BOSTON—Neel Ghose is one of the five Harvard Business School students who have been named recipients of the School’s Dean’s Award this year.
Other winners are Lindsey Morrow, Amanda Tyson and Megan Williams, all members of the Harvard Business School MBA Class of 2019. Alexandra Feldberg, a graduating doctoral student in the field of organizational behavior, has been honored with the HBS Doctoral Program’s Dean’s Award.
These coveted and prestigious awards celebrate the extraordinary achievements of graduating students who during their years of study have also made a positive impact on Harvard, Harvard Business School, and/or broader communities. In addition, they have contributed to the well-being of society through exceptional acts of leadership. Nominations come from the HBS community, and Dean Nitin Nohria makes the final selections.
Ghose is the founder of The Robin Hood Army, a zero-funds organization that distributes surplus food from restaurants to the hungry in developing countries and has served 14.8 million meals across 133 cities.
“Forget profits, there is no money, office, or staff involved – we have built this through a passionate team and social media engagement,” Ghose said when discussing the program. “The Robin Hood Army is a simple platform of regular professionals, students and members of civil society that help in their free time, and make a real difference to their communities. Food is a medium through which the “Robins” hope to inspire and bring out the best of humanity.”
Ghose brought his commitment to feeding the hungry to HBS, and during his time in the MBA program has increased his sectionmates’ awareness of the problem of global hunger. With the help of his classmates, the Robin Hood Army has been introduced into new countries including Indonesia, Nigeria, and Chile. Locally, he could be seen leading groups of students after section events to Harvard Square to deliver leftover food to homeless people in the area. One of Ghose’s classmates said of his impact on the community: “He is relentlessly optimistic, positive, and thoughtful and has offered valuable perspectives to all his fellow students here.”
He also displayed inspirational leadership while further developing his innovative platform model. One of the Robin Hood Army programs, the Robin Hood Academy, empowers thousands of Indian and Pakistani children who live on the streets with basic primary education, and helps the kids get admitted to local public schools. Education and food for all are two fundamental beliefs for Ghose and his Robins.
Another student added on Ghose, “He is a true motivator with a strong sense of moral responsibility and he inspires me, and several others to make sure that we create change in the world. If I think of HBS’s mission, Neel epitomizes that perfectly.”
Through his work with the Robin Hood Army and Robin Hood Academy, and through his actions on campus to bring awareness to the hunger problem in all nations, Ghose has been an inspirational role model while at HBS and impacted the quality of life for many communities, making him a 2019 Dean’s Award winner.
