Laidlaw Foundation renews commitment to Leadership Fund

London Business School (LBS) has received a second £3.69 million from the Laidlaw Foundation to support the advancement of women in business.

The gift will ensure the future of the Laidlaw Women’s Leadership Fund in partnership with LBS for a further three years.

The Laidlaw Women’s Leadership Fund provides tuition fee support to 20 women each year from across the School’s MBA, Executive MBA and Masters in Management programmes. It aims to increase the proportion of women in senior leadership roles in business and on executive boards globally.

Sixty outstanding scholars have received support from the Leadership Fund to date.

Laidlaw Foundation Chief Executive Susanna Kempe says: “LBS has taken our vision of propelling more women into senior leadership roles and turned it into a reality. They have sought out women who could only dream of the opportunity and given them access to the education and networks that a world-class business school provides. We are immensely thankful and look forward to seeing this programme continue to thrive.”

The £3.69 million is gifted to London Business School’s Forever Forward Campaign, which aims to raise £200 million over five years. Forever Forward will support the School’s purpose: to have a profound impact on the way the world does business and the way business impacts the world. The campaign will enable greater investment in scholarships, research, innovation and the learning environment.

François Ortalo-Magné, Dean of LBS, praised the Laidlaw Foundation’s continued support for women in business:

“Each year we welcome an outstanding cohort of Laidlaw Scholars to our programmes. These women are the business leaders of tomorrow, and I am grateful to the Laidlaw Foundation for partnering with us in supporting more such women in the coming years.

“Let us dedicate ourselves to improving the representation of women in positions of leadership and to removing the financial barriers that all too often prevent bright minds from pursuing a world-class business education. The Laidlaw Women’s Leadership Fund removes such barriers and sends an important signal to all women: you belong at the top.

“Improving availability and access to scholarships is a key priority of our Forever Forward fundraising campaign. The remarkable achievements of our current and future Laidlaw Scholars confirm the transformative power of the gifts we receive. We aim to double our scholarship offering.”

The Laidlaw Women’s Leadership Fund was first launched at London Business School in 2020.