2023 Best & Brightest MBA: Cameron Martin, London Business School

Cameron Martin

London Business School

“An equity champion, working to level the playing field and create opportunity.”

Hometown: Motherwell, Scotland (United Kingdom)

Fun fact about yourself: The greatest job I’ve ever had was as a cheesemonger during my undergrad. I spent years perfecting the optimal combination of cheeses to make the greatest ever mac and cheese, and I challenge anyone to beat it.

Undergraduate School and Degree: B.Sc (Hons) Management –  University of St. Andrews

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? I worked within the Managed Solutions & Portfolio Strategy team at J.P.Morgan Wealth Management in London

Where did you intern during the summer of 2022? McKinsey & Company (London office)

Where will you be working after graduation? Associate (Generalist), McKinsey & Company (London Office)

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

  • Recipient of the CAP Social Impact Scholarship
  • Co-Founder of the EUROUT Scholarship
  • Co-Chair of the EUROUT Conference (Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ student business conference) (2022/23)
  • Co-President of the Out in Business (LGBTQ+) Club (2022/23)
  • Co-President of the Social Impact Club (2022/23)
  • Chief of Staff of the Out in Business (LGBTQ+) Club (2021/22)
  • Chief of Staff of the Social Impact Club (2021/22)
  • LBS Consulting Club mentor
  • Moderator of DEI panel at the LBS Retail, Luxury & Consumer Goods annual Conference

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? This year, I served as Co-President of the Out in Business club at London Busines School, which is our LGBTQ+ club. Each year we produce and host Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ student business conference – EUROUT. There’s really nothing quite like EUROUT at LBS. It’s by far the biggest conference we have on campus, and the prospect of producing EUROUT 2022 after attending the conference in previous years and witnessing its scale and impact first hand was a daunting one. This EUROUT was a very different conference though, as early in the ideation process, my co-president and I decided to leverage the incredibly successful platform of the conference, to create a new scholarship. Several months and a phenomenal conference later, I am beyond proud to share that we have now founded and launched the EUROUT scholarship – LBS’s first-ever student-club-founded and funded scholarship.

Being exposed to global backgrounds and world-class teaching at LBS has been transformative for my future careers and ambitions. My Co-President and I knew that through nurturing future generations of LGBTQ+ leaders by giving them the opportunity to come to LBS, we would be investing in creating long-term impact for the future of our community and wider society.

It wasn’t easy and would never have happened without the relentless work of the entire club, as well as our corporate partners and our alumni community coming together in support. As someone who would never have been able to attend a top business school without a scholarship, I can’t think of a better way to pay it forward than by creating the very same opportunity that I was lucky to have been afforded when I applied. The added bonus of being able to target this initiative at elevating and empowering the LGBTQ+ community at the school is truly something special for me.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? It’s probably not the most objectively impressive thing I’ve done in my career, but the study I worked on during my summer internship at McKinsey is some of the work I’m most proud of doing. I worked on a carbon planning and foot printing project for a major retail bank. I developed a tool to model the impact of current policy landscape, with the objective of identifying weak spots in the organisation’s strategy to achieve net zero. As a complete beginner to the world of consulting, I needed a lot of help to get this over the line, but it was the first time in my career that I was able to deliver something which had an impact aligned with my own impact goals and passions.

Why did you choose this business school? When I was applying to LBS, my partner at the time was an alum. Through him, I spent a large percentage of my time socialising among the LBS alumni community in London. I was consistently impressed by the scale of their ambition, the successes they were achieving in their careers, and how much they leveraged their network for opportunities. Each of them placed such a high value on the LBS brand and the network (especially in London) which they could tap into. They were also very far removed from the career-obsessed, cold, adversarial, sociopathic caricature that I had been conditioned to assume was the model of an MBA graduate. They were the ones who convinced me not only that LBS was a great idea, but that business school in general was a great idea. The alumni community are truly the best advocates for the school.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? There are a few LBS professors who stand out to me as really provoking me to think differently about the world, and have challenged my ambitions.

My Global Business Experience in Johannesburg was led by Professor Rajesh Chandy. We worked with micro-businesses in Alexandra township, and it was the single most impactful and educational week of my LBS experience – largely due to Rajesh’s organisation and expertise. I also took his experiential learning elective called ‘Digital for Impact’, where we helped organisations in Rwanda overcome business challenges.

However, I feel that if I were to choose just one, it has to be Professor Aneeta Rattan. Aneeta sits on our EUROUT advisory board, was an exceptional panellist at the EUROUT conference, and teaches both ‘GLAM’ (Global Leadership Assessment for Managers) and ‘Diversity Science for Leaders’, which is without doubt the best elective at LBS. Aneeta researches and teaches on diversity in the workplace. An example of the sort of thing she works on, is her most recent research on diversity at Fortune 500 companies, which shows that the vast majority value diversity because of the business benefits that it yields instead of focusing on the ethical case. She found that by championing the business case for diversity, their use of language around the subject reduces the sense of belonging that marginalised groups anticipate having at those organisations. It also has an impact on the likelihood of people from these groups wanting to apply to these companies. She teaches that it can be damaging to the exact marginalised groups that companies need to appeal to if they want to diversify their ranks. She also highlighted the danger that one day a study finds that diversity doesn’t yield economic benefit, thus serving as a justification not to diversify organisations. As someone who is passionate about improving diversity, I greatly valued the knowledge that I gained through Aneeta’s classes.

In addition to being a world leading researcher in a field which I’m passionate about, Aneeta has provided advice and mentorship on many initiatives we’re working on at the school, including the new pronouns initiatives and the EUROUT conference.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? As mentioned before, this has to be ‘Diversity Science for Leaders’. I’ve never experienced a classroom environment where classmates are able to be so vulnerable in their reflections and respectful of other people’s opinions. The nature of the content is deeply personal and Aneeta guides us through challenging and important issues with a reverential yet constructive style, providing research-backed solutions and suggestions to what seems like every question a student could have. The class also gives students an opportunity to develop an initiative which could help marginalised groups at the school, with projects ranging from reducing the economic burden of MBA treks, to providing a medium for non-native-English speakers who are conscious about their proficiency to form a community.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? I’m a huge advocate for LBS’s thriving conference scene. I consider myself a veteran, having helped to plan two EUROUT conferences and two Social Impact conferences. I also moderated a diversity panel discussion at the Retail, Luxury & Consumer conference and attended EQUALL – The annual Women in Business conference. Being located in London, these events are able to attract some blockbuster speakers from around the world, and have an appeal which extends beyond LBS to the wider student community in London, creating an eco-system which is rich with talent and ideas.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? There are treks I wish I could have joined, and classes where I wish I’d paid more attention, but I can’t think of a specific thing I would change about my experience.

What is the biggest myth about your school? One of the biggest myths about London Business School is that it is only for students who want to work in finance or consulting. While these industries are popular career paths for LBS graduates (including myself), the school offers a diverse range of academic programs and career opportunities. London Business School offers a variety of MBA concentrations, including entrepreneurship, marketing, and something which will be new for the MBA class of 2024, a concentration in sustainability and social impact.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? London is a truly global city, with a diverse population and a rich cultural heritage. This means that there is always something new to explore, whether it’s trying new foods, visiting museums and galleries, or attending festivals and events. I’m a huge runner, and one of my favourite things to do in the city is planning and running a route around London’s various parks and canals. My absolute favourite – and one which few LBS students explore due to it being far from Marylebone – is Victoria Park in east London.

What surprised you the most about business school? One of the most surprising things about business school for me was the emphasis on collaboration and teamwork. While some may assume that business school is a competitive environment where everyone is vying for the top spot, I found the reality to be completely different.

At LBS, students are placed in study groups to complete group projects and assignments, simulating real-world business situations where teamwork and collaboration are essential for success. This requires students to develop strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? I think the large concentration of LBS alums within my London network was the thing that gave me the edge. I deeply understood the kind of people who went to the school, the events and conference scene, the experiences students had, the student clubs, the range of electives and even some of the Rockstar professors. With that benefit I was able to tailor my application to the school in a way which few others could have done without that access.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? When I came to LBS, I expected to walk into a room full of world class people, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s extremely hard to choose one, as I’ve made so many friends who blow me away with the things they do, but there is one who sticks out. My Out in Business Co-President Julia Hamilton is the MVP of the MBA for me. I struggle to think of anyone I have met professionally or otherwise who has anywhere close to the level of drive, focus, sharpness and humanity that Julia has. She works harder than anyone I know on issues I care about more than any other. Before meeting her, I struggled to see my peers as role-models, but she is that for me, as well as being a friend for life.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? My biggest goals are impact-oriented, and I strongly believe that to create real institutional change in issues such as social mobility, there has to be a role for both the private and public sector.

1. Medium term, I would love to found a for-profit business with a social impact agenda – specifically targeting social mobility.

2. Long term, I have ambitions to assume a political role, not necessarily as an elected politician, but a role with the ability to influence policy

What made Cameron such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2023?

“I remember the MBA Admissions Director sharing details of a few incoming MBA2023 students shortly before the programme started in August 2023. Cameron was one of these students, whose LBS application and profile caught my eye. And I am so pleased to have seen Cameron take the opportunities presented to him, adding in his own, unique passion and commitment, to truly have a lasting impact on his classmates, as well as the wider School. While many students (rightly) come to LBS to experience the amazing conferences and networking opportunities available, it takes particular individuals to be the driving forces behind these opportunities. Cameron has been exactly this throughout his MBA journey, giving so much to the Out in Business club, and working all the hours to make the EUROUT conference an outstanding success, not just for LBS but for business schools across the world. His most recent achievement in formally launching the EUROUT scholarship is a phenomenal achievement, and leaves a true legacy. Future LGBTQ+ students at the School will continue to benefit from the incredible hard work and determination Cameron exhibits – and does so with a positive, energetic and engaging approach at all times.”

Helen Foley
MBA Program Director
London Business School

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