Margaret Zhang

New York University, Stern School of Business

“Wife, mom, product manager, software engineer at heart, lifelong learner.”

Hometown: Luoyang, China

Fun fact about yourself: I started ballet training at age 33 in New York City. If I have any free time, you’ll see me training at a ballet studio in Manhattan.  The New York art culture is growing on me!

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – Bachelor of Science – Mathematics & Computer Science

Stanford University – Master of Science – Statistics

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Google – Senior Software Engineer, Product Manager

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Nvidia – Santa Clara CA

Where will you be working after graduation? Nvidia – Senior Product Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Dean’s Scholar

Chief of Staff, Stern Technology Association

Committee Member, Stern Admissions Torch Committee

Study Group Leader, Stern Technology Association

Career Mentor, Asian Business Society

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud to be the Chief of Staff at Stern Technology Association, the student club that provides MBA students with resources and opportunities to build a career in the technology sector. During my tenure, I learned first-hand that leadership is all about the team. Sometimes the job is to motivate the team to believe in what they can accomplish. Other times, the job is to do all the administrative work so that the team can focus on creating wonderful programs. Yet other times it is about making tough decisions. No matter what the situation is, the goal is to elevate the team and achieve amazing things together. It is really challenging, but I loved every single moment of this experience.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am most proud of my journey transitioning from software engineering to product management. It was an unconventional choice, and I had a deliberate process to validate my passion for product management. Despite the many different views and advice from people I admire and respect, I trusted my genuine passion to improve people’s lives through product and went ahead to pursue this dream. It was difficult and scary going through this journey, but some of the best things in my life happened because of this decision, including pursuing my MBA at Stern and interning at Nvidia. This achievement constantly reminds me to make decisions based on my values, regardless of what the conventional wisdom says.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Stern because it provides me with the best environment to discover and elevate who I am as a leader. Stern has a warm environment where I am supported in pursuing my unique dreams. For example, in a Leadership Fellows class (and many other leadership classes), my classmates are kind and honest to reflect with me on my strengths and build skills to strengthen areas for development. The same holds true with my classmates in the Stern Technology Association. There are many aspects of Stern that are wonderful, but I’m most proud to build my confidence in being a leader in the business world because of my Stern education.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite MBA professor is Professor Sonia Marciano. She taught the Strategy Core and Advanced Strategy: Tools classes. Professor Marciano has an unparalleled clarity on seeing businesses, their environment, and the role of business strategy. She taught us how to understand businesses from first principles, and how to unpack the fundamentals of successful business strategies. The business environment in the future most likely won’t look like the environment that all the case studies were in, but I am equipped with guiding principles to understand my business and form strategies accordingly.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite was the Makhoul Family Leadership Fellows Program, a year-long course that helps me reflect on where I am in my leadership journey and build skills towards becoming a better leader and communicator. Once a month, I sit with my cohort of 12 students, working through an aspect of leadership. I’ve worked on understanding how my past life stories impact me as a leader in the future. And I’ve been in a hot seat having a difficult conversation with an actor in a leadership scenario, while my fellow classmates give me feedback and help me strategize. In this class, we all pledged to stretch ourselves and get uncomfortable dealing with challenges, knowing that we’ve got each other’s back to grow together as leaders.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My favorite Stern tradition is Stern Speaks. This in-person, student-only event is a stage for students to talk freely about their life experiences that shape who they are. Time-and-time again, I tear up and laugh as they speak because of how incredibly challenging and joyful life can be at the same time. In this forum, the humanity in all of us comes out and brings us Sternies closer together.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Given my situation, I’ve made the best decisions to fully experience my time at Stern. However, if I didn’t have the obligations of being a mother of two and a member of my local Flushing community, I’d love to invest time building deeper relationships with more classmates. That means going to all Stern Socials, Doing Business in… trips, bonding over recruiting, and exploring New York City together! I can never spend enough time with my amazing classmates!

What is the biggest myth about your school? A myth I often hear is that Stern is a finance or consulting school. It’s way more than that! Everyone in my class is pursuing a unique career path, be it in banking, consulting, tech, marketing, or entertainment. And classes and recruiting efforts support all these choices. For me personally, Stern gave me an excellent, well-rounded education to become an operational leader.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? It’s New York City! In all seriousness though, I love New York because everyone and every dream can have a place here. It’s the most inclusive place I’ve ever seen, where diverse cultures not only co-exist but also are celebrated, through various forms of art, food, performance, etc. Living here, I feel the freedom and confidence to form my own path and make a unique contribution.

What movie or television show (e.g. The Big Short, The Founder, Mad Men, House of Lies) best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? Silicon Valley best reflects the realities of business because absurdity doesn’t just happen in a TV show! There were many times I had to stop watching an episode midpoint because the mocks were too close to home. But behind all the satire, the chaos and unpredictable future haunt every tech company (both startups and big companies included!).

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I most admire Gauri Misra. She puts in the hard work necessary to pursue excellence that she believes in. As the co-president of Stern Chats, she created strong momentum within the team to produce high quality podcasts that shed new light on our Stern experience. Her determination and dedication to the club and the vision elevates the quality of work she produces.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I would love a chance to live and work in a different country! Understanding the culture and customs of a country by living there would help me keep an open mind and allow me to build new relationships.

I also want to be a board member for a non-profit organization one day! More specifically, I’d love to help expand the access of art education to the public, and see more people appreciate all art forms.

What made Margaret such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Margaret Zhang has been an invaluable member of the NYU Stern School of Business Class of 2025, seamlessly blending intellect, leadership, and emotional intelligence to elevate the MBA community.

Before joining Stern, she spent five years at Google as a Senior Software Engineer and Product Manager, developing a deep expertise in technology and product innovation.  Since starting her MBA, Margaret has been intentional about strengthening her leadership skills in both theory and practice. As a member of the prestigious Makhoul Family Leadership Fellows Program, she honed her ability to navigate complex team dynamics and practiced difficult workplace conversations and high-stakes boardroom discussions.

Beyond academics, Margaret has had a lasting impact on the Stern Technology Association (STA) and the Asian Business Society (ABS). As Chief of Staff of STA, she has played a pivotal role in expanding industry engagement—collaborating with the Careers team to organize local company treks and forging a strategic partnership between the club and the Fubon Center for Technology, Business, and Innovation to bring top industry leaders to Stern. Additionally, as a Study Group Leader for STA and Career Mentor for ABS, Margaret has dedicated significant time to supporting MBA1s through the technology recruiting process, ensuring they are well-prepared for their job searches.

Margaret’s leadership extends beyond Stern. She spent her summer internship as a Product Manager at NVIDIA, where she excelled and will return full-time after graduation. Stern will be fortunate to count her among its alumni, and I have no doubt that she will continue to make a lasting impact in both the technology sector and the broader business community.”

Genevieve Kenny
Senior Director, Career Coaching; Careers | Full-time MBA
NYU Stern