Discover how our programmes have impacted the lives of our alumni.

Motoi Kawabata
EMSBE class 22/23
“The EMSBE has profoundly impacted my career journey, transforming my pathway in a way that could not have happened otherwise. I decided to take the EMSBE because I wanted to fundamentally improve my knowledge and skills to contribute to reshaping current capitalism for the people and the planet for future generations.
Significantly, the EMSBE delivered three essential intangible assets to my career and life: a comprehensive set of scientific knowledge and practical toolkits to align purpose and profit, thoughtful confidence in my career commitment, and connections to talented cohorts with diverse backgrounds who eventually became the worldwide extended family.”
Elizabeth Gueyffier
EMSBE class 22/23
“Before I found the Marshall Institute and the EMSBE I did not know the term “social business” existed. I had been interested for years in launching a project around civic engagement and democracy but couldn’t find a way to make it fit into the typical start-up model which could attract VC funding. Wanting to pursue my idea but not knowing how to figure out next steps I started looking at MBA or MPA programmes but nothing seemed to fit. Finding the EMSBE at the LSE was a lightbulb moment – I immediately started the application process and was delighted to be accepted.
The programme was life-changing for me – all of a sudden I was immersed in a community of like-minded thinkers and it seemed as if a whole world of possibilities had opened up. I did not expect how profoundly the courses would explore the concept of social good in society and what having a solid Theory of Change enables impact rather than just outputs. Because of this programme I felt I finally had the skills to make my idea happen. I left my job and started a social enterprise which is developing a scalable tool for strengthening civic engagement on the local level. I’m so glad to have the EMSBE network and continue to benefit from the input of my cohort and from LSE research. “
Finding the EMSBE at the LSE was a lightbulb moment... all of a sudden I was immersed in a community of like-minded thinkers and it seemed as if a whole world of possibilities had opened up
Elizabeth Gueyffier
Raquel Pais
EMSBE class 22/23
“This programme has been a true turning point in my career journey. Before joining the Masters, I had years of experience in the creative industries, leading major exhibitions and managing cultural programs. But I was still lacking the vision and tools to create lasting social impact. Since completing the programme, I’ve embarked on an exciting journey to transition into the social business sector where I’m eager to apply my unique profile, experience, and education to make a real difference in people’s lives and our planet’s future. This Master’s was a catalyst for this big leap, and although the transition hasn’t been without challenges, the support of the fantastic alumni community, especially my 2023 cohort, has been vital. I feel very empowered to continue this journey of acting with purpose, and I’m excited for what the future holds”.
Adrian Farina
EMSBE class 23/24
“I’ve recently completed the EMSBE and found it to be a transformational experience in my career. Coming from the corporate, for-profit background, I have historically struggled with the tension between profit and purpose, and the apparent impossibility for a firm to deliver on both in meaningful ways. Learning the approach to hybrid organisations that the Marshall Institute proposes has been a revelation, and I am convinced that it is a concept that can deliver a substantial impact in society. But for that to happen, the voice needs to reach newer audiences and stakeholders, so that more people and organisations start incorporating this way of thinking to their activities. Following my studies, I am planning to transition my career more into the social space, so staying involved with the Marshall Institute will allow me to continue to learn and build connections in this area. “
Learning the approach to hybrid organisations that the Marshall Institute proposes has been a revelation, and I am convinced that it is a concept that can deliver a substantial impact in society.
Adrian Farina
David Knox
EMSBE class 23/24
“The EMBSE can be a springboard. Capable of making you a catalyst, co-founder or counsellor in a wide range of social business ventures, it can give you the confidence to critique and contribute, to assess, improve and to design social impact that will grow. Particular eye-openers for me included EMBSE’s focus on solving “wicked” social problems. These have defeated multi-nationals, governments and non-profit foundations – but not impact founders. Context came from express history of climate change, dual purpose corporations, UN Sustainable Development Goals and fellow-students from several continents representing multiple occupations. But mainly from teaching by LSE professors, impact founders and guest speakers with awesome real-word experience. A former diplomat imprisoned by generals, a UK inner city educational pioneer supported by Michelle Obama and volume ophthalmic surgeons became our tutors and subjects – and scalability (thinking big, and thinking measurable) our mantra. Weekly video conferences from five time zones under-pinned (along with AI research) five “Altruistic Entrepreneur Project” pitches to an outside panel before our final written assignments.
Practical use? Designing and refining template social impact collaborations. Reducing ideas to (and expanding them from) the “business model canvas” proforma LSE taught us has been key. Two collaborations capable of seeding or accelerating investable societal change – designed for local then global use – are occupying me now. Both involve a secular movement that counters social exclusion in 40 countries: Emmaus International. Both should pilot in France and UK, before scaling up in those nations’ former colonies – without either committing the “intervention colonialism” we studied at LSE, or ignoring past wrongs.”