‘Creating spaces where people can be un-apologetically themselves’, said Claudia Chau, at the recent Diversity Coalition events held at Cambridge Judge.
During LGBT History Month in the UK we meet the three female leaders heading up Cambridge MBA’s Class of 2020 Pride @ CJBS Special Interest Group this year.
Claudia Chau, Pride @ CJBS co-chair and Cambridge MBA Class of 2020/21 LGBTQ+ ROMBA scholarship recipient,
‘I am appreciative of the fact that CJBS is a firm believer in diversity and inclusion. I hope to continue the mission of Pride @ CJBS by creating a long-term plan and gathering those under-represented groups to support diversity and inclusion in every way. With the business school’s support, I find this an excellent and exciting opportunity to engage with corporations and partners, as we together promote the benefits of cultivating a diverse and inclusive work culture’.
Former Senior Analyst at Air Canada, and first generation university-student, Claudia outlines her ambitions for the year ahead,
‘I look forward to developing my career and making an impact on society, improving our lives further with technological change. I am passionate about strategic planning and digital transformation. The relationship between the two is becoming more and more important for corporations, to seize future opportunities. I envision the Cambridge MBA connecting me with global innovators and helping me to foster ideas into new ventures’.
Maggie Simpson, Sports Chair for the Cambridge Business School Club, as well as Entrepreneur SIG leader for the cohort. Maggie is also a rugby scholarship recipient from Cambridge University Sports Club (CUSC) .
‘CJBS offers a platform for creative collaboration with a global perspective. I have found it uplifting and exciting to engage with brilliant minds from a breadth of experiences, backgrounds, and personal journeys.
As a woman who has only been out as bisexual relatively recently, I am grateful that Cambridge Judge offers a level of inclusion and support for LGBTQ+. As co-chair, I want to further this work by creating intentional spaces for those who may have felt left out from the broader business world’.
On the power of authenticity at Cambridge Judge, Maggie explains,
‘What I am increasingly finding at Cambridge Judge is the power of authenticity. This is what CJBS teaches – how to leverage individuality as a springboard for crafting ones’ own career path.
I have seen creativity and new ideas to be antithetical to bigotry. Cambridge offers the innovation and collaboration that has made me recognise that my individual truth can be an important part of my entrepreneurial style.
I am looking forward to building a new venture with the skills and connections provided by the Cambridge MBA. I have been an entrepreneur for the past ten years – raising capital, bootstrapping operations, developing consultancies. The breadth of the education at CJBS provides a rigorous framework on which I will build my future endeavours’.
Rae Yung, Pride @ CJBS co-chair, Student Diversity Coalition chair and Culture, Arts and Media scholarship recipient.
‘This year has been exceptionally difficult for the LGBTQ+ community. Numerous studies have shown that as a demographic, we are especially vulnerable to mental health issues, particularly with regards to isolation.
Recently, I was reminded that we are about halfway through our MBA programme. Despite the last eleven months of time distorting and warping around us, what stands out to me amid all the uncertainty and stress is the sense of community here.
We are living through a common trauma that will leave scars on every one of us, but what does give me hope in our resilience is the tremendous amount of effort I see being put into building community through Special Interest Groups (SIGs), virtual activities, and the dozens of group chats we’re all in.
I’m especially proud of how everyone in our Pride @ CJBS family has supported each other both personally and professionally. We come from very diverse backgrounds in every possible way, and I am constantly amazed by the grace and encouragement we continue to give each other as we prepare to enact change in the world.
‘We are at an incredible global inflection point right now. Most of the companies recruiting from our cohort have already moved beyond the simple realisation that diversity helps the bottom line and have begun building consciously inclusive corporate cultures; many have LGBTQ+ initiatives and targeted recruitment programmes, as well as internal networks that Cambridge Judge students can leverage. The nuanced conversations we are having through Pride @ CJBS, are not just talking points we can discuss with recruiters, they are also insights and relationships we will be relying on in leadership positions for many years to come’.
Cambridge MBA Special Interest Groups at CJBS>
Read more about diversity and inclusion across the Cambridge MBA year >