Aishwarya Nikam

Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

“An enthusiastic optimist constantly working to be the best version of herself.”

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m a massive geek who will try to pepper in casual cosplays and pop-culture references into everyday situations!

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelors of Commerce (Major in Business Management), H.R. College of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai University

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Head of Marketing and Business Development, Crimson Fuchsia Retail

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At my last job, I had the opportunity to work on a very interesting social impact project: We launched a campaign to increase access of sanitary essentials among young underprivileged women in India, while simultaneously increasing awareness about menstrual hygiene in a section of the society where this subject is still considered taboo. In a matter of 7 days we were able to raise enough funds to help over 2,000 young girls gain access to healthy sanitary practices. It was an incredibly gratifying experience and I’m very proud to have worked on it.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Supportive. My classmates that I’ve met so far have been incredibly helpful, accommodating, and supportive of each other’s goals and needs. Whether it’s been helping someone sign up for classes, securing an apartment in Toronto, or simply finding the best food truck on campus, people are always eager to help!

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? Rotman’s emphasis on holistic development really helped me solidify my decision of choosing the program. The Self Development Lab is an incredible program at Rotman that helps students grow beyond just the acquisition of technical skills, by equipping them with the appropriate tools to be a well-rounded leader. I strongly think the SDL, combined with other development opportunities at Rotman, will help me evolve into a better version of myself and make me a valuable contributor to any organization.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Social advocacy, increasing awareness, and creating inclusive spaces is very important to me, so I’m very excited to work with both The Letters (Rotman’s LGBTQ+ club) and The Women in Management Association.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I don’t think there was a specific question. I think the overall process was quite a bit challenging because of how much introspection it required. I like to think that I’m a reasonably self-aware person, but the application process pushed me to dig deeper into my motivations and life experiences and articulate them effectively. While it was daunting at first, I came out of it with a stronger sense of self and that has been very valuable.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? Working in business development and marketing for almost 4 years helped me identify that this function is where my interests and strengths lie. I personally wish to grow as a business leader in Marketing and I realized that the resources available at business school will help me do just that. I was aware that an MBA will not only provide me with a solid academic foundation on subjects that I may not have formally studied before but also give me real-world learning opportunities in a global setting. I knew that it will help me develop my interpersonal and leadership skills and give me multidimensional training to become a consequential business leader.

What other MBA programs did you apply to?

Ross, Michigan

Goizueta, Emory

Schulich, York

How did you determine your fit at various schools? What helped me the most, was speaking with multiple current students and alumni. I tried to speak with people from different countries and career backgrounds, so I could understand their unique experiences and get different perspectives about life at the school. Because of my geographical limitations, I also tried to attend as many virtual events as possible so I could connect with people from the school.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? As a reasonably smart 17-year-old, I decided to pursue Chartered Accountancy because everybody told me it would be the best path for me. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t. After putting almost two years into it and not finding a way to derive any joy or satisfaction from it, I decided to call it quits. Making the decision to stop working towards that degree was incredibly hard, but it taught me two very important things:

1. As a creatively-inclined person, I need to incorporate a level of creativity into my work
2. Don’t follow the herd. Do things because you’re passionate about it, even if the world disagrees. It will definitely lead you to more personally rewarding experiences

Where do you see yourself in ten years? In ten years, I will hopefully be a conscious business leader in marketing who is combining creativity and analytics in fun and innovative ways to drive business decisions, while also making “business” a more inclusive and diverse place.