Representatives from 60 countries gathered to set new record for most nationalities in a business lesson. 

[London]—Hult International Business School has broken the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the “Most Nationalities in a Business Lesson.” Over 90 members of the Hult community came together at Hult’s Holborn campus in London on March 13, 2024, smashing the minimum of 50 nationalities in one business class to set the record.

 The 60 nationalities represented include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea Bissau, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. 

Students were thrilled to take part: 

“I feel like this was very representative of what’s normal at Hult. In my class alone, we’re represented by at least thirty different nations—and we only have a total of 60 people in our cohort,”—Tomaz Nicolai Diaz, US, Master’s in International Business. 

“When someone asks me about a fun fact, I can now say I was part of a world record attempt! I don’t think everyone has that honor. It’s definitely going on my CV,”—Melanie Buritica, UK, Master’s in International Business.  

The record-breaking event took place in a class taught by Hult Professor Chris Kinsville-Heyne, titled The Crisis for Leaders, which focused on crisis management, mitigation, and response. All attendees, which included undergraduate and postgraduate representatives, were required to stay for the entire 45-minute class to meet the requirements of Guinness World Records. 

“I was thrilled to see this wide array of learners in the classroom, as it reflects just what makes Hult special—it’s diversity of cultures and thought,” said Professor Kinsville-Heyne. “Discussing details in the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risk Report, I challenged students to think beyond limitations and envision ambitious solutions to current global challenges; to dream big and make meaningful contributions as a collective.” 

Hult touts a diverse student body, with 95% of students studying at a campus outside of their home country. The current global class of Hult students includes more than 150 nationalities, with 144 languages spoken and 13% of students with dual nationalities.

“The diversity in our classroom opens up a lot of really challenging conversations and helps us navigate how we talk about certain issues, how to find a middle ground or decrease the polarization growing in the world, as mentioned in Professor Kinsville-Heyne’s class,” Diaz added. “Whenever you’re surrounded by so many different perspectives, you’re forced to come closer and not focus so much on differences, but similarities.”  

An independent witness and time tracker were present to ensure rules of record were adhered to. Students were required to show passports to prove their nationality. The event was also ratified by an adjudicator from Guinness World Records.