Max Taylor

London Business School

“LBS MBA scholar; former strategy consultant; community-builder; recognised DEI leader.”

Hometown: Nottingham, England

Fun fact about yourself: I’m a trained classical and jazz pianist!

Undergraduate School and Degree: BA Politics and International Relations, SOAS (University of London)

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Associate – Mansfield Advisors (UK Strategy Consulting)

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025 Amazon UK – MBA Launch Intern (Retail)

Where will you be working after graduation? TBC

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:
President, Out in Business Club – LGBTQ+ student and allies club
President, EUROUT Conference – Largest LGBTQ+ business student conference in Europe

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I managed EUROUT Conference 2025, which is not only LBS’ largest student-run conference, but the largest LGBTQ+ business student conference in Europe. EUROUT brought together over 550 attendees from business schools and the LGBTQ+ business community for three days of conversation, networking, and professional development, commemorating the 15th anniversary of the conference. I was particularly proud of this achievement because EUROUT is entirely funded by corporate sponsorship, and the DEI corporate funding environment has become a lot harder over the last year, so to pull off the event with a full roster of sponsors and sell more tickets than ever before was a feat I’m incredibly proud of.

Beyond the scale of the event, what mattered most to me was creating a space where students felt represented and better supported as they navigate their careers in business. This year, we deliberately pushed boundaries by bringing difficult but necessary conversations to the main stage – including how AI intersects with the LGBTQ+ community, and how DEI practices must evolve to remain credible and effective in a changing global business environment.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? While working in strategy consulting, I noticed a gap in the consultancy’s Spanish operations, a market where we had limited on-the-ground presence. I pitched an idea to the partners whereby I would spend several months in Spain to help build local relationships and originate future work. They agreed, and I relocated for three months.

Working in both English and Spanish, my role shifted from day-to-day consulting work to relationship-building and commercial exploration, which was new territory for me. I spent time meeting executives and investors, connecting the dots, and identifying where our firm could add value. Through this, I developed a relationship with a major Spanish PE firm, which ultimately led to us winning a significant commercial due diligence engagement.

I’m most proud of this achievement because I was trusted to operate autonomously, learned rapidly and delivered real results despite being early in my career.

Why did you choose this business school? London Business School was always my first choice, and that’s because of the people. Being surrounded by a warm and welcoming culture matters to me, so I had to consider what life was really like at LBS before choosing to enroll. Every time I met an LBS student or alum, I became increasingly sure that it was the right school for me. The people at LBS have this friendly, globally-minded, collaborative, and curious perspective that really aligns closely with me. We celebrate everyone from all over the world, and that embrace of diversity reflects both the values of London as a city as well as my own values.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favourite professor has been Aneeta Rattan, an Organisational Behaviour professor who specialises in belonging in the workplace. Her Diversity Science for Leaders class really reshaped my thinking on how to treat teams and employees to make everyone feel safe and respected in order to get the best out of everyone. She leads with kindness and grace, and her words of wisdom come so effortlessly, even at an early 08:00 class start!

What was your favorite course as an MBA? I was a big fan of the Paths to Power elective course. This is a straight-talking class that starts from two statements: (1) life isn’t fair and (2) work is political. With that in mind, this class teaches students to consider the smart choices we’ll have to make to become the powerful future business leaders we aspire to be. Building smarter networks, practicing resilience, handling our public image intelligently – these are more than just key skills, but life lessons that Professor Jose Maria de Areilza teaches with keen enthusiasm.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? There’s a new tradition in the MBA class to go to Tuscany within the first two months of the trip. For four days, 250 of us took over a road of large villas in the Tuscan countryside – it’s a great way to get to know people better, build friendships, and create memories. After all, barbecues, winery tours, and pool parties are a great way to start an MBA and a reflection of how LBS prioritises early community-building in a highly diverse cohort.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? As part of the MBA at LBS, you have to take a Global Experience course, where you meet LBS professors in a different country and spend a week learning about the local business landscape and tackling an on-the-ground business issue. I chose to do my Global Experience in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to learn more about this rapidly growing economy going through enormous structural reforms. We read a case about the economic development of Saudi Arabia in recent years. It was really impactful for me – the rate at which the country is building and developing is unprecedented in human history, and it is quickly becoming an economic superpower in its own right. The biggest lesson for me was how economic transformation at that scale requires alignment between capital, human capital, and policy, and how leadership looks very different when change is happening at national speed. This case study was powerful and memorable, not least because I was reading it in the very same country.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What I love most about London is its openness. It’s one of the few cities in the world where global ambition, cultural diversity, and huge success potential co-exist. Studying at LBS while living in London meant learning in a city that constantly challenges your perspective – through its people, industries, events, and ideas. The LBS MBA is truly enhanced by the fact that such an incredibly rich city is right there on our doorstep, and you can easily go out and apply the classroom learnings to the real world.

What business leader do you admire most? I have long admired Phil Knight, founder of Nike. I read his book, Shoe Dog, during the pandemic, and his entrepreneurial journey is riveting and inspiring. What stuck with me is what he writes on the very first page – he started his business career after finishing his MBA at Stanford. That’s what inspired me to go and get an MBA, too.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? London Business School has actively encouraged the use of AI as a practical tool for reflection and decision-making, particularly in career planning. What I like and appreciate is LBS’ emphasis on using AI responsibly to augment judgment, pattern recognition, and execution. Through this, I’ve found AI to be an unexpectedly powerful career coach. It helped me articulate my key professional experiences, values, and constraints into tangible career pathways that would have been difficult to map alone. Long-term career planning can feel abstract, but using AI allowed me to test assumptions, explore non-obvious options, and work backwards from concrete milestones.

While it’s often mocked for being overly encouraging, AI tools can offer nudges that are useful in career coaching – whether it’s reframing uncertainty, suggesting new data points to consider, or prompting action. At times, that extra nudge was exactly what I needed to send the follow-up email or pursue a conversation I might otherwise have delayed.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I have great admiration for Maria FitzPatrick. She’s razor sharp, super organised, always one step ahead, but will always make the time to be a good friend. In our class, Maria took on two particularly difficult student community responsibilities: firstly, she co-organised Snow Trek (the big class ski trip of 300+ students in France!) and secondly, as Treasurer for Out in Business (managing finances for the club which works with the most corporate sponsors). Even in student clubs, she chose not to take the easy route, but the rewarding one. She’s brilliant at everything she does, and I can’t help but admire her.

 What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. I would love to be an entrepreneur and set up my own mission-driven venture.

2. I would also love to be able to utilize my business career to give back and make a meaningful contribution to increasing accessibility to business school.

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

“It has been a great pleasure to work with Max, who brings so much value to LBS inside and outside of the classroom. He first came on my radar when he was helping the new MBA class orientate themselves in London and was such a welcoming presence for students who were new to the UK. Aside from his innate charisma and energy, Max is a unique leader and has made a transformational impact in the area of Diversity & Inclusion at LBS. Given this is a key strength of the school, this is no mean feat. He took on the presidency of LBS’s Out in Business Club solo – a role that is normally shared – and helmed the landmark EUROUT conference, bringing together business leaders from all over the world for the Europe’s flagship LGBTQ+.

I’m very excited to see Max’s next steps. The sky is really the limit for him, his rare combination of empathy, dynamism and leadership will no doubt see him make a mark in whichever direction he chooses.”

Oliver Ashby
MBA Programme Director

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