2015 MBA To Watch: Guy Tartakovsky

Guy Tartakovsky

Guy Tartakovsky

 

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

An investor needs to be disciplined and dedicated. And Guy Tartakovsky has these qualities in spades. An aspiring investor, Tartakovsky was Booth’s recipient of the Carlton Fellowship, a merit-based, full-tuition scholarship for exceptional academic and leadership achievements. He also served as the portfolio manager of the student-managed Investment Fund of Chicago Booth, overseeing $1 million of the school’s endowment. At the same time, his team was runner-up in the 2014 MBA Cornell Stock Pitch Challenge. A former member of the Israeli Defense Forces, Tartakovsky will be joining Baron Capital after graduation.

Age: 30

Hometown: Haifa, Israel

Undergraduate School: Technion Israel Institute of Technology

Undergraduate Degree: Industrial Engineering and Management

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Israel Defense Forces, Financial Advisor to Chief of Staff (Role: Head of Public Private Partnerships Section)

Where did you intern during the summer of 2014? Capital Group, London, UK as an Equity Research Analyst

Where will you be working after graduation? Baron Capital, New York City as an Equity Research Analyst

“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I decided to become an investor. A top business school was my chance to find a job with the greatest investment firms in the world, gaining the opportunity to learn from the best investors, in order to become a better investor myself.”

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…Working in the investment management field in Israel.”

What are your long-term professional goals? Open my own investment management firm, building on the experience I gained from being passionate and learning about investing and businesses since I was 15, and the experience I will gain, from working with the best investors in the world.

Favorite Courses: Macroeconomics, Competitive Strategy, The Analytics of Financial Crises.

Which academic or professional achievements are you most proud of? In my last role in the military prior to Booth, I managed the tender process for a $2B national project to relocate IDF bases and personally supervised day-to-day operations of the finance team. Having participated in this transformative project makes me very proud of my service. I also received the Benjamin Graham Fellowship by the Value Investing Congress.

Who would you most want to thank for your success (and why)? My wife Gal and my parents Leonid and Polina, who taught me that nothing comes easy in life, and that learning from failures is the path to success.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Chicago Booth because of the opportunities in the investment management field, the level of faculty, my connection with the students I met while visiting the school and because this is the most flexible top MBA program out there, something that was important to me, coming from an unusual background.

What did you enjoy most about business school? The opportunity to be around so many smart, driven and different people, being able to learn something new from every one of my classmates. Warrant Buffett told me and some of my fellow classmates during a trip we took to meet him that the people around you can either drag you down or push you forward, and I feel a very strong push.

What is your most memorable moment from business school? Meeting Warren Buffett.

Fun fact about yourself: I can juggle (sometimes even successfully for 15 seconds) with 3 balls/stuffed animals/different objects, and my 11 month old baby loves it.

Favorite book: How to make friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Favorite movie: A Beautiful Mind

Favorite musical performer: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Favorite television show: House of Cards

Favorite vacation spot: Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

What are your hobbies? Sports (gym, tennis, basketball), reading, travelling.

Twitter Handle: @guynevertweets

What made Guy such an invaluable addition to the class of 2015?

“Guy is a highly-respected community member who faculty and peers expect will have significant impact post-Booth, myself included.

Guy’s passion for investing combined with his emphasis on communication skills and community led to this nomination. A leader among students interested in investment management, Guy’s role as a senior portfolio manager in our student managed investment fund enhanced co-curricular learning and drove bottom-line results that grew the funds available for second-year student scholarships. His focus on building his communication and interpersonal skills as a complement to his analytical coursework make him an exemplar of the type of leader many aspire to be. Finally, Guy is seen as someone with strong values of family, scholarship and community who balances many demands gracefully and with an eye to helping others as seen in his involvement with neighborhood children in a Booth-based tutoring program, his leadership of student groups and treks, and his persona as a family man.” – Stacey Kole, Clinical Professor and Deputy Dean

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH FROM THE CLASS OF 2015

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