Meet Oxford Saïd’s MBA Class Of 2025

Confucius, William Wordsmith, Albert Einstein – they all touch on the same truth: If you want to find the future, you must look back to the past.

Our predecessors were no different than we are. They sought faith and cherished loved ones. They worked to make a difference, imagining a world better than their own. And their blind spots left them vulnerable to the same bias, envy, and hubris that shackle us now. Understanding the past also means living it. That’s one of the appeals of the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.

Picture a university that traces its lineage back to 1096 – the year after the Crusades started and long before the Magna Carta, Renaissance, or printing press. Imagine a line of graduates that include literary stars like W.H. Auden and J.R.R. Tolkien and iconic thinkers like Adam Smith and John Locke (not to mention 73 Nobel laureates and 31 British prime ministers). Visualize breakthroughs like penicillin, internet access, antibiotics, and lithium-ion batteries – they came from Oxford alumni. And the campus is the stuff of a J.K. Rowling novel: spacious courtyards, Gothic cathedrals, ornate dining halls, narrow roads, winding rivers, and sloping hills. Here, you’ll find students living in 600-yer-old colleges, donning academic robes and gowns for formals, singing from rooftops, racing tortoises, and punting along the River Thames. Even the Oxford brand – when it isn’t associated with the English language – evokes classical education with a deep-rooted sense of history, and tradition.

“The surroundings of the business school are rich in architecture, culture, and beauty,” explains Jose F.C. Hong, who is slated to graduate this summer. “I love cycling to school every day, where I can go past the ancient buildings steeped in innovation and learning which give this place its name as the City of Dreaming Spires.”

A MIX OF PAST AND FUTURE

The University of Oxford doesn’t just take students back in time. It provides a roadmap to the future, setting history in motion. That’s particularly true of the Saïd Business School, which taps into Oxford’s spirit of innovation, service, and social responsibility. Founded nearly 30 years ago, Saïd has sometimes been likened to a startup inside a Fortune 500 company. Yes, students learn the fundamentals of finance, management, and marketing. However, the mission involves far more than finding the right role in the right company at the right location. At Saïd, MBAs are expected to think big, ask questions, and act boldly on the world’s biggest issues: environmental degradation, water scarcity, income inequality, disease control, and more. Here, business is a tool – a means of breaking down entrenched systems and complex relationships before devising holistic alternatives and forecasting their long-term implications.

In other words, Saïd is the place where the best intentions inspire the best practices to produce the best results. And the program’s purpose – finding practical solutions that can change the world – appealed to Nickolai Prakofeyu, a nomadic operations manager and member of the MBA Class of 2025.

“As a refugee, I’ve witnessed firsthand how poorly many transnational companies adhere to ESG principles and misinterpret and misuse ‘impact’,” he tells P&Q. “This fueled my passion for meaningful change. Saïd Business School’s commitment to placing impact at the core of its program was pivotal in my decision. Additionally, the school’s significant support for individuals like me—who might lack financial means but are driven to build a better future—demonstrates that impact here is not just a concept but a guiding principle in action.”

CHARTING A PATH THAT’S NEVER EXISTED

Changing the world starts with changing yourself. That one reason why Prakofeyu considers the past year at Saïd to be a gift — a time to step away explore, and reflect. More than anything, he says, his year at Saïd redefined how he views leadership.

“Leadership can take many different shapes and forms, and not always about being at the front line. It’s about empowering others, providing structure, and helping your team achieve their best. Sometimes, leading means stepping back to let others shine while still guiding the way. It might seem obvious to some, controversial to others, but for me, this realization has been transformative and will profoundly shape how I lead in the future.”

While the University of Oxford may be prestigious, it is hardly privileged. Just look at the business school, which draws from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds – not to mention to industries and career paths. Surayyah Ahmad, who’ll be graduating in September, describes many of her classmates as “career changers, first-generation graduates, entrepreneurs, and professionals from non-traditional paths.” Such diversity furthers Saïd’s goal of exposing students to a wide range of ideas and experiences, says Emily Hao, a ’25 grad and business owner who once raised two wolves living in Portugal.

“At Oxford, I’ve worked with classmates from over 60 nationalities, each bringing unique experiences and insights to the table,” she writes. “This has taught me that the best solutions often emerge when people with different backgrounds and viewpoints come together. It has also reinforced my belief in the importance of inclusive leadership and the need to create spaces where diverse voices are heard and valued.”

Hao’s classmate, Jose F. C. Hong, harkens back to Oxford’s timelessness: knowledge may evolve, but openness and inventiveness will ultimately enable graduates to make a real difference. “What we think of as accepted wisdom can be quickly replaced, seemingly in the blink of an eye,” Hong admits. “As such, if me and my classmates want to be the changemakers Oxford Saïd Business School is training us to be, we need to be comfortable with creating a path where none may have existed before. We also need to be comfortable knowing that we will make mistakes, and that we must surround ourselves with friends who can help us pick ourselves up, grow, and create a better future.”

MAKING AN IMPACT: BIG AND SMALL

Hong himself co-authored and edited speeches for a United National director general before starting business school. Aisha Raheem, who once swam alongside an active volcano in the Aegean Sea, previously served as a CEO of a supply chain company, which included a role as advisor to Nigeria’s Economic Summit Group. Similarly, Benjamin Gonzalez Millan co-founded a climate change activism lab. Here, he won lawsuits against a local government for reforestation and better transportation services.

“A small group of people changed the course of our city, influencing the lives of thousands. This experience reinforced my belief in the power of collective action and strategic advocacy, and I am incredibly proud to have been part of it.”

Prateek Garg carved out a unique niche in the pharmaceutical industry. He helped to found the Open Source Pharma Foundation, which developed drugs and vaccines “for diseases that traditional markets neglect” – such as specialized disorders that plague smaller populations. Despite being a non-profit and operating heavily in the southern hemisphere, Garg’s foundation stepped forward when COVID-19 hit.

“Our advisors initially suggested that we sit this one out, given that high-income countries were also affected — ensuring that major pharmaceutical companies would step in. But we quickly recognized a growing inequity in global access. We knew that if we didn’t act, the same hoarding mindset that had long plagued neglected disease research would re-emerge. So, we pivoted. Using our innovative yet frugal technologies, we managed to place three COVID-19 vaccines and one drug into Phase 3 trials — rivaling the combined efforts of several major pharmaceutical companies.”

BECOMING AN EXPERT AT BREAKNECK SPEED

Before enrolling in the Class of 2025, Samantha Withey launched an NGO in East Africa whose programming covered “clean water, education access, and women’s vocational training.” Moving to West Africa, Ajibola Bolanle spearheaded a project that helped build 23 medical facilities. Roshni Khandelwal straddled two worlds when Coforge acquired WHISHWORKS. As chief of staff to the CEO of WHISHWORKS, she focused on “aligning” the two teams, which included “streamlining operations, and ensuring a smooth transition for over 600 employees across multiple geographies.” For Sachith Siriwardane, who handled strategic partnerships for the Guild, his biggest achievement came when he closed a deal with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

“Over the course of a year-and-a-half, I was responsible for drafting multiparty contracts, securing millions of dollars in funding, and gaining approval from our executive team and board,” writes Siriwardane, who once trekked 2,300 miles over 30 straight days through North America’s national parks – spending his nights on a hammock. “What I’m most proud of, however, is the impact this program will have on the 12,000 Olympians and Paralympians who now have access to tuition-free educational and skilling opportunities, empowering them to successfully transition to life after sport.”

The Class of 2025 also made the successful transition to business school. Aisha Raheem, for one, helped to bring several distinguished speakers to campus on behalf of the Oxford Africa Business Alliance, including the former vice president of Nigeria (Yemi Osinbanjo) and the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Current Emir of Kano (Lamido Sanusi). Samantha Withey packed everything she could into one year, including co-chairing the Social Impact Oxford Business Network and the Government Relations Club, competing in the MIINT Turner Impact Investing Challenge, and being part of the Oxford Impact Lab. Oh – and she took language classes too.

For Prateek Garg, the Oxford MBA experience has been centered around embracing the unfamiliar. Starting out, Garg says he couldn’t explain financial leverage. Despite this, he joined the student-run equities investment group, the Alpha Fund. Three months later, he says, he was debating valuation models with his classmates. Such experiences imbue MBA students with confidence. Just ask Nickolai Prakofeyu, who admitted to sometimes feeling awkward in social settings before Saïd. By the end of the first term, he points out, he had learned to engage meaningfully with his “350 diverse and brilliant” classmates.

“Conversations that once felt like effort became natural, and networking turned into genuine relationship-building,” Prakofeyu adds. “This shift has been invaluable, proving that leadership isn’t just about strategy and execution, but also about connection.”

Next Page: An interview with Amy Major, MBA Programme Director

Page 3: Profiles of 12 members of the Class of 2025

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