Amir Parikh

Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

“Ambitious, fun-loving individual with a passion for learning and exploration.”

Hometown: Framingham, Massachusetts

Fun fact about yourself: When I was little, I got a thrill out of negotiating the selling prices for my toys at family yard sales. It turns out I was destined for a career in finance.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Boston College, BS in Finance & Information Systems

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Senior Associate at Hastings Equity Partners, a middle-market private equity firm in Boston

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? I’m in Kellogg’s 1Y program, so I was starting my first classes during the summer of 2024!

Where will you be working after graduation? Senior Associate at McCarthy Capital, a middle-market private equity firm in Omaha, Nebraska

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Director of Career Development, Private Equity Club
• Director of Finance, KFit (Fitness Club)
• Kellogg Mentors Volunteer (Classroom Volunteering for 5th Grade)
• K-Bud Mentor (Kellogg Accepted Student Mentor)
• 1Y Program Liaison (Working with Applicants & Admits to the 1Y Program)

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Through KFit (Kellogg’s fitness club), I organized the 2025 edition of Kellogg’s February Step Challenge. Why February, you ask? Because Chicago’s winters don’t exactly encourage getting outside and taking steps. Through enough marketing on various Slack channels and encouraging friendly competition between Kellogg’s sections, the Step Challenge has put this year’s participants on track to hit 35 million steps in February. And, as the organizer, it has encouraged me to run outside, even in frigid temperatures!

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? During my last role at Hastings Equity Partners, I earned the trust of my superiors to travel alone to our portfolio companies and work alongside our management teams on their growth initiatives. I never imagined myself alone, at 26 years old, spending a week in California working with people much older than me on a plan to purchase and deploy equipment. The amount of responsibility I took on at such an early point in my career is one of my favorite things about working in the middle market. The learning curve is steep, but I could add real value to our companies once I embraced it. The experiences gave me perhaps my most crucial workplace skill to date – reliability.

Why did you choose this business school? My thesis for business school was about building my marketability throughout my future private equity career. That meant leveraging the network, brand name, and skills from the program. Kellogg struck the perfect balance, especially for my situation. When my partner matched into her surgical residency in Nebraska, I knew I needed to pivot my career closer to her. Kellogg’s network and brand recognition across the Midwest are second-to-none, and its One-Year MBA Program seemed uniquely suited to private equity applicants going back into the field. Kellogg has increased its focus on private equity with the Advanced Private Equity Experience (APEX), an academic and mentorship program designed specifically for PE students. Finally, Kellogg promised a well-rounded curriculum and opportunities to take world-class electives.

I’m happy to say my thesis panned out better than I imagined. Despite having a finance career, I’m majoring in marketing at Kellogg, where I’m learning applicable strategies from one of the best marketing departments in the world. I also managed to find a career opportunity close to my partner in Omaha. How did I find this opportunity? Through a Kellogg alum, of course!

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Competitive Strategy & Industrial Structure, taught by Professor Yuval Salant. A bit different than the courses in my marketing major, this economics/strategy course explored concentrated markets and how incumbents and new entrants behave (price wars, product proliferation, etc.). My favorite parts of this course centered around the case discussions Professor Salant facilitated. We covered everything from airlines to cereals (yes, a Kellogg’s case at Kellogg is a must!), evaluating the decisions made by large firms in high-profile scenarios. This class reframed how I think about competitive strategy in business. Price cuts are a natural strategy to increase unit sales and boost market share, but doing so might cause my competitor to do the same thing! In that hypothetical scenario, both parties are worse off. Though largely theoretical, the key learnings from this class are invaluable (and enjoyable).

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Take experiential classes. I’m thrilled with the classes I’ve taken at Kellogg, but if there’s one thing I missed, it was the opportunity to take experiential classes, such as PE Lab or Analytical Consulting Lab. These courses allow you to work with firms, clients, and non-profits in Chicago and beyond. I was more focused on getting an academic experience, but I realized these internship-like experiences were immensely valuable too. If I could do it all over again, I’d consider taking a Lab class to apply my skills to an actual situation! This year, the Analytical Consulting Lab students worked on a project for the NFL. How cool would that have been to be a part of?

What is the biggest myth about your school? That Kellogg is only a marketing and consulting school. Yes, Kellogg’s marketing department is second-to-none, and that’s part of the reason I decided to major in marketing. However, I’ve taken phenomenal courses across strategy, finance, leadership, and other disciplines. And yes, Kellogg excels at consistently placing its students into top consulting firms. Still, it does this across many careers, such as marketing, finance, general management, and tech. Kellogg’s emphasis on continually growing its presence in private equity was a large part of why I came here. The Advanced Private Equity Experience (APEX) program is a unique offering by Kellogg. The program offers a tailored set of classes to its PE students, culminating in the Private Equity Deep Dive, which teaches advanced PE topics through cases and guest lectures from real industry practitioners. The program also gives students access to Kellogg’s extensive PE network through a one-on-one mentorship program with a senior PE leader and networking events throughout the year.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Evanston strikes an outstanding balance between urban and suburban living. I have all my essentials within a 10-minute walk of my apartment (groceries, many dining options, pharmacy, etc.) and two train lines that can get me to downtown Chicago in ~45 minutes. Another huge perk is Lake Michigan. The lake is a beautiful backdrop for Northwestern’s campus, especially in the summer. Evanston has a system of trails, beaches, and parks along the lake that are perfect for walking, running, biking, or hanging out.

What movie or television show best reflects the realities of business, and what did you learn from it? Succession. While dramatized and exaggerated, this show highlights many complexities in leadership, decision-making, negotiation, and ethics. Decisions in Succession (and in the real world) are not always made logically. Emotions, egos, and politics work their way into how leaders make decisions, and the show does a great job highlighting that. Thankfully, Kellogg trains us to see the bigger picture and consider our many stakeholders, so we know what to look for when making critical decisions in our careers!

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Though I haven’t taken any of Kellogg’s AI-centered classes, I have seen the technology brought up in nearly every other course. In most classes, AI is allowed, and sometimes encouraged, to help us brainstorm and structure our thoughts for assignments. I appreciate that professors encourage us to use AI like we would in the real world. It is incredibly helpful for conducting internet research, automating tasks in an Excel file, and even helping turn a set of loose ideas into a coherent, themed thesis. We cannot (and should not) use AI to complete our assignments fully; doing this misses the point of the thought exercises our classes and assignments put us through. Instead, AI should enhance critical thinking and efficiency, not replace them.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Tim Dubis, one of my Kellogg 1Y classmates. Tim exemplifies the idea of Kellogg Leader – hardworking, selfless, friendly, and approachable. The first time I met Tim, he offered to refer me to a job opportunity he thought I’d find interesting. I had just met him, and he was immediately willing to help me. Tim worked part-time for one of his former portfolio companies during his time at Kellogg, and he still managed to make it to all our social events and be incredibly engaged and inquisitive in the classroom. I came to Kellogg to surround myself with people like Tim.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

• Take a leadership role in transforming a portfolio company’s trajectory, from sourcing through acquisition and eventually a successful exit.
• Mentor a junior PE colleague who eventually attains the position of partner.

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

“It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend Amir Parikh. Amir embodies the Kellogg spirit, consistently demonstrating intellectual curiosity, collaborative leadership, and a genuine commitment to his peers.

In my Marketing Strategy for Growth & Defense as well as my Omnichannel Marketing classes, Amir stood out for his insightful questions and his ability to connect marketing concepts to real-world challenges, whether it’s clarifying a concept or offering feedback. He isn’t afraid to challenge assumptions, helping foster a richer dialogue and learning environment for the entire class in a positive, inclusive way.

Additionally, Amir serves as an effective voice for his peers, actively contributing to the Kellogg community through his leadership of the career development initiative for the Kellogg student Private Equity Club. Amir’s background in finance and his experience in investment banking and non-profit leadership have helped enrich the club members’ interest and understanding of finance careers.

I am confident that Amir will continue to excel in his post-Kellogg career. He is a true asset to the Kellogg Class of 2025, and I highly recommend him for this recognition.”

Jim Lecinski
Clinical Professor of Marketing
Kellogg School of Management

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2025

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