Riyaj Gilani left India two years ago, hoping to grow himself and make a difference going forward. Now, the Eli Broad College of Business Full-Time MBA program graduate is drawing notice in America for his potential and promise.
Gilani (FTMBA ’18) was named this month among the nation’s “MBAs to Watch” for 2018 by Poets & Quants, a leading business education news Web site. Gilani, who recently began working at McKinsey & Co. in Cleveland, has a reputation at Broad College as a bridge between international students and the institution.
Riyaj Gilani
“The transitions can be very hard for some students. Riyaj has made it his priority to help every single student in our program make that transition in a positive and proactive way,” said Wayne Hutchison, director of MBA program and academic services at the Broad College.
“His personality, values, and background make him an ideal ambassador to help individuals feel comfortable so far away from home. He accomplishes this with an exceptional temperament; in 21 months, I have never seen him without a smile on his face and a kind word for a colleague,” Hutchison said. “He has an exceptionally bright future, not only because of his acknowledged professional success, but because he defines success in the ability to help others. We are proud to call him a Broad MBA.”
Gilani, 27, from Nagpur, India, speaks six languages and is “still learning more,” he said. At Broad, he was president of the Broad Consulting Club and held various roles with Spartan Consulting Inc.Remember the name:
He was also honored as a Broad Warrior (which recognizes the top 5 percent of Broad first-year MBA students), earned the Student Unity Award, and received the Hoagland & Metzler Fellowship. He interned at GEP Worldwide, a New Jersey-based procurement consulting firm.
“I chose Michigan State University because of its reputation in supply chain, small class size of (the) MBA program, and emphasis on teamwork, and I am extremely happy that I made this decision,” Gilani said. “The biggest myth about MSU is that it’s just about supply chain. MSU has amazing finance and accounting departments. The professors and courses they teach are arguably the best in the country.”
Of his Broad College peers, Gilani said, “I really admire all my classmates. This is by far the most smart and talented set of people I have been around.”
