Sahiba Tandon

• Programme: MBA
• Nationality: Indian
• Job Pre-programme: Associate Director, BMR Advisors

“An MBA is a huge investment and the scholarship gave me the confidence to pursue my interests” 

As a chartered accountant, Sahiba Tandon MBA2019 worked for nearly 10 years in tax and regulatory practices, advising and representing companies from diverse industries. While her work gave her wide exposure to government and private sector, she was keen to explore and move to a different function. Alongside work, Sahiba was also engaged with local communities and charities in India to empower and educate women and children. “In the long run I want to set up a non-profit which focuses on education for girls and women in different spheres of life. I wanted to choose a business school where I could amply explore both my personal and professional interests and LBS fit the bill perfectly,” says Sahiba.

Her dual interests made her stand out as an MBA candidate, and she was recognised with the LBS Monica and Navin Valrani scholarship. “An MBA is a huge investment and the scholarship gave me the confidence to pursue my interests”, says Sahiba. “Given how women are still fighting for equal recognition for their professional achievements, I was empowered by this scholarship to continue on my journey of learning and development.”

LBS’s central location gave her the opportunity to explore different sectors, attend career events and network with experts from varied fields. For every career opportunity she’s wanted to investigate, Sahiba says that there’s always been someone from the LBS network whose experience and advice she could draw on. This eventually gave shape to her future ambitions - this summer, she will be interning with MetLife as part of their Global Leadership Development Program for MBA students.

On a personal front, Sahiba has been able to continue engaging with non-profits during her MBA. In the first term, as part of an impact consulting project at LBS, she advised an African NGO which focused on skill training and health outreaches for Nigerian women. Right now, she’s organising the event ‘LBS for London’, which matches interested people from the school – staff, students, partners, alumni – with a charity of their choice for offering hands-on support. Through Career Centre, Sahiba landed an opportunity to work with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, mentoring a young female entrepreneur from South Africa to set up a poultry farm. “There are a plethora of oppurtunities at LBS to pursue different passions”, she says.

Sahiba says that the people at the School make it what it is. “I knew LBS was diverse and I realised the extent of it through classroom discussions and personal interactions that allowed me to learn from the experiences of people from around the world”, she says. “In addition to the professional networks that I know will be valuable to me, I am grateful to LBS for giving me friends from different parts of the world.”