Rahul Narain

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

“People connector, thoughtful and empathetic listener, unofficial cheerleader and semi-professional optimist, aspiring apparel industry leader.”

Hometown: Inverness, IL

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve lived in nine cities across three countries, and in each, I dove into a new sport to ground myself and find community. Over the years, I’ve tried tennis, baseball, Tae Kwon Do, boxing, gymnastics, and a bunch more!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Northwestern University; Manufacturing and Design Engineering (major), Japanese Language and Culture (minor)

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? I worked at Stripe, a San Francisco-based fintech company, as an Account Executive selling to startups.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? I interned at Nike in Beaverton, OR, on their Stores team, working on global retail strategy.

Where will you be working after graduation? TBD – My lifelong dream has been to work in the sports apparel industry, so I’m actively recruiting for roles in that space.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: My time here at Ross has been shaped by several roles, each of which I’m extremely grateful for.

First, I was elected as President of MBA Council, our student government. This position has impacted me more than any other and allowed me to truly contribute to the community I love while growing as an individual and a leader. I, along with eight other Council members, strive to represent the varied experiences of the full, diverse student population to ensure they’re able to enjoy and grow from their time here.

Second, as a peer coach, I’ve appreciated being able to take all the learnings from my first year, the challenges I overcame, the mistakes I made, and help first-year MBAs on their own recruiting journeys.

Third, as a Student Ambassador, I’m lucky enough to get to rave about everything I love about Ross to admitted students.

Finally, I’m a writer, actor, and director for Follies, our comedy club. At first glance, this may not seem like community work, but the shows we put on create moments for the full student community to come together and laugh at how truly ridiculous (and wonderful) this MBA experience is.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I’m most proud of the work I’ve done as President of the MBA Council. One of the best parts of the MBA is that it gives you these beautiful opportunities to learn what it’s like to be a leader in many different contexts. I’d never been a manager or any formal leader before business school and was initially hesitant to even throw my hat in the ring. But I ran for two main reasons: 1) I wanted to push myself to lean into that discomfort, that unfamiliarity to grow; and 2) I absolutely love this community and couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.

This year has been extremely tumultuous for the average MBA student recruiting, and especially for the nearly 50% of our class that is international. Navigating this environment and thinking through how to best serve the student body has been extremely challenging, but one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. My work has spanned contributing to a once-in-a-decade curriculum review, arbitrating interpersonal conflicts among clubs, welcoming the new admitted students class, and so much more.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? At Stripe, I was hired as an Account Executive (a Sales role), selling our solutions and offering strategic guidance to established startups. I noticed pretty quickly that “early-stage,” less established startups didn’t have access to that same level of strategic guidance and were usually directed to our support teams instead of sales. With Stripe’s limited resources, leadership chose to focus fully on established startups.

I noticed this gap and got approval from my manager to work with these early-stage startups (initially as a side project on top of my regular responsibilities). As I met with more founders, sold more solutions, and gathered evidence that this segment had huge potential, my manager allowed me to transition to the project full-time. Over the next two years, I led this pilot program, met with ~600 founders, and standardized Stripe’s early-stage startup strategy globally. Even though I’ve left, the methodologies I developed are still being used.

Why did you choose this business school? The community and care shown by the students, alumni, staff, and faculty were extremely clear to me from day one. Before I’d even decided to apply to Ross, a friend of a friend who was an alumnus went out of his way to meet with me, help me understand the culture, talk me through how recruiting works, and even think through how to approach getting my dream job. When I got the acceptance call, the admissions staff member specifically referenced many parts of my application and called out why they personally thought I’d be a great fit for the Ross community. When I visited for the admits weekend, I heard how much current students appreciated the love and support the community gives to one another – especially during those more difficult recruiting periods. When looking around at my fellow admits, I could so easily imagine myself spending two years with them. It was an easy decision. Getting to throw around a football on the Big House field didn’t hurt either.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Choosing just one is pretty tough, but if I had to choose, I’d say it’s Professor Michael Jensen, who teaches The Power of Prestige. While the class is interesting in and of itself, what really makes it shine is how Michael teaches. He clearly cares about the material and about us as students. You can see it in the way he exudes energy with everything he says, brings anecdotes from his personal life, cracks jokes like he’s with his buddies at the pub, and jumps around the room after a student gives a particularly salient answer. Even when admonishing students for the “wrong” answers, he’s not afraid to joke around and say things like “no, that’s just stupid,” in the same way that you would joke around with a friend. It made the class so much more enjoyable and unique when compared to any other I’ve been in.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite class has got to be Strategic Brand Management with Professor Marcus Collins. This is a marketing course that goes in-depth on how successful brands are formed and grown. You learn about how the strongest brands establish themselves within the culture and use powerful, emotion-driven ideologies to connect with consumers on a deeper level. What made the class really stand out (besides Professor Collins’ engaging teaching style) was the vast repertoire of incredible guest speakers. My two favorites were the former CMO of Airbnb, who talked about authenticity in marketing, and the marketing agency leader in charge of Barbie before, during, and after the movie’s release.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Every year, our Ross hockey team plays the Law School’s team in the much-anticipated Ross vs. Law hockey game. This event is a blast and brings the whole community together with some friendly banter, a few silly signs saying that law students don’t know how to count or Ross students don’t know how to read, and some nail-biting excitement (even though Ross has handily won the last couple of years). It also brings us out of our MBA shell to interact with another grad program, which can sometimes be difficult (especially in the midst of recruiting season).

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why?To be honest, there’s not too much I would change about this experience! I’ve grown a ton, met some truly amazing souls from all over the world, and gone to every single community or cultural event I can. The only thing I regret is not signing up for Professor Andy Hoffman’s Management as a Calling class, where students spend a few weekends in phone-free retreats reflecting on what they want out of life and how business plays a role in society.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? My favorite parts of case-based classes are when students with relevant experience contribute something not mentioned in the case to give a new perspective or add some color to the discussions. One of my favorites we recently discussed in our Advanced Competitive Strategy class is called Friendly Fire. It centers around two American F-15 fighter jets mistakenly shooting down two American Blackhawk helicopters in a no-fly zone. The case focuses on miscommunication, the issues from competing chains of command, and other strategic issues that led to this disaster. What made this case stand out was the seven vets in the class sharing their experiences. They helped us understand what every person in this case may have been feeling in those moments: the tension, the pressure to act, the split-second decision-making, and more.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Ann Arbor is the quintessential college town, and I absolutely love that about it. I mean two things by this. First, residents, storeowners, and even those with no direct association with the University of Michigan still LOVE the school. It’s palpable with every random “Go Blue” you hear on the streets. This is true especially on game days, when the energy is unmatched. Second, the town is small enough that very few people in our class, if any, are actually from the area. We lean on each other, and that leads to a tighter-knit, stronger community.

What business leader do you admire most? One of the business leaders I admire most is Unilever’s former CEO, Paul Polman. Unlike many business executives out there, Paul spent much of his time and energy wrestling with the corporation’s place in modern society. His goal was never profit for profit’s sake, but rather a huge focus on a mission driven by sustainability and purpose. I think leaders at every major company globally should be following in his footsteps.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Ross has recently launched an AI concentration that allows any interested students to really dive deep into the business side of AI. While I haven’t explored that concentration myself, I’ve found AI to be particularly helpful when it comes to research-based assignments. AI does an incredible job of summarizing content from multiple reports, articles, and sources to give you insight into a particular research topic. That being said, I always make sure to double-check the sources. It’s not foolproof (yet).

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? One of my closest friends here, Max Hommeyer, is the epitome of what every business school wants its students to be. He has gone through incredible growth and change in such a short period, and he’s done so by fully embracing people, cultures, and experiences completely different from those he’s familiar with. He’s a leader in the community; he’s thoughtful in the way he engages with those around him; he’s fully invested in his classes; and participates with deep levels of insight, and he’s been incredibly successful in his recruiting and is helping others do the same as a peer coach. The list goes on. He’s the life of the party when he wants to be, but also the kindest, most intentional confidant you can imagine when you need him to be. I’ve learned a huge amount from him, and I’m so lucky to call him a friend.

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

1. After getting experience at a larger company, I’d like to work for a relatively small startup (<250 people) in the future.

2. I’d love to come back to Ross as a guest speaker in one of our strategy or marketing classes one day.

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

“Rahul is an invaluable part of the Ross Class of 2026, bringing genuine care, authenticity, and positivity to our community. As his advisor during our seven-week immersive Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) course, I had the pleasure of seeing him and his team build an effective and impactful collaboration with a local nonprofit in a remote Kenyan village—a challenge defined by a fluid context, cultural nuances, and high ambiguity. During the fieldwork in Kenya, Rahul distinguished himself through his ability to navigate complex business and cultural issues with thoughtfulness and poise, ensuring his team remained grounded and optimistic while delivering high-impact results for both the community and the partner organization. Whether in these intimate team settings or engaging with our broader student body, Rahul shows up as a leader with a commitment to consistently lifting those around him. Ross is a stronger, more vibrant community because of Rahul’s presence.”

Ted London
Ford Motor Company Clinical Professor of Business Administration

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