The MIT Sloan School of Management together with Zamir Telecom, the London-based global telecommunications company, today announced the creation of a new scholarship for promising MBA students who plan to pursue careers in the technology sector.

The Zamir Telecom fellowship, which is made possible by a $100,000 gift from Naufal Zamir, the company's founder and managing director, is open to students who are either from an emerging economy (Africa, Asia, or the Middle East) or who have an interest in technological advancement in those regions.

A native of Bangladesh, Zamir trained as a lawyer before launching his company ten years ago. Today Zamir Telecom is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the UK, according to The Sunday Times Tech Track 100.

"Naufal Zamir knows firsthand the transformative power of education," said David Schmittlein, Dean of the school. "Thanks to his gift, MIT Sloan will be able to expand its reach to students in emerging countries and provide them with opportunities they otherwise might not have had. We thank him for his generous support."

Zamir said the scholarship represents a way to "both give back and invest in" capable young people in the developing world. "There is a lot of raw talent out there," he said. "Our hope is that by giving these people the opportunity to come and study at MIT Sloan--thereby providing them with academic rigor and a chance to engage with world-renowned experts--we will help unleash their potential."

In addition to the scholarship, Zamir Telecom, which offers communication services to corporate clients and retail customers around the world, will provide two MIT Sloan students with paid internships and a one-year employment contract after graduation.

"We are delighted that this gift supports the school's mission, and helps shape the next generation of innovative technology entrepreneurs," said Zamir.

The MIT Sloan School of Management
Paul Denning, 617-253-0576
denning@mit.edu
or
Patricia Favreau, 617-253-3492
pfavreau@mit.edu