Where are they now -- Akshay Shetty

It always amazes me what Whitman tennis alumni are doing. Over the years I have been lucky to coach and befriend many talented and motivated young men. This is the start (I hope) of a where are they now series about Whitman tennis alumni.

Akshay Shetty was a member of the team when I first started coaching at Whitman. Before coming to Whitman, Akshay hailed from Bombay India. At Whitman he was an All-Conference player and participated in the NAIA doubles tournament with partner Haroon Ullah.

Here is my interview with Akshay:

me: You were an economics major at Whitman. What did you do after graduation?

Akshay: Moved to Chicago and joined CornerStone Partners, a consulting firm

me: What type of consulting does Cornerstone do and what was your role?

Akshay: The company did strategy planning and financial planning for power companies

me: Seems like a good job for a recent college graduate

Akshay: A professor at Whitman recommended me for this position. He knew one of the partners at the firm. I suppose the Whitman network helped.

me: how long did you work for Cornerstone?

Akshay: 3 years

Akshay: About 1 year in Chicago and 2 years in Seattle. It was interesting work and I liked the access and ability to learn from senior management at our various clients.

me: After Cornerstone did you go right to graduate school?

Akshay: No I spent two years working at ABN AMRO, a financial institution, in their structured finance group. And then I went to Kellogg School of Management (at Northwestern)

me: Why did you decide to pursue your MBA and why Northwestern?

Akshay: It was the logical next step. It exposes you to people and functions that you werent previously exposed to, and it provides a level of business perspective that I did not have at my previous roles. Plus, it gave me access to hundreds of employers who wanted to hire Kellogg grads.

me: Did you have a focus of study at Kellogg?

Akshay: I tried to get a broad education rather than focus on one subject. So I took classes in Strategy, Finance, Marketing, Operations - you know, all the "pillars" of a business.

me: If I remember right after Kellogg you went into banking..is that correct?

Akshay: Yes, I worked for Lehman Brothers.

me: So Lehman brothers during a very interesting/disruptive time?

Akshay: Both interesting and disruptive. But overall, a very good experience. The investment banking team I worked in was very good, in my opinion.

me: I think we spoke last year and you decided to get out of banking after the G20 in London. Is that correct?

Akshay: Well, not exactly. I think that event was a bit over hyped and I wasn't going to change my life just because someone stands outside my place of work with a poster in their hand. I had already decided to move to New York and work in a smaller, more entrepreneurial environment.

me: What advice would give upcoming college graduates looking to get a job in the world of business?

Akshay: Be persistent - there is no substitute for it. Reach out to alums, cold call, apply for all the interviews you can apply for to get practice, and keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. And most importantly, have a thick skin.

me: One more question for you

Akshay: And then I have one for you.

me: I just realized you are quite a world traveler..were have you lived in the past decade?

Akshay: I have been lucky. Seattle, Chicago, New York, London, Mumbai.

me: Favorite place...?

Akshay: I love New York right now, but I really enjoyed London too, and Seattle will always be one of my favorite places.

me: ok your question

Akshay: So, how have you been able to produce ever stronger teams at Whitman? You started with a very raggedy bunch in 1998!

me: It all started with you Akshay. Just been a bit lucky and trying to have fun each yearJ