Mirgani Huseynli

Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford

“From oil rigs to satellites to Oxford, always chasing growth and meaningful impact.”

Hometown: Baku, Azerbaijan

Fun Fact About Yourself: I got my driver’s license in 2020 and haven’t driven a car since

Undergraduate School and Major: Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, Petroleum Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Space Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lead Satellite Services Engineer

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Oxford Saïd’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The one-year MBA format was a key factor for me. I wanted an intense and transformative experience without leaving the job market for too long. Oxford Saïd provides it without compromise, combining rich academic curriculum and a strong focus on sustainability and responsible leadership. The global credibility of Oxford made it the ideal place to make a decisive career pivot.

What course, club, or activity has been your favorite part of the Oxford Saïd MBA experience? The classroom experience has been my favourite part of the MBA. Coming from an engineering background, absorbing so much business knowledge in such a short and intense timeframe has been both challenging and exciting. Beyond classes, Oxford Union speaker events stand out as a highlight, offering exposure to prominent people and their ideas, which makes the Oxford experience truly distinctive.

What is the most “Oxford” thing you have done so far as a full-time MBA student? Realising that I had to sit exams in a suit, bow tie, and academic gown was the ultimate “This is Oxford” moment. It felt strangely formal and completely normal at the same time. Another standout was during launch week, when we had drinks at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, casually socialising and dancing among dinosaur skeletons. Moments like these make you realise how normal it feels at Oxford for tradition, academia, and everyday life to blend together.

Oxford is known as a place where world collides, be it in the classroom or the dining hall. What has been the most interesting interaction you’ve had so far as an Oxford MBA student? Formal dinners are a perfect place to meet people from other disciplines. I’ve found myself chatting with students studying everything from the History of Economics to Nanotechnology for Medicine. Even within my MBA cohort, daily conversations with classmates from different countries remind me how much we – people around the world – share, despite very different backgrounds. Those interactions have made the Oxford experience feel truly global.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment has been repeatedly choosing to step outside my comfort zone. I left a career in oil and gas to pivot into the space industry, then later made another deliberate shift by stepping away from engineering altogether to pursue an MBA. Each move meant starting from scratch in a new environment, but together they reflect my willingness to take calculated risks and keep learning.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? Adjusting to the pace of the MBA has been my biggest accomplishment so far. Despite having no prior business background, I ended Michaelmas term feeling comfortable with the material. Just as importantly, I figured out how to manage my time well enough to stay active, attend events, and still enjoy the social side of Oxford.

Oxford Saïd is considered a mission-driven MBA program. What social issue resonates most with you? How do you plan to use your career path to address this issue? Sustainable infrastructure resonates most with me. I’ve seen how urban planning and your direct surroundings quietly shape your quality of life for decades. When they’re done well, people rarely notice them. When they’re done poorly, the consequences are felt by entire communities.

Through my career, I’ve become especially interested in how cities and large infrastructure systems can be designed to be more human-centered, resilient, and sustainable. My goal is to build experience in consulting, where I can learn how strategy, data, and policy come together in complex projects. In the longer term, I want to apply that experience to public sector and urban development initiatives, particularly in emerging markets like my home country, Azerbaijan, where thoughtful infrastructure planning can have exceptional impact.

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