Meet the MBA Class of 2025: Namit Agarwal, HEC Paris

Namit Agarwal

HEC Paris

“An extremely curious, empathetic and observant personality who loves to talk about anything and everything.”

Hometown: Rajasthan, India. Studied and worked in Mumbai, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I once participated in a flash mob wherein we danced to popular Bollywood songs on an extremely busy street of Mumbai, India. It was for a social cause or else we might have been thrown in jail.

Undergraduate School and Major: Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics, Major: Commerce. Further, I am a professional Chartered Accountant from ICAI, India

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Associate in Investment Banking, JPMorgan Chase

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of HEC Paris’ MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The core curriculum covering multiple disciplines and the specialization in ‘Strategy’ were a plus point for me. HEC’s strong brand presence in Europe, ties with the big consulting firms, effective Consulting Club, and strong alumni network within this space, made HEC the optimal fit for me.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at HEC Paris? Aside from the leadership opportunities in the various clubs and Outdoor Leadership Seminar, I am most excited about organizing the MBAT. Organizing a similar albeit smaller scale fest in my undergrad college gave my personality development a significant boost and am hoping to leverage the MBAT for the same. Plus, it’s the closest I can get to experiencing the Triwizard Tournament from the Harry Potter Series!

HEC Paris is just 17 kilometers from Paris. What do you see as the best part of earning your MBA so close to Paris? Post-Brexit, the influx of financial and consulting firms, have made Paris the ideal location for growth opportunities in Europe. Additionally, the connectivity of Paris to other countries of Europe provides a convenient option for travel and opportunities for exploring internships as well as jobs. Lastly, being ethnically diverse, Paris provides me with the perfect opportunity for imbibing the cultures of different countries and getting exposed to the culinary scene, a big plus for the foodie in me.

Historically, over 90% of HEC Paris’ MBA students hail from outside France. Why is exposure to global diversity so critical to business success (Give an example from your career)? At JPMorgan, I worked with people who hailed from 3 different regions: the UK, France and Middle East. I believe that to be able to grow within a modern-day organization in a global setting, it is important that I be exposed to a diverse set of people and learn and adapt to their cultures, customs, and beliefs. Not only does the exposure help to adopt the best work practices of every culture, but it also helps you develop a temperament necessary to be able to communicate with and lead in global teams effectively.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: While working as a Relationship Manager (ARM) at ICICI Bank, a leading Indian private bank, I streamlined a legacy process of issuing Bank Guarantees (BGs) for our stockbroker clients, who used them to get margins on stock exchanges for trading on leverage. I managed to get the turnaround time reduced from 25 to 5 minutes, hence increasing the department’s efficiency and enhancing client relations.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? If I can drive impact in any organization by leveraging the business acumen, the confidence to take risks, the leadership skills, and the versatile network that I develop at HEC, I shall consider my MBA experience successful.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into HEC Paris’s MBA program? With HEC’s immense focus on diversity, I believe the best tool to gain an advantage is representing one’s most authentic self as its unique for everyone. One should scan through their life and find those critical moments which define who they are now. Not only will this help them in showing a clear consistent picture in their CV, Essays and Interviews but also it would help them realize how HEC can add value to them and vice versa.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE HEC PARIS MBA CLASS OF 2025