Kate Thomson

New York University, Stern School of Business

“Warm and enthusiastic servant leader who’s equal parts math-nerd and fashion-obsessed.”

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Fun fact about yourself: I speak French and interned in Paris in college!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Vanderbilt University; Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering with minors in French and Engineering Management

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Georgia-Pacific; Senior Manager of Strategic Finance

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? As a member of Stern’s focused one-year Luxury & Retail MBA Program, internship-like experiences are integrated into the program itself. We had a busy summer 2025 of core classes and our cohort did an experiential learning consulting project with Ferragamo — it was an exciting way to gain hands-on experience so early into our program.

Where will you be working after graduation? I am recruiting for roles in the Luxury & Retail industry. The recruiting cycle is just-in-time, so I am currently seeking and applying to strategy and finance roles within the industry.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Admissions Graduate Ambassador to the Luxury & Retail Class of 2027
• Stern Student Government – VP of Focused MBA
• Luxury & Retail Club – VP of Community
• Makhoul Leadership Fellow
• Team Lead for Experiential Learning Projects with Ferragamo and Conde-Nast
• LVMH “Clash of Titans” Case Competition Finalist and Finance Lead/Presenter
• Selected by faculty to co-author an article on the emerging American Luxury Consumer
• Brand Strategy Teaching Assistant
• Dean’s List all semesters
• Stern Scholarship

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Serving as an Admissions Graduate Ambassador has been a highlight of my experience. When I was applying to Stern I had several great conversations with last year’s ambassador — she really helped me to see the value of our program and gave me the confidence to bet on myself. A year later, it’s meaningful to do the same for prospective students. It’s an exciting, full-circle moment to see an applicant through the admissions cycle and ultimately get accepted and choose to come to Stern!

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m particularly proud of growing Georgia-Pacific’s (GP) pricing team after being asked to step in during a period of significant team transition and rebuilding. I focused on rebuilding trust and was intentional about hiring; I was looking not just for strong analytical skills, but also for individuals who wanted to elevate the team and grow within GP. I coached analysts through high-stakes decisions and increased their exposure to leadership to accelerate their growth. Within a year, the team more than doubled, turnover stopped, performance improved, and we received strong feedback from business leaders. Most importantly, the team became a high-performing, energized group that genuinely enjoyed working together. It has been such a joy to watch the analysts I hired get promoted and turn into leaders themselves.

Why did you choose this business school? Stern’s Luxury & Retail MBA Program is truly the only one of its kind! Beyond its focused industry curriculum, one-year timeline, and New York City location, I chose it for the hands-on experiential learning with leading luxury and retail brands, the unmatched alumni network that supports both recruiting and long-term growth, and the academic rigor that will equip me to lead in the industry for years to come. I couldn’t be more pleased with my decision!

Who was your favorite MBA professor? There are too many to choose from! Truly, I’ve been so amazed by the quality of our professors here at Stern and feel so privileged to learn from them. That said, Professor Anjolein Schmeits stands out for me. I took her Finance Foundations course over the summer and was amazed by her ability to simplify complex financial concepts while also making them relevant and applicable to our work — regardless of whether we plan to pursue finance careers! She cares deeply about her students – even writing her own textbooks for each course – and creates a supportive environment that builds confidence. I enjoyed her class so much that I enrolled in another one with her this semester!

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Again, there are too many to choose from! Retail Strategy & Analytics stands out in particular. It was incredibly engaging, whether we were dissecting compelling case studies, mastering retail KPIs and retail math, or simply soaking in fascinating stories from the adjunct professor’s vast retail experience. We were encouraged to take our learning beyond the classroom by visiting and analyzing New York’s incredible stores and ultimately proposing and defending our own strategy for a retail brand as our final project. It was rigorous, practical, and energizing all at once!

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Simple as it may sound, I love Stern’s weekly happy hours, Stern Sips. Having a recurring moment each week to step outside the classroom and enjoy time with my classmates is such a treat that I don’t take for granted! In a fast-paced one-year program, those informal touchpoints create space for deeper friendships, spontaneous conversations, and a much-needed breather from the intensity — reminding me that community is just as important as coursework.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Overall, I am very pleased with how I’ve taken advantage of this unique year and intentionally used my time! I knew that I wanted to make the most of this year by going “all-in” and being actively involved on campus. That said, with this attitude, I somewhat overextended myself, creating a very busy fall semester juggling a heavy academic schedule with club involvement, networking, and stepping into a new admissions role. If I could change anything, I would be more selective with my extracurricular commitments to ensure I’m investing my time where I can create the deepest impact.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? In Vice Dean Nate Pettit’s Leadership course at the beginning of my MBA, we studied a case in which a newly promoted manager takes an unconventional approach to leadership and listening. Rather than dive into action in her new role, she makes the bold decision to visit and deeply understand each of the hundreds of locations in her new division. She quickly turns things around and finds enormous success in her new role, so much so that she is tapped by executives to be the first division to pilot a new project.

Vice Dean Pettit delivered the case to us in three segments. After each one, we were prompted to share how we would act in the manager’s shoes as she faced trial-after-trial in the pilot. In every scenario, the manager chose the anti-intuitive route. Her deep understanding of her employees gave her a unique perspective that ultimately enabled her to always make the right decision, even if it didn’t make sense to others and wasn’t supported by metrics.

This case really stuck with me and has inspired me to be the kind of leader who truly cares about her people, always taking the time to listen and act in their best interest. This case solidified my belief that the most effective leaders earn trust through presence and empathy, and that doing the hard, relational work upfront gives you the courage and conviction to make tough calls later.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? The fact that it’s not a “town”! Going to business school in New York City opens so many doors — particularly in the luxury and retail industry. We have unparalleled access to flagship stores, brand headquarters, and industry leaders. We can tour incredible companies, host world-renowned guest speakers, and build alumni relationships that simply wouldn’t be possible elsewhere. Beyond the professional advantages, Central Park, endless food options, and easy access to Broadway certainly don’t hurt either!

What business leader do you admire most? Since I’m from Atlanta and aspire to work in retail, I have to say Sarah Blakely! I love her confidence, out-of-the-box thinking, and resilience in building Spanx from the ground up. Even more inspiring is how she leads with generosity — fostering a supportive, people-first culture at Spanx and actively empowering other female entrepreneurs.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? In addition to several courses that I have taken on AI (Leading in the Age of AI and AI in Finance), our Careers team has been using AI in very innovative ways! In January, our Luxury & Retail Program went to Florence to gain hands-on experience with luxury companies. The Careers team created an AI tool that we could upload our notes to after the trip. The tool helped create connections between the trip and our former work experience, brainstorm potential roles that could be a fit based on our favorite parts of the trip, and create talking points for interviews. We complemented this AI report with an in-person meeting with a career counselor, so we got the best of both worlds! While my background in engineering and finance is non-traditional for luxury and retail roles, this AI tool helped highlight the benefits of this experience and spin it as a competitive advantage.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I have had the privilege of working with Jacob Tehrani on three finance group projects — lucky me! Each time I’ve been struck by both his intellect and his character. Jacob serves as a cohort lead for NYU Stern Andre Koo Technology & Entrepreneurship MBA Program. As such, he brings a sense of responsibility and inclusivity into every setting, actively cultivating a welcoming, supportive environment within his cohort and across the broader Stern community. In class, he asks thoughtful, probing questions and isn’t afraid to take a bold stance. I admire the combination of analytical rigor and strong leadership that he embodies! I’m excited to cheer him on in his career — I have no doubt he’ll make a meaningful impact wherever he goes.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I hope to build and mentor a team again, creating a culture where people feel challenged and supported, and to ultimately lead a global retail brand or business unit with full P&L ownership. I’m motivated by the responsibility of setting direction and shaping both the financial and cultural trajectory of an organization.

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

“What distinguishes Kate most is her warm, humble leadership style — a quality that allows her to lead with confidence while remaining deeply attentive to those around her. She has a rare ability to create trust quickly, listen carefully to her classmates, and synthesize diverse perspectives into clear strategic direction. Rather than imposing her expertise, she invites collaboration, which in turn allows her to learn rapidly and identify the precise strategic step that will move a team toward success. I witnessed this especially during our summer experiential consulting project with Ferragamo, where her combination of analytical rigor, emotional intelligence, and quiet confidence helped guide the team through ambiguity toward thoughtful, actionable recommendations. And it all happened organically. Kate took the lead and also taught the class how to use a quite complex database, which she very quickly mastered herself. Far from performative, her leadership is grounded in humility, curiosity, and a genuine commitment to elevating others. These are qualities that make her both an exceptional teammate and a future leader capable of lasting impact.”

Thomaï Serdari
Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing
Academic Director of Stern’s Luxury & Retail MBA Program

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