Nicholas Thain (Balliol 2025, EMBA) has been named Non-Executive Director (NED) of the Year in the Private/Private Equity category of the NED Awards. Established in 2006 by Peel Hunt, the awards recognise the achievements of non-executive directors who contribute to the success and growth of businesses and not-for-profit organisations across the UK.
Currently completing an Executive MBA at Saïd Business School, Nicholas has co-founded four businesses and have more than 20 years’ experience in leading and scaling organisations across the media, sport, technology, and energy sectors. The judges commended him for delivering ‘transformational impact – strengthening governance, shaping strategy, driving global expansion, and embedding values that fuel exceptional performance’.
Reflecting on the award, Nicholas commented: ‘To receive this award while beginning the Oxford EMBA at Balliol feels like a full-circle moment. It reflects 20 years of being in the arena — founding companies, taking them public, and guiding others through their hardest moments. Roosevelt put it well in his “Man in the Arena” speech: credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive, who err, and who keep going regardless. Oxford is where I now sit, alongside others who have done the same, learning from their experiences as much as passing on my own knowledge.’
Further information about Nicholas and the award can be found in the Saïd Business School news article and The Times article.