Tania F. Davila Masciopinto

London Business School

“Energetic, deeply caring person who is relentlessly determined to make things happen.”

Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela

Fun fact about yourself: I’m a coffee aficionado who doesn’t drink coffee! Last summer I spent nine weeks working on a coffee project with Tim Hortons International, and can explain everything about coffee from sourcing to serving. I still do not drink coffee. Not even premium tastings won me over…but I did get the job!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Boston University, Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Edwardian Hotels London, Head of Digital

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Restaurant Brands International, Switzerland

Where will you be working after graduation? Restaurant Brands International, Senior Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

2024-2025: Stream Community Representative, Student Association Junior Officer – Socials, Latam Club Junior Officer – Journey, Student Ambassador.

2025-2026: Student Association Vice President, Co-Chair of Tattoo, Co-Chair of Sundowners.

Awards: Dean’s List and MBA2026 Community – Inspirational Award.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? As Vice President of the Student Association, I wanted to ensure that caring about community translated into something tangible. The achievement I am most proud of is making participation more accessible by changing how some events are funded and run.

Through repeated conversations with students, I realised that financial barriers were quietly limiting who could join stream events. Some students opted out because of cost, and community representatives often had to front expenses or navigate unclear reimbursement processes.

I persistently raised the issue across stakeholders, reframing it as a question of fairness and inclusion rather than logistics. The result was the implementation of dedicated event bank accounts and a structured funding mechanism for each stream, removing the need for students to pay out of pocket and making inclusive programming operationally feasible. The pilot has been successful and is now being considered for broader rollout.

That same mindset carried into my work on TATTOO, the largest on-campus event at LBS. By questioning long-standing vendor choices and inherited processes, we achieved significant cost savings and a smoother planning experience. Across both initiatives, the common thread has been challenging what no longer serves the community and ensuring resources are used responsibly. What I am most proud of is that more students can now participate without financial strain, and that these improvements are embedded in how events operate. It is a practical change, but one that will benefit future classes long after I graduate.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? The achievement I am most proud of in my professional career is the role I played during Covid in helping my hotel group navigate one of the most uncertain periods in its history. Pre-pandemic, the group employed around 2,500 people in the UK. When hotels were forced to close, most staff were furloughed or laid off, and only about 7% of the company remained active including hotel operations teams and company directors. I was part of that essential team, a micro-working force that had as an aim to keep the company afloat. During that period, I covered three roles across e-commerce, while simultaneously working on the implementation of Salesforce from the marketing side. We were moving from a fully in-house system to an external CRM for the first time, at a moment when visibility, agility and customer communication were critical to survival but also very challenging. With hotels closed and government restrictions changing constantly, our strategies had to adapt week- by-week. We shifted focus toward restaurant demand when possible, reworked campaigns around domestic travel windows, and redesigned our digital approach in anticipation of reopening our 12 hotels. At the same time, we had to delay the launch of our most luxurious hotel of the group, originally planned for May 2020, and I had to completely rethink its online go-to-market strategy for a 2021 opening still marked by uncertainty.

The company survived and recovered. I was promoted first to Ecommerce Manager and later to Head of Digital. More importantly, that period reshaped me. It strengthened my strategic thinking, resilience, and ability to perform through ambiguity. Working in a small, committed team during a crisis gave me a new understanding of the importance of belonging and collaboration, and the confidence to operate under pressure without losing focus.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose London Business School because of its community. From my first interactions with the admissions team and current students, I sensed a consistent tone: ambitious yet humble, collaborative rather than competitive, welcoming without being superficial. It felt intentional, not performative. What convinced me was the balance. Even before enrolling, I could see that LBS was large enough to offer intellectual and professional breadth, yet small enough to feel personal. There were communities for nearly every interest, and even when backgrounds differed, people spoke about finding connection and support beyond professional similarity. That sense of belonging, without needing to fit a single mould, mattered deeply to me.

A few months into the programme, my partner told me, “You are in your element.” That confirmed what I had sensed from the beginning: I had chosen an environment where ambition and community coexist, and where you can be fully yourself while being pushed to grow.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favourite professor is Rajesh Chandy, Professor of Marketing and Academic Director for the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development, who co-led our Global Experience course in Johannesburg on entrepreneurship and economic growth. What made him stand out was not just his expertise, but the way he showed up.

We spent the week working directly with micro entrepreneurs in Alexandra township. Rajesh approached the experience with energy and intellectual rigor, but also with humility and deep respect for context. He challenged us to apply our frameworks, yet consistently reminded us that understanding culture, lived realities and trust comes before offering solutions. He did not treat the work as an academic exercise. He treated it as a responsibility. What resonated most with me was his authenticity. His passion for impact was not performative. It was grounded in genuine care for the people we were working with and for. He demonstrated that ambition and humility can coexist, and that effective leadership requires both conviction and listening. That week strengthened my interest in using business skills in the service of broader impact. More importantly, it reinforced a principle I value deeply: meaningful change starts with understanding before advising. Rajesh did not just teach us about entrepreneurial growth. He modelled a way of engaging with the world.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favourite MBA class was the Global Experience course in Johannesburg. What made it unforgettable was the field immersion. Rather than analysing entrepreneurship from a distance, we worked directly with micro entrepreneurs in Alexandra township, confronting the realities behind the frameworks we study. On our first day, my team partnered with the owner of a daycare originally founded by her mother. At first, we approached it like many MBA students would, assuming the challenge was operational structure and process. As we spent time with her, we realised the story was far more complex. She ran a bakery and a hair salon on the side to sustain the daycare, keeping it open even for children whose parents could not always pay, because she believed no child in her community should go without care or a meal.

What we initially saw as inefficiency was in fact resilience and purpose. Our role shifted from “fixing” the daycare to empowering her as an entrepreneur across all her ventures, helping her think about growth, sustainability and access to sponsorship. It was a humbling reminder that business decisions are rarely purely financial. They are deeply human. That week grounded me. It challenged my assumptions about resource constraints, reframed what resilience looks like, and reinforced my interest in using business skills in service of meaningful impact. It was not just a class. It was perspective.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? If I look back honestly, I might have been more deliberate about pacing and organising myself in my first year. I said yes to lots of opportunities, from leadership roles to projects and community involvement, because I was eager to fully embrace the MBA experience. At times, it meant long days and steep learning curves. However, that stretch also accelerated my growth. Balancing academic rigor, leadership responsibilities, and personal commitments pushed me to become more disciplined, resilient and intentional with my time. It forced me to prioritise, delegate and trust others, rather than trying to do everything myself.

In hindsight, I might have approached that first term with slightly more structure around my energy and boundaries. But I do not regret it, and I would not fundamentally change the experience. The depth of relationships I built and the personal growth that came from stepping outside my comfort zone far outweigh the moments of being overwhelmed and overloaded. It shaped not only how I lead, but how I manage myself.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? I have lived in London for nine years, and it is a place I genuinely call home. What I love most is its energy and its openness. From the first day I arrived, I felt that I could belong here. London is a city where you can constantly reinvent yourself, surrounded by people from every background and perspective imaginable.

Its cultural mix and diversity are not abstract concepts. They are lived daily, whether through conversations, events or the industries that shape the city. There is always something happening, and access to world class experiences feels almost effortless. During my MBA, that meant exposure to industries, networking opportunities, and experiential learning that extended far beyond the classroom. London mirrors what I value most: ambition paired with diversity, tradition alongside reinvention, and a constant sense of global connection. Even after nearly a decade, it still feels expansive. That sense of possibility has shaped both my MBA journey and who I am becoming.

What business leader do you admire most? The business leader I admire most is my father, not because of uninterrupted success, but because of how he has responded to disruption. He built a career in banking and later owned a broker dealer in Venezuela. When government regulation forced the closure of all broker dealers and he was forced to flee the country to avoid unfair political prosecution, his core business disappeared overnight. Rather than retreat, he chose reinvention. He became more actively involved in ventures where he had previously been a silent investor, studied new sectors, and found new ways to stay engaged in the business world.

What I admire most is his resilience and his way of working with people. He has always invested in relationships, not just when things were going well, but especially when they were uncertain. He stays curious, asks questions, and takes time to understand the space he is entering before acting. Even during difficult periods, he adapts without complaining and keeps moving forward, transmitting confidence to the people that are working with him. His career has taught me that leadership is not defined by title or stability, but by the ability to evolve when circumstances change. External systems may shift, but resilience, curiosity, and integrity endure. At seventy, he still has the drive to learn, mentor, and build. That quiet determination is the kind of leadership I aspire to embody.

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 integrated AI into the student experience, including its partnership with OpenAI and expanded access to generative AI tools across the community. Beyond standalone courses exploring AI’s business applications, these tools have become embedded in how students learn, research, and iterate on ideas in real time. In classes such as Digital Strategy, we were encouraged not only to use AI, but to challenge it. We examined the quality of AI-generated outputs, tested assumptions and evaluated where human judgment remained essential. The emphasis was clear: AI should support thinking, not replace it.

For me, AI became an interactive study partner. Coming from a non-traditional MBA background in hospitality, I had to re-engage deeply with subjects like finance and accounting after years away from formal study. I used AI to break down complex concepts, generate examples, and explain underlying rationale until I truly understood the material. It allowed me to deepen my understanding rather than simply memorise frameworks. The biggest insight I gained is that AI is most powerful when paired with critical thinking. It accelerates comprehension and iteration, but it does not substitute judgment. Instead, it frees up space for higher-level analysis and strategic reasoning. Learning to work alongside AI thoughtfully, rather than relying on it blindly, will be essential for future leaders.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I most admire Travis Bruffy because he lifts people as he climbs. His background, from professional football to leading venture investments and building his own investment syndicate, reflects ambition and discipline. What I admire most, however, is how he leads. Travis combines high standards with genuine humility. He pushes himself relentlessly, yet never at the expense of those around him. He actively connects classmates, shares opportunities, and invests time in building meaningful relationships. His leadership is not loud or self-promotional. It is consistent. Even while working full time and preparing to start a family, he remains deeply engaged in the LBS community. Co-chairing Sundowners (student-run social events) with him showed me how intentional he is about creating spaces where people feel welcomed and valued.

What surprised me most was the discipline behind his light-hearted personality. Beneath the humour is focus and courage. He handles pressure with composure and optimism, bringing perspective when situations feel intense. He demonstrates that leadership is not only about personal achievement, but about elevating those around you. His composure and optimism under pressure have refined my own approach to leadership, reminding me that even demanding moments can be approached with steadiness and a sense of enjoyment in the process.

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

Hospitality has long been my professional identity, and supporting the growth of people within it has always been a personal passion. Looking ahead, I aspire to play a leading role in expanding a global hospitality brand into high potential, underdeveloped markets, helping professionalise operations, strengthen local talent and build businesses that are both commercially resilient and socially meaningful.

Alongside that path, I hope to establish a structured initiative that expands access to and growth within the hospitality industry. I want to provide mentorship, exposure and development pathways for aspiring and early-career professionals, particularly in markets where upward mobility is limited. My ambition is not only to scale businesses, but to scale opportunity, helping individuals build meaningful, long-term careers and, in turn, lift others as they grow.

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

“Tania has stood out to me in my role as MBA Programme Director as a leader with great empathy for her classmates and someone who is always adding value to the school community. Every MBA class needs a handful of students who act as ‘glue’ to bring everyone together and that’s very much how I see Tania. Tattoo is LBS’ key ‘showstopper’ event, celebrating the school’s diversity and what makes LBS unique. I’m really impressed by how Tania brings in her background in hospitality to manage major events like Tattoo.

As a Programme Director, it’s a real joy when you can see an MBA student thriving, extracting the maximum possible value out of their experience. An MBA is all about getting into the thick of the action and getting your hands dirty. Tania has seized every opportunity to do this whilst supporting her classmates to do the same.

I can’t wait to see Tania’s next steps. She will add a huge amount of zeal and dedication to any community or organization she is a part of and no doubt be an instrumental alumna.”

Oliver Ashby
MBA Programme Director

 

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