“Will you open the boardroom door for a future leader like me?”

I grew up in central England, not really coming from much. I attended a struggling state school, and where I lived, no one went to university – no one really broke out of the social stratification they were in. The expectations of me were… average. People like me didn’t do MBAs. 

But I was determined. After my undergraduate degree, I spent four years in consulting. I saw what good business leadership could look like, and I wanted to be a part of it. I had co-run National Student Pride for a number of years, and when I came across the Out in Business Club, I could see that London Business School was leagues ahead of any other higher education institution I found in the country.

It was always going to be LBS. I loved the culture, the people, and I knew it would put me on the best possible trajectory to becoming a business leader. 

I spent two years preparing for an MBA I knew I couldn’t afford. When I was accepted into the MBA programme, my feelings were mixed, as I didn’t think I could accept. When I finally got a call telling me I had been awarded a scholarship, I was elated.

I’m now in my second year of the MBA, President of the Out in Business Club, and I’ve had a lot of formal and informal mentorship from alumni, plus career coaching to help me articulate what I want to build in my career – ideally working in a CEO’s office in executive operations.

It’s a loss that some real talent out there isn’t being put in positions of influence that could make businesses better – it’s hard to champion progress when you’re not in the room! I’m always being told by my class how grounded and valuable my perspective is. 

Scholarships help transform access to world-class business education, bringing students closer to their dreams and ensuring that talent thrives, regardless of upbringing. They help people with different lived experiences and perspectives to get their voices heard.

People like me.

Scholarships allow LBS’s Recruitment and Admissions team to convert the strongest candidates into enrolled students. Students who will be ready to take that seat at the boardroom table in the future.

Max Taylor MBA2026.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how to grant an LBS education to a talented applicant who deserves it, visit london.edu/lbs-fund