Press Releases

FD Ellis Scholarship awarded at Durham Business School

(15 May 2012)

The recipient of Durham Business School's annual FD Ellis MBA Scholarship at Durham Business School has been selected - this year the award goes to Czarina Mia Orcullo from Manila, Philippines. Czarina receives a full-fee scholarship for Durham's prestigious full-time MBA programme and will take up her place at Durham this autumn.

Czarina currently works as a project consultant, managing web development projects related to social media marketing, search engine optimisation, and resource management, she is also a licensed mutual fund & insurance advisor at Sun Life of Canada (Philippines).

Here she explains the reasons why she was so delighted and honored to be chosen.

"In my ten years as a professional, I have steadily built a career in marketing and business development, I've also been very active in socio-civic community work, organising outreach programs for underprivileged areas in my country.

"After completing the Durham MBA programme, I hope to bring my project management & business development experience to organisations committed to social development (particularly poverty reduction). 

"The Durham MBA will ensure I have the solid foundations of business management and corporate sustainability and responsibility that will help me achieve the organisations’ goals while pursuing my passion: making things better for people who are unable to help themselves.

"In the longer term I would like to establish a microfinance company and a consulting company specialising in social entrepreneurship and capitalising on social media and e-commerce.

"I am very excited to begin my MBA in the fall and meet and learn from my professors and classmates. Durham will undoubtedly open a world of possibilities for my career and I am eternally grateful that the FD Ellis Scholarship paved the way for that."

Worth more than £23,000 the FD Ellis Scholarship is named in memory of the father of Dr. David Ellis, a former Durham University student who is now a leading international economics expert and a managing director in top London business advisory firm, FTI’s Economic Consulting practice.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the scholarship, David said: "My father was a self-made man who went straight into work in the days when boys at the age of 15 were called to do so. He built up and ran his own business and I feel I learned a great deal from him and his hard-working ethic."

David decided to invest in Durham University, in particular Durham Business School due to its highly regarded reputation.