Hult International Business School Commencement Program

3rd August 2023

Congratulations to the class of 2023! On behalf of the entire campus team, we wish you much joy and happiness today as you celebrate the completion of your undergraduate studies. This is a major milestone in your lives, and you should be proud of the efforts you put forth to get here.

Notice I said completion of your undergraduate studies! As you step into the next chapter of your lives your learning will continue. This could be through furthering your education, on the job training, travel, and just living your day-today life. Commit to being a life-long learner! In this fast-paced world we live in it is important to have continuous learning, un-learning, and re-learning. As you continue your journey know that life will throw curveballs your way. How you react to these will define your journey. Over the course of your studies, you have dealt with a pandemic, wars, riots, political uprisings, civil conflicts, and natural disasters. Some of you have lost loved ones. Some of you have faced financial hardship. Yet, here you are, sitting at your graduation. This happened because of your growth-mindset, tenacity, and resilience (and some humor along the way).

Enjoy today, you earned this time to celebrate with friends and family. Please remember to thank them for the role they played in helping to get you to this wonderful day. Then, as you continue your journey, I want to ask you to pause and reflect on how you want to contribute to society? What is your purpose larger than growing your bank account? It is in these moments and efforts that I find the most joy in my journey, I hope you will as well.

When I stepped onto the campus in January I was overwhelmed with the diversity, focus, comradery, and happiness that I felt just standing in the lobby! Maintain those relationships you have developed no matter where your journey takes you. These are the types of friendships that will allow months to go by and then a phone call will pick up the conversation just where you left it.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your journey. We congratulate you on your success today and look forward to watching your soar! Don’t be a stranger as you move from Hult student to Hult alumni!

Dr Dean, Undergraduate Program London

Filipe Mota da Silva works at TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) as Consulting Leader for Energy, Resources and Utilities in UK and EU. He has around 20 years of experience in the sustainability, energy and technology sector and has helped several organizations embracing large digital transformational programmes to improve their operations and tackling innovative business opportunities. His expertise includes energy transition, target operating model definition, business and digital transformation, change management, diversity and inclusion. He is World Energy Council Advisor Member, Harvard Business Review Advisor Board Member and TechUK Steering Committee Member for Mobility and Smart Transportation.

Filipe founded and was the Secretary General of the World Energy Council Future Energy Leaders Programme between 2014-2018 with the mission to drive youth and diversity to the leading positions in the energy sector. He also founded and guided several employee networks at TCS, including: Qolors, the LGBT+ and Ally network (he chaired the network 2017-2021), Parents at Work, Disability and Mental Health Employees Network. He recently founded Transition Drivers an initiative to encourage 100,000 diverse energy leaders for immediate climate action.

Filipe has been recognized for his work through his nomination as a LGBT Diversity Hero in 2022 by the LBGT British Awards and Top50 World LGBT Business Leader by Outstanding and Yahoo! Finance 2022 and 2021.

He holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Lisbon University, MBA from Hult International Business School in Boston, USA and GMP from Harvard Business School. Filipe lives in London and has worked around the world, including his native country Portugal, and has completed stints in China and the USA.

Filipe Mota da Silva Managing Director, Tata Consultancy Services