Maggie McNamara

London Business School

“Rhode Island native and asset management strategist, passionate about delivering value through trusting, purpose-driven teams.”

Hometown: Rumford, Rhode Island

Fun fact about yourself: Last summer, I reached a goal to visit 30 countries before my 30th year! Growing up, I didn’t travel much internationally, but when I moved to London with work in 2021 and had Europe in my backyard, I loved spending weekends exploring new cities and cultures. 30 before 30 became a fun goal to guide adventures in my 20s!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Harvard College, B.A. in Psychology with a Secondary in Spanish

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? After college, I moved to Philadelphia to begin my career with Vanguard in their global investment management division. Before LBS I worked for Vanguard in London, in roles including Europe Chief of Staff and UK Product and Marketing Strategist.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Over the summer I had a dual internship with Vanguard, working on a project with Corporate Strategy at headquarters in Pennsylvania, followed by a project with the UK Intermediary Strategy team in London.

Where will you be working after graduation? I’m thrilled to be returning to Vanguard after school. I’ve learned at LBS that I am certainly in the minority having spent my career at one firm. LBS though has reaffirmed how grateful I am to work at Vanguard – a firm that is mission-driven and really invests in the development of its people.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: The Student Association (SA) has been a key highlight of my LBS journey. Last year I served as an officer in the SA Sports & Clubs team, enabling club presidents and partnering with our sports lead to plan our biggest sporting competitions. The experience provided a great foundation for my role this year as President of the Student Association, where I have the opportunity to work with SA officers across all of our teams. Together we oversee the 80+ LBS clubs, deliver community-wide events, and partner with LBS staff to enhance the student experience. Additionally, this year I also serve as a Governor of LBS, representing the student perspective at the LBS Board.

As a Student Ambassador, I represent LBS at prospective and new student events. I love sharing my story and LBS insights to help lessen anxieties about applying and to build excitement for what is possible at LBS.

I also enjoy playing for LBS on our Women’s Touch Rugby team. I played many sports growing up and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add Rugby to the list. Rugby is a tight-knit group and I’ve loved playing mixed matches in Regent’s Park and competing internationally at tournaments in France and Spain.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The Student Association at LBS oversees our clubs, orchestrates our biggest events, and serves as the voice of students with the school. As I approached the President role, I believed it was essential we deliver across those objectives, but also that we do so in a more efficient, collaborative way. A key focus has therefore been on elevating the impact of the SA portfolio, rather than expanding it. To me, this requires more structure and cohesion within the SA and stronger relationships with key partners across LBS. As we’ve delivered flagship events and projects, the team has also worked incredibly hard to enhance our operating rhythm, improve key processes, and strengthen partnerships across the school. While not flashy, I hope this will set the foundation for future SA teams, and broader club/sports leaders, to more sustainably deliver change initiatives and improve their offerings for the community.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was the chief of staff for Vanguard’s global equity index trading and portfolio management team. Our team was faced with the market’s unparalleled volatility and there was of course immense uncertainty surrounding global health. It was clear we needed to adjust our operations to keep our crew safe while securely managing trillions in assets.

Within a week in March 2020, we were able to transition our global operations into a hybrid model. I worked with teams across the firm to ensure we acknowledged the unique needs of our teams in London versus Melbourne versus Malvern, Pennsylvania, while also maintaining the world-class operational standards unique to one of the largest asset managers in the world. The new daily rhythm, communication channels, and equipment we designed held for most of the pandemic, but everything was also flexible enough to change as local needs evolved around the world. I’m not only proud of my role in helping the team safely transition to a new operating model, but also immensely grateful for the opportunity to closely learn from global leaders during such an unprecedented crisis.

Why did you choose this business school? I pursed an MBA at LBS to gain exposure to other industries and problem-solving approaches, sharpen my strategy and people management skills, and expand my professional network in a highly diverse, international program. The LBS curriculum has an experiential learning focus I knew would provide the hands-on learning I value most. Plus, I knew learning at LBS, in a highly international community, would ensure I continued my leadership journey with a global mindset.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? The highlight of our core curriculum was Science of People in Organizations, taught by Daniel Effron. I majored in Psychology in undergrad, so I knew I’d enjoy the subject matter, but the way Professor Effron taught the course deepened both my knowledge and passion for organizational behavior.

Every class was highly interactive, usually starting with analysis of a range of research studies, followed by breakouts with our study groups to apply the learnings in a simulation or case analysis. The most impactful was a debate of a go no-go of what was framed as a risky product launch under intense investor scrutiny. We returned to the classroom, many groups proud to have decided to press forward with a ‘go’. Then it was revealed the exercise was based on the devastating results of the launch of Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. The energy in the room completely shifted – it was clear the way Professor Effron walked us through the topic resulted in a meaningful leadership lesson.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? I’ve enjoyed the subject matter of several courses, but one of the reasons I chose LBS was for the experiential learning offering. Last year, I jumped at the opportunity to do a consulting project for course credit. Overseen by a professor, our small team of students worked on a vitamin strategy for a UK health care company. Our group didn’t have prior healthcare experience nor were we previously consultants, so the course provided exposure to a new industry and also became a safe place to strengthen skills such as market sizing, strategic framing, and stakeholder management.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Every spring, LBS competes against several other Europe business schools in the sporting competition MBAT – the ‘MBA Tournament’. I’ve described MBAT to others as adult camp. You’re cheering friends on all day in the sun, running from basketball games, rugby matches, tug of war, dodgeball and much more. Then, at night, you enjoy dance and band competitions. We experienced school pride at its peak, making it an amazing place to build stronger bonds across LBS. It was the best weekend!

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? At this stage in my MBA journey, I am really grateful for my choices at LBS. I’ve explored the breadth of our elective portfolio, immersed myself in our community through clubs and the SA, and studied around the world at the LBS Dubai campus, along with Melbourne on a short exchange and soon in Kathmandu. If I could go back to the beginning though, I would tell myself not to overthink where and how I got involved – just to do it. The beginning of an MBA can feel overwhelming, with endless options across classes, clubs, and new connections. I spent too much time analyzing where I should invest my energy, and that hesitation slowed my momentum. The MBA is about making choices that are true to you, which is a reflection of broader life as well, so it has been a reminder to maximize opportunities as they appear rather than try to design the perfect mix.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? I recently took a course on Corporate Turnarounds at the LBS Campus in Dubai. We focused on many great cases from the region, but also discussed a case closer to home for me – a turnaround of a Boston hospital following an underperforming merger. This turnaround required bold leadership to identify common ground among teams with differing cultures and expertise. It was clear through the case that in times of crisis, strategic focus can be a powerful catalyst for cultural alignment and delivery of outcomes.

The case also reminded me that while I love being exposed to examples from around the world, I do find an extra level of excitement when solving problems that feel close to home. I have family and friends who have been treated by this hospital following the successful turnaround, so it was particularly fascinating to understand how the success was achieved.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? London life is a big reason I chose LBS. The city is incredibly diverse and you can meet people from around the world with ease (similar to the LBS campus!). I also love London’s blend of architecture – a true representation of a city with rich history around every corner yet all the benefits of a modern, vibrant capital. Many are critical of the weather, but there is nothing like a day where the sun comes out and LBS students run to Regent’s Park for a picnic or the local pub for a pint!

What business leader do you admire most? I most admire Rodney Comegys, Vanguard’s global head of equity index. I was fortunate to work with him as the department’s chief of staff, where I saw firsthand his rare combination of strategic judgment and genuine humanity. Rodney is an open, accessible leader and a true connector across the firm and industry. He can rally teams around a clear vision, while also diving into technical detail with true ease. What sets him apart to me the most is his commitment to developing others. He is a natural teacher who invests significant time and energy in helping people grow. This has not only shaped my development, but also the culture of the teams he leads.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? In our Digital Strategy course, the professor introduced an assignment already providing an AI-generated answer to the prompt. Our task was to improve the insight using sharper prompts, research, and our own analysis. We also submitted our AI interaction history as an appendix, making our thinking process transparent. The assignment underscored to me how AI isn’t a shortcut, but a tool that requires judgement. Anyone can generate an answer, so real value comes from asking better questions and refining ideas.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? This is a very difficult question. The true magic of LBS is our incredibly diverse, ambitious community and learning about everyone’s differing origins and paths has brought such richness to my MBA experience. Within this amazing community though, there are few as dedicated as Tania Davila. Tania serves as the SA Vice President this year and is involved in so many facets of LBS life. She is a lead for the LBS version of a student pub – Sundowners, co-chair of our biggest community event Tattoo, a stream rep, a student ambassador and more. She is truly talented at driving change through the community. As a leader, she is a natural player-coach, always willing to jump in directly to help, but also uses communication courageously to build accountability.

My friendship with Tania I think is also ‘very LBS’ in that while we come from different cultures – the smallest state in the US versus the biggest city in Venezuela – and different professional paths – finance versus hospitality – we’ve built a deeply trusting friendship and are always challenging one another. We didn’t know each other well when we decided to run for SA leadership, but chose to commit to one another once we appreciated our shared vision for the community and the team culture we aspired to foster. This foundation provided mutual respect that built such a strong partnership. It is an incredible privilege to serve as the SA President and partnering with a leader like Tania has made the experience even more worthwhile.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? Vanguard has already been a leader in increasing the accessibility of investing in the US, but there is a lot still to be done on that front internationally. I hope to be a leader of teams that are catalysts to further reduce the cost and complexity of investing for people around the world.

Beyond my professional goals, I share my family’s commitment to expanding access to high-quality education and healthcare. Many of them are active volunteers across Rhode Island and the broader New England community. Regardless of where my career takes me, it is a goal to give back meaningfully to communities close to home as well.

What made Maggie such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Maggie is a true leader. As Student Association President (voted on by her peers), Maggie has brought so much to the LBS community. It’s a selfless act to dedicate so much of your precious MBA time to raising the bar for your fellow students.

My first impression of Maggie is as a superb communicator. She is able to convey difficult messages with a professionalism you would expect from someone at board level.

It is remarkable that given all her commitments to fellow students, Maggie has still found time to live and breathe her MBA, being an exemplary student as well as taking full advantage of the opportunities available to her on the course.

As SA President Maggie has consistently supported and challenged me in my role as Programme Director in the most positive way. In such a large cohort of MBA students, to make a visible and material difference in a year is quite a challenge, but Maggie has excelled at doing so. She has represented the student body across a number of key forums, including LBS’s Governing Body, where she has made sure that students’ interests and views have been clearly presented.

I expect to see Maggie in ten years’ time in a serious leadership position and knowing her commitment to giving back, she will no doubt be making an impact on the world.”

Oliver Ashby
MBA Programme Director

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