Alumni Stories - Gunjan Kedia, Tepper School of Business MBA ‘92

It was tough to get an internship in the US that first year. Often, I was turned down for what felt like intangible reasons. As I continued interviewing during the first couple of months out of school, I realized that I wanted, and needed, to work on my interview and social skills.

That is where the school’s career center helped me the most. They provided great counsel on how to engage socially, how to dress, how to answer questions, and how to follow up. It made a big difference when I was interviewing for the PwC internship. The full-time offer came at the end of the internship.

The international students who come to top tier schools are very talented. They bring great work ethic, ability to function in a new environment, mobility, global awareness, and often strong technical skills. They should draw confidence from these strengths.

At the same time, I would advise them to be purposeful about connecting with the people and the society they are choosing to work in and live in—participate in the social aspects of the country, develop networks outside of your community, invest in being a good communicator, be aware of the impact of habits and appearances that may be unfamiliar to your workplace, and yet, with all of that awareness, absolutely continue to be your authentic self.  

I love this industry and encourage women to consider careers in finance.

We made great strides in attracting women to finance in the 1990s, but our progress has stalled in recent years. I am very optimistic about the future of women in finance but acknowledge that we need to address a few issues head on—more flexibility, fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment, pay equity, and targeted recruiting and cultivation.

We also have to change the narrative around our industry to highlight the enormous impact financial institutions have on individual lives, small businesses, employment, infrastructure, retirement security, and so much more. That creates a healthy pipeline that will deliver future CEOs.

I can say with real conviction that I owe a lot of my career success to the Tepper MBA. The academic curriculum is rigorous and it gave me the core foundations you need in business—finance, accounting, marketing, leadership, communications, and much more.

The access to great roles in great companies was a real benefit. The friendships you create in school, and the coaching and mentorship from the faculty and staff, stay with you for a long time. Most importantly for me, the school gave me the mindset that I could lead, and lead well on a global stage.