Akshay Agarwal

HEC Paris

“A meticulous and well-rounded finance professional with a penchant to drive impactful business strategy.”

Hometown: Delhi, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love movies and I have watched Jurassic Park over 50 times.

Undergraduate School and Major: Chartered Accountant, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senior Manager Finance – Philips India

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of HEC Paris’ MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? It was HEC’s strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning, especially through real world business challenges and experiential projects. Coming from the healthcare sector, where theory and innovation must quickly translate into tangible outcomes, I was drawn to HEC’s action-based learning model that mirrors the complexities of real-world decision-making. Programs like the New Horizons Capstone and the leadership seminars provide opportunities to engage directly with companies on live issues.

This is especially valuable in healthcare, where navigating operational constraints, regulatory environments, and patient-centric strategies requires both analytical rigor and practical adaptability. This practical approach was crucial for me because I want to emerge from the MBA not only with strategic insight but with the confidence and capability to implement change in complex healthcare systems. HEC’s focus on experiential learning offers exactly the kind of training I need to bridge innovation and execution in the healthcare space.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at HEC Paris? I am particularly excited about joining the Healthcare Club at HEC and participating in the MBA Tournament (MBAT).

The Healthcare Club stands out as a dynamic platform to engage with like-minded peers and industry leaders on the future of healthcare. I am looking forward to the club’s speaker events, company visits, and case competitions, which provide a space to explore global healthcare challenges and innovative solutions. It’s an ideal setting to deepen my industry knowledge, share insights from my own experience, and build a strong network within the healthcare ecosystem.

On the other hand, the MBAT captures the collaborative and spirited side of HEC’s culture. Bringing together students from top European business schools, it’s more than just a sports tournament; it’s a celebration of teamwork, leadership, and global community. I look forward to contributing to the event not just competitively, but also by helping organize or support aspects that promote inclusion and cross-cultural connection.

HEC Paris is just 17 kilometers from Paris. What do you see as the best part of earning your MBA so close to Paris? Paris uniquely offers access to one of the world’s most vibrant economic, cultural, and innovation hubs without sacrificing the focused, campus-based experience that HEC provides. Being so close to Paris means that I can tap into a wealth of professional opportunities. That’s particularly true in the healthcare and life sciences sectors, where France is home to leading pharmaceutical companies, health-tech startups, global NGOs, and regulatory institutions. Being in close proximity to other European economics hubs is also an advantage for someone looking to expand their horizons and casts a wider net to get opportunities in one’s preferred sector.

Why did you choose a 16-month program over a one-year program? How do you see a HEC Paris MBA giving you an advantage in the marketplace? One year is too short to get fully immersed in an MBA. The 16-month duration is the perfect length to allow you to reshape your perspectives and explore new opportunities and skills without having to stay out of the workforce for too long.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was the Finance Business Partner for Precision Diagnosis and Image Guided Therapy business verticals for Philips India. I managed a staff of 2 and co-owned end-to-end P&L delivery. We exceeded our internal targets set for 2024, by employing a close collaborative approach between Sales and Finance, and were able to deliver an improvement in net margins by 150bps, deal pricing by 300bps, and market share by 140bps.

What has been the defining experience in your life? How has it prepared you for the rigors of business school and your career in general? When I was 18, I left my abusive father to go live with my elder brother, and we cut all contact with him. It was a difficult time for us financially, as my brother had only recently started his job, and I had just graduated from school. We both decided to become Chartered Accountants. That’s because even though CA is among the most challenging courses in the country, it costs less than 600 Euros to graduate. I worked hard to get my articleship at KPMG, and my brother and I lived extremely frugally. While my peers spent their money on expensive CA coaching classes, I self-studied and used free lectures on YouTube. I was one of the only 3 individuals who cleared their CA final exams in the first attempt from my cohort of 50 at KPMG.

The skills and accolades I acquired throughout my career enabled me to have diverse and life-altering international experiences in the US, UK, and Europe. I have learned to be resourceful and self-sufficient and understand the need to build marketable skills. These qualities equip me to navigate through the complexities of an MBA, and life beyond, successfully.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? My MBA experience at HEC Paris would be successful if I leave the program with three key outcomes: enriched strategy development acumen, deepened expertise in healthcare leadership, and a strong, international network.

I want to graduate not just with more knowledge, but with sharper focus and confidence in the value I can bring to complex, global healthcare challenges.

Second, I’d measure success by how much I’ve grown through hands-on, practical experiences—whether through fieldwork, internships, the Healthcare Club, or real-world consulting projects. I want to leave the program with new tools, broader industry insight, and proven experience leading change in healthcare contexts.

Finally, building a strong, diverse network—both personal and professional—is essential. The HEC community is one of the program’s biggest assets, and I hope to contribute meaningfully to it while also forming lasting relationships with classmates, faculty, and alumni around the world.

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