A global community
Our Business School community is highly international, with each MBA class being around 90% non-British. This global community is essential in enabling our world-class research, teaching, real-world impact and outreach as a Business School. To support the continuance of this diversity, we offer several scholarships to candidates from underrepresented countries.
The new Cambridge MBA Scholarship for Global Impact offers up to £45,000 to 4 applicants across our 4 admissions rounds, from countries we target to ensure a diverse global cohort each year.
This scholarship is for candidates who have made an impact in their region and meaningfully contributed to their community. Priority will be given to candidates from countries which we feel are currently underrepresented within the MBA cohort to ensure a diverse global community each year. The list of countries may change in each annual admissions cycle.
Silanur Sahin, from Turkey, on receiving her scholarship award for global Impact said, “Being accepted to Cambridge Judge Business School was a significant milestone, but receiving this scholarship has been an extraordinary honour and source of immense joy.”
She continues, “As a young woman from a non-medical background, making a difference in the male-dominated medical device manufacturing industry, has been both challenging and rewarding. To be recognised for this work has not only validated my efforts, but also inspired me to strive for even greater achievements. This prestigious award and the support that comes with it, fuels my determination to excel in my field and make a meaningful contribution.”
Silanur is also named as a Forté Fellow within the cohort, offering access to a wide range of benefits through the Forté Foundation-from events, and resources, to access to an extensive Forté global network.
Equally, for Tinashe Makamure, from Zimbabwe, the scholarship award for Global Impact offers the opportunity to expand his career in the finance sector.
He says, “My decision to pursue the Cambridge MBA stems from my desire to bridge the gap between my current expertise and my aspirational career goals. My experience in the financial services industry has shown me the transformative power of innovative financial solutions.”
He continues, “In the next year, I want to gain a comprehensive understanding of global investment strategies and develop the leadership skills necessary to drive innovation in finance. I aim to build a strong network of like-minded professionals who share my passion for transformative finance, enabling me to contribute meaningfully to the financial sector and achieve my long-term career goals.”
Tinashe sees his MBA journey propelling him towards an active leadership role in the financial markets. He explains, “With the knowledge and skills gained, my goal is to leverage my expertise to create financial solutions that foster economic growth and development, particularly in emerging markets like Zimbabwe.”
Professional and sector diversity
With the launch of the new Cambridge MBA Scholarship for Professional Impact, the focus is firmly on encouraging a wide diversity of employment sectors to be represented in the MBA class of 2024 and beyond. This award is designed for candidates who have made an impact in their industry and meaningfully contributed to their professional community, from sectors we focus on as currently underrepresented, such as the arts and culture, family businesses, the sports sector, NGOs, and energy and sustainability sectors, among others. This award is also up to £45,000 for 4 candidates across our 4 admission rounds.
Building an MBA class of people who come from diverse professional backgrounds, in terms of sector and job function, is vital to the thriving learning community we create, bringing varied experiences and expertise to the classroom and team projects.
Amanda Boadi from Canada, stepped out from the social sector, with a background in health sciences, working for the Breakfast Club of Canada, as a Senior Impact & Sustainability Advisor.
She explains how, “While I am grateful for the experience in the sector, the most recent involving national programmes, I have been yearning for more professional challenges and opportunities for increased learning, responsibility and impact. I felt that revisiting my MBA plans at this stage would fortify my practical experience with foundational business knowledge and provide opportunities to engage across more industries and geographies.”
She continues, “Looking into the programme at Cambridge more, I felt like I could see myself belonging. I remember the Cambridge MBA Director describing the MBA programme as inquisitive, which stood out to me (as I’m notorious for asking questions), and I liked seeing words like agility, excellence and curiosity incorporated into the programme’s code.”
Looking at some of the funding available, Amanda was convinced that this was an environment where her unique experience and perspective would be welcomed and celebrated. She explains, “Being awarded this scholarship is reassurance that the experience and skills I bring to the programme are valuable and a reminder that I also have something meaningful to contribute to this cohort of excellent students from varied backgrounds.”
Amanda was very grateful that through this scholarship, “Cambridge Judge is emphasising the importance of diverse perspectives and creating opportunities for those of us who might have unconventional or non-traditional pre-MBA experience to claim a seat at the table.”
British rower, James Robson, was born and grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark. A professional athlete for Team GB, competing for the team most recently at the Paris Olympics. On starting his MBA, along with the Professional Impact award he says, “I believe the MBA will empower me to push myself beyond my pre-conceived limitations in business and become a conscientious, successful and confident business leader.”
He continues, “Most of all, I want to make the most of the cohort. The people that Cambridge Judge attracts are incredibly diverse and it is an amazing opportunity to expand my horizons and meet people who I wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to meet.” He concludes, “Cambridge is the pinnacle of my career to date.”
Alongside this enhanced sector support scholarship, we are also continuing our focus on attracting candidates with strong backgrounds in technology and entrepreneurship, with the Cambridge MBA Scholarship for Entrepreneurs, as well as the Cambridge MBA Scholarship for Technology. Both awarding up to £30,000 in 3 separate awards across Rounds 1 to 3 only.
Inclusion – the LGBTQ+ community across the Business School
The Cambridge MBA ROMBA Fellowship for the LGBTQ+ Community was created as a joint effort between top business school programmes and Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA) to demonstrate that business schools are the top destination to develop the out LGBTQ+ and active ally business leaders of tomorrow. We are proud to partner with ROMBA to offer this scholarship to 2 people each year who help the LGBTQ+ community. Both awards are up to £45,000 each.
Cambridge Judge, together with these initiatives, work together to create a community in which all are welcomed and can be their authentic selves.
After working 4 years for a tech company as a consultant, Colombian student and 2024 ROMBA scholarship recipient, Federico Maldonado Arango, says, “I realised how much more I needed to learn to advance my career.”
He continues, “As my dream job is to connect Colombia to Europe and Asia, the Cambridge MBA would also enable me to join a diverse group of brilliant peers and academics from all over the world that would help me broaden my network to a global level.”
He explains further, “It has been an absolute honour being awarded the 2024 ROMBA LGBTQ+ scholarship. It is one of the main reasons why I am now able to take the challenge and attend Cambridge for my MBA and I will be forever grateful for being offered this opportunity.”
Federico hopes to use all the resources available to strengthen the LGBTQ+ community presence in business. He continues, “Proving that regardless of who you are, you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. This is my goal alongside countless other ROMBA fellows around the world.” Concluding he says, “Cambridge represents new opportunities. It is a place where I can grow, develop, and strengthen myself in an innovative, diverse, and historical environment.”
Also from Colombia, Camilo Upegui Londoño, had been working in a vast Latin American utility and infrastructure company, mainly in the sustainability, strategy, and innovation team. The notion of business for good drove him to pursue an MBA, where he explains, “I intend to expand my professional and academic profile, build a global network of strategic allies, and ultimately acquire the best practices and state-of-the-art tools to become the future leader and impact agent I strive to be.”
Being awarded this scholarship Camilo explains, “Growing up as a gay man in a predominantly patriarchal environment such as Latin America can be very challenging, both personally and professionally. For many queer folks out there, it can even affect their sense of worth and put a cap on their ambitions and the goals they commit to.”
Camilo feels that being awarded this fellowship is a reminder of the great things that can be achieved as members of the LGBTQ+ community. He continues, “Hopefully, it can also be a source of inspiration for the many diverse people eager to pursue an MBA and excel in the business world, who are struggling with the multiple barriers our community faces.” On the ROMBA award, he concludes, “It also feels like a great responsibility to actively drive change in any professional environment I embark on after the fellowship and my MBA programme. Overall, it is a significantly empowering experience.”
From professional and regional diversity, sector and nationality, to military veterans, entrepreneurs and scholarships just for women, and the LGBTQ+ community, Cambridge Judge Business School welcomes all our future leaders into our 2024 cohort and together we will create an ‘empowering experience’ for the year ahead.
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