Alexander Tager

Rutgers Business School

“Curious builder of ideas, teams, and financial strategies that create long-term impact.”

Hometown: Short Hills, New Jersey

Fun fact about yourself: I’m the son of two immigrants—my dad from Lebanon and my mom from Colombia—but a proud North Jersey native.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Bachelor of Science in Economics from Pennsylvania State University-University Park

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Associate at Alvarez & Marsal within the Healthcare Industry Group

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? I was an MBA Finance Intern at Merck within Human Health Finance.

Where will you be working after graduation? I will be returning to Merck as a member of their Finance Leadership Development Program, where I will have the opportunity to participate in two one-year rotations in their finance department.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: During my time at Rutgers Business School, I have actively sought opportunities to contribute to the community while supporting the development of other students. One of the most meaningful ways I have done this is by serving as a teaching assistant for undergraduate finance courses, where I help guide students through complex financial concepts, provide feedback on assignments, and share insights from my own transition into finance to encourage them to pursue internships and networking opportunities early.

I have also served as a student ambassador, working with prospective students to help them understand the MBA experience and the opportunities available at Rutgers Business School. Through information sessions and student panels, I share my experience navigating the program and becoming involved in leadership roles on campus.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? One academic achievement I am most proud of during business school was competing in the CFA Institute Research Challenge regional finals. As part of a team of MBA students from Rutgers Business School, we developed a full equity research report and valuation model on Duolingo.

The project required extensive analysis, including building a detailed financial model, evaluating the company’s competitive positioning, and developing a well-supported investment recommendation. Our team spent months refining our valuation assumptions, stress testing our model, and preparing to defend our thesis in front of industry judges.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? One professional achievement I am most proud of is the progression I made early in my career in healthcare consulting. I began as a consulting analyst supporting project teams through data analysis, operational assessments, and financial modeling focused on healthcare revenue cycle performance.

Through consistent results and strong client engagement, I was promoted to consultant and entrusted with greater responsibility, including managing client relationships and leading portions of project workstreams. In this role, I worked directly with hospital leadership teams on revenue cycle improvement initiatives, particularly payer-related projects analyzing reimbursement trends, contract performance, and billing processes. Our work helped healthcare systems recover lost revenue and improve financial stability.

Why did you choose this business school? One of the primary reasons I chose Rutgers Business School was its strong commitment to diversity and its connection to a globally engaged academic community. Coming from a family where both of my parents are immigrants—my father from Lebanon and my mother from Colombia—diversity has always shaped how I view education and leadership. I wanted to be part of a program where students brought a wide range of cultural backgrounds and professional experiences into the classroom. At Rutgers, those perspectives enriched discussions and pushed me to think more critically about business challenges.

Equally important was Rutgers Business School’s location in the Metro-Atlantic Region. Its proximity to New York City and New Jersey’s pharmaceutical corridor provided valuable access to companies, alumni networks, and career opportunities aligned with my interests. As someone transitioning from healthcare consulting into finance within the healthcare industry, this location allowed me to build meaningful connections while pursuing my long-term career goals.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Ken Freeman was my favorite MBA professor. As a professor of professional practice and former investment banker, he brought a very practical, real-world perspective to the classroom that made the material especially valuable. I had him for two financial modeling courses, where he taught us how to build and analyze three-statement financial models and discounted cash flow valuations from the ground up.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite MBA course was Applied Portfolio Management with John Longo. What made the course particularly meaningful was its strong connection to real-world investing. Rather than focusing only on theory, the class was structured around developing practical portfolio management and equity research skills used by professional investors.

As part of the course, each student selected a company and produced a full equity research report. I chose AbbVie, analyzing its financial performance, competitive position, and long-term growth prospects. The project required building a detailed financial model and valuation framework, which allowed me to apply concepts such as discounted cash flow analysis, risk assessment, and portfolio construction.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My favorite MBA event at Rutgers Business School was the end-of-semester gala held in Jersey City. The event brought together students from across all of the master’s programs, creating an opportunity for the entire graduate community to celebrate the completion of the semester and reflect on everything we had accomplished.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? The one thing I would do differently is attend more networking events with students and professionals from other business schools in the region. While I was very engaged within Rutgers—through coursework, student organizations, and internships—I realized that the broader business school ecosystem in the New York metropolitan area offers incredible opportunities to build relationships beyond your own campus. Schools frequently host joint panels, speaker events, and industry networking sessions that bring together students, alumni, and professionals from across the finance and healthcare industries. Attending more of these events would have allowed me to expand my professional network even further and gain additional perspectives from peers pursuing similar careers at other institutions.

What was the most impactful case study you had in business school and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it? One of the most impactful cases I studied during my MBA examined the strategic evolution of Steve Jobs and Apple. What made the case compelling was that Jobs’ leadership journey was far from linear. After being forced out of Apple in 1985, he returned in 1997 and led one of the most remarkable corporate turnarounds in business history. His time away—building companies like NeXT and helping grow Pixar—shaped his leadership style and strategic perspective.

The case reinforced that leadership and innovation often require resilience and the ability to learn from setbacks. When Jobs returned to Apple, he refocused the company on product design, simplicity, and user experience, leading to breakthrough products such as the iMac, iPod, and iPhone. Ultimately, the lesson was that setbacks in a career can become opportunities for growth, allowing leaders to return with clearer vision and stronger strategic judgment.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What I loved most about the town surrounding my business school was the diversity of Newark, New Jersey. Newark is a city with a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives, which made the experience of living and studying there especially enriching.

That diversity was reflected not only in the community, but also in the people I met through Rutgers Business School. Students, local residents, and business leaders came from many different countries and professional backgrounds, creating an environment where new ideas and perspectives were constantly being shared.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? One way my business school has integrated AI into the curriculum is by encouraging students to use AI tools in research and project work while requiring transparency about how they are used. In many courses, we document our AI usage by including the prompts we used and explaining how the outputs contributed to our analysis. This approach allows students to benefit from AI’s ability to synthesize information and generate ideas while maintaining academic integrity. Through this experience, I learned that AI is most valuable as a productivity and research assistant rather than a substitute for critical thinking. It can accelerate early-stage research, organize complex information, and improve efficiency, but interpreting results and forming conclusions remains the responsibility of the analyst.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? One MBA classmate I admire most is Visesh Subramaniam. Before coming to business school, Visesh spent more than 15 years as an engineer at Qualcomm, building deep technical expertise in a highly demanding industry. After immigrating from India to the United States and building a life and family here, he chose to pursue an MBA to continue growing professionally and expanding his skill set.

What stands out most about Visesh is his genuine curiosity and willingness to keep learning despite already having an accomplished career. In class discussions and group projects, he consistently asks thoughtful questions and pushes conversations deeper, helping everyone around him think more critically. His humility, work ethic, and openness to new ideas make him a standout member of our cohort.

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

1. Grow into a strategic finance leader in the healthcare industry.

2. Mentor and support young professionals early in their careers, especially those navigating career transitions or entering finance and healthcare.

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

“As the assistant dean of graduate career management at Rutgers Business School, I have worked closely with Alex throughout his MBA experience and have seen firsthand the strong work ethic, intellectual curiosity, and leadership he brings to our community. He entered the Rutgers MBA program with a clear goal of pivoting his career toward finance within the healthcare industry. Coming from a background in healthcare consulting, he approached this transition with both humility and determination. Rather than relying solely on the formal recruiting process, Alex took a proactive and strategic approach to building relationships across the industry. Through persistent networking, thoughtful preparation, and a genuine curiosity about the business of healthcare, he successfully secured both a summer internship and a full-time offer within Merck’s highly selective Finance Leadership Development Program. His journey is a strong example of how intentional networking, combined with disciplined preparation, can enable a successful career transition.

Beyond his career accomplishments, Alex has distinguished himself as an engaged and impactful member of the Rutgers Business School community. In the classroom, he consistently demonstrates strong analytical thinking and preparation, contributing meaningfully to discussions and group work.

Outside the classroom, he has been equally committed to supporting the broader student community. He has served as a student ambassador for the program, helping prospective students better understand the opportunities available at Rutgers and the value of the MBA experience.

Alex has also taken on leadership responsibilities as a teaching assistant for undergraduate courses, where he has supported faculty and helped mentor students developing their foundational business skills. In these roles, he has demonstrated patience, professionalism, and a genuine interest in helping others succeed – qualities that reflect both maturity and leadership.

Alex embodies many of the qualities we hope to see in Rutgers MBA graduates: resilience, curiosity, leadership, and a commitment to continuous improvement.”

Dean R. Vera
Assistant Dean, Graduate Career Management 
Rutgers Business School

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