Annabel Gilfillan

Annabel Gilfillan is a finance professional from South Africa, currently pursuing an MSc in Financial Economics at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of Oxford and a member of Oriel College. Annabel is passionate about using finance as a tool for sustainable and inclusive growth, with a particular interest in addressing inequality through economic empowerment.

She graduated with First Class Honours in Business Science from the University of Cape Town, where she majored in Finance. A Commerce Faculty scholar and member of the Dean’s Merit List, Annabel ranked in the top 5% in three of her final-year courses and was inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society. She has worked as a Private Equity Analyst at Oceanrock Consulting, where she provided outsourced M&A support to global investment clients. Her role strengthened her technical skills in valuation, financial modelling and industry analysis, while offering exposure to both buy- and sell-side mandates across a range of sectors.

Beyond finance, Annabel is deeply committed to social impact. Her experiences growing up in South Africa have shaped her understanding of systemic inequality and inspired her work on community-led initiatives in healthcare, education and youth leadership. At Oxford, she aims to develop a global perspective on finance and form enduring relationships that will inform her career and contribute to her vision of driving meaningful change across sectors.