ISSUE 1322014AlumniNews

A GIFT FOR GIVINGIn this special edition ofAlumniNews, a longstandingAdvancement staff member, NINABOHN, interviews DAVID THORP, amember of MSc04(1971) class atLondon Business School, about hislifetime relationship with the Schooland philanthropic support.

AlumniNews Why did you come tostudy at London Business School in1969?

David Thorp I was a scientist fromCambridge who worked on the Alcanshop floor as a production engineer.One of my contemporaries at university,Derek Lewis MSc01(1968), had been inthe first year at London BusinessSchool and I wondered, when he leftthe School, “Why is he earning threetimes as much as me?” Naturally I wascurious, so I applied and happily I got in.I was two days late for the start of thecourse as I was returning from myhoneymoon. My wife financed methrough the two years – she’s never letme forget about the investment shemade!

AN What was life at the School like inthe early years?

DT There were 41 students in my year.Over 60% of them were science andengineering graduates. We really didlearn a lot. We worked very hard, andfor those who were not used to groupworking, it was a really big curve. It’s

not coincidental that the nature of thework that I have been involved in sincethe School, which is private equity andventure capital at 3i and ISIS EquityPartners, is all about creating greatteams, we learned that here.

We started out in the office block inNorthumberland Avenue and after thefirst year we moved to the maincampus. It was fantastic – lots of royalscame to see us and say hello…that wasstimulating.

AN You’re still connected with yourclassmates…

DT It was and is a very close group,every time we have a Reunion – 60%come from around the world.

This may be a bit heretical, but in manyways I think we learned more from eachother than anyone else. We obviouslyhad some great lecturers, but we reallylearned a lot from each other. There’s nopretence, there’s no one you can hidefrom because we all know each otherextremely well.

And the alumni community in general isgreat – you can send an email aroundthe world and invariably you get aresponse. No one says go away,everyone is happy to share.

AN How else have you stayedconnected with the School over theyears?

DT I joined private equity straight afterSchool after an internship in betweenthe two years of my degree. Privateequity was very nascent at the time andI would come back to the School andgive lectures about it and recruitgraduates into the industry. Later Ibecame involved in the UK RegionalAdvisory Board and over ten years ago Ibecame chairman of Sussex PlaceVentures, which is owned by the

“Innovation has always beenpart of my life and, becausethat’s what the School helpsachieve through its research andteaching, I am very happy to helpit do more of that”

In Touch/Volunteer spotlight

In Touch/Volunteer spotlight

School. It’s an early stage venturecapital fund management company withapproximately 100 high net worthinvestors, of which 50 are Schoolalumni. When the funds do well, we’ll beable to contribute profits to the School’sendowment.

I also still attend lots of events. The lastwas this year’s Global LeadershipSummit with some outstanding talks bythe School’s Professors. It wasfantastic. So that stimulus, thatintellectual curiosity has stayed with meand kept me coming back over theyears.

AN Not only do you give your time,you’re also a great supporter of theSchool philanthropically...

DT Yes I am, and others in my class aretoo. We’ve contributed to severalscholarships in memory of ourclassmate Maurice Forshaw. As anindividual, I gave a gift in January 2011to help get the Campaign under way,and joined the Campaign Committee. Iwas very pleased to do that because Ihave knowledge about the School’s

efforts through listening to AndrewLikierman and the Advancement team.The strategy is very coherent, and moreimportantly it’s really coming together.It’s terrific to see so many gifts in the frstyear.

I support academic research in privateequity. The research – which is soproperly done here – supportsinnovation and enables teams andcompanies to get things done bypushing the boundaries…getting thingsdone differently. Innovation has alwaysbeen part of my life and because that’swhat the School helps achieve throughits research and teaching, I am veryhappy to help.

AN So you’ve seen the difference agift can make?

DT It’s a joy to give if you can. Mostalumni have benefited from the Schoolat some point. The School gave me atremendous sense of direction and theability to build my career. I’m gratefuland wanted to recognise this. I thinkyou’re always making a diference whenyou give; I suggest you give to a cause

you have an interest in. We’re alldifferent, and the School’s currentCampaign is spread over a spectrum ofneeds so you’re able to give to an areathat you believe in.

AN And your final comments?

DT I’m a great believer in innovation, it’salways been in my life as a way to solveproblems: do it differently, and believeyou can do it differently. I encourageyoung people to do that, to beentrepreneurial business people and tocontrol their own destiny.

I also want the School to be able to dothat. No organisation can stand still and,as the School continues to grow innumbers and diversity of faculty andstudents, its global influence is clearlyon the rise. It needs investment toinnovate, to grow, and to control its owndestiny. As alumni we want the Schoolto push out the boundaries of businessand business thinking, to create growth,impart knowledge and have massiveinfuence. We can help drive that withour support.