Wesley Varughese

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

“A people-focused professional with a servant leadership approach and collaborative attitude.” 

Hometown: Gurnee, Illinois

Fun fact about yourself: A special thanks to business school treks; I have now visited 51 countries around the world!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Lawrence University, B.A. Government & Spanish; concentration in International Relations

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? BCD International; Alliance & Channel Manager – Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Jefferies Financial Group; New York, NY

Where will you be working after graduation? Jefferies Financial Group; Investment Banking Associate

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

– Executive Vice President, Student Government Association

– Georgetown MBA Leadership Fellow

– The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, Member

– Georgetown MBA Career Center, Peer Advisor

– Business Treks to Colombia, Turkey, and Vietnam

– Finance Club, Member

– Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital Club, Member

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Serving as Executive Vice President of McDonough’s Student Government Association (SGA) was a defining experience in my business school journey. It demanded more than administrative skill; it required deep empathy and a commitment to fostering a vibrant community. Through the organization of events such as McDonough Cup (Spirit Week), formals, cohort initiatives, and club expansion, I had the opportunity to build relationships across a multitude of lenses, giving me the ability to bring cross sections of our class together in more ways than one. Leading initiatives that bridged academic and social spheres, I learned the power of collaborative leadership. From navigating complex stakeholder dynamics to resolving pressing student concerns, this role solidified my belief in the importance of servant leadership.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? In my professional career, I am most proud of the decision I made to relocate from Chicago, Illinois to move abroad to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I had the opportunity to set up a new office on behalf of my U.S.-based company, BCD International, to expand our operations in the Middle East and Africa. What was intended to be a 1-year trial period, turned into 4+ years based in Dubai, setting up a legal entity, building a sales force in the region, driving business development for our product, but most of all, settling into a new life in a new part of the world that I now call my home away from home. Navigating the construct of a new way of life and creating community in a new country – all while growing our Middle East operations – was one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, accomplishments of my life. The growth I experienced was the truest form of trial by fire, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Why did you choose this business school? Georgetown was a clear first choice for me in the business school selection process. The list goes on, but the prime factor that puts Georgetown over the top is the people. Beginning with the class, the community here on the Hilltop is unlike any other; I experienced that early on through conversations as early as two years before applying to the program, speaking to current students and getting connected to the Consortium. I was quickly influenced by the locality in D.C. – having so many international firms and government leaders circling the campus for various talks and sessions was just the beginning. When I heard about the Global Business Experience program, I was over the moon. An opportunity for an in-country residency to work on real business challenges with multinational firms was something more than unique, it was otherworldly.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Arthur Dong’s impact at Georgetown transcended typical lectures. He possessed a rare ability to blend rigorous academic theory with real-world application, making complex concepts not just understandable, but engaging. His passion was infectious, igniting a genuine curiosity in his students. One of the best narrators I know, Professor Dong’s personal touch is most visibly seen when he takes practical situations and drives it home through his own experiences. His energy is infectious – I have taken three courses with him now, and among them, his Infrastructure Finance course was one of the most engaging classes I had taken in my academic career. Beyond his intellectual prowess, Professor Dong fostered an inclusive and supportive learning environment. He genuinely cared about each student’s growth, offering thoughtful guidance.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Looking back, I’d proactively seek more cross-disciplinary collaboration earlier in my MBA. While I valued my core business classes, I must remember Georgetown’s incredible Schools of Foreign Service, Public Policy, and Law. It would have been a phenomenal opportunity to take advantage of learnings from the other schools and broaden my understanding of complex issues through engagement with students from those respective programs.

What is the biggest myth about your school? One myth about Georgetown that I quickly curtailed was that its presence in Washington, D.C. did not allow for it to be a pipeline for job opportunities in New York. I quickly learned that Georgetown’s incredibly deep and talented alumni network has representation everywhere. No location wasn’t a possibility; we had students from our class placed all over the country, and very successfully in New York. Hoyas helping Hoyas was as real as it gets.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What I loved most was Washington, D.C.’s unparalleled intersection of power and policy. It is a hub of global perspectives with its embassies and multinational firms, the perfect place to understand international markets and cultures simultaneously. The city’s concentration of these firms, government agencies, and more provided the most expansive networking opportunities across a plethora of industries.

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? Succession offers a comedic and often brutal portrayal of the dynamics within a powerful, family-owned media conglomerate. In terms of business, it highlights the pressures of maintaining market dominance and the compromises that are sometimes made in the pursuit of profit. I’ve had many takeaways from the show, but above all is the importance of establishing and maintaining strong ethical standards. The dangers of the pursuit of power can destroy an organization and a toxic corporate culture can erode trust and damage in an organization as well.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Georgetown offers a wide variety of courses in the AI realm, but has an initiative labelled AI, Analytics, and the Future of Work. It addresses how technology is transforming the economy, society, and the nature of work. This initiative conducts and disseminates research that can inform leaders who understand and actively engage with the challenges and opportunities of emerging workplace technologies. Through research, convening, and education, the initiative supports business leaders and policy makers on how to devise solutions that help the most vulnerable members of society and foster the common good. This is housed in the business school, and it is a core component of the experience at McDonough.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Diego Montes de Oca has been one of the most steadfast and reliable classmates turned friends at Georgetown. We had the chance to meet early on as members of The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, through the annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, before our business school journey even began! We truly hit the ground running, and I immediately saw Diego’s persistence and dedication in all the leadership roles he played, along with his own immersion in the classroom. In student government, he served as our VP of Academic Experience and was a confidant to many students as he navigated the shared governance at Georgetown, becoming a trusted colleague among faculty, staff, and the student body alike. Above all, his commitment in the classroom goes without saying: the level of preparation is almost unprecedented. Diego’s ability to absorb information and lead meaningful discussion in our courses is admirable. He has mastered the ability to truly juggle competing priorities – his success ahead knows no bounds.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? My professional bucket list reflects a drive for both impactful action and industry influence. First, I have a goal to co-found an investment firm with a Georgetown colleague, focusing on deploying capital into ventures that generate both financial returns and measurable social and sustainable impact. Second, I aspire to be a keynote speaker at a professional conference. Sharing insights on leadership, innovation, and my own journey, I want to contribute to broader business discourse whether it be regional or global impact.

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

“The combination of qualities that define Wesley Varughese – humble, patient, calm, trustworthy, perceptive, to name a few – not only make him an incredibly effective leader, but also the type of student, friend, and colleague we would all be lucky to have. As Executive Vice President (EVP) of the Student Government Association (SGA), Wesley has played a pivotal role in shaping student experiences, and advocating for collaboration, leadership development, and engagement. He approaches problems with an open mind and a genuine desire to understand and help.

In his role as EVP, Wesley worked tirelessly with the SGA President to develop stronger connections between Full-time and Part-time students. Wesley took the lead on all logistics for the annual McDonough Cup signature MBA program event. This event consists of a full week of inter-cohort competition and “spirit week”-like events that brings the MBA program together and encourages cross-program bonds over friendly competition. Without Wesley, McDonough Cup 2024 would certainly not have been rated as one of the top 3 MBA experiences as indicated on the end of year student survey.

Another way Wesley has made a lasting impact on the Georgetown McDonough MBA community in his role as SGA EVP is a bit less tangible, but no less important. Wesley took an approach with his role of “always show up.” What Wesley meant by this is that he saw his role as setting the tone for the entire MBA student body. In other words, he led by example knowing that as a student leader, his actions and attitude could directly influence his peers (it did!). Wesley understood that engagement and participation are critical to strengthening the community, so there were few MBA club events where he was not present. He consistently reminded his peers that the value of an MBA program is saying “yes” to all the opportunities that come your way. Wesley embodied the ideal student in so many ways, but most prominent of which was using his SGA position to demonstrate that all MBA students should aspire to be present, conscientious, and cultivate a community of care and support. Wesley was always the first to do this.

When asked about Wesley’s role as a Leadership Fellow and Leadership Communications Graduate Assistant, his professor, Evelyn Williams, noted: “In every high-performing team, there is a member who helps everyone do their best work.  Whether it’s by modeling exemplary behavior, motivating others, or influencing outcomes, Wesley has an impressive impact on the teams he leads.  He’s a leader among leaders at Georgetown McDonough.” Wesley Varughese is not the type of leader that wants recognition. He inspires those around him to be their best, and is driven by a genuine desire to serve others and to have a positive impact on the world. I am proud that he will soon represent Georgetown McDonough as an alumnus and enthusiastically support his selection as one of Poets & Quants Best and Brightest.”

Kerry Pace
Associate Dean of MBA Programs & Director of Student Services

DON’T MISS: THE 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST MBAS: CLASS OF 2025