Surayyah Ahmad is a Founding Partner at Sabou Capital (formerly Aduna Capital), which provides a blend of revenue-based financing, equity funding, and technical support to SMEs in West and Central Africa. She is also a founding partner of TTLabs, an accelerator focused on empowering founders from underserved regions, particularly Northern Nigeria, and supporting women entrepreneurs. Surayyah is currently studying at the University of Oxford, where she focuses on finance and impact investing. Through this, she serves the co-chair of the Oxford Africa Business Alliance. As an experienced operator, Surayyah founded and successfully exited an e-commerce and fulfillment service company with operations in both Nigeria and the UK. She is passionate about uplifting women and driving economic development in underserved regions through private enterprise.

Mary May Furtado is an experienced startup strategy and business operations consultant. She scales businesses to thrive in changing economic climates. Mary has worked with startups from pre-incorporation through $80MM+ fundraise rounds and is passionate about working with companies at the cutting edge. She thrives in fast paced roles requiring creative, complex problem solving and believes that meaning, direction and joy stem from a life of accountability and intense responsibility. She is currently undertaking her MBA at the University of Oxford's Said Business School to expand her professional bounds into even higher level financial strategy. Mary is passionate about supporting women and parents in the workplace and has three sons of her own.

Hi folks! I'm Program Coordinator with Duke University's Hart Leadership Program, which supports the Laidlaw Scholars Program as well as several other undergraduate experiential learning programs. In May 2024, I completed my doctorate in the Study of Religion at Harvard University with a focus in contemporary Islamic studies and American religions. My dissertation work examined the shape and impact of U.S. Muslim civic organizations and community organizing in the city of Detroit. I also hold a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Appalachian State University (go Mountaineers!). My studies have been driven by a deep interest in the intersections of religion and civic life in the contemporary U.S. To that end, I've served as research assistant for the Listening to Women about Abortion & Religion Project, a Religion, Spirituality, and Democratic Renewal Fellow with the Social Science Research Council, and an adjunct professor at Stonehill College. In my role with Hart Leadership Program, I'm excited to lean into my training as a researcher, educator, and program builder to provide strong student support and advance community-engaged scholarship and education. Whether you're a Duke student or a Laidlaw Scholar at another institution, I'm always happy to connect and share my knowledge and experience in social science research design and methods, religious studies and anthropology, applying to and navigating graduate school, or putting together strong research grant and fellowship proposals.

With a passion for IT and finance, I bring over five years of consulting experience where I’ve led, mentored, and trained diverse teams on large-scale projects in risk advisory, ITGC, and financial systems. At Deloitte, I became the youngest senior consultant, managing complex international projects while actively mentoring junior consultants. I am deeply committed to developing others, empowering my team members to take ownership of their growth, and creating a collaborative environment that fosters excellence. Beyond my professional role, I am passionate about gender equality and giving back to my community. As an active mentor with the Kav Mashve foundation, I train and guide young Arab women, helping them overcome barriers in the Israeli labor market and secure positions in leading firms. My mission is to empower women in underrepresented communities, helping them realize their full potential.

Hi all, my name is Lin, I am orignally from China, after working in the big tech company for 3 years, I hope to explore more so applied for the business school. Now, I am an MBA student at London business school. Looking forward to meeting more people within the Laidlaw community. 

Hi, I'm Sebastian, I'm a creative professional with experience in the communications field. I recently completed my leadership-in-action project in Medellín, Colombia, focused on supporting local non-profits with innovative funding and communication strategies. My Laidlaw research delved into the topic of mental health and communication strategies for older adult populations. I am passionate about community engagement and sustainable solutions, collaborating with diverse teams to drive impactful results. I am now onto my placement year at the University of Leeds, while also continuing my social volunteer work with local organisations such as @sasha_uol and @rainbowjunktion. I'm also always more than happy for a chat but the best results are reaching out on LinkedIn ⭐