2018 MBAs To Watch: Riyaj Gilani, Michigan State (Broad) - Poets&Quants

Riyaj Gilani

Michigan State University, Broad College of Business

“Ambitious & hardworking with eternal curiosity to learn new things, value experiences and community engagement.”

Age: 27

Hometown: Nagpur, India

Fun fact about yourself: I speak 6 languages and am still learning more.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Bachelors in Technology, Mechanical Engineering from College of Engineering, University of Pune

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Prior to my MBA, I was working at Bharat Petroleum Corporation (India’s 2nd biggest petroleum company) for 5 years, managing and building network of gas stations.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? I interned at GEP Worldwide (a procurement consulting firm) based out of Clark, New Jersey. I was part of a team, advising a $7B fashion retailer on sourcing strategy for indirect spend.

Where will you be working after graduation? I will be joining McKinsey & Co. at Cleveland, OH as a Generalist-Associate.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: I have been involved in various leadership roles. In my first year I was part of Spartan Consulting Inc., a student-run consulting firm which aims to help Michigan based businesses owners in growing and transforming their business. I was nominated as a Director on the board of Spartan Consulting Inc. In the second year, I have continued my efforts with Spartan Consulting and currently am VP of business development.

I am also the president of Broad Consulting Club (BCC). MSU in not known for consulting and very few top-notch firms hire at MSU. At BCC, we are trying to change this by creating opportunities for Broad students by engaging with consulting firms and training students for case interviews.

AwardsI am fortunate to have been recognized by my peers and faculty as a recipient of “Broad Warrior” award 2017 and “Student Unity” award in my first year.

Beginning of 2nd year I was awarded “Hoagland & Metzler” fellowship for my academic achievements.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of being able to give back to the MBA program by formally and informally mentoring first year students in multiple facets of their MBA experience. I have coached a large group of international students during their transition to US, helping them on their resumes and networking skills. I offered multiple one on one case interview prep sessions to student hoping to crack consulting interviews.

Now, I am communications coach for one of the first-year teams. I meet them every week to share what I have learned about business communications and help them improve their writing and presentation skills.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? During my five years with Bharat Petroleum, I achieved multiple sales and financial goals. However, my biggest achievement was the culture I was able to create amongst gas station owners and employees. Creating a collaborative culture was helpful in implementing multiple initiatives and forming relations which I still cherish.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite professor was Dr. Wangerin who taught us Financial Accounting in first year. Unlike corporate strategy or marketing, accounting is dry and difficult to teach. But Dr. Wangerin made it really interesting using his personal experiences and blending issues of ethical importance, going well beyond numbers.

What was your favorite MBA Course My favorite course was foundations of negotiations. Though I had engaged in formal negotiations in my prior work life, this course gave me a new perspective about negotiations in business world. Multiple case studies and role plays made the course very interesting. My biggest takeaway was that business in not always a zero-sum game. There is always a way to play fair and win big by increasing the size of the pie for all stakeholders.

Why did you choose this business school?I chose Michigan State University because of its reputation in supply chain, small class size of MBA program and emphasis on teamwork, and I am extremely happy that I made this decision.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? I would advise the applicant to visit the campus and shadow a current student if possible. I think it’s really important to understand MBA programs going beyond concentrations and recruitment statistics. You can truly understand the culture of a program and your fit by talking to current students and faculty. For international students who can’t visit, definitely talk to as many current students as possible.

What is the biggest myth about your school? The biggest myth about MSU is that it’s just about supply chain. MSU has amazing finance and accounting departments. The professors and courses they teach are arguably the best in the country.

What was your biggest regret in business school?My biggest regret will be not being able to engage in academic and extracurricular activities outside business school. I have a huge fear of missing out. Moreover, Michigan State campus is huge and vibrant and there are always ton of things happening around. But there is not much time left if you involve yourself in everything happening in business school itself.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I really admire all my classmates. This by far is the most smart and talented set of people I have been around. But if I have to choose someone in particular, it would be Megan Justus. I admire her for her work ethics, ability to raise her voice for the causes she believes in and still be super humble in the best way possible.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My sister has been a big influence all my life and in my decision to pursue an MBA as well. She has motivated me to never settle for status quo and always aim higher in life. She is six years older than I am and works for a large multinational bank in its software division. She constantly shares her personal experiences with me, influencing my vision for the future.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…still working at Bharat Petroleum, hopefully in a different division and in a more senior position.”

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? I would like to make the MBA class more diverse by encouraging students from wider set of backgrounds, cultures, and countries to be part of the MBA class.

What are the top two items on your bucket list?

1. Visiting South America
2. Learning Spanish

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? I would like my peers to remember me as a friendly, helpful guy who believed in being ambitious, working hard but enjoyed life to its fullest.  

What is your favorite movie about business? The Godfather. Though the business connection may not be very apparent, the movie teaches you about the importance of building deep relationships, which I feel differentiates a great leader from good manager.

What would your theme song be? Unfortunately, I am not much into English music so my theme song would be from Bollywood: “Lakshya ko har haal me pana hai” (roughly translates to: ‘You have to achieve your goal, no matter what it takes.’)

Favorite vacation spot: Mountains in Colorado

Hobbies?Trekking, Cricket, Badminton and nowadays cooking Indian cuisine.

What made Riyaj such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?

“Given that many MBA programs matriculate students from all over the globe, there are a plethora of opportunities for students to embrace many ways of thinking in their quest to become better business professionals and leaders. One of the continued opportunities for any top MBA program is to ensure all students in every class not only grow to understand business in multiple contexts, but to grow individually and as a group. For some students, these opportunities can contribute to tension and concern, particularly if students do not make connections to classmates or the institution they matriculate to. The transitions can be very hard for some students. Riyaj has made it his priority to help every single student in our program make that transition in a positive and proactive way.

Riyaj is a student that entrenches himself in his class to eliminate those tensions and promote harmony, enlightenment and a collegiality amongst his colleagues. He has been THE leader in developing connectivity between our international students and the institution, always available to mentor, produce programming, or lead our students to develop solutions that increase their acclimation and connection to the program. Furthermore, he spends countless hours doing this away from the public eye, as recognition for his contributions is not a priority for him. Riyaj seeks to help his fellow students mesh their backgrounds and experiences into the MBA culture, and the professional business cultures they seek to move into after their graduation.  His personality, values, and background make him an ideal ambassador to help individuals feel comfortable so far away from home. He accomplishes this with an exceptional temperament; in 21 months, I have never seen him without a smile on his face and a kind word for a colleague. He has an exceptionally bright future, not only because of his acknowledged professional success, but because he defines success in the ability to help others. We are proud to call him a Broad MBA.”

Wayne Hutchison
Director, MBA, Academic & Program Services

 

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2018 Best MBAs: Travis Martin, Michigan State (Broad) - Poets&Quants

Travis Martin

Michigan State University, Broad College of Business

“A service-oriented professional constantly seeking new challenges.”

Age: 28

Hometown: Hudsonville, MI

Fun fact about yourself: I was a two-sport athlete in my undergrad (Football and Track and Field).

Undergraduate School and Degree: Hope College (BA Political Science/Psychology) and Oakland University (Masters in Teaching/Secondary Education)

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Teach for America Detroit Corp Member 2012-2014, Teacher/Coach/Department Chair at Detroit Southeastern High School 2012-2016)

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? The Wendy’s Company – Dublin, Ohio

Where will you be working after graduation? The Wendy’s Company, Dublin Ohio

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: 1st Year MBA Association Vice President, 2nd Year MBA Association President, Student Representative to Selection Committee to Appoint New Associate Dean of Business College, 1st Year Director of HR for Spartan Consulting, Program Spirit Award Winner, Beta Gamma Sigma, Teaching Assistant for Marketing Department, Graduate Assistant for MBA Admissions

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Being selected by my Peers as the winner of the Spartan Spirit Award at our Community Honors Gala. The award is designed to go to the student who best embodies the culture of hard work, collaboration, and enthusiasm that Broad prides itself on. It was really humbling to feel that my classmates appreciated the effort I put in daily to make a positive impact on the program.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Prior to my MBA, I helped create, implement, and teach a business skills curriculum in conjunction with a large Midwestern furniture manufacturer to prepare recent high school graduates from Detroit Public Schools for jobs in the sales and customer service fields. My students were the inaugural class of the program, and a great deal of them found consistent, stable employment using the skills taught in the program upon completion of the course. This process demonstrated that my passion for business and social justice could be perfect compliments.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? As a former teacher, I really admire Dr. Jennifer Dunn. Her 15-week Negotiations Class is an airtight curriculum blending engaging lectures, hands on tactical negotiations, and lots of written metacognition that causes you to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses as a collaborator and negotiator. For three hours a day, one day a week, she kept a room full of busy MBA’s with divergent business interests in rapt attention.

What was your favorite MBA Course Brand Insights/Strategy taught by Dr. Hang Nguyen. The course was a semester-long consulting project for a CPG brand that gave us hands on experience for many facets of marking from initial focus group testing to in-store marketing and promotion. It really was perfect practice for what I would experience during my summer internship and helped instill a sense of confidence before heading to Dublin.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Broad because of the value they place on collaboration and the gritty, blue-collared demeanor of the students. Whether it was on my visit or talking to alumni, everyone demonstrated, through words or actions, a desire to make themselves and their classmates better. This constant striving for self-improvement and new challenges within a collaborative environment was a perfect culture fit

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Make sure you can articulate clearly how you plan to invest in the program beyond getting good grades and landing a six-figure full-time position.  With our small, intimate program size (about 150 students), MBAs at Broad are expected to be effective collaborators and actively seek out opportunities to lead within the program and campus community. Prospective students must be ready to make that commitment to maximize their experience at MSU.

What is the biggest myth about your school? The notion exists that MSU is just a regional, supply chain school. We have talented marketers, human resource strategists and consultants that that join and contribute to Fortune 500 firms across the country every year in a variety of sectors.

What was your biggest regret in business school? I had tried to set up a resume workshop and interview training program at a local high school for students and their family members that fell through. The plan was to have current MBA students volunteer to review resumes and hold mock interviews for members of the Lansing community, but the partnership with the school fell through after weeks of discussion. I feel that the talent and goodwill of classmates was not fully utilized.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Christine Price. She is a gritty, hands-on doer. Christine works incredibly hard (often in the background) to organize student events while still being a strong student; no one puts in more hours on campus than she does.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My father. He has always emphasized the need learn as much as possible, to constantly seek out new skills and ways to get involved, to make yourself as valuable as possible to your firm. I knew that an MBA would give me a broad set of skills that would allow me greatly increase my value as an employee.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…most likely teaching and coaching football in Detroit. I loved teaching and miss my students and athletes.”

 If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? I would make off campus community service a point of emphasis for the program. We do a fantastic job of raising money for worthy causes both locally and across the country, but I believe that MBA’s have an incredible skill set that could be further leveraged to make an impact in their communities to create positive change.

 What are the top two items on your bucket list?

1. Run for political office at some level.
2. Travel to all 7 continents (I am only at 3 currently).

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? I want peers to remember me as someone who approached all aspects of our program with passion and enthusiasm.

What is your favorite movie about business?

What would your theme song be? “I Don’t Get Tired” – Kevin Gates

Favorite vacation spot: Munich, Germany (to visit my fiancée).

Hobbies?  Playing with my dog Mabel, relaxing with family, recreational sports, coaching, and travel.

What made Travis such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?

“Of all the students in my six years with the Broad MBA program, Travis is the best example of leadership I have seen. It is not a close comparison. From his first day on the campus, he was an eager teammate and colleague, continually finding ways to support his second year leadership team by being enthusiastic, hard-working, collaborative, and supportive of the agenda the board set for the year. This is one of Travis’ best qualities; while he has all the skills and abilities an exceptional leader possesses, he can immediately pivot to being a great teammate, putting his heart towards a cause, even if he is not in a leadership role. His work behind the scenes resulted in a number of successes for the 2017 graduating class. Amongst them were over $15,000 raised for charitable causes in the greater-Lansing area, an unprecedented number of community service hours and initiatives, and an expansion of support activities through the MBA Association for his fellow MBA students.

As he ascended to the MBA Association President role, he took this group to another level. Charitable fundraising, service project time, and student engagement activities all rose during his tenure from previous year levels. He was chosen to represent the entire graduate student business community in giving a speech commemorating the groundbreaking for the Broad Pavilion, a 100,000 square foot expansion to the business complex, scheduled to be completed in 2019. Finally, in his work with the Office of Admissions, he became the chief ambassador to prospective students, proving service to hundreds of prospective and admitted students as they considered enrollment with the Broad MBA program. As he graduates and moves onto the next phase of his professional life, he has left an indelible footprint on his office and this program that will not be easily replicated. We look forward to following his professional journey.”

Wayne Hutchison
Director / FTMBA Program
Academic & Program Services

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2018 Best MBAs: Mohamed Hrezi, Michigan State (Broad) - Poets&Quants

 

Mohamed Hrezi

Michigan State University, Broad College of Business

Age: 26

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Disciplined, hard-working, and searching for life’s equilibrium through my career and my running!

Hometown: Naugatuck, CT

Fun fact about yourself: I was a 2016 Olympian in the marathon and have set two national records while in B-school!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Gerdin College of Business, Iowa State University – B.S. Accounting

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? I was a professional runner for Brooks.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2017? Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Fort Washington, PA

Where will you be working after graduation? Associate Brand Manager, Johnson & Johnson Consumer

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: VP of Corporate Relations for the MBA Association, guest speaker during freshman orientation, weekly local group runs, & volunteer for MBA recruiting events

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Best presenter award at the Big 10+ case competition.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Having my first corporate professional experience come during my internship and witnessing my recommendation come to life was more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Clay Voorhees, for introducing and helping me better understand the foundations of marketing. He was also a huge asset in my internship search and offered outstanding advice on my career focus.

What was your favorite MBA Course Brand Management/Development.  This course offered first-hand experience, as we were able to work on a real brand development (marketing) project with Hills Brothers and present our recommendations to the Marketing Director at the end of the course.

Why did you choose this business school? Broad offered a close-knit community that was unmatched by other programs. Having a small class size means that I have built a very strong network that includes nearly every one of my classmates and the classes before and after ours.

What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Do your due diligence and come to your interview prepared to ask thoughtful questions that will help you differentiate your top schools because you want to hear about the schools strengths and weaknesses from current students and faculty.

What is the biggest myth about your school? That we are only good for operations/supply chain. Although there is some truth to this, I discovered that Broad has a lot to offer, with great faculty in all departments and a tremendous amount of support from current students, alumni, and career services.

What was your biggest regret in business school? Not attending study abroad, I had to back out because of a conflict and will regret that decision for a long time.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Ramin Vismeh because he’s already completed a PhD in Chemistry (which seems far more difficult than an MBA). After years of working, he decided to make the leap to an MBA for better job opportunities and professional growth. Not many PhD’s would make a pivot like this and his gamble has paid off.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? Between my father and my then roommate, UofM Ross MBA Bobby Curis (’17), I knew that going back for my MBA would be the best decision of my life. It allowed me to pursue professional running, but finding a perfect balance of academics and athletics has allowed me to access in both!

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be… a professional runner (still).”

If you were a dean for a day, what one thing would you change about the MBA experience? I would reach out to alumni to create a “buddy” pairing system with current MBA students and successful alumni. This is something I’ve seen other programs do and every student would be thrilled to have an alumni contact for professional advice.

What are the top two items on your bucket list? See the Northern Lights and the Tierra del Fuego

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? As a classmate who did all he could to improve the image of Broad and make a lasting cultural change.

What would your theme song be? “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor

Favorite vacation spot: I have a soft spot for Libya since my family still lives there – the beaches are unbelievable, everything is affordable, and I speak the language!

Hobbies? Outside of running, I love to travel, I’m a coffee enthusiast, and I love to play basketball (dreamed of being in the NBA as a kid).

What made Mohamed such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?

“Mohamed is sunshine personified, backed by the work ethic of a champion.  I first met him as an incoming student, before classes had even started. The conversation revolved around him asking for the opportunity to report to MBA orientation later than the rest of his classmates.  Being that this request was a bit unusual, I asked for justification. His response was along the lines of, “I’m running the Olympic Marathon in Rio.” In our conversation that day, I became sure of two things very quickly: Mohamed was a tremendously humble, empathic, wise individual that would be a success in any endeavor, and that those traits were balanced by a work ethic that is second to none.

In Mohamed’s time in the program since his entry, he has proven to be an academic superstar, as well as the best communicator and briefer in his class, a notable accomplishment given how seriously we take this discipline at Broad. Despite his amazingly busy academic and training schedule, he was responsible for developing and executing ten student events in the 2018 academic year that were amongst the most successful of the year, involving nearly a hundred people at each event. Because of his achievements, he has been selected to represent his program at national case competitions and as one of our best student ambassadors and team advisors. While many students excel in one area, Mohamed excels in all areas.

While it is no secret that Mohamed is one of the most accomplished and successful members of his class, he truly is one of the most humble students I have ever met in my 15 years of experience in higher education. He truly models servant leadership every day, choosing to mentor, support and lead by example, versus a dictating, overreaching style. People respond to him because of his expertise and how he treats them. He will be greatly missed, not only by his class, but also by the faculty and staff of this program.”

Wayne Hutchison
Director, MBA, Academic & Program Services

 

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