Rishi Khosla OBE

In 2015, LSE alumni Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman launched OakNorth Bank; a bank for entrepreneurs, founded by entrepreneurs. The bank is built on the belief that ambitious entrepreneurs drive innovation, social progress and economic growth and that everyone can prosper by adopting an entrepreneurial mindset. Their mission is to help entrepreneurs scale quickly, realise their ambitions and make data-driven decisions. 

 Since their launch, OakNorth has lent over £9.5bn to ambitious entrepreneurs up and down the UK. This has led to the creation of over 39,000 new jobs and over 28,000 new homes. OakNorth also enables savers to invest their money into businesses that create jobs in their communities. 

 Rishi is deeply invested in fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and creating an environment for aspiring entrepreneurs through the Mentorpreneurship Programme in partnership with LSE Generate, the first initiative of its kind. This programme supports the development of socially conscious businesses and inspires entrepreneurial thinking by offering a range of opportunities underpinned by mentoring activities. It helps to support initiatives in the educational space, working with schools and academies to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in the next generation. 

 Rishi was awarded an OBE in HM The Queen’s 2020 New Years Honours list for his services to business.