Andrew Young

London Business School

“Trying to be a jack of all trades and a master at all of them!”

Hometown:  Ashland, Oregon (US)

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I rehearsed and performed in an Off-Off Broadway show in New York (while working full-time in finance!).

Undergraduate School and Major

• MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics, UK
• BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago, US

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:  Programme Lead at Quadrature Climate Foundation

What makes London such a great place to earn an MBA degree? London is a world leader in climate action. If you are interested in climate or energy, and keen to make a long-term impact, LBS will position you at the center of the action. The city recently held London Climate Action Week, the largest independent climate gathering in Europe, which brings together policymakers, investors, academics, technologists, and others. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, is the co-chair of C40 Cities, a global network of 96 cities around the world focused on urgent climate action. On a personal note, I am joining LBS from a London-based climate philanthropy, where I witnessed first-hand the impressive concentration of climate talent and leadership in London, across both the private and public sectors.

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 is a global city and London Business School is a global institution. I have learned, most acutely through my work in climate change, that a global perspective is the only perspective that will secure durable impact. Diversity is the bedrock of a global perspective because it challenges our narrow individual perspectives. Plus, it illuminates the limits to overly narrow interpretations of ‘business’ that often overlook the diverse political and cultural contexts in which many businesses operate. I am excited for the moments where my own interpretations and frameworks intersect with those of others, and the opportunities for deep learning that can be found in those moments.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of London Business School’s MBA curriculum and programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The key part of the LBS curriculum is the knowledge and expertise brought by the professors.  Alex Edmans is a great example. He has injected a refreshing level of sophistication into the discourse on diversity in business, reframing it from a narrow conception that focuses on how it might redound to profits, and towards an expansive conception that broadens the definition of diversity as well as the reasons for its importance.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at London Business School?  I am very excited to become involved in the Geopolitics and Business Club. I started my career in finance during an era in which business felt relatively insulated from geopolitical risk. This is no longer the case, and it is likely that business and geopolitics will become increasingly intertwined, not least with accelerating issues like climate change.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: A few years ago, I learned about a hypothetical approach for reducing global temperatures called ‘solar radiation management.’ It involves reflecting a small portion of sunlight back into space to reduce global temperatures – and it implicates a range of complex scientific, political, and ethical questions. For the past two years, I helped write and execute a funding strategy to advance our understanding of some of these challenging questions. Through this work, I have been able to witness the field mature substantially, with more and more people researching and discussing it. I would consider this my biggest career accomplishment so far.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026? I have compressed quite a few distinct experiences into my seven-year career. I started off in finance, left to study political philosophy, and then went on to work in climate philanthropy. These different experiences help me draw connections across different fields. I hope and plan to use this ability to positively contribute inside and outside the classroom.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into London Business School’s MBA program?  I would spend time reflecting on how your professional and cultural background might contribute positively to the LBS community. The application process helped me think through this question for myself. Up to that point, I had felt that my professional background was too scatter-shot – a career that spanned finance, philosophy, and climate change – and that consequently I would have trouble making a unique and impressive impact. The application process helped me realize that this ‘scatter-shot’ background, far from being a disadvantage, was actually a source of professional diversity that I could draw upon to forge connections across different fields.

DON’T MISS: MEET LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2026