Farzana Baduel, founder and CEO of Curzon PR has been chosen as one of seven brand ambassadors for the L.E.V8 Women programme at the Oxford Foundry, University of Oxford.

The Oxford Foundry, led by Saïd Business School, is the University of Oxford’s entrepreneurship centre. It was started with a founding donation from LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, and opened in October 2017 by Apple CEO Tim Cook.

The L.E.V8 Women programme aims to challenge commonly held preconceptions about leadership, entrepreneurship and gender, by providing Oxford's future female leaders and founders with the knowledge to build and scale their ventures.

Baduel says, "It is a privilege to have been asked to participate in this exciting project. It is startling that just 20% of businesses benefit from women in leadership positions. Initiatives like this inspire, equip and boost female leaders and entrepreneurs, and I’m proud to be involved."

The Oxford Foundry provides support for all 23,000 Oxford students, and aims to facilitate an increase in Oxford University graduates moving on to more entrepreneurial careers post-university.

As part of the programme, they choose successful female entrepreneurs as mentors for students to equip them for an entrepreneurial future, boosting confidence, knowledge and know-how for when they leave university.

Baduel is one of seven brand ambassadors who will act as mentors on the programme. Others include Helen Riley, CFO at  X; Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor, MD and founder of BlueBolt Ltd.; Robin Saunders, managing partner at Clearbrook Capital; Claire Davenport, CEO at HelloFresh; Alexsis de Raadt St James, managing partner of Merian Ventures; and Nicole Vollebregt, VP global women’s at adidas.