Bogosi N. Shashane

Imperial Business School

“The embodiment of dedication, humility, resilience and sincerity in all that I pursue.”

Hometown: Palapye, Botswana

Fun fact about yourself: I possess a knack for picking up languages quickly, often surprising natives with my level of pronunciation—from Greek to Russian to Urdu. Academically, I was the top French student in high school and still speak it well today—purely from memory. I suspect my linguistic skills are a by-product of my native tongue, Setswana, which has a wide range of sounds that enable this flexibility. An extension of this party trick is that I also have a sharp memory for small details from past events and my surroundings.

Undergraduate School and Degree: BSc Actuarial Science, London School of Economics and Political Science & MSc Applied Statistics, Imperial College London

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Staysure Group, a travel insurance business where I occupied the role of the Technical Pricing Manager

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Leading Education, an E-learning provider where I acted in the capacity of a Consultant across London & Shanghai

Where will you be working after graduation? Upon completion of Imperial’s Full-Time MBA programme, my intention is to pivot into strategy and management consulting where I can leverage my technical background and the learnings from the MBA. Another area of interest would be actuarial consulting, given its relatedness to my career path thus far, and my desire to occupy a more client facing role.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: As a founding member of Imperial’s first involvement in the Turner MIINT competition, I have taken the lead on elements of my team’s workstream. Our aim is to advance to represent the business school at the upcoming Philadelphia finals, where we’ll showcase Imperial’s commitment to fostering sustainable finance on an international stage.

I also serve as the solution architect on a team participating in the Analytics for Society Awards, in which we are developing initiatives aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals, with ours focusing on quality education. My role involves coordinating our approach to leveraging data science for social impact and presenting our design to key stakeholders – to date, we are ranked within the top five teams.

Additionally, as an active member of the Imperial Black Alumni network, I promote connections between current students and alumni, strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at the business school while creating valuable professional development opportunities for students. In recognition of my academic excellence during my previous studies at Imperial, I was honoured with a bursary upon acceptance to the Business School. This award has allowed me to fully dedicate myself to both academic and community initiatives during my program.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of being part of the winning team at the Imperial Innovation Challenge. This is less so to do with the achievement itself, but rather the journey towards it and its implications thereafter.

The Imperial Innovation Challenge is a one-week programme where Full-Time MBA students from the Business School collaborate with Imperial scientists. The challenge focuses on using business model innovation to address complex global issues and create solutions that drive economic disruption with positive environmental and social impacts. It culminates in a pitch to present our innovations.

The process of ideating and ultimately pitching an innovative solution provided the driving force for many of the subsequent modules. I especially found that the experience sharpened my ability to work through ambiguity, challenge assumptions, and collaborate under pressure. It was not just about developing a solution, but understanding the broader impact of innovation—how to validate ideas, assess feasibility, and communicate effectively to stakeholders. The skills I honed during the challenge proved invaluable in subsequent courses, group projects, and even my career aspirations, reinforcing my passion for leveraging business and technology to drive meaningful change.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? My proudest professional achievement was leading the implementation of fair pricing practices at a major insurance group in response to new industry regulations. This project was significant because it established the blueprint for the entire pricing department, setting a new standard for technical pricing within the organisation. The work entailed translating complex regulatory requirements into practical business solutions whilst managing various stakeholder expectations. What makes this achievement particularly meaningful is its lasting impact: the developed methodology affected millions of customer quotes annually, and hence the entire firm’s profit and loss.

Beyond the technical implementation, this work sustained the company’s position as an industry leader, and simultaneously improved customer outcomes while maintaining profitability targets. This experience demonstrated how business success and ethical practices can be mutually reinforcing, as well as inciting my passion to take on transformation projects in my latter roles.

Why did you choose this business school? Looking back, I know I made the right choice. Imperial’s faculty aren’t just academics—they shape business thinking today across disciplines, from finance to entrepreneurship to analytics. Franklin Allen, Professor of Finance and Economics, was already familiar to me for his work in corporate finance from my time at LSE.

Dr. Danielle Lyssimachou, Principal Lecturer in the Department of Finance, has transformed how I think about accounting with her uniquely digestible approach. And Jonathan Haskel, Professor of Economics, with his insights on the intangibles economy, made for fascinating discussions, especially given his tenure on the Bank of England’s MPC. Learning from faculty so deeply connected to both research and industry affirmed that my MBA wasn’t just about theory—it was about engaging with the ideas driving real business decisions.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? It was Dr. Jonathan Pinto, Associate Professor of Organisational Behavior and Negotiations, who led my elective in Managing Negotiations. What impressed me about Jonathan is three-fold:

First, it was his clarity and concision in communicating course expectations, which was imperative given the intensive weekend format.

Second, he builds authentic and genuine connections with all students on the programme, creating a learning environment where everyone feels valued and engaged.

Third, his unwavering dedication to ethics in negotiation practices stood out dramatically—much to the initial dismay of many of us who had assumed certain tactical manuevers might be appropriate in business negotiations.

His use of real and relevant examples not only solidified key teaching points, but also demonstrated how principled negotiation leads to more sustainable outcomes. Dr. Pinto’s ethical stance challenged me to reconsider my own approach and ultimately made me a more effective and principled negotiator.

What was your favourite course as an MBA? My favourite MBA course was Business Problem Solving with Dr. Ian Mackenzie, as it aligned perfectly with my goal of pivoting into management consulting while reinforcing my independent learning. What made this course particularly compelling was his ability to blend rigorous academic frameworks with practical consulting methodologies honed from years spent in industry. The structure mirrored real-world consulting—covering everything from problem definition and analytical planning to execution and change management—providing a comprehensive toolkit for tackling complex business challenges.

This module emphasised problems ‘amenable to the collection and analysis of data,’ a methodology that resonated with my analytical mindset. It also pushed me to refine softer skills like client relationship management and communicating insights effectively.

The most valuable lesson? Learning to define problems in a way that is both valuable and solvable—a deceptively difficult skill that separates great consultants from good ones. Team-based projects reinforced this by integrating strategic, operational, and organisational perspectives, making the course not just theoretical, but a practical bridge to real-world consulting. Dr. Mackenzie’s emphasis on delivering analytical insights and driving change instilled a sense of preparedness for consulting and any business environment where structured problem-solving is essential.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My favourite MBA event at Imperial was the MBA World Café Networking Event. Imperial’s MBA World Café is a unique networking event that invites alumni back on campus to share their industry insights with current MBA students in a relaxed environment.

We’ve had two since the programme began, and they’ve been invaluable to my business school experience. What sets this event apart is its structured yet dynamic networking approach. Unlike traditional events that can feel transactional, the World Café uses a speed-networking format organised by industry groups, enabling focused discussions with alumni, industry specialists, and fellow MBAs across different cohorts.

The real value came from the diversity of perspectives—alumni who had successfully navigated post-MBA transitions and industry veterans who provided unfiltered insights into what employers truly value. These discussions not only shaped my understanding of different career paths and market trends, but also helped me refine my career strategy and position my profile more effectively. Beyond networking, the connections I made led to follow-up meetings, informational interviews, and mentorship opportunities that have been instrumental in shaping my MBA journey.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Looking back, I wish I had engaged more deeply with Imperial’s entrepreneurship ecosystem from the outset. Coming from an entrepreneurial home, I’ve always had ambitions of venturing into business someday. While I initially focused on more traditional career paths, I later realised the immense value of Imperial’s innovation hubs and startup resources—not just for launching a business but for cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset that is equally valuable in consulting and beyond. That said, the journey isn’t over. With time still left in the programme and a strong alumni network, I now see opportunities to immerse myself further, connect with founders, and continue learning from Imperial’s thriving entrepreneurial community.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What I loved most about London was its network of hidden creative workspaces tucked away in repurposed historical buildings. While studying at Imperial, I discovered that beyond the glossy skyscrapers and tourist landmarks, London harbours an ecosystem of converted warehouses, former factories, and reimagined Victorian structures that now house some of the most innovative companies and collaborative workspaces in Europe. Whether it was the renovated tea warehouses in Butler’s Wharf hosting design studios, or the transformed Battersea Power Station which has been redeveloped into a mixed-use site with retail, office spaces, and cultural venues, these spaces reveal London’s genius for reinvention.

What movie or television show best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? The Imitation Game offers profound insights into innovation and organisational dynamics. Alan Turing’s determination to build his computational machine, despite institutional resistance, mirrors the challenges entrepreneurs face when disrupting industry norms. The film highlights how breakthrough ideas often encounter skepticism before they are recognised as revolutionary.

The portrayal of a diverse team working together to solve a complex problem underscores the value of complementary skills in tackling today’s business challenges. Additionally, the film shows how external pressures—like wartime urgency—can accelerate innovation, much like how businesses often thrive under market pressures or resource constraints. From The Imitation Game, I learned that business success depends on balancing visionary thinking with practical execution, fostering diverse teams, and challenging established systems to drive innovation.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Imperial College Business School meaningfully integrated AI through the Data Analytics and Visualisation for Business elective, where we explored Large Language Models while applying them to real business challenges across retail, finance, and supply chain management. Rather than treating these tools as magical solutions, we systematically assessed where they excel (pattern recognition, processing large datasets) and where they require human oversight to avoid biased or misaligned outcomes.

My key insight was understanding AI as a powerful complement to human judgment rather than a replacement for it. We developed a practical framework for evaluating when to deploy AI tools in business contexts—considering data quality requirements, need for interpretability, and risks of overreliance. This balanced perspective has prepared me to leverage these technologies responsibly while maintaining the critical thinking essential for sound business decision making.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Oxana Gorbatenko stands out for her extraordinary resilience and purpose-driven approach to her MBA journey. What makes Oxana truly remarkable is how she balances multiple demanding roles with unwavering determination and genuine warmth. As a mother raising a child while pursuing both an MBA and entrepreneurial ambitions, she exemplifies exceptional focus and time management. Her startup concept—an innovative solution aimed at addressing challenges within the NHS—demonstrates her commitment to creating meaningful impact rather than just financial returns.

Despite these significant commitments, she has emerged as the social cornerstone of our cohort, organising numerous events that have strengthened our community bonds. Oxana’s ability to connect with every classmate, while maintaining academic focus and progressing in her entrepreneurial venture, is truly inspiring. Her journey embodies what makes the MBA experience transformative—the courage to pursue ambitious goals while enriching the lives of those around you through meaningful connection and collaboration.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? The top item on my professional bucket list is working for a supranational organisation such as the World Bank, IMF, or a UN agency. I am driven by the opportunity to address complex global challenges and craft policy solutions that transcend national boundaries. This would allow me to leverage my analytical skills while contributing to systemic, large-scale impact.

Second is establishing an educational institution focused on underserved communities. Having personally experienced the transformative power of education, I aspire to create a model that blends academic rigor with practical skills development, equipping students for a technology-driven future. This institution would not only provide education but also serve as a research hub for pedagogical innovation, leaving a lasting legacy beyond my career.

What made Bogosi such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Bogosi Shashane demonstrates strong leadership, commitment to social impact and academic excellence. This stretches beyond the classroom; as a founding member of Imperial’s participation in the Turner MIINT competition, he has taken the lead on key aspects of their team’s workstream. His role as solution architect for the Analytics for Society Awards demonstrates his ability to leverage data science for meaningful change, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, Bogosi’s active involvement in the Imperial Black Alumni Network showcases his dedication to fostering diversity and professional development within the community. His leadership, combined with a strong analytical mindset and drive for impact, makes him an asset to the Full-Time MBA cohort.”

James Barlow
Academic Director

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