Anreet Bhamra

Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

“Equal parts builder, optimizer, and eternal work-in-progress.”

Hometown: Chandigarh, India

Fun fact about yourself: I have flown a plane before. I am planning to get a recreational pilot license soon.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

1. Bachelor of Technology, Industrial Engineering, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh
2. Master of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Purolator, Research Engineer

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Amazon (Seattle, WA)

Where will you be working after graduation? McKinsey & Co. (Associate)

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Leadership – VP Socials, Kellogg South Asia Club; Treasurer, Canada Club

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The achievement I’m most proud of at Kellogg is a personal one: learning to replace a perfection-chasing mindset with a growth mindset.

For most of my life, I approached challenges with the belief that every outcome had to be flawless. That mindset brought a lot of expectations and high standards, but it also made setbacks feel heavier than they needed to be. At Kellogg, through rigorous classes, recruiting disappointments, and personal goals outside the classroom, I had to confront that pattern. I began to focus less on perfect outcomes and more on the process of improving each day.

That shift changed how I handle setbacks. Instead of seeing them as verdicts, I started treating them as data. Whether it was refining how I prepare for opportunities, improving habits around health and discipline, or simply showing up consistently even on difficult days, the emphasis became progress rather than perfection.

Business school is often described as a time for career pivots, but for me, the most meaningful transformation has been internal. Learning to stay grounded, curious, and resilient in the face of setbacks is something I will carry far beyond Kellogg.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? One professional achievement I’m particularly proud of is my summer internship at Amazon on the Sustainability Technology team. I joined the project with almost no context about the problem space, the internal systems, or even what a successful end state might look like. The project began as little more than an idea, and my role was to explore whether it could be translated into a viable product direction.

This meant learning the role while doing it. Over the course of the internship, I worked to understand the underlying problem, speak with stakeholders, and gradually translate a loosely defined concept into a clearer vision with a potential path forward. According to my manager, it was one of the more challenging projects on the team because of the level of ambiguity involved.

The outcome was far from perfect, but the work helped initiate an important internal conversation about where the team could focus next. What made the experience meaningful for me was the personal shift it represented. I started the internship intimidated by the uncertainty, but by the end I found myself increasingly comfortable operating in ambiguity. That confidence, the realization that I can take a vague idea, learn quickly, and shape it into something directional, is what makes the experience one of the achievements I’m most proud of.

Why did you choose this business school? While many factors drew me to Kellogg, the most important was how deeply student-led the experience is. When I attended Day at Kellogg, an event for admitted students to spend a day on campus to experience what being at Kellogg is like, I immediately felt that this was a place where students actively shape the culture, communities, and opportunities around them.

In conversations with alumni from my undergraduate network who had attended Kellogg, I kept hearing the same theme. Students here do not simply participate in the MBA experience. They build it. Clubs, events, traditions, and initiatives are often driven by students who care deeply about the communities they create.

That environment was incredibly important to me because it is where I thrive. Being surrounded by people who are pursuing their passions across industries, interests, and cultures creates constant opportunities to learn from one another. Kellogg stood out as a place where that energy is not just encouraged but expected. I knew it would be an environment that would push me to grow while also allowing me to contribute meaningfully to the community around me.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite MBA professor at Kellogg has been Professor Achal Bassamboo. I had the opportunity to take his Operations Management class, a subject that I find deeply interesting given my background and career interests.

What made his class stand out was the way he teaches. Professor Bassamboo combines rigorous analytical thinking with a sense of humor that makes complex concepts engaging and memorable. His lectures never felt mechanical. Instead, they felt like thoughtful explorations of how operations decisions actually play out in the real world.

Beyond the classroom, he has always been approachable and generous with his time. Whether discussing course material, career decisions, or broader questions about operations and business, I have always felt comfortable reaching out to him for guidance. That combination of intellectual rigor, engaging teaching, and genuine mentorship is what makes him my favorite professor at Kellogg.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course at Kellogg has been Personal Leadership Insights, taught by Professor Ellen Taaffe. The class created space for something that is often overlooked in business education: intentionally reflecting on who we are, what drives us, and how we want to lead.

Through the course, I spent time examining my past experiences and thinking more deeply about my future ambitions. It helped me become more aware of how I show up in different situations and how I can bring out the best in both myself and the people around me. In many ways, the course helped me work through some internal tensions about my goals and the kind of leader I want to become.

One of the most impactful parts of the class was the work we did in small groups to acknowledge and reflect on each other’s strengths and contributions. That exercise taught me the value of truly listening and seeing others with intention. It broadened my perspective and reminded me that leadership is as much about understanding others as it is about understanding yourself.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would give more time and attention to the people around me.

Business school moves quickly, and it is easy to focus heavily on classes, recruiting, and long-term goals. While those priorities matter, I have learned that the relationships you build along the way are just as important. Sometimes that simply means taking the time to check in with a friend, grabbing a quick lunch with someone you have not spoken to in a while, or having a short conversation between classes.

What I have realized is that connection does not always require big plans or elaborate gatherings. Small interactions often matter just as much, and sometimes even more. They help you stay grounded, learn from others, and lean on the community around you.

If I could go back, I would remind myself not to overthink it and not to worry about trying to do everything perfectly. Instead, I would focus on being more present and leaning into the everyday moments with the people around me.

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 case experiences I had during business school came from an Advanced Negotiations exercise that involved a complex, multi-party negotiation around a development project. The scenario required coordination between government, private sector, and non-profit stakeholders, each with their own priorities and constraints.

Initially, I approached the negotiation with the mindset of maximizing my own outcome. My focus was on how to extract the most value for my position. As the negotiation unfolded, however, it became clear that this approach was limiting. Progress only began once I shifted my focus toward building coalitions and finding ways to create outcomes that other stakeholders could also see as a win.

That shift required inverting my original hypothesis. Instead of trying to maximize my slice of the pie, the goal became expanding the pie by aligning interests across different parties. The experience also highlighted something important about my own approach to negotiations. I realized that my natural strength as a collaborator is a real asset. When I tried to move away from that instinct – and push too hard for individual advantage in a situation that did not require it – the outcome was actually worse.

The exercise helped me understand that strong negotiators are able to draw on different strengths, but they must stay aware of how the situation is evolving. For me, that meant learning to lean into collaboration when the context calls for it while still ensuring that my own interests remain clearly represented at the table.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? What I loved most about Kellogg’s town is the college town atmosphere. This is my third degree, and all three of the institutions I have attended have been in small college towns. It is an environment I have come to truly appreciate.

There is something special about living close to your friends, running into classmates on the way to class or at a café, and spontaneously deciding to grab dinner or attend an event together. That proximity creates a sense of community that makes the experience feel much more connected and alive.

In a place like Evanston, it also feels like everyone is trying to enjoy everything the town has to offer. Whether it is catching a local event, trying a new restaurant, or simply walking around campus with friends, there is always something happening. That mix of closeness, energy, and shared experience is what I love most about the college town vibe.

What business leader do you admire most? One leader I admire deeply is Dariusz Grabka, a former manager early in my career. Working with him gave me a firsthand view of the kind of leadership that quietly shapes teams and organizations.

What stood out most about Dariusz was his ability to balance high expectations with trust in the people around him. He had a way of giving ownership of complex problems while still providing guidance when it mattered. That combination created an environment where learning and growth felt natural rather than forced.

He also demonstrated a calm, thoughtful approach to decision making. Instead of reacting quickly to every challenge, he focused on understanding the underlying problem and building solutions that would hold up over time. Watching that approach shaped how I think about leadership today.

More than anything, his leadership showed me that great managers do more than direct work. They create the conditions where people can stretch themselves, build confidence, and discover what they are capable of.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? One way Kellogg has integrated AI into the MBA experience is through the AI teaching assistant, KAI. It is actively used both as a learning aid and as an interactive tool that students can engage with while working through assignments and course concepts.

What I appreciate most about KAI is how it adds an experiential dimension to learning. Instead of only reading about ideas in a textbook or discussing them in class, you can interact with an AI system in real time and test your thinking. That dynamic makes the learning process more engaging and practical.

Using AI has also changed how I think about productivity and learning. Early on, I was somewhat skeptical because I worried that relying on AI might weaken my own critical thinking. My experience has actually been the opposite. AI has become a kind of performance boost that helps me work through ideas more efficiently. When it highlights something I missed or presents a different perspective, it becomes an opportunity to refine my thinking rather than replace it.

The biggest insight for me has been that AI is most powerful when used as a collaborator. It accelerates the process of thinking, questioning, and iterating, which ultimately strengthens the quality of the work.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? While there are many classmates I want to mention, Andrew Goldstein is someone I have deeply admired and relied on since the very beginning of my time at Kellogg. We first connected during our KWEST trip, and since then we have experienced many parts of the MBA journey together.

What I admire most about Andrew is the way he constantly works on improving himself while also helping the people around him grow. He has a remarkable ability to think through complex ideas and quickly synthesize them in a way that is thoughtful, clear, and tailored to the person he is speaking with. Conversations with him often leave me seeing a problem or situation from a broader and more nuanced perspective.

Beyond his intellect, Andrew is someone who consistently shows up for others. He has been a strong supporter of my ambitions and never hesitates to help when someone seeks his perspective. When Andrew gets involved in a discussion, you know you are going to walk away with insights that genuinely move your thinking forward.

For me, Andrew represents the kind of peer who makes the MBA experience truly special: someone who challenges you intellectually, supports you personally, and inspires you to keep expanding the scope of your thinking.

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

1. Return to Kellogg to teach a class in Operations
2. Explore a career in Sports Management

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

“Anreet was an outstanding addition to my Operations Management course (typical enrollment 65–70 students), which blends analytical methods with the discipline of diagnosing operational systems and identifying improvement opportunities through cases, discussion, simulations, team submissions, and midterm/final exams. In that environment, Anreet consistently stood out as a prepared, curious, and constructive presence. He was a true classroom citizen, regularly contributing in ways that advanced the collective learning, asking questions that meaningfully advanced discussion rather than simply signaling participation. A memorable example came during our discussion of postponement strategy: Anreet pushed the conversation beyond the usual inventory and positioning logic by emphasizing that product design can be intentionally shaped to enable postponement. That comment captured what makes him distinctive. He paired a strong conceptual grasp with the instinct to look for levers that organizations can actually pull.

Anreet’s contributions were also strengthened by the depth and relevance of his prior experience. Before Kellogg, he worked at Purolator, where he supported operational technology work, including use-case analysis, adoption planning, and testing, and later moved into the newly formed Applied Research & Innovation (AR&I) team, supporting a portfolio of initiatives aimed at digitalizing daily business processes across Purolator’s supply chain, aligned with evolving business strategy. He brought that perspective naturally into our supply chain discussions. Importantly, he did not treat his experience as a narrow reference point; he consistently applied course frameworks broadly, transferring ideas across contexts rather than limiting them to settings he had already encountered. He combines intellectual curiosity with positive energy and professionalism, and he was simply a joy to teach. I recommend Anreet enthusiastically for this recognition.”

Achal Bassamboo
Charles E. Morrison Professor at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

 

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