Nicholas Latifi

London Business School

“A motivated and data-driven individual with a thrill for competition on and off the track.”

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Fun Fact About Yourself: I failed my first driving test even though I was a racing driver at the time, and I’m not the only racing driver to have done the same!

Undergraduate School and Major: Crescent School 2013 (High School Diploma)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:  Williams Racing — Formula 1 Driver

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? If you have travelled to London, you know exactly what the city has to offer and why it’s an amazing place to pursue an MBA. Business today is conducted globally, and London is strategically located for easy access to the rest of the world. London is also one of the most professionally and culturally diverse places in the world, so where better to learn about business than in a city that attracts business leaders and professionals from across the globe? We are on the doorstep of many of the world’s leading organizations, and having the opportunity to leverage London Business School’s resources and network is a huge advantage. I’m genuinely confident that the experience and connections I will make here will last a lifetime, regardless of the path my post-MBA career takes me down.

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? London Business School’s cultural and professional diversity was one of the main reasons that LBS was my number one choice. In my years of racing cars from 2012 through to the end of 2022, I was surrounded by teams with an extremely diverse workforce. Whether it was nationalities, experience levels, or approaches to commonly-accepted working methods, the differences in people around me made for an incredible experience. Learning from and collaborating with my colleagues was an important factor to having success in motorsport.  To develop and progress myself professionally, I really had to rely on other people’s experience and expertise.

I wanted to replicate that diverse environment in my MBA. At London Business School, I will be collaborating with people with business experiences across the globe, allowing me to understand how business principles are applied in different business and geographical contexts. I expect this to mould me into a business leader who understands the importance of nuancing their business acumen to the customs and norms of the environment they are in. Given the global nature of the businesses I will likely be joining, becoming an adaptable and globally-conscious individual will give me an edge when interacting with colleagues, business partners, clients, and other stakeholders from across the globe. London Business School is simply unparalleled when it comes to exposure to the global business environment.

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? One key aspect that made me choose London Business School’s MBA was its incredibly vibrant entrepreneurial environment and related resources. Growing up, the idea of being an entrepreneur excited and appealed to me. I was lucky enough to gain first-hand experience watching my father start and grow his business, Sofina. The adventure of starting my own venture post-MBA is a very likely path. In reality and in practice, I wouldn’t know the first thing about where to start. I know that LBS has built an incredible ecosystem for entrepreneurs and start-ups, and I am excited to immerse myself in that environment. Having access to the Entrepreneurship Club and attending exciting events such as Pitch Nights enables me to learn from people who have undertaken the challenging adventure of starting their own business. That way, I can learn from them will be an invaluable way of exploring a potential entrepreneurial route.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at London Business School? There are many courses and clubs that I am extremely excited to choose from at LBS. Aside from any entrepreneurship initiatives, I would have to say the Strategy Execution elective excited me the most. I have learned and seen first-hand through my experiences that identifying an issue and formulating a plan to solve that issue is not enough. The key to determining whether you can move past the issue in question often comes down to how the plan is executed and put into practice.  This course will help with exploring tactics and strategies to do so. I’m looking forward to learning about these tools, as I believe they will have immense practical implications for both my professional and personal lives.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment in my career to date would have to be earning a seat as a Formula 1 Driver with Williams Racing. It was a dream and goal of mine that I had worked towards since I was 13 years old. To have been lucky enough to have spent three years as a Formula 1 Driver, as one of only 20 drivers in the world, is something I will never take for granted.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? Currently, my post-MBA plans are not 100% set in stone. Of course, I have ideas and potential options for what I can do, such as joining my family business or getting involved in the business side of motorsports. However, these are not things I will necessarily hold myself to if I discover something else I am passionate about through the MBA process. This openness to possibilities is another key reason for pursuing an MBA degree. I want to put myself outside of my comfort zone and in a position where I can learn from a group of diverse, intelligent, and accomplished individuals and broaden my horizons to life outside of motorsports.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into London Business School’s MBA program? One piece of advice I would give to help potential applicants gain admission into the LBS MBA program is to convey what makes you unique. I genuinely believe that everyone has had unique and interesting experiences that inform the future path they want to take. Find that voice, that story, and write around it rather than trying to force a narrative that isn’t yours or one you think the admissions committee wants to hear. London Business School, like most business schools, is seeking to create a cohort of extremely diverse people to create an environment conducive to the learning objectives we all want. Be yourself and express yourself in a way that is uniquely yours.

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