The impact of your giving

Foreword

With another extraordinary year at Oxford Saïd completed, I am reminded of the distinct privilege that it is to be part of this special community. 

2023-24 has seen much success for the School, plenty of which would not be possible without the support and generosity of our community. To our students that engage so fully with their programmes, to our active network of alumni that support each other around the globe, and to our donors who offer scholarships to deserving students, fund important research, and much more – thank you.  

Thanks to your support, we finished the year having raised £24.6 million in confirmed new funds which is the largest amount raised since 2018-19. The philanthropic income that we receive is vital and enables the School to thrive and achieve many things that we would otherwise not be able to.

I wish to express my gratitude to Wafic Saïd and the Saïd Foundation for donating £10 million, the largest single gift in the School’s history to support MBA scholarships, ensuring that the School can continue to attract the most talented MBA candidates in an extraordinarily competitive market. 

Particular successes of the last year included welcoming an historic MBA class which was 51% female. This incredible achievement has been a longstanding goal for the School, towards which we have actively worked by providing scholarships for women. Special thanks are due to the Laidlaw Foundation, for the scholarships it provides to exceptional female candidates, and for the renewal and expansion of that support this year. The class was one of the most gender-balanced in the world, surpassing other top schools in Europe.  

We also welcomed an impressive number of new faculty members, with the School’s faculty membership exceeding 80 for the first time. Increasing the size of our faculty, and driving academic excellence, are key elements of our five-year strategy and will be crucial in achieving our aim of becoming a top global business school. I was thrilled to appoint the first Professor of Real Estate this year, thanks to a generous gift from the Lalji Family to establish this dedicated post. Seven new colleagues had joined the School by the end of Michaelmas Term, and with further appointments at the beginning of 2024, the size of the faculty is now a record 88 with plans for further expansion. 

My sincere thanks to our wonderful community of alumni, donors, academics, students, and staff who make up the heart and spirit of Oxford Saïd. Your contribution to our School is greatly appreciated, I hope you enjoy reading about the impact that you’ve had in the last year. 

Professor Soumitra Dutta
Peter Moores Dean

Scholarships

Launching the Oxford Saïd Future Leaders MBA scholarship

Thanks to a new £10 million donation from Wafic Saïd, the School this year launched the Oxford Saïd Future Leaders MBA scholarship. The transformative gift will bring a new generation of exceptional scholars to the School by helping to attract the most academically talented students. 

The gift forms the basis of a time-limited match-funding initiative, enabling greater impact as gifts from additional donors will be doubled in value through a 50% match. 

'For more than 900 years, the University has been educating future leaders. Thanks to the generosity and vision of Wafic Saïd, even more future leaders will be equipped by our MBA programme with the ability to tackle complex challenges, both local and global. On behalf of the University of Oxford and many future beneficiaries of this scholarship, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks for this incredible gift.'

Professor Irene Tracey
Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford

A unique collaboration with HEC Montréal continues to thrive 

HEC Montréal renewed their collaboration with the School this year. Thanks to funding of $2 million CAD from Jean Chagnon, the architect of the partnership and an alumnus of both institutions, both scholarships and research positions have been supported. This unique collaboration has funded six scholars since 2019.

'The Oxford Saïd-HEC Montréal Scholarship is unparalleled and provides generous financial support to attend world-class management programmes. It is also creating a growing multidisciplinary community of individuals who believe collaboration between their two alma maters can improve global societies. The Oxford Saïd MBA programme combined with the HEC Montréal-Oxford Saïd community have enriched my personal and professional life in so many ways.'

Xavier Roy
MBA 2019

Celebrating a year of scholarship milestones 

2023-24 was a year of milestones, with the Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo scholarship celebrating five years, Oxford-Pershing Square scholarship celebrating ten years having supported 60 scholars, and the Skoll scholarship celebrating 20 years and 100 scholars. 

Since its launch in 2019, the Intesa Sanpaolo scholarship has helped seven exceptionally talented young women to achieve their ambitions. 

‘We are incredibly grateful to Intesa Sanpaolo for their very generous scholarship. The unusual element, of financial support with childcare, has opened up opportunities to talented mothers who would otherwise struggle to study an MBA at Oxford. It has certainly contributed to why we are one of the few business schools in the world to have broken gender parity in this current class, at 51% female, and why we are a destination of choice for women looking to do an MBA in the UK.’

Amy Major 
MBA Programme Director

'This scholarship has not only provided financial support but has become a beacon of hope and empowerment for women like me, determined to make a difference in the world. It has instilled in me the confidence to pursue my ambitions fearlessly. Moving to the UK was a significant leap, but the scholarship eased the transition, providing not just financial assistance but a sense of belonging and support.' 

Malvika Gaekwad 
MBA 2023 

Oxford Saïd is celebrating ten years of partnership with the Pershing Square Foundation, which has supported 60 exceptional scholars since 2014. Oxford-Pershing Square scholars undertake a 1+1 programme – an MBA combined with another participating MSc programme. Recipients are exceptional individuals who can demonstrate the potential and commitment to finding scalable and sustainable solutions to world-scale social challenges. The scholars benefit from on-course opportunities including attending prestigious conferences, mentorship opportunities, and the scholar trek to New York where they are hosted by the Pershing Square Foundation. 

Now in its 20th year, the Skoll Scholarship has supported 100 scholars through their MBA at Oxford Saïd whilst also providing these social entrepreneurs with access to a likeminded community and to enrichment programming through the Skoll Centre. This enduring partnership has already been hugely impactful and, thanks to the Skoll Foundation’s continuing generosity, the Skoll Centre will continue to enable the sharing of expertise, creating a space for dialogue that can spark transformational social change.

'My two years at Oxford were some of the best of my life and this experience was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Pershing Square Foundation. The scholarship has afforded me the time and space to reflect on my next steps in the world of international development, one where I hope to transform and localise systems.'

Adam Hegedus 
Oxford-Pershing Square Scholar 2022-24 

Renewed support from the Laidlaw Foundation will see thirty female scholars attend Oxford Saïd

The Laidlaw Foundation this year reaffirmed its commitment to the School, with £1.8 million for female scholarships. Thanks to the generous gift, the School will welcome thirty exceptional female scholars over the next three years to benefit from the prestigious Laidlaw Scholarship. Scholarships such as these have been crucial in helping the School to achieve gender parity within the MBA class. 

'We are incredibly grateful to the Laidlaw Foundation for their continued generosity and support. Providing exceptional female scholars with the opportunity to complete our MBA will bolster their considerable talents in business and set them up for even greater success, as leaders and change makers. I look forward to welcoming our next generation of Laidlaw Scholars, and celebrating their journey beyond education, when they become part of our lifelong alumni community.'

Professor Soumitra Dutta 

Entrepreneurship

'I am particularly proud of the outstanding work that our team of students has undertaken to make these investments happen. Their tireless efforts in sourcing, evaluating, and recommending opportunities have been instrumental for us to make these investments.'

Maria Zubeldia Diaz 
Director of the Entrepreneurship Centre

In the first half of 2024, the Oxford Seed Fund invested over £500,000 in ten Oxford-affiliated ventures, with more investments expected to follow. This surge in investment – more in a five-month period than in the preceding five years – was made possible thanks to the generosity of Oxford Science Enterprises. Philanthropic support, which also comes from the CVC Foundation, enables impact-focused entrepreneurs to scale and accelerate their businesses with early-stage funding. 

The fund recently redesigned its operational structure, allowing larger investment tickets and an increase in the number of ventures it is able to support.

'It is impressive to see how a modest investment from the Oxford Seed Fund has helped to catapult an idea from student startup to a world-leading business. Onfido was conceptualised at Oxford and is now delivering impact on an international scale. We are privileged to have played an important role in their journey. Onfido’s success, and the return on our investment, will help us continue to support the most exciting startups and entrepreneurs from across the world, through our Entrepreneurship Centre, boosting economies, creating jobs and driving innovation.'

Professor Soumitra Dutta

The success of the Oxford Seed Fund was demonstrated by the sale of Onfido, in April 2024. The start-up was supported by the Seed Fund in 2013, where it received £20,000 in early-phase funding, and with an 80 times return, the sale represents the largest ever student-led company return on investment for the University of Oxford.

'Onfido’s exit demonstrates the powerful influence academic institutions hold in delivering outsized local and global impact. It is rewarding knowing that our exit’s returns are being reinvested by Oxford into supporting a new generation of entrepreneurs.'

Husayn Kassai
Co-Founder and former CEO, Onfido

Research

Celebrating the continuation and deepening of our relationship with
the Skoll Foundation

A major donation of £3.7 million ($4.53 million) was this year accepted by Oxford Saïd from the Skoll Foundation, an organisation that catalyses transformational social change by investing in, connecting, and championing social entrepreneurs and other social innovators. This gift represents the continuation and deepening of a 20-year partnership between the Skoll Foundation and Saïd Business School.

The donation will support and advance the mission of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, a leading academic centre focused on social entrepreneurship, innovation, and impact, which is embedded in Oxford Saïd. It will help the Skoll Centre deliver an ambitious new strategy, which focuses on generating cutting-edge research on how to lead, organise, finance, measure, and scale systemic change. Research insights will be used to fuel learning programmes for students at the University and entrepreneurial leaders globally. Community convenings will create opportunities to bridge theory and practice, profit and purpose, local communities and global organisations – and will drive social impact within and beyond business.

'We are deeply grateful to the Skoll Foundation for their continued support and partnership with this generous donation. This investment will mean the Skoll Centre continues to be a force for good in the world, leading social change by connecting world-leading academic rigour and research with real-world impact and action. I look forward to seeing the Centre continue to flourish, within the unique ecosystem of the world’s greatest university.'

Professor Soumitra Dutta

'The Skoll Centre’s mission is accomplished through our global community of academics, practitioners, and alumni committed to catalysing systemic change within and beyond business. Our community of nearly 100 Skoll Scholars, over 100 fellows and affiliates, and more than 350 educators, in addition to the organisational partners who work with us alongside the Skoll Foundation help to amplify our impact. My thanks and deep appreciation to the Skoll Foundation for their generous gift and continued support of the Skoll Centre. We are so grateful for our close working relationship and look forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership in the years to come.'

Professor Marya Besharov
Academic Director, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship

Appointing the School’s first
Real Estate Professor 

Professor Martin Schmalz has been appointed the first Professor of Real Estate and lead of Oxford’s Future of Real Estate Initiative (FoRE). Martin’s new leadership role has been made possible thanks to a generous £1 million donation from the Lalji family, which established a dedicated Real Estate Fund at the School.

'We are thrilled to have been able to support Oxford Saïd with its first professorship of Real Estate, and to be able to ensure the study and research of the subject at the School for the long term through a dedicated Real Estate Fund. We take great confidence in Martin’s abilities, track record, and energy to drive this work forward, and thank Oxford Saïd for making us a partner in their vision.'

Lalji Family 

The Oxford Future of Real Estate Initiative is part of a broader strategy to embed real estate within the School. It encompasses a Real Estate elective on the Oxford MBA, an open enrolment executive education programme in Real Estate, a global network of Oxford real estate alumni created through the establishment of the Oxford Real Estate Society and supports the delivery of the annual Oxford Real Estate Conference.

'I am incredibly pleased to take on the lead of such an important initiative at Oxford Saïd. Our continued research in the field is critical to informed decision-making. I look forward to taking on the role, working with colleagues and key partners, and continuing our important contribution to the industry.'

Professor Martin Schmalz 

Continuing and deepening our relationship with the Goldman Sachs Foundation 

This year, the Goldman Sachs Foundation renewed its support for the 10,000 Small Businesses programme with a gift of $6.7 million (£5.3 million). 

The programme, delivered in partnership with Oxford Saïd, provides entrepreneurs with access to education and business support, equipping them with the tools they need to grow sustainably, unlock their full potential, and create jobs and economic opportunities.

The curriculum delivers 100 hours of in-person and virtual teaching, providing high-quality, practical skills to leaders of high-growth small business and social enterprises in the UK. After graduating, participants join a global alumni community, where they receive ongoing support through specialist workshops, national alumni events, and ongoing peer-to-peer mentoring.

Since its launch in 2010, the programme has supported over 2000 small business leaders. Thanks to the renewed commitment of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, the programme is set to support many more small business owners in the future.

The Global Leadership Centre

The Global Leadership Centre reaches a significant milestone 

May 2024 marked the ‘Topping Out’ of the Global Leadership Centre. Members of the Global Leadership Council, and other close friends of the School, were able to visit the site and meet with the Project Manager, Construction Site Manager, and architect and with the help of virtual reality, were able to view completed 3D renders of the spaces. The group signed the final beam ahead of it being placed at the top of the Agora. 

Since August 2023, foundation and groundworks have been completed, the steel frame has been completed, with the North and South steel frames joined, and brick work repairs have been completed. Roof covering works are scheduled to finish soon, before internal works – drylining, mechanical and electrical services – commence. 

To date, £24 million has been raised to support this project and fundraising efforts continue. There are still opportunities to partner with us to support this historic project, as well as opportunities for donors to name parts of the building in perpetuity. 

The building is due to open with an official opening ceremony in Autumn 2025.

Community giving

Giving Day 2024 was supported by an incredible 483 donors, with community gifts and challenge funding collectively raising £216,490 

Our global community really stepped up, with gifts from all continents, and 57 countries. Our chapters in Bangkok, Sydney, London, Toronto and Singapore held Giving Day networking events too. We saw gifts from alumni of the MBA, EMBA, Diploma, MSc Major Programme Management, MSc Global Healthcare Leadership, MSc Financial Economics, MSc Law and Finance, DPhil, and BA in Economics and Management programmes. 

Special thanks to our Giving Day champions who supported with challenge funding: 

James Clarke, MMPM 2010
Daniel Hasler, MBA 2002
Andrew Lo, MSc Management Research 2001 
Leo Tong Chen, MBA 2001
Wanakaset, MBA 2000
Kazumasa Yoshihiro, MBA 2006
Baoli Zhao and Vieunite, EMBA 2019

‘I am deeply grateful for the unparalleled education and opportunities I've received. This donation reflects my appreciation and commitment to supporting future students in achieving their academic and professional goals.’ 

Giving Day donor

The impact of the philanthropic support that we have received this year has touched every aspect of the School, from enabling exceptional students to take up their place through scholarships to establishing new appointments and research to be undertaken. Thanks to your support we have achieved so much, and we are grateful.

It was my great pleasure to begin the 2023-24 academic year by welcoming some of the School’s closest friends to the Rewley Lecture and have the opportunity to thank many people in person for their ongoing support of the School in the iconic Sheldonian Theatre. Delivering a lecture on Hope and Hype, Laurence Moroney, Google AI Lead, outlined the benefits of machine learning to a crowded Sheldonian Theatre, with 500+ attendees, saying that AI is a tool for us all. 

Laurence reassured the audience that humans will always have an integral role in the way machine learning technology is used and how it can develop and argued that machine learning’s ability to identify and analyse patterns within data could lead to significant developments and wide-ranging benefits. The event was a celebration of the very best of Oxford and what we, as a young business school embedded within an ancient University, are contributing towards important domains such as artificial intelligence.

Our global network of alumni is a core strength of Oxford Saïd and it gives me great pleasure to celebrate this in my role. Your generosity as alumni supporters is integral to the life and success of the School. Whether you’ve donated your time, expertise, or money this year, we’re very grateful, thank you.

A tangible example of the power of collective impact is always Giving Day. With five of our alumni chapters holding Giving Day events, including our first ever event in Sydney, the reach and global impact that our community can have was made evident.

This year we established two new alumni groups – Oxford Saïd Alumnae Leaders and Oxford Saïd MBA Alumni Council. These groups will be led by volunteer committees – thank you to all who have agreed to give their time for this purpose and to those who sit on our external boards. Thank you also to the alumni and friends of the School who have agreed to serve on our Global Leadership Council. Your support is much appreciated.

Finally, it was a pleasure for me to meet many of our alumni and supporters at events around the world, from the Alumni Reunion in Oxford, to events in London, Hong Kong, Dubai and many places in between. Your support and ongoing connection with the School is appreciated and valued by us all. Further highlights have included the launch of Oxford Saïd: The Leadership Conversation event series in New York, San Francisco, and Dubai, with more events planned.

With heartfelt thanks for your ongoing support,

Kate Foley 
Director of Development and Alumni Relations