Precious Kilimo

London Business School

“An adrenaline enthusiast who embraces novelty, thrives as a team player and values family.”

Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya

Fun Fact About Yourself: I have an uncanny ability to find lost objects (most of the time). My family always looks for me whenever they lose things.

Undergraduate School and Major: Dartmouth College, Biology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Maisha Meds, Strategic Program Lead

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? London is a truly international and cosmopolitan hub that brings together various international businesses. Moreover, the melting pot of culture found in London creates an amazing atmosphere where people from diverse backgrounds can come together and share ideas and collaborate in bringing these ideas to life.

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? The global perspectives that I will gain at London Business School will expand my horizon to better understand how business practices differ in different parts of the world. Moreover, through my interactions with my classmates, I will learn how to view business decisions from diverse perspectives.

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? I was drawn to the experiential nature of the MBA program and intend to enroll in the 21-month program to take full advantage of the internship and global experiences opportunities on offer. I look forward to gaining real world exposure to the business fundamentals I will be taught in my courses and to applying these in practice. I’m particularly keen to participate in the Medellin Global Experience, which is focused on social innovation and impact, to build my content knowledge around how organizations drive social change in sustainable ways. Additionally, by taking part in the personalized Leadership Launch course, I will be able to develop my core leadership and business development skills and strengthen my toolkit as a business leader.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at London Business School? I look forward to using my prior experience and the networks I made working at a social impact non-profit in East Africa to engage with the social impact and healthcare community inside and outside the classroom. In particular, I plan on being a part of LBS’ Impact Consulting Club so I can draw on my prior experience and expertise working at a health-focused social impact organization to provide pro bono impact consultancy work to clients. Additionally, joining the Healthcare Club will allow me to leverage my existing background in social impact healthcare to further expand the club’s programming, especially around social innovation in healthcare.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My greatest achievement was convincing company leadership to end a program focused on COVID-19 testing early due to underperformance, which enabled us to save time and resources. As the program manager, I quickly saw that the program was not working for reasons outside our control and that it was best to pivot the program. Data from the program showed that the project was far below targets; it took us eight months to reach 700 participants, although we had projected to reach 1,000 participants in three months. Moreover, feedback from program participants and other team members showed that the program needed to be fixed. The delay in hitting the program targets also presented a risk of the program going over budget. Thus, advising the company leadership to end the program early also resulted in budget savings of 28%.

The feedback I received from my colleagues and program partners and the generated data evidence created a clear picture that enabled us to choose to end the program confidently. As a result of this decision, I learned to adapt to changing circumstances and the importance of having a mixture of human and data input when making decisions. Through this experience, I am now more adaptable to evolving priorities and always include information from relevant stakeholders in decision-making.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? My short-term goal is to pivot to a career in healthcare investing at a venture philanthropy organization such as the Mulago Foundation or Skoll Foundation. As an investment professional, I can combine my business and strategy skills to invest in organizations focused on maximizing impact in the healthcare space in sub-Saharan Africa. My long-term career objective is to become the Chief Investment Officer at a venture philanthropy firm focused on improving health access in sub-Saharan Africa, where I can bring a strategic perspective and business mindset to the types of investments made.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into London Business School’s MBA program? Begin prepping early and take the time to craft your story and reflect on your MBA application. I would also encourage speaking to current and former MBA students. They provided me with invaluable insights that were helpful during my application journey.