Laurence Milstein

University of Oxford, Saïd Business School – Trinity College

“A very-online Zillennial passionate about bridging brands and institutions with next gen culture across art, fashion, media, and tech.”

Hometown: Scarsdale, New York

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m an unabashed ABBA fan— which I recently learned is a bit of an Oxford-wide obsession as well. Some of the larger college events even feature a live cover band.

Undergraduate School and Major: Yale College – Global Affairs

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: PRZM – Co-founder

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Oxford Saïd’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The combination of gaining international exposure at a cutting-edge educational institution, while being steeped in century-old spaces and traditions. Studying at Oxford feels like a rare opportunity to immerse oneself in learning, so alongside my MBA studies, I’m taking humanities courses such as Great Architects of the Italian Renaissance.

What course, club, or activity has been your favorite part of the Oxford Saïd MBA experience? I started playing a sport called “Real Tennis” — a precursor to today’s lawn tennis by a few hundred years — where matches are conducted inside an indoor space modeled after a medieval courtyard. According to lore, Anne Boleyn was famously watching a game of Real Tennis when she was arrested and taken to the Tower of London.

What is the most “Oxford” thing you have done so far as a full-time MBA student? On Matriculation Day, the ceremony where students are formally admitted to the University, a group of friends and I went punting in full sub-fusc (Oxford’s academic dress). Floating down the Cherwell River in our formalwear felt like scene out of Brideshead Revisited (if they were filming TikToks about Negroni Sbagliatos).

Oxford is known as a place where world collides, be it in the classroom or the dining hall. What has been the most interesting interaction you’ve had so far as an Oxford MBA student? I helped plan Trinity College’s Chanukah celebration in December 2022. As the term had already ended, only a few students remained on campus — including one person who happened to be in the common room. After I explained the importance of putting a menorah by the window, the student shared how it was their first time revisiting a Jewish tradition since their grandma had fled Nazi occupation in WWII. It was a powerful reminder of how unplanned moments of personal discovery can occur within a campus that facilitates personal and cultural exchange.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far. Co-founding my company, PRZM, in 2019 and helping grow the business over the past 4 years in the face of global economic, political, and environmental challenges.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far. Balancing a full school schedule on GMT and a work schedule on EST.

What has been the biggest epiphany you’ve gained about yourself or the world since you started your MBA program? Living and studying in the states for most of my life, I hadn’t realized the U.S.-centricity of my mindset. Being among an MBA class composed of 93% international students representing 64 nationalities has helped me decenter my outlook and adopt a more global approach to business questions.

DON’T MISS: MEET OXFORD SAÏD’S MBA CLASS OF 2023