ways in which public, social and private sector bodies seek to have a positive impact on society. While each of these groups plays an invaluable role in tackling social and environmental problems, the co-ordination between them often falls short. Having spent the last six years working in various roles, from frontline care to fund management, I have developed unique insight into the opportunities and challenges with working more collaboratively across sectors.

Addressing issues such as climate change and economic inequality will no doubt require people from all walks of life to become engaged, and my work to-date has allowed me to develop the empathy and communication skills to bring people together to make change stick. I now look forward to combining these resources with the business acumen and financial toolkit afforded to me through the MBA, to address challenges at greater scale.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? It goes without saying that London is an exciting place. From the ability to pursue any interest (no matter how obscure) to the seemingly endless offer of art and cultural events, there is always something to do (and to feel you are missing out on!).

When COVID-19 hit, and the lockdowns were subsequently imposed by the UK government, I was incredibly fortunate to have a stable job and (until now) to not have been affected by any extenuating health issues (touch wood!). As a result, I really enjoyed the temporary silencing of external distraction. The time made me realise how much I can get done when I focus on my goals and made me appreciate the value of periodically looking inward.

In practice, this meant that I finally addressed the niggling internal voice, reminding me of my interest in pursuing an MBA. Thanks to the lockdown I had ample time to reflect on the first stage of my career, and to begin mapping out my career aspirations for the future in preparation for the application.

At a broader level, the fragility of many countries’ social and economic systems that was highlighted because of the pandemic reinforced my belief that systems change, which focuses on greater social resilience and sustainability, is a critical milestone that we need to reach in my generation.

Now that I have enrolled in the MBA, I am excited to further explore how this may be achieved with similarly passionate future change makers.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? My career over the last five years has been varied and exciting, exposing me to many different facets of the impact spectrum. Over the course of this journey, what I have become most passionate about is using finance as a tool for creating positive change in the world.

While my role has been that of investment associate for some time, I do not come from a finance background (I studied philosophy and psychology!), so taking the time out to develop my financial toolkit and become more confident in this area as a result felt necessary and attractive to make the next step in my career.

While I also considered the Masters in Finance at LBS, I ultimately decided to pursue an MBA as I wanted to simultaneously build out my managerial skills, as I would like to take a core role in the strategic direction and culture of a future company as well rather than becoming a portfolio manager.

Ten years from now, I would therefore like to be Chief Investment Officer at a major wealth manager, leading the strategic direction of multiple responsible investment funds while also shaping a more inclusive and diverse financial services company.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? INSEAD and Oxford Said Business School 

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into London Business School’s MBA program? The MBA will offer you a wealth of resources for your own personal and professional development, but the MBA is far from being a one-way street. To write a strong application, reflect on both what you seek to gain from the programme (i.e. what your development points are), along with what you will contribute to the programme.

For example, my educational background is in philosophy and psychology, and I have spent the last few years working in finance with public and social sector bodies. In order to delve deeper into responsible investment, I need to build my core financial toolkit and my business acumen, and this is what I hope to get out of the MBA. I will focus my electives around finance and hope to take key positions in the finance and private equity clubs.

On the other hand, I think I bring a unique perspective to my class in terms of my experience of growing cross-sectoral partnerships. As someone who has worked with charities, not-for-profits, the public sector and social investors, I look forward to sharing my learnings! I also hope to use my understanding of the space to contribute to the work coming from London Business School’s Wheeler Institute for Business and Development.

DON’T MISS: MEET LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2023