Ashwin Mittal: bridging business and philanthropy through LBS

My relationship with London Business School started in an unusual way. Whilst doing my MBA at the Anderson School of Business at UCLA in Los Angeles, I got an opportunity to join the MBA course at LBS for one term as part of an exchange programme. It allowed me to meet some great professors, experience a very different teaching style compared to the US and build further upon my business management education, which I now use in my own business as the CEO of a Data Analytics & Applied AI business C5i. I had a fabulous time. And very importantly, I got an opportunity to be a part of the LBS community, which I continue to enjoy to this day. 

I have gained so much from my management education and the engagement with the LBS community. When I learnt about the Forever Forward campaign, I thought this was my chance to give back. 

As Jamsetji Tata, one of India’s greatest philanthropists says, there is one kind of philanthropy that “…clothes the ragged, feeds the poor, and heals the sick. However, what advances a nation or a community is to lift up the best and the most gifted, so as to make them of the greatest service”. This is where higher education institutions such as LBS make a difference – but they wouldn’t be able to do so without support. So, in my social impact work, I decided to undertake initiatives to meaningfully impact lives by empowering the best and brightest, and one of these initiatives is through LBS – which is creating the next generation of leaders who will impact their entire communities, the world of business and beyond. 

I directed my funds specifically towards the learning environment pillar of the Campaign and, in gratitude, the School named one of the rooms in the Sammy Ofer Centre after me. The idea that future generations will learn, get inspired and form potentially transformative ideas here means a lot to me. I was able to contribute a personal message to be displayed in the room. It says “In God we trust, everyone else must bring data.” As someone who runs a business in the field of data analytics and AI and can see how it helps drive better and more effective business, I hope to convey that the future is about using the right combination of management intuition and data science and AI. I think the School is already doing such a fabulous job in championing this approach, preserving the rich heritage and strong academic grounding, whilst embracing the world of technology as it fuses with the world of business.  

For me, philanthropically supporting a cause I care about feels incredible. It lends an angle of meaning and helps with drawing inspiration for my own work. It makes me reflect on why I’m doing what I’m doing. The fact that I can meaningfully contribute towards the future inspires me to work more and create even more value in my everyday life.