Meet Black in Business scholar Ekpo Akiba MBA2025

October is Black History Month in the UK. It gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of Black heritage and culture. 

Black people remain significantly underrepresented in leadership positions. As a leading business school that fuels the pipeline for such roles, LBS is in an influential place to drive change. To promote the representation, well-being and advancement of Black professionals in business, the LBS Black in Business Club launched in 2020. Shortly after, to fuel momentum of the Club’s works, we created a Black in Business Scholarship to help drive real change. 

One of the aims of our Forever Forward campaign is to increase the representation of Black and mixed Black heritage students to 13% of our student body. Achieving 13% will put us ahead of many of our peers, reflecting our ambition to truly harness the value of diversity in all its forms. 

To date, over 20 students have benefitted from the Black in Business scholarship. The latest recipient, Ekpo Akiba MBA2025, recorded a short video message to introduce himself and to thank all donors supporting scholarships at LBS. 

Ekpo is a highly driven investment professional deeply committed to improving the socio-economic conditions in his homeland, Nigeria. At first, coming from a country that has gone through various macroeconomic shocks, the idea of pursuing a prestigious MBA at LBS seemed like a distant dream. “The financial burden was daunting, and your scholarship has made that dream a reality. It’s a testament to the power of collective efforts. I am deeply grateful for your belief in the potential of young individuals like me.” 

To everyone giving towards scholarships at London Business School, thank you for your transformative support.