Morli Desai WG'09
Email: morli.desai@gmail.com
What did you study during your MBA and when did you graduate?
I studied Healthcare Management and graduated in 2009.
What were you involved with as an MBA student?
I was a Leadership Fellow where I was the Teaching Assistant for an introductory leadership class and a mentor for first year students. I was also the President of Dance Studio and was involved with healthcare management-related clubs and activities.
Where did you study for your undergraduate degree and what made you decide to get an MBA?
I attended Emory University and studied in the Goizueta Business School. Right out of college, I worked for Bear Stearns as an Investment Banking Analyst and then worked as a Private Equity Associate for BlackRock. During my time in these roles, I focused on the healthcare sector. I enjoyed my time on Wall Street and working in finance, but I decided to get an MBA to transition into a role inside a healthcare company to execute decisions rather than just advise.
What were your favorite parts about getting your MBA at Wharton?
I enjoyed meeting such amazing people from around the world and growing my network! Wharton has one of the largest MBA classes, and I still follow and keep in touch with many people from my MBA class. Other perks include the pass/fail structure of classes and the opportunity to travel and learn things you would never get an opportunity to otherwise!
What do you do now and where are you based?
I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia! Right out of Wharton, I went to work for a medical device company called Covidien which later got acquired by Medtronic. I’ve been here almost 12 years and worked my way up in a multitude of roles. I even had an international experience working in Singapore!
In the near future, I hope to shift out of corporate and into the entrepreneurial space. I’m interested in leveraging my private equity background and doing a search fund which is where an entrepreneur looks at raising funds to purchase and grow an already existing business and then later selling it.
What did you learn from your past positions in investment banking and private equity?
There were two key things I learned from my experience, the first being that I learned a lot about myself. This was my first real job out of college and it was such a key time in my life for personal growth. I learned so much about what I liked, what I didn’t like, and who I was as a person.
Second, I learned the importance of soft skills. Collaboration, influence, people skills etc. are all extremely important. A lot of people think hard skills are more important and this isn’t to say that they aren’t helpful to your success, but as you go up in your career, soft skills will only become more critical.
I learned so much from my time in finance and have no regrets about the positions I held! When I considered what I wanted to do long-term, I didn’t love the idea of being in a male-dominated industry or in roles that required an extensive amount of personal sacrifice which pushed me to shift into the jobs I got post-MBA.
What advice do you wish you had known when you were younger?
When I was younger, I took myself very seriously and put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve and be successful as quickly as possible. I would advise my younger self (and those just starting their careers) that it’s not all about getting to the top as fast as possible. Pick opportunities that may differ from the direct path make you a little uncomfortable since that is what growth feels like. Growing and accomplishing hard things makes you happy. And happiness is what sustains and feeds you. More money and bigger titles unfortunately don’t.