The Wheeler Institute’s new “Journeys” series launched with a compelling conversation between Chris Coghlan (MiF 2012), co-founder of Grow Movement and now Member of the UK Parliament for Dorking and Horley, Rajesh Chandy, Professor of Marketing at LBS and Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute and Paolo Surico, Professor of Economics at LBS . It was a rare chance to trace the path of a single individual whose career has cut across military service, international development, finance, and politics—offering an honest, often personal account of what it means to lead with purpose across sectors. The event was opened by Sergei Guriev, Dean and Professor of Economics at LBS, had the participation of Violet Busingye, co-Founder of the Grow Movement and was a collaboration with the Social Impact Club at London Business School.
From the Battlefield to Business School
Chris’s early professional years began in one of the most high-stakes environments imaginable: the military. His route there, however, was anything but conventional. Initially set to join the regular army after university, Chris sustained a serious injury while attempting to qualify for the part-time SAS reservists as a student, resulting in a medical discharge. What followed was a decade-long journey of recovery, while he worked in the City at Deloitte and then as a hedge fund manager while learning to run again—before finally joining the Army Reserves. In 2020, he deployed to Iraq, serving in the fight against ISIS.
Chris spoke candidly about the profound impact this experience had on him—not only in shaping his worldview but in instilling a deep appreciation for public service and personal responsibility. That commitment led him to London Business School, where he studied finance with a view to marrying economic rigor with meaningful impact.
While at LBS, Chris became increasingly interested in the intersection of business and development. He reflected on how his time at the school shaped his thinking about scale and sustainability—not just in commercial ventures, but in addressing poverty and inequality. “LBS taught me that if you understand business, you can understand almost anything,” he shared during the event. It also taught him how to navigate a career where public good and private sector skills intersect.
Founding Grow Movement: A Partnership Rooted in Trust
The idea for Grow Movement didn’t emerge from a whiteboard strategy session—it was born from a moment of mentorship. Chris shared the story of his cofounder Violet Busingye, a young Ugandan woman from a family of ten who had grown up without electricity and had to leave school after high school due to financial hardship. Despite these challenges, Violet was determined to learn and grow.
What began as tutoring soon became something more transformative. Violet, who joined the event, described it this way: “I’ve seen the power of coaching and mentoring. Chris gave me a ten-day MBA to bring me up to speed.” That crash course changed everything. “Sometimes we overthink solutions, but when you look at the real challenges—unemployment, climate change, political instability—small businesses are creating jobs,” she said. Inspired by this experience, Violet and Chris imagined a way to scale what they had created. “Chris had the networks and the resources. I had the lived experience on the ground,” she said. “We wanted to build something that could bridge that gap.”
That “something” became Grow Movement—an initiative that connects volunteer business experts from around the world with entrepreneurs in Africa and beyond via remote coaching. It’s a model designed to overcome geography and resource barriers, focusing on knowledge transfer that leads to tangible economic growth. “The idea was simple,” Chris said. “We could connect someone in London to someone in Kampala with a mobile phone and a spreadsheet—and change a business.”
The impact was real and measurable. A randomized control trial conducted by researchers from LBS, Stanford, and Chicago Booth found that entrepreneurs who participated in Grow Movement saw their revenues increase by 27%. “When we got that number,” Chris said, “we knew it wasn’t just a feel-good project. It worked. It was scalable. And it was something the world needed more of.”
From Coaching Entrepreneurs to Shaping Policy
Chris’s transition into politics might seem like a pivot, but he framed it as a continuation of the same values. “Grow Movement was about helping people one-on-one,” he said. “But I wanted to work on the structural problems too.” He ran for Parliament in the 2024 general election and now serves as an MP focused on economic inclusion and productivity.
In the second half of the event, the conversation turned to Chris’s current role in Westminster. Joined by Paolo Surico, Chris offered his reflections on the UK’s latest budget. He emphasized the importance of evidence-based policymaking and lamented how often politics relies on rhetoric over research. Chris discussed efforts to bridge the gap between academia and policy, citing how research from institutions like LBS could better inform national decisions.
On Loss, Purpose, and Leadership
The most poignant moment of the evening came when Chris shared a story about a young autistic man near his constituency who had passed away. With visible emotion, he spoke about meeting the family and the pain of realizing how systemic failures could have contributed to the tragedy.
The case has since shaped Chris’s early work in Parliament. He spoke about it in his maiden speech, calling for urgent reforms to prevent such misfortunes from happening again. For him, it was not only a moment of deep personal responsibility but a reminder that leadership must serve the most at risk of being overlooked. It was a stark reminder of the emotional burden that can come with public service—especially when the stakes are life and death. And yet, Chris remains committed to his role. “You don’t get into this because it’s easy,” he said. “You do it because it matters.”
A Journey That Inspires Action
Chris Coghlan’s path from military officer to LBS graduate, from social entrepreneur to UK lawmaker, is a rare and powerful one. But as the event made clear, what makes his story exceptional isn’t the breadth of roles—it’s the consistency of purpose. Whether mentoring small business owners or challenging policy norms in Parliament, Chris is driven by a belief in equity, data-driven decision-making, and the power of ordinary people to make extraordinary change.
For students and professionals considering careers in impact, his journey offers a model of what’s possible when ambition is matched with humility and action. “You don’t need to know the final destination,” he said in closing. “You just need to start somewhere—and keep going.”
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Chris Coghlan, LBS alum MIF 2012, is an elected UK Parliament for Dorking and Horley and founder of the Grow Movement, a non-profit providing business skills training to micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries such as Uganda, Ghana, Malawi and Rwanda. Throughout his career, Chris worked at the intersection of business and international politics, from being an officer in the army reserve, an election observer for the EU in Ukraine and DR Congo and accountant and investment manager for an emerging markets hedge fund.
The Grow Movement is the subject of a three-year randomised control trial of 1,000 micro-entrepreneurs in Uganda by London Business School, Stanford Business School and Chicago Booth. Since 2009, the charity has improved the lives of more than 50,000 people in the poorest communities on earth. In recognition of this, Chris Coghlan was awarded the LBS Gold 2018 Graduate of the Last Decade Award. His long-term collaboration with the Wheeler Institute and LBS has allowed Chris to further engage with social, economic and environmental causes and has inspired our students to pursuit impact driven careers.
The Social Impact Club
The Social Impact Club is one of the largest student clubs at LBS with the goal to support the development of students in becoming socially responsible business leaders by providing educational, experiential, professional, and networking opportunities to the LBS community.
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