Simi Shah

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

“A trailblazer in vision, in connection, in community, in opportunity, and in spirit.”

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Fun fact about yourself: I composed the opening music of my podcast, South Asian Trailblazers! (The most recent season)

Undergraduate School and Degree: Harvard University, B.A. in Economics with a Secondary in Government

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Chief of Staff to the Former Chairman & CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? My own company – South Asian Trailblazers (Trailblazers Media & Agency)

Where will you be working after graduation? After weighing the decision carefully, I’ve decided to go full-time in building my company – South Asian Trailblazers (Trailblazers Media & Agency) 

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: I know this is a bit lengthy, but I also want to highlight that being a full-time student and founder is not for the faint of heart. My fellow student-founders have motivated me, and my peers have created space for me, which I appreciate deeply. It’s been a privilege not only to serve in leadership roles at Wharton but to be given the opportunity to create opportunities that didn’t exist before.

Leadership at Wharton

• William P. Lauder McNulty Leadership Fellow (LF)
• MBA mentor for Adam Grant’s undergraduate Synchrony of Work class
• Piloted negotiations course at a Philadelphia state prison – SCI Chester with WhartonWORKS and Resilience Education
• Vice President of External Engagements for Wharton Graduate Association (WGA) (newly-created role)
• Vice President of New Initiatives for Wharton Storytellers
• Bhangra Dance Co-choreographer for Wharton Dance Studio
• Co-originated the first-ever inter-MBA retreat for South Asian students with Wharton, HBS, and GSB
• “Parent” (akin to Social Chair) for a Wharton Hockey team
• Varied speaking/writing at Wharton and elsewhere

Community Work/Wins Outside the Classroom

• • Building South Asian Trailblazers growing both the award-winning podcast and Trailblazers Agency, through which they provide strategic support to C-suite leaders.
  • Forbes 30 Under 30, Class of 2025
  • Hosted events for the South Asian community in London, New York, D.C., and San Francisco, including live podcasts Jay Sean, Former Waze CEO Neha Parikh, and SBA Administrator and Wharton alum Dilawar Syed.
  • Invited to the White House for a Female Founders Roundtable and for President Biden’s White House Diwali
  • Invited to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange
  • Joined the Board of the National Women’s Hall of Fame
  • Honored with the Rising Star Award by the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I had the privilege of teaching a pilot negotiations class to 14 incarcerated men at SCI Chester, a state prison in Pennsylvania. Teaching this class was the most profound experience of my business school career. As MBA students, we’re far removed from the lived realities of so many people – certainly justice-impacted communities. It’s one thing to step in a classroom of your peers, and entirely another, to teach in a classroom like this one. Walking into the prison every week – no phones, no professors, no paper or pencil – I was completely outside my comfort zone. But we created a special experience together. I found these men, their enthusiasm, and their desire to learn energizing. It reminded me of the power of paying my knowledge and opportunities forward. We changed lives in a tangible way.

There’s Gomez, a man serving a life sentence and one of the best negotiators I’ve ever seen, and who put his skills to work as a mentor on the block; Arnie, who asked me tough questions in his endeavor to pursue real estate investing upon release (which happened a week after our last class!). These men taught me so much – how to be a teacher and mentor, the power of stepping outside our lived realities, and what real impact feels like. It was rewarding to see them grow and step into their potential as some of the sharpest negotiators I had ever met. We laughed when someone got sandbagged in a negotiation and over our shared love of Billions and Shark Tank. They told me about their kids and read me chapters from books they were writing about their lives. On our last day, one of my more timid students, Anton, read his paper aloud to me and a few Wharton faculty: “I was nervous about going back to school. But this class gave the confidence to believe we can still make something of our lives.” I’ll never forget that.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? It’s a bit of an unorthodox answer, but quitting. I quit my first job out of college – a stable, prestigious job in private equity – less than a year in. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. But it changed my life’s trajectory. It led me to start a podcast that would grow into the company I’m building today. And now, I’m so proud of the work we’re doing: elevating the greatest leaders of our generation; bolstering representation in media; creating and putting something into the world. No matter where I land, I’m proud of quitting for my calling.

People expect me to say that my greatest achievements have been being on Forbes 30 or being invited into certain rooms. But that’s all a product of failing hard and failing fast in the first inning of my career. It brought me closer not just to what I’m meant to do but to the person I’m meant to be. Quitting isn’t easy. It’s a risk. But I think we should congratulate and encourage quitting more. It taught me lessons I now live by: success is deeply personal and rarely linear; it doesn’t adhere to any universal timeline or definition but your own. Another lesson is the perfect job for someone else didn’t have to be the perfect job for me. Even more, the courage to step away from what doesn’t serve you is as important as having the tenacity to keep with what does.

Why did you choose this business school? I don’t feel like I chose Wharton — I feel like it chose me. Maybe that sounds cliché, but I loved the summer I spent at Penn as an undergrad. When I decided to come here for business school, it felt fated. I come from a liberal arts background and had spent my pre-Wharton career doing three very different things — finance, a media startup, and serving as a Chief of Staff — while also starting a passion project (now my company) on the side. I needed a place that would equip me with the tools and time to figure out what the arc of my career could look like. I knew Wharton would do exactly that, especially with the school’s commitment to leadership education.

I was fortunate to spend much of my early career learning from world-class leaders, but struggled to define my own leadership style as a result. Early courses like MGMT 6100 and the opportunity to be a William P. Lauder Leadership Fellow pushed me to think deeply about the kind of leader I wanted to be, including what gave me energy. This year, the school paired me with an executive leadership coach, Jane, who has been one of the biggest unlocks in my professional life. Wharton didn’t just give me the academic foundation I needed — it gave me the polish, confidence, and self-awareness to step into leadership in my own way. And that growth wasn’t just in the classroom – it translated into extracurricular leadership, working closely with professors, and scaling my business. Looking back, Wharton has given me the flexibility, freedom, and opportunities I needed at exactly the right time. Something about Wharton’s vibe always promised that – I felt it even as a sophomore in college!

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course as an MBA was Professor Emilie Feldman’s Corporate Development: Mergers & Acquisitions. I’ve found that I learn best when I can apply course concepts in real time to my own work. As an early-stage founder, I didn’t expect to do that in an M&A class. However, Professor Feldman’s course offered a structured way to think about the spectrum of corporate development — from loose joint ventures to highly acquisitive behemoths. What surprised me most was how relevant M&A strategy is, regardless of a company’s stage, industry, or business type. I walked away realizing that the “brass tacks of M&A,” as Professor Feldman puts it, is not reserved for the Fortune 500s but also extends to startups like mine.

Beyond the content, Professor Feldman’s teaching style made this course truly exceptional. She masterfully blends case-based discussion with lecture-style insights, keeping us engaged while ensuring we walk away with tangible frameworks. Her cases challenged us to think critically about M&A strategy beyond any one specific deal. This class took me by surprise, not just in how much I learned about a topic we often throw around loosely, but in how genuinely useful it’s proven. It was also one of the few classes where nearly everyone came prepared and eager for discussion because Professor Feldman kept us on our toes. More than anything, this course gave me actionable steps to build toward what once felt like a far-reaching future for my own company.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? This is a hard one because there’s not much I would change – highs and lows alike. But if I could do one thing differently, I would have attended more of the industry conferences and speaker events at Wharton. My classmates are incredibly talented, with expertise in fields I’ve never explored, and Wharton brings in some of the most brilliant minds across industries. For instance, we recently hosted a conference on the Future of Cities and another on Energy. I realized how many opportunities I’ve missed to casually learn about subjects outside my lane. It’s so much harder to access that kind of exposure in real life, where you have to intentionally seek it out – whereas here, it’s happening right down the street.

I’ve made a point to prioritize these events more in my second year. The Wharton Tech Conference and Women in Business Summit were phenomenal. What makes these even more special is seeing friends and classmates at the helm, leading these initiatives and shining in their fields. I wish I had carved out more time to sit in those rooms — not just for the learning itself, but because it’s inspiring to watch the people around you step into and own their expertise.

What is the biggest myth about your school? The biggest myth about Wharton is that it’s a cutthroat school for “finance bros.” The reality? I have never met a more gracious, generous group of people. Whether you need help with a job interview or a study guide for class, people will go out of their way to show up for you. When I took a red-eye to make it in time to lead pre-term activities for first-year students, my team showed up with hot tea in a thermos and warm clothes for me. When I was honored in Forbes, many of my friends and classmates came together to throw me a surprise overnight.

Most of us have known each other for a little over a year, but we speak in lifetimes. We make each other’s dreams feel appropriately big, yet perfectly within reach. We are generous with each other, whether we’re classmates who’ve spoken once or best friends. We cheer, champion, confide in, challenge, enable, and (devil’s) advocate for each other in all the best ways – not only, but especially, when it matters most. And man, do we have fun while we’re doing it!  I aspire to keep showing up for people the way my classmates have shown up for me.

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?  I always loved Suits, and its revival on Netflix demanded a rewatch while in business school. Suits captures a reality that’s often overlooked: business is as personal as it is professional. Deals aren’t just made in boardrooms; they happen over dinners at each other’s apartments, in casual conversations, and through long-standing relationships. Mike and Harvey aren’t just colleagues, they’re best friends. They all are – Donna, Rachel, Jessica, Louis. That loyalty, trust, and shared ambition make for a formidable team.

But it also comes with all the complicated dynamics that challenge any interpersonal relationship in life or in business – and that’s real too. The show depicts it beautifully. As I’ve moved through life, I’ve come to realize how the people we’re closest to can become some of our best professional partners: clients, co-founders, investors, investments, brokers, teammates, referrals, and so much more. And that those relationships require delicacy and care like any other. That is what made Suits so enticing beyond the riveting suspense and biting wit. It was professional, but it felt personal. I think that’s how business is and should be considered.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? I appreciate that Wharton has actively integrated AI into the curriculum, ensuring that students aren’t just discussing AI in the abstract but actually learning how to use it in tangible, applicable ways. Courses like AI in Our Lives and Enabling Technologies make Wharton feel like it’s moving with the times. I took Enabling Technologies and, as someone who came in with little technical background, I was surprised by how valuable it’s proven. We covered everything from the origins of 3G and agentic AI to unsupervised machine learning to prompt engineering. We applied AI in unexpected ways, like using it to caption a New Yorker cartoon. Given the massive scope of AI’s capabilities, I appreciated that the course focused on practical applications that made AI feel accessible rather than overwhelming.

Ultimately, I admire how Wharton’s professors embrace AI rather than resist it. They encourage its use by asking students to disclose when and how they’ve used AI in assignments so that they can learn alongside us. That level of curiosity and open-mindedness is something I appreciate, especially when it would have been easier for professors to be dismissive. The conversations around AI at Wharton feel forward-thinking, experimental, and iterative, which is exactly how I think business schools can keep their students at the cutting edge.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Lorenzo (LJ) Daniel. I met LJ on my first trip in business school in Turkey. We realized we both went to the same college, but were some years apart, so we’d never met before. LJ is someone who has that je ne sais quoi. It’s a charisma borne from a different planet, but that charisma is matched with action and intention. In those early innings of business school, when everyone was a little shy to show their full selves – LJ wasn’t. He has an incredible story that I’ll let him tell in full. The gist is that he was a seasoned athlete who saw himself competing among the best in the world. He was on track to being a student athlete in his home state of Texas. But life is not without adversity. LJ met with it and rose anyway. It led him to Harvard and a lot more. Beyond his personal story, LJ is an incredible human. He commands attention in a room just by being, and his energy is unrivaled. I admire that. A lot of our classmates do – when we watch him move through spaces, we all wish we could channel that – as leaders, as people. Friends and I often joke that if he ran for President, we’d vote for him a heartbeat.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I first fell in love with media through writing. Kids often have that inflection point shift in how they view a hobby. They suddenly view it as a calling or future career. Mine happened because of the New York Times. As a teenager, I entered the New York Times Summer Writing Contests. In succeeding, it provided this motivation and inspiration that planted itself in my mind – even when I started my career in finance. I still get chills when I drive past the building in New York City. Journalists like Andrew Ross Sorkin have shaped me in this craft. So, for me, collaborating with the New York Times in a major, meaningful way is at the top of my professional bucket list. It would feel perfectly full circle.

The second is attending Davos – but not just as an attendee, as a leader shaping the conversation on the global mainstage. Davos is the confluence of the world’s most influential minds in business, media, tech, diplomacy, and beyond. It’s where global leaders don’t just discuss the future, they shape it. I want to be in the rooms where those discussions unfold, not just listening but contributing, challenging, and driving the dialogue forward. Whether it’s about the future of media or the evolving role of storytelling in leadership, I want to be a voice that influences the global agenda. And being invited there signifies that, through my work, I’m having an impact at scale.

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

“Simi exhibits excellence, gratitude, conscientiousness, and enthusiasm in everything she does. Her support for her cohort during Pre-Term as well as MGMT6100 faculty in the TA aspect of the role were both exemplary, which she balanced seamlessly with the launch of a client event in August for her start-up. Her company and podcast, South Asian Trailblazers, are creating value and connections for stakeholders all over the globe and continue to inspire and include her MBA peers.”

Gwendolyn McDay
McNulty Leadership Program
Director, Leadership Learning & Development

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