Meet the MBA Class of 2023: Rehan Ayrton, Wharton School

Rehan Ayrton   

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

“Passionate, deeply caring, gregarious, bold, fun-loving and unabashedly me!”

Hometown: Dubai, UAE

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve been ostrich riding in South Africa – highly recommend!

Undergraduate School and Major: The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Finance and Business Analytics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: McKinsey & Company, Senior Business Analyst (Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice)

What word best describes the Wharton MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far and why? Diverse. I am proud to be a part of a record-breaking class of majority women (52%) which is the first in Wharton’s 140-year history and the first among many other top MBA programs. Given the large emphasis on teamwork, there are multiple opportunities in and outside the classroom to collaborate and interact with your classmates and what is most striking is the diversity in experience and thought. The whole class is intentionally designed to expose students to different experiences and opinions from the learning teams of 5-6 to the pods of 15-20 to the cohorts of ~70 and ultimately the class.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the Wharton School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? For context, I attended Wharton as an undergraduate student and applied in my senior year to the Moelis Advance Access Program (Wharton’s deferred admission program). The opportunity to go into industry for 2-4 years allowed me to take risks professionally with the security of knowing I had secured a spot in the MBA program. Even though I was part of McKinsey’s Strategy and Corporate Finance practice in New York, I worked on engagements across functions including McKinsey Digital’s LEAP (new business building) practice and industries such as Financial Services, Social Sector, Healthcare and Technology. The access to Wharton programming and mentorship during the deferral period was terrific, as Moelis admits were able to connect with current MBA students and receive mentorship from those in similar career paths. There were a host of events that were organized for the Moelis cohort that helped to build connectivity that I would categorize into social, professional, and learning:

* Social events included regional dinners (e.g. in NY, SF), cooking classes, trivia etc.

* Learning events ranged from Q&A with current MBA students to a conversation with the incredible Adam Grant.

* Professional events featured conversations with Ken Moelis, Jerry Dischler (Google), Lara Koslow (BCG) and conferences such as the Wharton Venture Capital/ Private Equity events.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at the Wharton School? There are several global leadership and learning programs that I’m really excited to partake in. The Global Immersion Program (GIP) is one such elective course that immerses students in a certain geography by connecting students with local business leaders, government, and alumni. During the multi-week course, students gain insight into the business economy, culture, and geo-political drivers of the region. In addition, there are MBA Leadership Ventures hosted around the world by the McNulty Leadership Program. These expeditions and intensives are outdoor, experiential learning treks in places like the Antarctica, Atacama Desert, and Andes Mountains that build leadership skills by placing students in extreme conditions.

When you think of the Wharton School, what is the first word that comes to mind? Why? Highly relevant. The word pre-professional is often thrown around when people describe a Wharton education. In my opinion, the data-driven and application-based learning environment prepares students well for the career paths they are looking to enter. The faculty index heavily on research that is current (data, trends, or theory) and there is a strong culture of using data to make more informed and objective decisions. There have been tons of applications of the knowledge gained as a Wharton undergrad in my day-to-day job as a consultant in the Strategy and Corporate Finance practice, whether that entailed forecasting growth and product penetration of newly-launched products or valuing companies or assets to be acquired.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment to date is actually non- “career” related and took place as an undergraduate student at UPenn. I was fortunate to be elected to serve as the Wharton Class President for four consecutive years. This allowed me the opportunity to work closely with my incredible peers, faculty, and the administration on a host of topics ranging such as developing non-traditional career and curricular offerings, improving mental health, founding and scaling mentorship programs with alumni and MBA students, and designing connectivity events that promoted school spirit. This experience was deeply rewarding as someone who has always been passionate about education and bringing disparate communities together to implement creative solutions to collective issues.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? The pandemic was a really difficult time as so many of us were grappling with new ways of working and living. One of the most energizing aspects though of the pandemic was the pro-bono initiative at work I was involved in that was focused on education-related initiatives in New York. This project was the highlight of my professional career, as we were able to help over 60,000 students and their families and over 80 non-profit organizations through a host of volunteer based and capability building initiatives. The experience provided a first-hand insight into the opportunity that lies in difficult circumstances.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? As a Moelis Advance Access Fellow, I was given a 2-4 year deferral window. I wanted to pursue the MBA at this point for a couple reasons. First, I wanted to explore certain interests during the MBA before making any professional decision on which specific industry or function where I wanted to specialize. Second, as a long-term goal, I want to be a leader in driving improvements across communities at scale. I felt that pursuing an MBA at this moment, given my experience in consulting, would provide me with the entrepreneurial and experiential learning opportunities to effectively make this transition from being an advisor to an operator.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? HBS and Stanford GSB (deferred admission programs). Wharton gave me far more optionals from an academic standpoint, as I waived out of a majority of the core classes that I would otherwise have to do in other MBA programs. This allowed me to take more elective courses that were aligned to my interests versus repeating content already learned as an undergraduate student.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Wharton School’s MBA program? Take the time to read about and interact with Wharton students and alumni to learn more about the program and how you could pursue your interests and achieve your personal and professional goals during your MBA. Be your authentic self and know that your diversity in experience is deeply valued here; students here come from a range of different professional (e.g., government, tech, military, non-profit etc.) and personal backgrounds (83 countries represented).

DON’T MISS: MEET THE WHARTON SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2023

 

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