Simisola Oke

Dr. Simisola Oke (Simi), is driven by a passionate mission to bridge the gap between innovative biotechnologies and practical application, ushering concepts from research to reality. Her journey began with a medical degree from St George’s University of London, following which she worked in the NHS focusing on emergency and internal medicine. Transitioning into aviation space medicine, she spearheaded novel clinical trials in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and the Swiss Army, pioneering research strategies for cutting-edge technologies.

Now, as the Chief Medical Officer of a biotech startup dedicated to longevity and advancing preventative medicine, Simi is channeling her efforts on translating complex scientific concepts into tangible clinical outcomes. Drawing from her diverse background in medicine, research, and business, she envisions a future where healthcare models prioritise patient empowerment. Her goal is to revolutionise the field with patient-centric biotechnologies that empower individuals to interpret their health data, enabling them to navigate their healthcare journey with confidence and autonomy.

Keemia Azvine

Keemia has spent the last five years working at Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the world’s largest independent funder of oncology research. Keemia worked in roles spanning strategic alliances, corporate strategy and research funding, but spent the majority of this time working at Cancer Research Horizons, the charity’s innovation engine dedicated to translating cutting-edge academic discoveries into effective cancer treatments. Here, as a Business Development Manager, she enabled the commercialisation of promising academic research through partnership with the for-profit life sciences industry.

Beyond CRUK, Keemia is on the Board of Trustees for CATTs (“Cancer Awareness for Teens and Twenties”), a charity dedicated to empowering young people with knowledge of the early signs of cancer. Prior to joining CRUK, Keemia studied Biological Natural Sciences with Management at the University of Cambridge where she specialized in Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour.

Through the MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences joint degree at Harvard, Keemia intends to explore innovative ways to engage the private life sciences sector in tackling global health equity. The support from BFHBS will be instrumental in allowing her to explore this goal and prioritize impact over profit during and after her time at Harvard.

Joseph Cullen

Joseph’s last role was as an Associate at McKinsey & Company, working primarily in their Private Equity and Principal Investors practice across topics ranging from diligence through to strategy and execution in a range of industries. He also previously worked in Operational Consulting for two years, advising clients through implementation programmes on-site in hospitals, factories as well as warehouse depots. Joseph graduated from Oxford with a first-class degree in Modern Languages (French and German). During his time there, he represented Oxford in the Rugby League varsity match and captained his college side. During his year abroad, he spent time in Hessen and interned at an investment fund in Paris. At Harvard Business School, he is excited to dive deeper into the positive impact of private-market investing, as well as further developing his own leadership style and outlook. He is also looking forward to meeting a new set of like-minded people and gaining a wider understanding of life and culture in the US. The existence of BFHBS was instrumental in Joseph’s decision to apply for and choose HBS, and being offered its support was instrumental in making the MBA a feasible option. Joseph is excited to break down barriers to applications and support future applicants and scholars in their application to and time at HBS.

Julia Lawson-Johns

Prior to joining HBS, Julia was a senior project manager at Dalberg Advisors, where she advised on the strategy of non-governmental organisations and conducted economic studies for development actors across the health, environment and infrastructure space. Julia started her career at management consultancy, Oliver Wyman, where she worked extensively with private and institutional financial organisations. She holds a MSc Economics for Development and BSc Geography with Economics from the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics, respectively. Julia grew up in the Chew Valley in Somerset, England and is fluent in French and German.

Julia is interested in development finance and how impact-linked financing and public funds can be used to crowd-in private capital for economic development. She is committed to finding ways to mobilise private capital that better balances economic and social returns and creates positive effects on livelihoods through improved labour markets and climate resilience. She is eager to use the HBS experience to explore this interest further, gain a stronger technical financial background and build a network of like-minded individuals. On a personal level, she excited to try her hand at salsa, tennis and Spanish and spend time exploring America on her bike.

BFHBS support has been transformational; it has provided Julia with the financing needed for her to afford the cost of attendance at Harvard Business School. Crucially, the scholarship has given Julia the financial freedom post-MBA to pursue an impact-focussed development finance career.

Alex Gray

Alex is a senior policy advisor at HM Treasury, where he has worked since graduating from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), reading Philosophy and Economics. In his time at HMT, he has worked on some of the biggest policy challenges; from designing the post-Brexit migration system to helping set up the UK’s COVID-19 business support. He is also a volunteer tutor for The Access Project, a charity that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds access top universities. In his spare time, he enjoys playing hockey for the London Royals LGBTQ+ Hockey Club.

His time at HBS will be the first step on a journey to understand the world of business. He hopes to use this opportunity to build the knowledge and networks to enable him to become a more proficient leader, leveraging his experience in government to help build a more equitable economy.

Emmanuel Latham

Emmanuel has spent the last two and a half years at Anglo American - a major international mining company - forecasting the long-term landscape for vehicles and lithium-ion batteries and working with the leadership team to plan how Anglo American can play a positive role in this future. Before this, Emmanuel spent three years at S&P Global building the company’s analytical capabilities on the electric vehicle space and related metals and raw materials. Underpinning Emmanuel’s interest in practical climate solutions is his Master's in Chemistry from the University of Bristol, with his thesis investigating the role and effect of cation diffusion on the self-healing of nuclear fuels after radiation damage.

Emmanuel is now keen to turn his attention to other sectors that are lagging in their journey to decarbonise. Through his time at Harvard Business School, Emmanuel intends to build the knowledge and network to play an active and consequential role in enabling the change that is required for the world to follow a steady and equitable path to decarbonisation.

Lia Turrini

With a background in Earth Sciences, Lia started her career in the Energy Industry with Shell, assessing the resource prospectivity of a variety of sedimentary basins around the world. In the last few years, while leading grassroots employee efforts to accelerate the energy transition in Shell, Lia broadened from her scientific foundation to a commercially driven, business development role. As an Energy Transition Geoscientist in the Innovation & Performance team, she led opportunity evaluations aimed to identify disruptive technologies and new sustainable business models for Shell. Through her MBA at Harvard Business School, Lia aspires to achieve greater impact faster as a business leader in the energy transition.

Maryvonne Ukachi

I am a chartered chemical engineer by background and an operations consultant by profession, with a passion for empathetic leadership, innovation, and supporting underserved communities.

Since graduating with a first-class degree from the University of Manchester, I have worked in several engineering roles as a design engineer, and project and program manager as well as undertaken leadership and mentorship positions to inspire the next generation of business leaders from underrepresented communities.

I am currently an Associate / Junior Engagement Manager at McKinsey. In this role, I am able to apply my leadership learnings on a global scale to solve complex operations problems, have developed a passion for consumer electronics, and have been fortunate to work across 3 continents, Europe, the US, and Africa.

I will be completing an MBA at Harvard Business School. I hope to build on my experience in consumer electronics, participate in experiential learning experiences that will challenge me to think critically and empathetically, and develop as a global business leader, with the intention of translating innovative technologies to further enhance human experiences. I am also excited to join a network of like-minded individuals, explore Boston, and travel throughout the US in my spare time.