Welcome to another edition of Fridays from the Frontline, in which we hear directly from current MBA students about their b-school experiences. Last weekend, London Business School hosted its 15th EUROUT conference, Europe’s leading LGBTQ+ conference for students from top business schools. Shena Lohardjo, LBS MBA ’27 and EUROUT Organising Committee member, takes us inside the 2025 EUROUT Conference, which had the theme “Redefine the Room.”
Inside the 2025 EUROUT Conference at LBS
By Shena Lohardjo, LBS MBA ’27
Why LBS?
I decided on LBS because of two core reasons: its global experience from the curriculum to the people, and the focus on innovation and leadership. From being an international student in Boston to working at a global company with colleagues from all over the world, I thrive when I can learn from people with different backgrounds and experiences to me.
Out in Business Club at LBS
The Out in Business (OiB) Club is a community for LGBTQ+ students and allies at LBS. We create a safe space for the student body to be themselves, empower students in their professional pursuits and push for on-campus inclusion.
In my first week at LBS, I made friends with LGBTQ+ women who encouraged me to join OiB. I got to know the members of the club and felt an instant sense of belonging. My favourite part about OiB is the people! It makes running the EUROUT conference and having club events so much fun. OiB runs events ranging from professional opportunities to advocacy of LGBTQ+ inclusion on campus and social gatherings. It has been an incredible experience to have such a safe community, especially as someone who has moved to a new country and is just starting off the MBA.
EUROUT Conference
EUROUT is a student-run LGBTQ+ conference for graduate business students and professionals – the biggest of its kind in Europe. Our goal is to provide opportunities for LGBTQ+ graduate students and allies and inspire the next generation of future inclusive leaders to build the life and career they want. The conference is packed with incredible speakers, workshops, a huge career fair and a grand ball. It’s becoming increasingly important to have conversations around DEI, inclusive leadership and how emerging technology like AI will impact the community. EUROUT offers a rich discussion forum for such topics.
As SVP of Communications for OiB, my role is to engage with the LBS community, LGBTQ+ professionals and graduate students. Leading up to the event, I created content to promote the conference. During the conference, I managed our social media channels – taking photos, interviewing attendees, and making sure conference attendees stayed up to date with all that was happening at the event.
This was my first time attending EUROUT and it went incredibly well. Everything ran smoothly and according to plan, which rarely happens in events. So many people came up to me and other members of the EUROUT Organising Committee to express their appreciation for organising the event. I take that as a huge sign of success. Plus, the energy at the EUROUT Ball was amazing. You could see everyone smiling and having an incredible time. It reflected the power of community, and the culmination of connections made among the attendees.
Speaker Highlights
There were so many fantastic speakers and absorbing topics covered at the conference, but I was most excited about the Power Hour session on LGBTQ+ AI. The Power Hour is a unique take on the usual panel discussion format, and I found it really interesting to have three individual panelists each dive into a specific topic for 20 minutes with Power Hour moderator Barry Whyte from Multiverse.
Jacob Botha from Salesforce covered the AI Workplace Revolution and Seyi Akiwowo of 21/20 Studios discussed what queer politics offers the discipline of AI ethics and policy making. I was particularly interested in listening to Shaig Abduragimov, an LBS alumnus who graduated from LBS’s Masters in Financial Analysis programme in 2020. He leads Solutions Engineering for Education and Governments at OpenAI, and it was fascinating to hear him speak about how we can navigate the AI-shaped graduate job market.
Follow @euroutlondon and @lbs_oib to stay tuned for the next EUROUT Conference!
