Benjamin Moskoff

University of Rochester, Simon Business School

“Inspired by growth, committed to community, zeal for life, fueled by espresso.”

Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa.

Fun Fact About Yourself: I own a coffee business with my brother-in-law in Cape Town, South Africa. We roast and sell high-quality and exclusively African coffee beans.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of Cape Town. Finance.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Standard Bank. Corporate and Investment Banking Analyst.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Successfully presenting an investment opportunity to a listed company CFO that led to the company’s first foreign acquisition in their history.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Enthusiasm. My classmates are always up to learning new things and putting their hands up to get stuck in. It is amazing to see how quickly my classmates with no business background soak up knowledge from our business courses. It is incredible how my classmates who don’t speak English as a first language approach the work and presentations with so much confidence and zeal. They are a positive group of people that challenge me to push towards being better.

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? A strong focus on finance and analytics was a key differentiating factor. My background is in the relationship side of corporate and investment banking. I became skilled in understanding sectors and clients from a strategic standpoint. I gained insight into business leaders’ perspectives of their industries and got first-hand experience to the various bank products and services that help clients execute their strategies. To make a break into investment banking, I wanted a school that is renowned for its finance curriculum with a foundation in analytics. The finance and analytics rigor that Simon offers will effectively supplement my experience and groom me to be prepared for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead as an investment banking associate.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Simon School Venture Fund – a $2 million dollar, student-led, venture capital fund.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I wanted to catapult my banking experience in South Africa to investment banking in the USA. Pursuing an MBA allowed me to do this all while making life-long connections and gaining valuable knowledge.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I was fortunate enough to receive a full scholarship and stipend from Simon Business School as a Fielding Leadership Fellow. This made the decision to spend two years studying much easier. With that said, forgoing the salary that I could be earning during these two years is certainly worth it. Getting an MBA from a top school like Simon, opens opportunities to me that simply are not open without it.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I only applied to Simon. With the funding they offered me so early on in the recruiting process, the decision to come to Simon was made a lot easier.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I was looking for a school that had a culture of community between the students and at the same time was serious about finance and helping students achieve their goals.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? A defining moment in my life was going to Uganda as a 15-year-old to do outreach work and subsequent trips to rural Kenya. I realized how important it is to be grateful for everything in my life. I engaged with people who had very little material possessions, but who were some of the most grateful people I have ever met. In our society, we seldom feel grateful for the things and people we have in our lives because we are caught up in a race to success. These trips have played a big role in allowing me to live in the present and sincerely enjoy the people and opportunities all around me.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? Work as an investment banking associate in New York City.

Where do you see yourself in five years? As an investment banking VP helping shape the paths of the largest corporations in the world.