Dhruv Lakra

 

Dhruv Lakra

Before coming to Oxford, Dhruv moved to Mumbai for higher education and earned his Bachelors in Commerce from the HR College of Commerce and Economics at Mumbai University. He completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Enterprise Management at the South Indian Education Society, College of Management Studies, where he was recognised as the Most Enterprising Student. Dhruv began his career in investment banking with Merrill Lynch in Mumbai within the Mergers and Acquisitions Department. After two years, he moved to Dasra, then on to a small nonprofit startup with a mission to professionalise the nonprofit sector through management skills. Dhruv’s background in both investment banking and nonprofit led him to recognise the power of business for social change. He decided to do an MBA to learn about organisational models that blend social and financial return.

After graduating from Saïd Business School in 2008 with an Oxford MBA, Dhruv set up Mirakle Couriers, a full-service courier company offering delivery and tracking services to clients in Mumbai, staffed entirely by deaf employees. He got his innovative company up and running with a combination of his own savings and angel capital. Performing all delivery and back office functions, his team communicate with each other and their clients through the use of SMS text messages, sign language and rigorous job training. In addition, Mirakle Couriers provide life skills instruction for its employees including personal financial management. Mirakle Couriers is recognised as a role model employer for hiring deaf adults/people with disabilities and is also the recipient of the National Award from the President of India, Helen Keller Award, Echoing Green Fellowship, and the India-Africa Fellowship.

He was chosen in the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program in 2018, and was also awarded the 40 under 40 business leaders by a leading business magazine in India.