Online Q&A With Hult DBA Students

Thinking about a DBA — but not sure if it's the right move for where you are in your career?

Join us for a live Q&A with two people who can answer that question from the inside. Marjorie Ngwenya, a Hult DBA alumna and trailblazing leader in financial services, and Sapphire Villafana, a current DBA student turning her research into a live startup, will share their honest experiences of the program — what it demands, what it delivers, and why they chose to pursue doctoral research at this stage of their careers.

Marjorie is a leader in financial services, serving as a board member across for-profit and nonprofit sectors and as an external member of the Prudential Regulation Committee at the Bank of England. She made history as the first person of colour and youngest President of the UK's Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in nearly 200 years — and her executive career includes roles as Chief Strategist for Liberty Group and Chief Risk Officer for Old Mutual's African operations.

A passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Marjorie conducts research on inclusive leadership and its impact on workplace outcomes. She holds a Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy from London Business School and is the author of Empowered Evolution, which debuted at #1 on Amazon's Knowledge Capital list.

Sapphire is a business and technology strategist with extensive experience leading innovation across healthcare, operations, and emerging technologies. Her DBA research on AI-driven operational and financial optimization in clinical laboratories led to the creation of UNVL, an intelligent operating layer for laboratories — a venture she continues to scale through competitive startup ecosystems including AWS x Techstars. Her journey is a powerful example of how doctoral research can bridge academic inquiry with real-world industry transformation.