Justin Hendrix

Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University

“International and mixed-race consultant interested in social enterprise.”

Hometown: London, UK / Boston, MA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I serve lefty but hit forehands on the right.

Undergraduate School and Major: Amherst College, Geology and Environmental Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:

Ethical Apparel Africa: Strategy and Partnerships Manager (extern)

Bain & Company: Senior Associate Consultant

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I recently played a significant role in developing a EUR 2.1M project with German development agency GIZ to facilitate job growth and technical capacity-building in the emerging West African apparel manufacturing sector.  I joined Ethical Apparel Africa – a social enterprise based in the UK and Ghana – in February 2018 for a six-month “externship” from Bain. One of my objectives, alongside advancing projects in solar energy and cotton supply chain integration, was to help take this project with GIZ across the finish line. In the Fall of this year, we will set up a textile operator training center, digital pattern center, and a number of other enabling services across Ghana and Benin in partnership with industry-leading German companies Lectra (technology and cutting equipment) and Groz Beckert (industrial needles).

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Helpful. So far, I would say that all the Kellogg students I have met have been incredibly helpful both as I get ready to start school, and as I start thinking about recruiting for summer internships. I was abroad for the Spring and Summer, so was not able to attend the “Day at Kellogg” or other on-campus events to meet students and learn about “what happens next.” Immediately after being accepted to Kellogg, though, a current student reached out to me and has made sure that all my questions – about where to live, KWEST trips, course waivers, etc. – got answered. He put me in touch with two students pursuing impact investing, and in a matter of days I was on the phone with them to better understand the recruiting process and relevant resources and programs at Kellogg. In order to really be helpful you have to be accessible, knowledgeable, engaged, and thoughtful about feedback and guidance; the students I have interacted with so far at Kellogg have been all of the above.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? In the end, the biggest factor in my decision was how well the school seemed to align with my values and goals. During Kellogg’s Preview Day, early in my recruiting process, then-Dean Sally Blount began her presentation by quoting The Kellogg Purpose: “To educate, equip & inspire brave leaders who build strong organizations and wisely leverage the power of markets to create lasting value.” She talked about mission-driven leaders, about having successful and pioneering careers in business while also making a positive difference in the world, and about using business as a force for social good. I still think about how deeply those words resonated with me at the time, and align with my desire to explore the intersection between business and social and environmental impact. It was important to me to find a school where I could cultivate and refine my longer-term career vision, and in that respect, Kellogg felt like the perfect fit.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am most looking forward to getting involved in the Social Impact Community at Kellogg, partially to get more engaged across social impact, enterprise, and investing, and partially just to get to know other students interested in exploring impact as part of the MBA. I was pretty excited when I found out that 75% of students join one of the 12 social impact clubs at Kellogg, and I’m curious to see where in that landscape I end up.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After three years working, I had the opportunity to pursue an MBA with sponsorship before returning to Bain as a Consultant. I felt that the MBA would not only make me better at my job, but would also be a good change of pace, giving me an opportunity to explore other areas of business and reflect on my long-term goals.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Given I was fortunate enough to be sponsored by Bain, the question of investment was less monetary and more about the investment in time. In the end, I felt that doing the MBA would be an incredibly rewarding experience in and of itself, and also set me up for future success in my role and beyond.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? INSEAD and Harvard Business School

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I came quite quickly to the list of schools I wanted to apply to. At work, I was surrounded by MBAs from different programs, and I had had enough conversations with them to develop a sense of differences between schools. I knew I wanted to go to a top school that also had international reach, was a good cultural fit, and would enable me to explore various elements of social enterprise through classes and clubs and activities. When it came time to pick a specific program, I did the customary research online, visited each campus, and had many conversations about with mentors, family and friends. Once I felt that I had enough information, I just followed my gut..

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? I think my time in Ghana over the last six months has been as defining a period as any, particularly midway through as I realized the following: 1) I really am a consultant; and 2) I truly enjoy applying that skillset and developing new projects in the context of emerging markets and sustainability. I had just spent a week in the Ivory Coast researching the cotton transformation and garment manufacturing sectors. During that time, Ireceived an email that read, “We too, are counting on you to revive the textile industry in Côte d’Ivoire!” I was flattered, but surprised more than anything else. I did feel though – in reflecting on my trip and the work I would do in the coming week – that I probably could play a role, and that was very exciting to me. It also occurred to me that the work I was doing that week in interpreting and digesting various conversations, thinking through market linkages and potential investment structures, and packaging feedback was all heavily shaped by my experience at Bain. The words, “You can take the man out of consulting…” came to mind. It was a moment of clarity – of self-understanding and reinforcing ideas about myself, more so than one of redirection or change. I think the experience really crystallized in me a sense of my personal skillset, my motivations, and my aspirations for the MBA and beyond.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? After I graduate, I will rejoin Bain as a Consultant, either in the Boston office or abroad.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In some ways, five years is the hardest timeframe for me to project. I know what I will be doing after I graduate, and I have a good sense that on the 10-20 year horizon. I want to found or manage an international company or division with social and environmental impact at the core of its strategy. It’s the roadmap and five-year plan that I want to develop more concretely at Kellogg. What I can say with some confidence though, is that I will likely be living outside the US, whether I return to Sub-Saharan Africa or decide to spend some time back in Europe.