New BK Birla Scholars join LBS community
London Business School (LBS) is delighted to welcome its newest BK Birla Scholar cohort to the School community.
The BK Birla Scholars programme at LBS provides funding in perpetuity to 10 outstanding full-time MBA candidates each year; it is supported by a generous £15 million endowed scholarship gift from the Aditya Birla Group.
The programme honours the legacy of celebrated businessman and philanthropist Basant Kumar (BK) Birla (1921-2019, pictured). It awards scholarships to LBS MBA candidates who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and uphold the ideals of integrity, dedication and service to humanity. Recipients are in the top 5% of their incoming class.
The MBA2023 BK Birla Scholars are: Dheeraj Chalasani (India), Emma Cordano (USA), Sofia Buchas (Argentina), Megha Jose (India), Varsha Seshadri (India), Sahil Patwa (India), Rui-Yang Ang (United Kingdom/Singapore), Kay Hasegawa (Japan), Ria Singh (India) and Jemima Maunder-Taylor (United Kingdom).
Ms Maunder-Taylor said the LBS MBA offered aspiring leaders a valuable range of opportunities.
“Alongside the rigour of the academic curriculum, there is the extensive elective syllabus which provides us with the opportunity to broaden achievements outside of the traditional skills of our current career paths”, she said.
“This variety is an exciting and valuable component for those like me, who want to explore new opportunities and horizons.”
The MBA2023 Scholars join continuing MBA2022 BK Birla Scholars Lucia Donnangelo (Uruguay), Claudia Zhang (Singapore), Ben Lewis (USA), Ashish Behera (India), Anupriya Kohli (India), Akhil Pawar (India), Libby Knowles (United Kingdom), Akshat Goenka (India), Priyanshu Taparia (India) and Charlton Bannister (United Kingdom).
Mr Behera said: “I am honoured to receive this award and would like to thank the Aditya Birla Group from the bottom of my heart.
“The ideals of BK Birla and (Aditya Birla Group Chairman) KM Birla are inspirations for every Indian and it has further strengthened my vision of uplifting India as a global business leader. I aim to use this prestigious platform to serve India in the future.”
Since its inception in 2019, the BK Birla Scholars Programme has provided financial support to 30 emerging business leaders to further their education with LBS and unlock their potential.
