Gopal Rao, a current MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School, met William Hague, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, last week where they discussed preventing sexual violence in conflicts.
The meeting took place because Gopal won a competition set up to mark the Foreign Secretary’s milestone 200,000th follower on Twitter. William Hague asked his followers to answer the question: ‘What do you think is the biggest contribution UK foreign policy can make to the world?’
Gopal’s winning tweet was:
‘UK foreign policy should focus on emancipation of #girlsandwomen through enterprise, supported by vibrant #socent culture within UK. #meetFS’.
The prize was to meet the Foreign Secretary for a discussion and live tweet an event. During the meeting Gopal was able to ask the Foreign Secretary about how he hopes to tackle such a formidable problem. He said:
The Foreign Secretary and his team have a clear strategy for preventing sexual violence. The centrepiece is a major summit in early June at which a great deal of good can be done. Social media is a powerful tool to spread important messages like this, and I hope that more politicians use it for good.
Hague has been working with UNHCR envoy, Angelina Jolie, to raise awareness of rape and violence towards women in conflict zones. William Hague thanked Gopal for a useful discussion and also highlighted the importance of social media for public engagement with important issues.
Gopal has been heavily involved in social innovation initiatives during his MBA like running an event last year to try to break down the barriers to women working in business. He recently wrote a blog on a career trek to social impact organisations in London organised by fellow MBAs Priya Shah and Kia Kavoosi who lead the CJBS Social Innovation Student Interest Group (SIG) and is looking forward to taking an active role in the Social Innovation elective taught by Paul Tracey, Professor of Innovation and Organisation at the School.
© Photograph copyright Foreign and Commonwealth Office Flickr