Karla Camarillo Huitron

University of Rochester, Simon Business School

“I bring people together to grow beyond what we thought possible.”

Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico

Fun fact about yourself: The pandemic turned me into a board game enthusiast, and my collection has grown to 60+ in the last 6 years. This year, I channeled that passion into a 48-hour game design competition, where my team won. My next goal is to refine our board game and bring it to market.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM)

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Senior Key Account Manager, Procter & Gamble Mexico

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Bimbo Bakeries USA, Pennsylvania

Where will you be working after graduation? Bimbo Bakeries USA, Corporate Strategy Manager

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Throughout my MBA, I’ve intentionally stepped into roles that allow me to build both community and capability. Whether leading clubs, mentoring classmates, or facilitating workshops, my focus has been the same: building connection and helping people grow.

President, Simon UnCorked (60+ Member Wine & Social Club)
Built and led a community with over 60 members by curating elevated, inclusive experiences that brought people together across Simon. Partnered with the Gaming Club and hosted a wine trivia night. Also, collaborated with the Latin American Association, Black Student Alliance, and Simon Life Sciences to organize a cross-club alumni healthcare panel paired with signature cocktails. Additionally, hosted an intimate wine tasting and career discussion with a University of Rochester alum and wine industry entrepreneur. My focus was simple: making community feel intentional and welcoming.

Vice President of Events, Simon Marketing Association
Designed and executed professional development programming for 60+ students, including marketing casing workshops and alumni sponsored inter-club case competition. Partnered with alumni to connect students with real-world perspectives and recruiting insights across marketing disciplines.

Benet Career Peer (BCP), Simon’s Benet Career Management Center
Coached 100+ MBA and MS students through résumé refinement, behavioral interview preparation, and career storytelling. Developed structured feedback frameworks to help peers clarify their narratives, build confidence, and navigate recruiting with greater intention.

Workshop Leader & Teaching Assistant
Facilitated business modeling and analytics workshops for first-year MBAs, creating collaborative learning environments that encouraged participation, problem-solving, and peer-to-peer learning.

Teaching Assistant – Marketing Management & Professional Communications
Supported faculty instruction and student development in both Marketing and Professional Communications courses, reinforcing analytical rigor and executive presence skills across the classroom.

Academic Recognition
Dean’s List, 2024–2025
Marketing Gem of the Year, 2025
Professor Ross L. Watts Endowed Scholarship

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The achievement I’m most proud of during business school has been reshaping UnCorked during my time as president. While the club has traditionally been a social wine community, I wanted it to become more than that. My goal was to build a network where members could support one another beyond wine.

That vision came to life through initiatives like our event UnCorking Impact, a cross-club collaboration with the Latin American Students of Simon, Simon Black Student Alliance, and Simon Life Sciences. Together, we hosted a panel featuring Latino and Black alumni in healthcare, pairing meaningful career conversations with signature cocktails that celebrated each organization. Open to the entire Simon community, the event created a space where the 50+ attendees not only connected over shared interests but also felt seen and supported.

What made me most proud wasn’t the turnout, it was watching classmates stay long after the panel ended, continuing conversations and building relationships. In that moment, UnCorked felt like what I had hoped it would become: not just a club, but a community.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? The professional achievement I’m most proud of is navigating ambiguity during my summer internship at Bimbo Bakeries USA and earning the trust of senior leaders through persistence and thoughtful iteration. I was tasked with evaluating how innovation initiatives were being executed in market, and what initially seemed like a data problem turned into a deeper question about sustained execution. There were multiple moments when I had to rethink my approach, refine my analysis, and challenge my own assumptions before arriving at a solution that felt both strategic and practical.

Through deep performance analysis and cross-functional interviews across sales, strategy, finance, and innovation, I uncovered a disconnect between launch ambition and frontline follow-through. That insight led me to develop a gamified incentive program designed to encourage sales teams to consistently support innovation launches. The concept was focused on rewarding momentum and consistency rather than one-time spikes.

What made me most proud was not the framework itself, but knowing I had pinpointed the true execution gap. The insight resonated across teams, and they moved quickly to implement the solution. Presenting the proposal to senior leadership required both analytical rigor and the confidence to challenge assumptions. Delivering a solution that balanced strategy with practicality ultimately led to my return offer as corporate strategy manager.

More importantly, the experience reshaped how I see leadership. I learned that resilience is not about having the right answer immediately but about staying with a problem long enough to uncover it. I learned that the most effective solutions often emerge from listening deeply, challenging your own assumptions, and distilling complexity into something teams can execute.

Why did you choose this business school? Something that drew me to Simon was how supportive and tight-knit the community felt. From my first interactions with the admissions team, I could sense warmth and positivity. As I spoke with alumni and current students, I realized that people genuinely wanted to support one another—it didn’t feel competitive; it felt collaborative. There was a culture of lifting each other up.

Being part of a smaller program has also meant feeling empowered to step into leadership roles. The accessibility of faculty and staff – and the encouragement to take initiative – gave me the confidence to build, lead, and contribute in meaningful ways. Looking back, Simon didn’t just shape my professional skills, it helped me grow into the kind of leader I hope to be.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Elena Nescio was my favorite professor during my MBA journey. There is something contagious about a professor who truly loves what they teach, and she brought that passion to every class session. I had the privilege of taking Advanced Marketing Strategy toward the end of my program, and it became one of the most formative academic experiences for me.

The course combined a competitive company simulation with case-based discussions. In the simulation, I served as CEO of our team’s “company,” making cross-functional decisions and experiencing firsthand how strategy, finance, operations, and marketing intersect. It was the closest I’ve come to running a real business. I was able to apply the tools from my summer internship alongside the leadership lessons I had developed at Simon, bringing both analytical rigor and team alignment into each decision.

The case discussions were just as impactful. We explored everything from brand repositioning to crisis management, and I began to see marketing not just as communication, but as a strategic ecosystem that shapes how organizations connect with consumers. More than anything, Professor Nescio challenged us to think holistically and lead with intention.

I fell in love with the class not only because of the content, but because of the way it was taught, with rigor, energy, and an unwavering belief in the power of strategic thinking.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course during my MBA was Brand Management Workshop. Over the semester, we worked with real Circana data for a beverage company’s product, which meant we weren’t just learning concepts; we were making decisions the way a CPG team would.

What I loved most was learning how to connect the dots. We analyzed key KPIs like distribution, velocity, pricing, and promotions, but the real challenge was turning that analysis into a clear story and recommendation for senior leadership. It pushed me to think beyond “what does the data say?” and focus on “what should we do about it?”

That experience became incredibly valuable during my summer internship at Bimbo Bakeries USA. I found myself using the same frameworks and metrics to evaluate innovation performance and design a recommendation that was ultimately implemented. Seeing that classroom learning translates directly into real business impact made the course feel transformative.

More than anything, the class strengthened my ability to translate data into decisions, a skill I know will shape my career in CPG and strategy.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Looking back, the one thing I would do differently is to see myself as a leader sooner. When I began my MBA, I didn’t necessarily walk in identifying that way. I focused on contributing, working hard, and supporting my teams, but I didn’t always claim leadership as part of my identity.

What surprised me was how often classmates naturally looked to me to lead. Across different teams and settings, I found myself being nominated or encouraged into leadership roles, even when I hadn’t actively claimed them. It made me realize that leadership isn’t always self-declared; sometimes it’s reflected back to you by the people you work with.

If I could revisit my first year, I would step into that identity earlier, rather than waiting for external validation. The experience taught me that leadership is less about having a title and more about the way you show up. Now, I choose to show up with greater ownership and confidence.

What business leader do you admire most? One business leader I admire is Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and former CEO of Bumble. What resonates most with me about her leadership is that she didn’t simply launch a product, she built a platform that shifted power dynamics and redesigned how people connect.

Bumble wasn’t just a dating app; it was a behavioral framework that gave women agency in digital spaces. That intentionality – designing systems that shape culture rather than just capture market share – is what I admire most. She challenged long-standing assumptions about how digital interactions should work and iterated until she built a space that reflected a different set of values. She understood that business can influence norms at scale, and she built infrastructure to support that shift.

I’m inspired by leaders who create platforms where others can thrive. Whitney showed that strategy isn’t only about growth; it’s about designing systems that influence how people interact, connect, and succeed.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? One way Simon integrated AI into the MBA experience was by embedding it directly into our coursework rather than treating it as a standalone topic. I had the opportunity to be part of this evolution, from hands-on workshops to more advanced discussions around agentic AI and decision-making.

In my M&A course, our final deliverables required us to evaluate how AI performs financial analysis and to compare its output against human judgment. Rather than accepting the output at face value, we were asked to critique its assumptions, stress-test its logic, and identify where nuance was missing. Similarly, in my Strategy Beyond Markets class, we analyzed how AI would recommend responding to a corporate crisis, then debated where it fell short in understanding stakeholder dynamics and non-market pressures.

The biggest insight I gained is that AI is a powerful accelerator but not a substitute for strategic thinking. Its effectiveness depends heavily on prompt design, context, and critical oversight. Simon’s approach taught me not just how to use AI but how to question it, refine it, and pair it with human judgment to uncover blind spots and elevate analysis.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? The MBA classmate I most admire is Ligia Fonseca. I’ve had the privilege of working with her on multiple projects, and what consistently stands out is the standard she sets for herself and for her team. Ligia does not deliver anything halfway. Every analysis, presentation, and recommendation is thoughtful, polished, and grounded in current data. She prepares ahead of time, challenges assumptions, and speaks up when she believes it strengthens the outcome.

Beyond academics, her leadership and discipline are equally evident. As president of Simon Life Sciences and a Benet Career Peer, she invests deeply in building community and developing others. At the same time, as a marathoner and triathlete, she embodies consistency and endurance. That mindset carries into her professional work: focused, intentional, and resilient.

What I appreciate most is that she combines rigor with generosity. Working alongside Ligia has strengthened not only my work but also my confidence. Our partnership is rooted in mutual respect, and we challenge each other, elevate the quality of our output, and hold ourselves accountable to excellence. She is a leader I deeply admire and a peer I hope to continue building alongside long after business school.

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

1. Serve as a C-suite executive leading brand and growth strategy at a global consumer company.
2. Serve on the Board of Directors of the Forté Foundation, helping expand access for the next generation of women in business.

What made Karla such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Karla exemplifies strategic excellence, resilient and people-centered leadership, and a deep commitment to lifting others as she advances in her own career.

Before joining the MBA program at the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School, Karla built a strong foundation at Procter & Gamble in Mexico City. As a senior sales manager, she led cross-functional initiatives across sales, marketing, and operations, driving revenue growth in a complex and competitive environment. She earned a reputation for analytical rigor, disciplined execution, and the ability to build trust with clients and colleagues alike. Early in her career, she demonstrated a forward-looking mindset, identifying process improvements and opportunities that positioned her team for sustained success.

At Simon, Karla brought the same energy and determination, approaching her MBA with clarity of purpose and an openness to growth that enabled a successful pivot into corporate strategy. She was intentional in building on her foundation, seeking rigorous coursework, candid feedback from mentors and peers, and opportunities to stretch beyond her prior experience. Her preparation led to a corporate strategy MBA summer associate role at Bimbo Bakeries USA, where she translated complex analysis into actionable recommendations and aligned diverse stakeholders around shared priorities. She earned a full-time offer as corporate strategy manager, demonstrating not only intellectual capability but also an ability to drive innovation and impact.

Karla’s impact at Simon extends far beyond her own career. As vice president of events and partnerships for the Simon Marketing Association, she designed initiatives that deepened peer engagement and fostered meaningful learning. As president of Simon UnCorked, she led one of the school’s most active organizations, creating inclusive spaces that welcomed students from various programs and backgrounds.

As a Forté member and Benet Career Peer, Karla mentored more than 100 MBA and MS students, many navigating recruiting for the first time in a new country. She approached each interaction with preparation, empathy, and accountability, leveraging her own experiences as an international student to guide others thoughtfully. Her mentoring balances encouragement with honest feedback, helping students build confidence while strengthening readiness. Staff, faculty, and her peers consistently describe her as dependable, insightful, and genuinely invested in the growth of others. She balances ambition with humility, independence with collaboration, and consistently elevates both performance and culture wherever she contributes. In each of these leadership roles and as a teaching assistant, Karla serves as a visible and supportive role model, particularly for women pursuing leadership paths.

I am honored to nominate Karla Camarillo Huitron for Poets&Quants’ Best & Brightest MBAs. She represents the very best of Simon and will continue to lead with kindness, integrity, purpose, and meaningful impact throughout her career.”

Debbie Coffey
Director and MBA Career Consultant; Simon Marketing Association Advisor

DON’T MISS: THE 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST MBAS: CLASS OF 2026

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