Hannah Arrighi

University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School

“Lover of vibrant experiences, unofficial peppermint tea ambassador, hotel and spa enthusiast, cigar aficionado.”

Hometown: Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love to write and have semi-drafted three books (a romance novel, memoir, and nonfiction)

Undergraduate School and Major: Government & Legal Studies major (Political Theory concentration) and Italian minor at Bowdoin College

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Investor Relations Associate at Disruptive, an institutional investor in late-stage private technology companies

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? I was immediately drawn to Oxford because its programming helps bridge the gap between the social impact space and traditional finance. Many people look at money as an evil that only “bad” people care about or accumulate. Many others look at it as an end in itself. The reality is much more nuanced – wealth is a tool that can help us achieve our dreams and improve our communities, and it’s neither the devil nor a complete destination. Oxford’s MBA acknowledges that making money and making a positive effect in the world are not mutually exclusive, and its impact focus puts business and the power of wealth in the context of broader societal issues. I came to business school for a deep financial education, and I’m grateful that Oxford ensures we don’t experience that in a vacuum.

What course, club, or activity has been your favorite part of the Oxford Saïd MBA experience? Finance Lab, run by John Gilligan, has been a highlight of my MBA so far. He has decades of high-level experience in private equity and creates case studies around deals he was personally involved in. It taught me how to think through the merits of an investment. Beyond the technical side, he shows us how to evaluate stakeholder interests and negotiate in a way that actually gets a deal done.

What is the most “Oxford” thing you have done so far as a full-time MBA student? Matriculation is by far the most classically “Oxford” experience I’ve had here. Before we left our apartments on matriculation day, we dressed up in a penguin-like outfit called “subfusc,” which in my case included a white shirt, black skirt, academic gown, black tights, and ribbon necktie. Then, we all shuffled into the Sheldonian Theatre, which is a baroque building designed by Christopher Wren, heard some unintelligible phrases in Latin, took more photos than paparazzi during fashion week, and went to the pub – then stayed there.

The day before matriculation it was pouring rain, but the clouds opened and we had a rare fully sunny day to officially welcome us into Oxford. It was such a special experience to walk through the streets with classmates in our little outfits and feel the camaraderie and history of the institution. I felt, and continue to feel, so blessed to be a part of this community. The Oxford Union debating society and formal dinners are fabulous classically Oxford things too, but nothing tops matriculation.

Oxford is known as a place where worlds collide, 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? Oh gosh, there have been so many! One of my favorites was just the other week, when some members of the Morality, Ethics, and Business Club had a chat with Athol Williams, a political philosopher, poet, former strategy consultant, and whistle-blower from South Africa. He’s pioneering interesting work on corporate responsibility, which is informed not just by his ethics but also by his practical experience as a consultant, and our chat spanned everything from the roles of a corporate entity to how to possibly use AI as a tool for CSR. We all ended up speaking for hours, totally enthralled and oblivious to time.

As a place that brings many different disciplines together, Oxford invites serendipitous interactions. One very personal example of this is that my sister has been suffering from severe long COVID complications, and I happened to meet folks at Oxford working on this exact issue. I met a “DPhil” (PhD) studying the topic at a college “bop” (the Oxford word for party) and met the founders of an anti-inflammatory biotech company through an entrepreneurship conference that Oxford hosted. It’s unclear if any of this will lead to a tangible solution for my sister’s case, but I feel hopeful because of these chance connections. Solutions can be just around the corner in the right environment.

Another opportune run-in happened at an Entrepreneurship OBN (Oxford Business Network) social that brought together MBAs with folks in other disciplines who are curious about starting a business. I was chatting with some friends about an idea that incorporates LinkedIn data, and one of them told me to turn around. Behind me was a very kind computer science prodigy who had just extracted LinkedIn data for another project! (And who actually had the technical know-how to accomplish it.)

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My favorite accomplishment comes from my past life working in politics, where I led Field teams that recruited and oversaw hundreds of volunteers. Two of these campaigns unseated incumbents in favor of candidates who I believe genuinely cared about their districts. It sounds naive, but the most meaningful part for me wasn’t actually the victories (although that was the whole point). Instead, it was seeing hundreds of volunteers engaged in the community. I had the privilege of watching deep friendships form that wouldn’t have existed if not for these campaign events. In a society plagued by loneliness in a sea of people, I often think back to this period of my life for clues about how we might be able to bring communities together. I would love it if we could find a way to do so without the divisiveness inherent in modern-day politics.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: So far on the MBA, I’m most proud of serving as one of the co-presidents of the class. Working with Ifeoluwa Olokode in this capacity has been a pleasure. We have over 330 students from 63 different nationalities, which means that students here get to navigate a rich cultural environment filled with novelties that can be both stimulating and challenging. I view my role as co-president mainly as helping cultivate an inclusive and supportive environment at the business school, streamlining information access for classmates, and supporting other student leaders with their initiatives. There are a lot of moving parts to juggle, but it has been very fulfilling. I feel especially grateful to be in this position because it helps me get to know my classmates better. Everyone has a fascinating backstory, and I’ve been in awe of the character, talent, and perspectives of fellow students.

What has been the biggest epiphany you’ve gained about yourself or the world since you started your MBA program? When I was an undergrad, I was exceedingly optimistic about “changing the world.” I’ve spent much of my adult life getting progressively more disillusioned, not just because our systems are entrenched for a reason, but also because getting older and learning more has also meant that I’ve become more aware of my own ignorance. What should the world even look like? And who am I to make that assessment? In that lack of clarity, I’ve found it easy to absolve myself of the responsibility to ask how I could overcome it. Being on the MBA here has helped me think bigger again. We have several modules at Oxford that acknowledge the complexity of systems change while still offering tools to think through how it could be possible. I like how the focus has been on exploring the stakeholder landscape and asking questions rather than getting to a concrete answer. Business is arguably more powerful than politics when it comes to shaping the world’s power structures, and I’m glad this is something the school takes seriously.

DON’T MISS: MEET OXFORD SAÏD’S MBA CLASS OF 2024