Entrepreneurship

After a successful career in finance, Adrian Walker (MBA 2014) decided that it was time for a change. He enrolled on an MBA at 911��պ�� – a life-changing decision that led to Adrian meeting his future wife, Nataliya Walker (MBA 2014). Together, they founded Boataffair, a luxury yachting company. When we last spoke to Adrian in 2019, their business was developing a boat swapping scheme as part of their business, in addition to their yacht charter offering. Fast-forward six years, and Boataffair has gone from strength to strength - with a few pivots along the way! We caught up with Adrian to talk about embracing failure, making a bold career move, and what is next for Boataffair.

Next year marks Boataffair’s 10-year anniversary. What have been the defining moments for the company?

2019 was a cornerstone for us. At the time, we were focused on yacht charters and boat swapping as an additional service, which allowed owners to exchange boats globally and explore new locations without the need to charter. However, we noticed that there simply wasn’t demand in the market for boat swapping. We’re very open about that failure. We had to have the courage to pull the plug on an entire idea and redirect our resources into what was going well.

What did work was private crewed luxury yacht charters. We decided to make that our core offering, moving away from smaller, uncrewed boats. Today, we offer a hyper-personalised yacht experience, with luxury fully crewed charters, a concierge service and tailored itineraries globally aboard vetted yachts. Quality control is key to us, we only work with yacht operators and yacht crews where a superb client experience is guaranteed.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, like many businesses, we weren’t sure if the company would survive. But as restrictions lifted, we found an increase in demand for private yacht charters. People felt safer on our private yachts than in a crowded hotel. Word of mouth started to spread, and we were starting to be featured in travel publications. Our clients today include elite athletes, A-list stars, HNW multigenerational families and corporate clients.

More recently, we have started to expand internationally. We hit a major milestone last year when we opened our Singapore office, under the brand name Boataffair Asia Pacific, run by fellow alum Andrew Sutherland (MBA 2019).

Ultimately, we always believed in what we wanted to achieve. When we first started this company ten years ago, we wanted people to disconnect for a moment - to take themselves offline and just be present with each other. That initial idea is still at the core of the business, we have just achieved it with two or three pivots along the way.

What are your aspirations for Boataffair?

We have realised what works now, and that is something we want to continue. We want to grow internationally and tap into global markets which are a bit neglected. However, any growth must be in a sensible and controlled manner. We don’t feel the need to become a multi-billion-dollar company in three years. We are a family-owned company, funded by our own savings, passion, and hard work.

You left a career in finance to pursue an MBA and start a business. What drove that decision?

I don’t regret my time working as a Chartered Accountant. What I loved most about working as an auditor was getting to know a new company every couple of weeks. It helped me to understand business processes, and I really enjoyed talking to the clients. But I never felt like I was really making an impact, and I came to the realisation that I wanted to create something of my own.

I went against a lot of people’s opinions. My parents and friends all thought I was crazy to leave a stable career, good salary and pension. But none of those things are of any value if you’re not happy.

Adrian and Nataliya Walker

Andrew Sutherland (MBA 2019) with Adrian and Nataliya

What advice would you give to someone considering a career change?

Don’t let fear of failure hold you back. A lot of people don’t break out of the career path they are on because they are afraid of failing in some manner. It’s okay to fail, and sometimes it can be a step forwards. One day you can look back and say, ‘I tried, and I am proud.’

Listen to that inner-voice – the one that tells you what you would do without external opinions, or if the fear of failing wasn’t holding you back. If you have a persistent voice, like it was for me, then do something about it. I would urge everyone to find their courage within!

You run Boataffair with your wife, who you met at 911��պ��. How do you juggle running a business with family life?

Nataliya and I both joined 911��պ�� for very similar reasons. We had both started our lives over, and we connected on day one of the programme. We quickly realised our skill sets really complement each other. What she excels at, I might not, and vice versa.

As is always the case in life, the journey has been up and down. Our second child was born during the pandemic and that was very challenging. But we support each other. When one of us is struggling, the other steps in. We are also fortunate to have a very supportive network of family and friends around us.

It’s much easier now than it was three years ago. Our youngest child is turning six in the summer, and he now understands what Boataffair is. Then our eldest is practically a teenager. He is starting to become more interested in strategic decisions, and even does a bit of social media for us. We are more convinced than ever that Boataffair is a family business!

What did you take from your MBA at 911��պ�� into Boataffair?

Coming from a finance background, I was programmed to be the ‘numbers guy’. But when I started at 911��պ��, I quickly discovered I had a skill set beyond finance and cash flow. Doing an MBA, especially at 911��պ��, you are forced to get to know yourself better and by facing your fears, you will discover your other talents.

I remember a workshop at 911��պ�� which was on managing expectations and negotiation. It was one of the highlights of my entire MBA journey! I discovered one of my strongest skills is to put myself in someone else’s shoes and find common ground to reach a win-win situation. It is something I use all the time at Boataffair, and I wouldn’t have discovered I was capable of it without 911��պ��.

What is the value of the 911��պ�� alumni network?

You never feel alone. When you are having a hard time, whether in life or businesses, you know that there are people who have been through something similar. And of course, the network is great for building new partnerships and creating new connections.

Follow Boataffair on LinkedIn.

Programme

5 minute read

Alumni profile: Quix solution to online applications

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni profile: Quix solution to online applications

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 911��պ�� Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 911��պ�� MBA alumni

27 April 2026 Alumni

Faith Ruto, Executive MBA 2011

Faith Ruto completed her Executive MBA at 911��պ�� Business School while working at Shell, where she led global technology, digital transformation, and strategic change initiatives.

22 June 2021

A year ago Michael Rosam (Weekend MBA 2017) took the brave decision to leave his job with McLaren after “an incredible five-year journey” to pursue his dream. Inspired by his time there and at the Business School, as well as the support of family and friends, Michael left to take on the tech giants.

And it paid off. Lots of hard work, dedication and $3.2m in seed funding later, and Quix was launched: “From today, any developer in the world can sign-up for a free account to stream, process and store data at scale without the hassle of managing infrastructure.”

Tell us about Quix

Quix is a platform that provides an end-to-end development environment for building data-driven applications. It allows developers to build applications using live data streams and real-time machine learning – develop, test and deploy all in one place.

We built Quix around an in-memory data store called a message broker, in contrast to existing data and machine learning platforms that are architected around disk-based data storage. Quix provides our customers with lower latency, higher bandwidth and greater efficiency when compared to processing data in the traditional manner. Quix is particularly suitable for any applications where time is a driving context such as smart factory, connected mobility, robotics, healthcare and financial services. We also provide a free tier to help developers start building without any costs.

I'm passionate about applying technology to solve real-world problems and have enjoyed every moment of bringing Quix to market. My door is always open to anyone who wants to discuss their ideas - just reach out, I’d love to pay forward some of the support I have received!

Application users benefit from a more intuitive customer experience, providing genuine value for both the user and the business.

Where did the idea for Quix come from?

I met my co-founders, Tomáš Neubauer, Péter Nagy and Patrick Mira Pedrol, at McLaren where we developed solutions to get more data from the track to the factory in real-time. With each car producing 1.1 million data points per second it quickly became apparent that our databases were a significant bottleneck because each data point has to be written-to and read-from a disk before it can be processed. Our final solution was to adopt an open source message broker called ‘Apache kafka’ which keeps data in-memory, significantly reducing the latency and cost of working with this volume of live data. The biggest problem we found is that compared to databases, message brokers are very difficult to work with, especially for our race engineers and data scientists who increasingly use Python to write code. We saw it as an industry wide problem and founded Quix to make it easier for Python developers to use message broker technologies in their applications.

What lessons have you learned throughout the startup process so far?

Raising our Seed funding was much harder than we imagined! A working product and early adoption in the market is a must, but we were surprised about how much detail early stage investors wanted on the go-to-market strategy, including proof that certain marketing and sales strategies actually work.

My advice to other entrepreneurs would be to focus on commercialising your MVP, set up coherent KPI's as soon as possible and let the numbers speak for themselves. I'd also say that most investors aren't going to be the right partner for you, so work hard to filter them early to avoid time consuming dead end conversations.

How did your time at 911��պ�� impact you?

I specifically joined 911��պ�� because I wanted to build a technology business. My rationale? The Executive MBA programme ranked well for entrepreneurship and the wider College is developing incredible technologies. And it proved to be true. I developed fundamental skills on the course, which accelerated my personal and professional development. I practiced these new skills with by supporting two spin-outs: LoMaRe and Monolith.ai. The 911��պ�� ecosystem is second to none for anyone looking to set-up a technology business.

What has been your most significant achievement so far?

Our most satisfying moment happened a few months ago when we realised that we're now employing 15 people and enabling them to have great lives whilst also doing work that they are interested in. It was a humbling moment when we realised a greater sense of purpose for our business ambitions.

Building Quix has not been easy, and we couldn’t have achieved it without significant support from a huge group of people. I have to thank my co-founders - they are talented, passionate, motivated, and brave beyond words. And we couldn’t’ have achieved it without the support of all our financial backers and angel investors, who supported us with such strong conviction and speed.

I'm passionate about applying technology to solve real-world problems and have enjoyed every moment of bringing Quix to market. My door is always open to anyone who wants to discuss their ideas - just reach out, I’d love to pay forward some of the support I have received!

Programme

Weekend MBA

4 minute read

Alumni profile: From pharma to Fay&Mamie

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni profile: From pharma to Fay&Mamie

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 911��պ�� Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 911��պ�� MBA alumni

27 April 2026 Alumni

Faith Ruto, Executive MBA 2011

Faith Ruto completed her Executive MBA at 911��պ�� Business School while working at Shell, where she led global technology, digital transformation, and strategic change initiatives.

9 November 2021

After nearly 9 years in the world of pharma in both account management and marketing roles, Sidsel Bockhahn-Tylecote (Full-Time MBA 2011) decided it was time for a change. With a passion for arts and crafts, Sidsel took inspiration from childhood memories, her Scandinavian heritage, and drew on her marketing skills to release her inner creative entrepreneur!

Despite the challenges of lockdown, in January 2021 Fay&Mamie was launched selling sustainable table decoration kits, alongside creative blogs and videos on how to create your own beautiful lunch and dinner tables.

Where did the idea for your business come from?

My memories are full of wonderful festive family gatherings and dinner parties where my grandmothers would whiz around the house setting gorgeous dinner tables with things they found in nature or bits and bobs from around the house. When I started hosting myself, I quickly found that tableware and table decorations were missing something. Everything I saw was too pricey or too boring and trust me, I’ve been looking!

I decided to change that. Through Fay&Mamie I sell cool, affordable table linens which you don’t need to iron, and easy-to-assemble table decoration. Most Fay&Mamie products have a crafty element because I believe in the value of making something your own.

I also took inspiration for the company name from my childhood and family: Fay - or fairy, as my hope is to add a bit of magic to the everyday and make a meal more than just a meal! And Mamie - a nickname for grandmother, to honour my two grandmothers.

Why did you decide the time was right to set up your own business?

My plan was to launch in 2020. I had the idea and I’d been working towards reducing the hours of my full time job for over a year. I’ve heard of lots of people taking the opportunity during lockdown to kick off their entrepreneurial dreams as they suddenly had all this time on their hands, for me however, 2020 was a big challenge professionally speaking. I had a small child, who wasn’t able to go to nursery for half the year, so there wasn’t really any time for a side gig. I officially launched in January 2021, but that was after a lot of behind-the-scenes work during evenings and my daughter’s nap time!

I also took inspiration for the company name from my childhood and family: Fay - or fairy, as my hope is to add a bit of magic to the everyday and make a meal more than just a meal! And Mamie - a nickname for grandmother, to honour my two grandmothers.

How did you feel leaving the corporate world to become self-employed?

I thoroughly enjoyed working for Johnson&Johnson; it’s an amazing company where you really get to see ‘best practice’ in action in a lot of areas of business. While there, I was in marketing, account management and sales and I was lucky enough to work in several different countries. Leaving the corporate world behind was not an easy decision, but I simply had to give my business idea a go. I must say, I love being self-employed! It comes with a lot of responsibility and uncertainty but I love the freedom that it also gives me.

What lessons have you learned so far?

I’ve learnt so much but let me stick to three points:

Make sure to share your idea. Whenever I have a conversation with someone about Fay&Mamie, whether it’s someone who could be a potential customer or a fellow entrepreneur, I almost always leave having learnt something that influences how I go about building my business.
Structure your week. It can be quite overwhelming the number of tasks you need to do when you run your own business and though you may work really long days it can still feel as if you get nowhere. A friend of mine, who is also self-employed, suggested planning the whole week keeping the tasks specific (e.g. find fabric for new placemat kit), instead of broad and vague (e.g. built 2022 strategy) and make sure to be realistic about time needed. This way of working has helped me feel a lot more satisfied as I can see exactly how much I’ve accomplished after a working day.
Get into PR & SEO. No matter how great your product or service is, no customers will ‘automatically’ find you. You need to drive the traffic, and if your marketing budget is zero then you need to get into PR to generate it. Consider local papers, online magazines, blogs open to guest posts, influencers and more. There are a lot of options out there. If you’re an e-commerce business then SEO (search engine optimization) is equally important and online PR related mentions can help here; but SEO is much more than that of course.

As a startup, how do you go about sourcing products and suppliers and setting price points?

As Fay&Mamie is still at a ‘proof of concept’ stage, I’ve decided to invest in a broad range of products with limited stock to test as many options as possible, rather than build up a large warehouse of stock. I use local suppliers who are happy to sell very limited quantities at any given time; in several cases, I make the products myself. This is all intentionally done to keep cost low while ensuring a quality product. For startups that do not have such an opportunity, for example, because their product cannot be made by hand, I would start by visiting relevant trade shows for contacts and reach out to supply chain agents specializing in the category.

Pricing is a really interesting area and something I love working on! I firstly started by taking a jumping off point in the consumer, rather than what made more sense from a profits point of view. The former is of course crucial but should come at a later stage, I believe. I asked myself: What would they be willing to pay? What commercial and non-commercial competitive solutions are available to them? And at what price points? I have intentionally priced my products rather affordably considering most are handmade, as this is where I see an opportunity. Example: In the UK, to set a table with quality fabric napkins and a tablecloth or a table runner, you can easily spend £100s! In other words, tableware becomes something you have very little of and typically not something you buy for yourself on a regular basis. It’s a classic wedding present and something most people only use for Christmas and similar major annual events. I’m hoping Fay&Mamie can make setting a gorgeous table a more everyday activity requiring a series of different linens and decorative items you can pick and choose from - and acquire yourself without breaking the bank. At the end of the day, food does taste better served at a gorgeous table and in lovely company!

What has been the highlight so far?

Managing the development a whole portfolio of very cool products despite of the fact that I’m not a designer! My background as an innovation consultant and marketer certainly helped me structure the process but I’m still pretty proud of pulling it off!

MBA

Programme

5 minute read

Saluting our sisters during Black History Month: celebrating Alberta Asafo-Asamoah

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Saluting our sisters during Black History Month: celebrating Alberta Asafo-Asamoah

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 911��պ�� Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 911��պ�� MBA alumni

27 April 2026 Alumni

Faith Ruto, Executive MBA 2011

Faith Ruto completed her Executive MBA at 911��պ�� Business School while working at Shell, where she led global technology, digital transformation, and strategic change initiatives.

10 November 2023

The theme of this year’s Black History Month is ‘Saluting our Sisters’ and highlights the remarkable contributions that Black women have made to literature, fashion, sport, business, academia, art and more. In recognition of this, we are sharing the personal stories of Black women from the Business School who have made significant strides in business and entrepreneurship.

Alberta Asafo-Asamoah, Full-Time MBA 2020, is the Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Liquify, a platform that connects African sellers to global capital markets. In her blog, Alberta shares what inspired her to become an entrepreneur, the support she received at 911��պ�� Business School, and her advice to Black students aspiring to become entrepreneurs.

About me

I describe myself as a social entrepreneur and an educationalist. During my Undergraduate studies, I grew more interested in how policy affects private companies and their involvement in job creation. This led to me starting my career in OTC Derivatives and then in Corporate Banking at NatWest.

In 2018, I left banking to pursue a career in impact investing as I wanted to combine my experience in finance with a passion for social issues. I joined a boutique impact advisory firm as a consultant identifying and evaluating potential investments in the SME space in Uganda and Kenya to help bridge the funding gap for businesses caught in the ‘missing middle’ phenomenon.

During this period, I also founded AlgebraInTheCity (“AITC”), an educational tuition and consultancy business as part of my personal mission to help liberalise quality education and close the attainment gap in underserved communities in the UK.

Why I chose 911��պ�� Business School

I applied for the Full-Time MBA programme at 911��պ�� Business School because I wanted to contribute to the start-up ecosphere in Africa by developing investment opportunities for businesses and by lobbying African lawmakers to invest in initiatives for African social enterprises. I also entered the MBA programme with a business idea that I wanted to develop further during the programme.

I chose 911��պ�� Business School because of its initiatives in advancing science and technology because I knew that for me to become a successful entrepreneur, I needed to be a part of an environment that would allow me to test and trial ideas and access a global network that I can call on when needed.

My business: Liquify

I’m the Co-founder of a company called Liquify which is an invoice marketplace that connects exporters, in the emerging markets trading with multinational companies, in need of working capital financing with financiers. Our goal is to unlock liquidity in Africa by giving asset managers in Europe and beyond exposure to invest in an untapped asset class.

One of our biggest achievements was being accepted into Techstars Web 3 accelerator programme in February 2023. This was a great opportunity for us to network with other founders, investors and mentors whilst sense checking out go-to-market strategy. The investment from Techstars has allowed us to build the first version of our product.

Why I became an entrepreneur

I grew up in an entrepreneurial family so I always knew I would start a business at some point but I thought it would be much later in life. However, what pushed me to start sooner was my experience as a banker. Although I loved the structure of a stable career, as a solution-driven individual, I found it difficult to be creative because of the bureaucracy. So, I started to explore passions beyond my job. I left the bank in November 2018 to focus on developing an edu-tech business and to establish a career in impact investment.

Challenges I have faced

I am a black woman founder, in a female-led start-up, developing a fintech company in the UK, with a focus in Africa. This can be challenging! There is sometimes an assumption that you haven’t considered all risks, so it means as a team, we are often overly prepared and go two to four steps further on some decisions. I must say that we have been lucky to have advisors and allies who provide sound advice and make introductions when needed.

How 911��պ�� Business School has helped me

The Business School has been supportive of my academic journey and entrepreneurial journey. I received the Social Impact scholarship which showed that the institution cares about the issues I am trying to tackle and instilled a level of personal responsibility to continue working on these problems. 911��պ�� provided a really good ecosystem for entrepreneurs, and I took every opportunity. I received feedback on my business pitch at Pitch ‘N’ Mix events, I took part in hackathons and also chose ‘Entrepreneurial journey’ electives so it prepared me for the post-MBA world. 911��պ�� has also promoted my journey through its community and social channels which has allowed me to connect with a new network of people.

Advice I would give to Black students aspiring to become entrepreneurs

Firstly, build a community or an advisory board of people from diverse backgrounds so that you can get objective advice from different perspectives.

Secondly, do not discount the importance of peer mentors as they can be crucial to getting your product from zero to one when you do not have the financial resources from a large sponsor.

Lastly, when you do finally make it, don’t forget to help others along the way and invest in your community.

Culture and Inclusion

MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance

Programme

4 minute read

Tackling Plastic Pollution - Moving From Obsession to Profession

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Tackling Plastic Pollution - Moving From Obsession to Profession

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 911��պ�� Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 911��պ�� MBA alumni

27 April 2026 Alumni

Faith Ruto, Executive MBA 2011

Faith Ruto completed her Executive MBA at 911��պ�� Business School while working at Shell, where she led global technology, digital transformation, and strategic change initiatives.

20 February 2023

It's Sustainability Week! Dominic Santschi, MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance alumnus and Ampliphi co-founder discusses his sustainable business and shares advice to others on starting sustainable companies:

One of the key ways we do this is through our proprietary software, which uses machine learning algorithms to analyse brand-specific data and identify opportunities for cost savings and plastic waste reduction. By analysing data from a brand’s product, packaging and supply chain, we help consumer goods leaders identify inefficiencies and reduce their plastic footprint.

When we started Ampliphi in June 2021, we were challenged to convince potential customers of the value of our solutions. Many brands were skeptical of the benefits of sustainability analytics and data-driven strategy development, and they were hesitant to invest in our digital services. However, we were able to overcome this challenge by demonstrating the cost savings and environmental benefits of our solutions through detailed case studies and pilot projects.

Another challenge we faced was navigating the complex and rapidly changing regulatory environment around corporate sustainability disclosures, and, more specifically, extended producer responsibility policies. The Specialised Master’s at 911��պ�� helped me understand the policy and regulatory landscape, and this knowledge has been invaluable in navigating the challenges faced by Ampliphi.

Advice for others when starting a company with sustainability in its DNA:

Clearly define your mission and values: it is essential to have a clear understanding of why your company exists and what it stands for. This will help you stay focused and motivated, and it will also make it easier to communicate your message to potential customers and strategic partners.
Be prepared to face challenges: starting a sustainability services company is not easy, and you should be prepared to face a range of challenges, from technical and financial to regulatory and marketing. It is important to be resilient and to have a strong team of people who can help you overcome these challenges.
Focus on delivering value: it is essential to understand the needs of your customers and to deliver solutions that meet those needs. This is especially important in the sustainable sector, where many organisations are skeptical of the business benefits beyond marketing campaigns and improved brand reputation.
Keep up with the latest trends and regulatory developments: the corporate sustainability landscape is constantly evolving, and it is important to stay informed about the latest trends and regulatory developments. This will help you stay ahead of the competition and to develop innovative solutions that meet the needs of your customers.
Network, network, network: building relationships with your customer segment, other businesses, academia, and experts in your target industry is vital for success. This can help you learn from others, find partners and clients and stay informed on the latest developments in the industry.

In conclusion, building Ampliphi has been an incredibly rewarding and challenging experience. The MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance programme provided me with the knowledge and inspiration to pursue my passion for sustainable business, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact on the world. I encourage others who are interested in starting a sustainability services company to pursue their dreams and stay focused on delivering value to their customers and the planet.

Written by Dominic Santschi

MSc Climate Change, Management & Finance

Sustainability

Programme

2 minute read

Black History Month alumni spotlight: celebrating Akoma Health's exceptional co-founder

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Black History Month alumni spotlight: celebrating Akoma Health's exceptional co-founder

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 911��պ�� Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 911��պ�� MBA alumni

27 April 2026 Alumni

Faith Ruto, Executive MBA 2011

Faith Ruto completed her Executive MBA at 911��պ�� Business School while working at Shell, where she led global technology, digital transformation, and strategic change initiatives.

18 October 2023

In celebration of Black History Month, we are shining a light on the Business School’s outstanding Black entrepreneurs. Niyi Michael-Adenuga, MSc Business Analytics 2020, is the distinguished co-founder of Akoma Health, a health tech company in Africa.

About me

I’ve completed two degrees from 911��պ�� - my undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering (completed in 2017) at 911��պ�� London and my Business Analytics Master’s at 911��պ�� Business School (completed in 2020). In the six years since my undergraduate degree, I’ve worked across upstream Oil & Gas, Telecoms, FinTech and now HealthTech.

Prior to applying for the MSc Business Analytics programme at the business school, I had been working in an Operations role in upstream oil and gas. My motivation for applying was primarily to transition into a data-centric/strategy role at a tech company, leveraging the data analytics skills I had been building at work and on my own.

My business: Akoma Health

I’m the co-founder of Akoma Health,a tele-therapy web application, providing thousands of Africans with access to virtual mental health consultations through our large network of psychologists, therapists, counsellors and coaches. Our core mission is to improve accessibility to mental health care (overcoming barriers around the cultural perception of therapy and stigma attached to going to physical clinics). One of the most significant ways we have achieved this is by integrating with leading Health Insurers/Health Maintenance Organisations on the continent in providing our services through their channels. Through these processes, we offer very customised user experiences via features like our preference survey, algorithmically matching users to providers based on their symptoms and desired traits in providers.

We have made tremendous progress in the last year, and we are proud to be one of the startups in the 2023 cohort of Google’s Black Founders Fund. We are looking forward to deepening our relationships with Health Insurers, Employers and other health care stakeholders, across the continent. Expanding the care modalities on Akoma Health is another priority for us - we’ve recently released solutions for asynchronous care through our chat feature.

What inspired me to become an entrepreneur

The first moment was in 2020, when I experienced a tremendous lack of resources available for mental health care in Nigeria. At the time, I was struggling with sleep and other anxiety-like symptoms. I know I needed some support, but I had no idea where to begin looking for trusted solutions or professionals.

In the process of discussing with others who had also been looking for solutions and tried them, therapists, and other stakeholders, I understood the broader context and realised this was a much bigger challenge than I had initially imagined. Beyond this, I noticed a sea-change in employers and insurers, who were looking for mental health solutions due to the demand side.

Challenges I have faced along the way

Given that Akoma Health operates in Africa, fortunately, there have not been many challenges I’ve that have been directly attributable to race. One disconnect was the experience of having to explain to foreign investors the context of mental health in Africa, and the progress made in recent years around consumers’ awareness and motivation to pay for solutions. Luckily, we have been supported by funds/angels with a lot of operational experience on the continent, such as Google BFF, Visible Hands, HoaQ and many more.

How 911��պ�� Business School has helped me

My MSc in Business Analytics directly prepared me for my role at Bamboo, an African WealthTech company, where I led data analytics and experimentation. I ended up working very closely with both founders and in the process, I learnt a lot about what it takes to be a founder of an early-stage company. They continue to be invaluable supporters and advisors of Akoma Health. I have also been supported by many members of the 911��պ�� Business School team such as Clare Turner and Dean Francisco Veloso.

My advice for Black students aspiring to become entrepreneurs

Spend time listening and be open to learning from existing operators and other stakeholders in your chosen area. They will almost have insights that are essential to creating a valuable solution.

Entrepreneurship is hard, so make sure you have a solid support network that includes people who are also entrepreneurs/have a lot of understanding of what the experience is like.

I’m fairly new into my entrepreneurship journey, but I’m happy to support you in any way and answer questions you might have. I’m available on LinkedIn.

Culture and Inclusion

MSc Business Analytics & AI

Programme

3 minute read

Alumni blog: Four Macro Trends That Affect the Advertising Industry

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni blog: Four Macro Trends That Affect the Advertising Industry

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 911��պ�� Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 911��պ�� MBA alumni

27 April 2026 Alumni

Faith Ruto, Executive MBA 2011

Faith Ruto completed her Executive MBA at 911��պ�� Business School while working at Shell, where she led global technology, digital transformation, and strategic change initiatives.

5 August 2021

I am originally a computer engineer. I've done some coding for companies like SONY, but for the last 10+ years, one of the most exciting industries out there has captivated my attention: advertising. I specialise in advertising technologies, programmatic advertising (i.e., using data & algorithms to show ads), and digital-out-of-home advertising for the last few years.

Advertising has been around for thousands of years, and probably it will be around for another few thousand years, so it has a past and it has a future. We know the history, but how will the future look?

I want to discuss some macro trends I see in advertising. I believe they're powerful enough to rethink some concepts in our industry and potentially shape the future of this industry.

1. Online advertising losing its touch & a privacy-first world

All those ads we see on the internet are about to become less effective. Why? Because you don't like them. You think they're intrusive, annoying, and many companies track you without your permission.

And you're right.

Advertising companies have failed to show ads in a balanced way. Let's admit it; we have greedy players in this industry, and they have gone to extreme measures to make more money.

In particular, intrusive tracking has upset many people, so governments introduced strict regulations like GDPR to help people. Our privacy concerns gave companies like Apple and Google reasons to limit the usage of our data. Everyone in our industry knows about the impending death of cookies, increasing limitations of mobile device IDs, ad-blockers etc.

So, the trend in online advertising is somewhat straightforward: it's losing its touch with people. Advertisers favored online ads because they could run targeted ads with personalised content, but soon those days may be over.

All those ads we see on the internet are about to become less effective. Why? Because you don't like them.

2. Back to the future

I think we'll start seeing some reverse trends in our industry, and we may go back to old-school techniques to advertise. Below are a few of the reverse-trends I observe:

From personalised to contextual: What happens when personalised ads are gone? Well, let's say hello to an old friend: contextual ads. For instance, while reading financial news, you'll see finance-related ads. As simple as that. Contextual ads used to be popular, and soon they may become popular again.

From math-men to mad-men: For the last several years, we've heard the phrase "from mad-men to math-men" a lot in our industry. I think we'll start hearing "from math-men to mad-men" soon.

From AI to HI: Artificial intelligence in advertising? Yes, maybe, but probably for different reasons than personalising ads (there wasn't much of an AI anyway, so not a significant loss). So human intelligence (HI) becomes relevant again.

From programmatic to automation: Programmatic advertising technologies may take a new form, as these technologies usually use data to target specific users. Big programmatic players desperately try to find a solution to replace cookies, but it's unclear whether they'll win this game. So while I believe automation is still essential, programmatic advertising, in particular, may lose its touch.

3. Digitalisation of Ads

This trend has been around for the last 20+ years, and it is still as relevant today.

We used to read printed newspapers to access information. Now we mainly use internet websites for the same purpose.

The same thing happens in other channels like TV (rise of ‘Over the Top’ & ‘Connected TVs’) and out-of-home (rise of digital screens). We'll see more and more connected TVs and connected digital billboards. That means we'll see more digital ads on these channels.

4. From inefficient to efficient

The trend from inefficiency to efficiency is a slow but potent one. Almost all industries try to optimise towards efficiency, and it's been happening in our industry. Below are the three main efficiency-related trends I observe in our industry.

From non-transparent to transparent: Transparency has been one of the significant issues in our industry. Especially with the rise of programmatic advertising, marketers started to question how algorithms work and how their ad agencies spend their budgets. Although there are positive developments in this area, it is far from fixed. I think in the next few years we'll see some further innovations in this area.

Digital transformation: All industries go through some digital transformation, so does ours. For example, some traditional advertising channels like out-of-home advertising have been using manual flows to operate. However, this inefficiency damages trust in these channels and limits potential ad budget increases. So we see some innovative companies in this area as well.

Optimised supply chain: There are many players between marketers and publishers. Each player takes some cut of the advertising budget, and in return, adds some value. Some of the players do not exactly add any value, yet they're still there. This trend creates confusion around the importance of these 3rd party players, and it is not sustainable. That means marketers and publishers will start asking questions like "can we rethink how to advertise effectively with fewer players between buyers and sellers?" Furthermore, this will force companies to innovate in this area.

In my opinion, all the macro-trends mentioned above are very powerful. They will potentially shape the advertising industry's future, and probably we'll be in a different world in 10 years - like we're in a different world compared to 10 years ago.

Let's better observe these trends and prepare ourselves and our companies accordingly. And in the spirit of preparing our industry for the future, we built an ad platform called Airsqreen to improve the digital-out-of-home advertising in response to many of the trends reviewed above.

Programme

4 minute read

Alumni profile: David Poole (MBA 1998)

Francesca Hoare — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Alumni profile: David Poole (MBA 1998)

Francesca Hoare Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

1 June 2026 Alumni

Lessons, insights and early career advice from 911��պ�� Business School Master’s alumni

29 May 2026 Alumni

Real career advice from 911��պ�� MBA alumni

27 April 2026 Alumni

Faith Ruto, Executive MBA 2011

Faith Ruto completed her Executive MBA at 911��պ�� Business School while working at Shell, where she led global technology, digital transformation, and strategic change initiatives.

8 June 2021

Describing himself as ‘theoretically retired’ David Poole (MBA 1998) has never been so busy. And that must be saying something given he has an 911��պ�� MBA, a PhD from SOAS, University of London and managed an incredibly successful marketing consulting firm; “famous for our creativity and strategic insights, winning every major domestic and international award for our work.”

He has just published his first book entitled ‘Entrepreneurs and SMEs in Rwanda’ influenced by his experiences of providing support to businesses in Rwanda. This sparked his interest in the country's efforts to kick start economic development through entrepreneurship and SME sector creation. He chose to write a book to share his key insights as he felt the findings had “serious implications for other developing economies”.

Tell us about your book

The book deconstructs myths around entrepreneurship and SMEs, and explores how a more free-market capitalist approach to the economy has failed to address the economic challenges facing countries like Rwanda. I researched many accomplished and aspiring entrepreneurs, to identify the factors associated with successful entrepreneurship, which uncovered the unintended consequences of the entrepreneurship and SME development prescription.

What is the background as to how your book came about?

After selling my business to a US listed group I went back to university and completed an MSc in Development Studies at SOAS. By an odd twist of fate, I subsequently found myself leading a team of volunteers teaching business skills to handicrafts enterprises in Rwanda. This led me to explore the government’s ambitious economic development plan, Vision 2020, which in turn led to a PhD at SOAS that sought to explain the reasons for the mismatch between the government’s economic plan and real enterprise landscape that had emerged.

What lessons from Rwanda’s entrepreneurial journey can be applied to the wider world?

I think there are implications for both developing and developed economies. The book exposes the policy myths around entrepreneurs and SME development in Africa and reveals the counterproductive consequences of the policy. Based on false premises, the Rwandan enterprise paradox is an unsurprising outcome and the lessons learned have implications that go way beyond Rwanda.

Although the narrative journeys explored in the book are located in a low-income economy, they expose the mythology surrounding entrepreneurship more generally and resonate completely with the behaviour and attitudes of entrepreneurs in developed economy contexts.

“The majority of people, who have never tried to start a business, have absolutely no concept of what really drives an entrepreneur or the characteristics associated with success. The book thoroughly debunks a whole range of myths about entrepreneurship.”

Looking back at your time at 911��պ��, how did it influence your career?

I launched my business, DP&A, on April Fool’s Day 1991 – an ironic nod to the fact that it was probably the most foolish thing I had ever contemplated. Four years later it was proving to be reasonably successful but I was concerned that my primary skills were in marketing. I was increasingly asking myself whether I had a broad enough set of business skills, or whether I would ultimately have to hand over the reins to someone else. Following advice, I embarked on the 911��պ�� MBA.

Throughout the programme I acquired a wide range of highly relevant skills that helped me to drive the business forward.

One particular insight had a dramatic effect. In the early stages I knew every client and was intimately involved in developing strategies for their businesses. As the client base expanded, this became increasingly difficult. I found I was trying to be involved in everything and consequently spreading myself too thinly across both my business and the client base. The MBA helped me to realise that there was no one best way to run a business and that creating hierarchical management structures merely gave the illusion of control.

There was one particular light bulb moment when exploring organisation theories and metaphors. I realised that my business and my own role could also be seen metaphorically and I came to use the idea of a circus (please don’t laugh!). Instead of trying to be at the centre of each and every act, my evolving role had to be that of circus ringmaster. I had already recruited immensely talented people and my job was now to create a supportive context in which they could perform to the maximum of their ability. My function was to guide and support their personal development and challenge them to go to even greater heights. It was a turning point for the business. We were soon the largest and most respected independent business in our sector. Without 911��պ�� this would not have been the case. We were famous for our creativity and strategic insights and were known throughout the industry as the best place to work, renowned for training and developing people.

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at the Business School?

I was surrounded by an outstanding cohort of fellow students and initially felt quite apprehensive about whether I was up to the intellectual challenges the MBA would present. The gradual dawning that I could not only cope but was in many ways already on the right track was incredibly motivating.

One memory really sticks out. During the entrepreneurship modules we were analysing a case study on why one business didn’t go to plan. The overall class feedback was that it was due to poor planning, but I disagreed. I remember getting really agitated about the idea that you could plan, in absolute detail, for every eventuality - what I now know is the need to act contingently. You can never forecast and plan for everything you will encounter when starting a business. At some stage you have to stop planning and just ‘get on with it’. The problems will present themselves soon enough, and when they do you can take remedial action to fix them. I remember using the analogy of building a boat. You can spend all your time trying to figure out where the boat might leak, but you will never find them all. At some point you just have to put the boat in the water. The leaks will then show themselves and you can plug them.

Above all this helped me realise and confirm the fact that an entrepreneurial journey was the right thing for me.

MBA

Programme