Levy Aninditio

UCLA, Anderson School of Management

“Indonesian Bruin, sports enthusiast pursuing excellence and elevating others along the way.”

Hometown: Bandung, Indonesia

Fun fact about yourself: I am also a professional spin class instructor

Undergraduate School and Degree: Universitas Indonesia, B.S. in Electrical Engineering

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? I spent about six years at DBS Bank, taking on multiple roles across the organization, most recently as a Corporate Banking Relationship Manager.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Strategy Consulting Intern at Johnson & Johnson, Los Angeles, CA

Where will you be working after graduation? After graduation, I am excited to start my next chapter as an Associate at McKinsey & Company in the Cleveland, OH office.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: President, Southeast Asian Business Association

• VP of International Outreach, Admission Ambassador Corps
• VP of Admissions, Sports Business Association
• VP of Marketing and Communications, Strategy & Operations Management Association
• VP of Marketing and Communications, Entrepreneur Association
• Parker Career Management Center Peer Advisor
• Coach, Management Consulting Interview Prep Team
• Teaching Assistant, Global Immersion: Social Entrepreneurship in South Africa
• Teaching Assistant, Business Strategy
• Teaching Assistant, Social Entrepreneurship
• Teaching Assistant, Social Impact Consulting
• Honor: Dean’s List 2024-2025

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? One achievement I am most proud of during business school is the role I played in supporting first-year MBA students navigating consulting internship recruiting. My own path to consulting was not entirely linear. When my initial recruiting plans did not work out, it was a difficult moment and required a great deal of mental resilience to stay focused and continue improving.

During that period, I could have stepped back and focused solely on my own path. Instead, I chose to channel that experience into helping others. As a Parker CMC Peer Advisor, I felt a strong responsibility to support the community that had supported me. I invested my time helping first-year students prepare for consulting recruiting—reviewing resumes, conducting mock interviews, and sharing lessons from my own experience. Seeing many of them ultimately secure internship offers made the experience incredibly rewarding. At the same time, coaching others sharpened my own thinking around problem-solving and communication.

When I returned to recruiting for full-time opportunities later that Fall, I was able to refine my approach and ultimately secure a full-time offer. More importantly, the experience reinforced a lesson I will carry forward: high-performing communities are built when people support and invest in one another.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? One professional achievement I am most proud of was the opportunity to help lead a bank-wide retail banking transformation while working at DBS Bank headquarters in Singapore. At the time, I was only three years into my career, which made the responsibility both challenging and formative.

The work was part of DBS’s Managing Through Journeys (MtJ) transformation, which focused on redesigning key customer journeys, from onboarding to service requests, to make banking faster and more customer centric. The project required close coordination across teams in six markets and pushed me to quickly develop leadership skills in stakeholder management, project coordination, and prioritization.

I helped drive several workstreams from planning through execution, aligning product, operations, and technology teams across markets. The transformation ultimately streamlined operational processes and improved collaboration within the retail banking franchise. More importantly, the experience showed me how much can be accomplished when young professionals are trusted with meaningful responsibility.

Why did you choose this business school?

The honest answer is the alumni network and culture. Business schools offer many things. From my perspective, the strength of the alumni community says a lot about the kind of experience you’ll have as a student.

Before applying, I reached out to several UCLA Anderson students and alumni on LinkedIn and asked if they would be open to quick coffee chats. What stood out immediately was how willing people were to respond and share their time. Every conversation felt genuine, and many alumni spoke openly about how supportive and collaborative the Anderson community is.

Of course, other factors mattered as well. Anderson’s strong placement in consulting and its location in LA were both important considerations. But what ultimately stood out to me was the network—the sense that Anderson alumni truly care about helping one another succeed. That spirit of connection made it feel like the right place for me.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Professor Gayle Northrop. Learning from someone actively shaping change in the world made her class especially meaningful. Professor Northrop brings a rare combination of deep expertise and genuine encouragement to the classroom. She has an incredible breadth of knowledge—often making it feel like you can ask her about almost anything—and she consistently challenges students to think more deeply about how business can create meaningful social impact.

Professor Northrop also brings real-world impact directly into her teaching. She serves as the board chair of Spark Health Africa and works with the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business to advance social innovation in health systems across the global south.

I was fortunate to continue learning from her beyond the classroom by serving as her teaching assistant during my second year. Working closely with her gave me an even greater appreciation for her leadership, mentorship, and commitment to developing students.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? It’s difficult to choose just one course, but my favorite was Leading in the Era of AI, taught by Cy Khormaee. The course stood out because it sits at the intersection of technology and leadership—two themes that are becoming increasingly important for business leaders today.

Professor Khormaee brings a valuable practitioner perspective to the classroom, connecting real industry developments with how organizations are navigating the rapid evolution of AI. What I appreciated most was how the course balanced technical understanding with leadership. While we explored how AI is transforming industries and decision-making, the class also emphasized the human side of leadership: how managers must still lead through people, build trust, and make thoughtful judgments in a technology-driven world.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Easily Andernoons, the weekly Thursday evening happy hour that brings together students across the full-time, fully employed, and executive MBA programs. One of my goals coming into business school was to step outside my comfort zone and connect with people from different backgrounds, and Andernoons created the perfect space for that.

What makes the event special is how inclusive it is—students, alumni, partners, and even furry friends are welcome. Many weeks also feature performances from Anderson’s identity clubs, celebrating the diversity of the community. More than anything, Andernoons reflects the warmth and openness of Anderson: a place where connections form naturally and friendships extend far beyond the classroom.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Looking back, I would have put myself out there more during my first year. Early on, I fell into the comfort of doing what I was already familiar with, such as spending time with people from similar backgrounds and participating in activities that felt natural to me.

Navigating a new environment can be challenging, and in hindsight I wish I had taken more initiative earlier to connect with classmates across the program, get to know them beyond surface-level interactions, and participate in more treks and trips. While I eventually made the effort to broaden my network toward the end of my first year and throughout my second year, I sometimes wish I had started sooner.

That said, I’m grateful for the relationships I was able to build. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many inspiring people in the program, learn from their diverse perspectives, and form connections that I hope will last well beyond business school.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What’s not to love about Los Angeles? As a huge sports fan with a strong interest in entertainment, I found the city incredibly exciting to live in during business school. There was always something happening, from NBA games to concerts and live productions. I honestly lost count of how many events I attended, and it was fascinating to experience firsthand how these large-scale productions come together behind the scenes.

At the same time, LA offers an amazing lifestyle. The Venice and Santa Monica beaches are only about fifteen minutes away from my home, and we have direct flights to almost anywhere.

From a professional perspective, being in LA also meant being close to some of the most dynamic industries in the country. Over the past year and a half, we had the opportunity to hear from remarkable leaders who visited campus, including Tim Cadogan (GoFundMe CEO), Darragh O’Brien (Minister for Transport and Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment of the Republic of Ireland), and even former Laker Pau Gasol. Experiences like these made the Anderson experience feel deeply connected to the broader world beyond campus.

What business leader do you admire most? What fascinates me most about the best leaders in the world is their obsession with greatness; the discipline to constantly improve their craft and the ability to elevate the performance of those around them. Naturally, I find myself drawn to business leaders who embody those same traits.

One leader I greatly admire is Jamie Dimon. Leading a global financial institution like JPMorgan Chase requires navigating economic uncertainty, regulatory complexity, and intense competition. What stands out about Dimon is his ability to sustain high performance over decades in such a demanding environment.

His disciplined approach to risk management, focus on long-term institutional strength, and steady leadership have allowed JPMorgan to remain one of the most dominant financial institutions in the world. To me, his career reflects the same qualities I admire in great leaders: consistency, preparation, resilience, and the ability to build teams that perform at a high level over time.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? AI has become a meaningful part of my experience at UCLA Anderson. Rather than replacing human judgment, the way Anderson approaches AI emphasizes how leaders can thoughtfully use these tools to augment decision-making and improve how we work.

The school has been proactive in integrating AI into the curriculum. Students who want to dive deeper can pursue Technology Leadership and AI specialization, and I had the opportunity to take a class focused on how leaders should navigate organizations in the era of AI. What made the experience especially valuable was that many of the instructors teaching these courses are industry practitioners, which meant the discussions were grounded in real-world applications rather than just theory.

The biggest insight I gained is that AI is most powerful when it enhances human capabilities. The real advantage comes from leaders who know how to combine technology with critical thinking, collaboration, and sound judgment.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Maxwell (Max) Bracey. If you asked students across our class about Max, you would likely hear many great stories about him. We were in the same section during my first year. Through those interactions, I saw firsthand how deeply committed he is to sustainability and social impact.

Max currently serves as the president of Net Impact, and what stands out to me most is how authentically he lives the values he cares about. His passion for sustainability isn’t just something he talks about; it’s reflected in the work he does and the way he engages with the Anderson community.

Beyond his leadership, Max is also one of the most positive and welcoming people in our cohort. He is constantly involved in the community, supporting others and bringing great energy wherever he goes. I feel fortunate that our paths crossed at Anderson, and I have no doubt he will continue to inspire the people around him wherever his career takes him.

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

1. Owning a professional sports team.

If you have read this far, you probably know how passionate I am about sports. Beyond being a fan, I have always been fascinated by how great organizations build championship cultures. My time at UCLA Anderson has brought me closer to this world, learning from leaders in the sports industry and understanding what it takes to build successful franchises. One of my long-term aspirations is to one day be involved in owning or leading a professional sports team. Ideally, I would love to contribute as a business leader helping build a championship-winning organization. It may be a long shot, but my MBA journey reinforced an important belief: ambition matters, and believing in what’s possible is often the first step toward achieving it.

2. Building a meaningful philanthropic platform.

Another aspiration of mine is to become more deeply involved in philanthropy, particularly in expanding access to education and opportunity. During my time at UCLA Anderson, I met inspiring leaders who dedicate their time and resources to creating positive social impact, which reinforced something I have always believed: the most meaningful success is when you are able to use your resources and influence to help others.

In the long run, along with my wife, I hope to support initiatives that broaden access to education and help talented individuals reach their potential regardless of their background. I believe the best version of success is one that creates impact beyond yourself and opens doors for others to succeed.

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

“Muhammad (Levy) Aninditio was an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026 at UCLA Anderson School of Management because of his empathy, kindness, strong sense of community, perseverance, and quiet confidence. Levy served the Anderson community in many capacities, including as a student leader in multiple clubs and as a peer advisor (PA) in the Parker Career Management Center, where he focused on giving back to other international students in both classes. While working closely with Levy as his PA supervisor, I noticed in every interaction how thoughtful, collaborative, and open-minded he was – whether it was a new program idea, a problem that needed solving, or a fellow student who needed support, Levy was willing to act while giving of his time and energy.

While holding many office hours for other students including international students, Levy created safe spaces for them to ask questions or work through the stress of MBA recruiting. He would also regularly provide creative ideas for new ways to support the students (e.g., programming), which allowed our office to better contribute to the community. In his own recruiting journey, Levy showed grit, determination, and curiosity – even when things didn’t go smoothly for him, he did not give up and eventually, against many odds and after months of diligent preparation, landed a prestigious full-time role in consulting. Lastly, Levy became a pillar of trust for so many around him, including those of us in Parker, his peers, and all who worked with him during his internship and beyond. Levy became a go-to person for everyone who met him – to get advice, a helping hand, a compassionate listener, and an energetic problem-solver. Levy is an all-around superstar who I feel fortunate to know!”

Chrissy Ercole
Career Advisor – International, Parker Career Management Center

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