Education
Partnership with Oxford University: supporting inclusion and excellence
Since 2017, Intesa Sanpaolo has been collaborating with the University of Oxford and the Saïd Business School – the University's renowned management school and home to one of the world’s most prestigious Master in Business Administration (MBA) programme. Renewed in 2024 for a further five years, the partnership includes, among other initiatives, the funding of scholarships for MBA students, the establishment of the Oxford–Intesa Sanpaolo Prize, and the reopening of the Gallery of Roman and Etruscan Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum – Oxford’s public museum of art and archaeology and a world-class centre for historical and archaeological research.
The Gallery of Roman and Etruscan Antiquities reopens at the Ashmolean Museum
Among the initiatives that reflect Intesa Sanpaolo’s close relationship with the University of Oxford, a highlight is the reopening in May 2025 of the Roman and Etruscan Antiquities Galleries at the Ashmolean Museum.
The project has transformed a display that had remained largely unchanged since 2009. Today, a newly redesigned exhibition—featuring brighter, more welcoming spaces—enables new storytelling approaches, including a virtual journey into the heart of ancient Rome. The refreshed galleries bring to life previously untold stories about Italy’s rich ancient history, with artefacts that have never before been on public display.
The new exhibition itinerary is based on up-to-date research and an innovative approach to museography aimed at engaging the public, thus reflecting the Ashmolean Museum's goal of making its universal collection accessible to all and creating a participatory museum narrative.
From both a thematic and conceptual perspective, this initiative represents a natural continuation of the highly successful 2019 exhibition Last Supper in Pompeii, also curated by the Ashmolean Museum with our support. The exhibition attracted 87,000 visitors in just six months and explored the traditions and daily life of ancient Romans through the narrative of the final meal in Pompeii, on the eve of the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
The long-awaited reopening of the Roman and Etruscan Antiquities Galleries represents a major opportunity for public engagement and education, as it is part of the only permanent display in the UK dedicated to this theme, alongside that of the British Museum.
Saïd Business School Scholarships
Saïd Business School is an inclusive institution within one of the world’s top universities, committed to providing access to world-class education for the most talented students. Since its foundation, Oxford Saïd has strived to offer international-level training in economics and management to the brightest minds—regardless of financial means, social background, or gender.
Thanks to Intesa Sanpaolo’s support, the Saïd Business School has a significant number of women from all over the world among its students. Among its just over 300 MBA students, 93 percent are international — representing 63 countries — and nearly half (48 percent) are women.
Scholarships promoting women’s empowerment
“The Intesa Sanpaolo scholarship has been a pivotal in my journey”, explains Malvika Gaekwad, an Indian-born computer engineer studying for her MBA at Saïd. “is not just financial assistance; it is a beacon of hope and a symbol of empowerment, for women like me, who strive to make a difference in the world. It has reinforced my belief that education and funding support can transform lives, lift up communities, and break down barriers. Your investment in education resonates in the communities we affect and the impact we create”.
Gaekwad, who for family reasons lived in Arab countries for a long time and is aware of just how difficult the path to women’s empowerment can really be, founded an agritech start-up in India with a 60% female workforce and, as a way of giving back for the support she has received, plans to “continue advocating for gender equality, mentoring young entrepreneurs and expanding access to education”.
The Saïd-Intesa Sanpaolo scholarships contribute significantly to achieving greater equality and equitable access to managerial training and education.
The Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize for Economics & Management
As part of the partnership, we have been sponsoring the first Oxford-Intesa Sanpaolo Prize since 2024. The prize, aimed at second-year students on the BA in Economics and Management degree, is in collaboration with the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation, an independent research centre within the University’s Saïd Business School.
For the 2025–26 edition, students were invited to discuss the topic "Are companies structurally capable of effectively responding to polycrisis?", developing critical contributions in the form of opinion editorials. This year's three winners are, in order, Harshiga Ilangovan, Ege Havlucu and Evie Duckworth, chosen for their analytical rigour, debating skills and writing quality.
Their papers addressed the issue of polycrisis from different perspectives, highlighting, on the one hand, the structural limitations of traditional organisational models and, on the other, the conditions under which companies can develop their ability to adapt and respond in highly complex contexts.
The winner is also offered an internship opportunity at the Group's London headquarters, confirming the link between training, research and practical application.
AI, finance and the centrality of people: the dialogue between Intesa Sanpaolo and the University of Oxford on opportunities, risks and responsibilities
In 2025, we collaborated with the University of Oxford on a study on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential social and financial implications, with the aim of promoting both research and ongoing dialogue on the major issues that are transforming the global economy.
The study, "The role of humans in a world of AI" published in Oxford Answers, an editorial platform of the Saïd Business School in Oxford, and co-authored by Rupert Younger, Director, Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation, and Carissa Véliz, Associate Professor in Philosophy, Institute for Ethics in AI, starts from the increasingly central role that AI is assuming in decision-making and business processes, raising the question of how humans can govern these dynamics without being overwhelmed: it is necessary to ensure that certain fundamental "human" characteristics such as judgement, ethics and responsibility do not succumb to the efficiency and speed of execution offered by artificial intelligence.
Mauro Micillo, Chief of the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division, commented on the research with the article "Governing AI in financial services: Threats and opportunities", offering interesting insights into the opportunities and challenges that AI is introducing into the financial world, while emphasising the importance of proper management and responsible application supervised by appropriate mechanisms.
Both contributions praise the tangible benefits of the growing presence of artificial intelligence in today's society and offer complementary perspectives on how to approach it while keeping people and responsibility at the heart of innovation.
Intesa Sanpaolo Group among the major benefactors of the university
On October 1, 2024, the University of Oxford inducted Intesa Sanpaolo into the exclusive group of institutions, partners, and companies inscribed on the iconic Clarendon Arch, as a public recognition of the significant contribution the Group has made in support of the University’s academic activities.
This prestigious acknowledgment highlights the Group’s commitment, particularly in funding MBA scholarships for deserving students who can now and in the future access one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious centers of higher education.
Among the benefactors listed on the Clarendon Arch are historically prominent figures such as King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, and Sir Thomas Bodley, founder of the renowned Bodleian Library.
More recently, the same honor has been bestowed upon Dame Stephanie Shirley, George Soros, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and the Wolfson Foundation.
Last updated 9 March 2026
You might also be interested in
