Monne Williams (MBA 2012)
(photo by Craig Hall)

Monne Williams (MBA 2012)
(photo by Craig Hall)

DONOR: HBS Fund for Leadership and Innovation

Monne Williams (MBA 2012) considers her two years at HBS a transformational experience. “The case method changed how I think about and tackle a situation,” she raves. Williams also appreciated the opportunities she had to build on concepts she learned in the classroom by taking immersive field courses that exposed her to business practices and enhanced her global awareness. In Williams’s second year, she helped optimize a social enterprise in Rwanda and assessed the economic potential of new industries in Malaysia. She later wrote a case with her professor on the development of one of those industries (palm oil).

Williams was the first in her family to earn an undergraduate degree. After working as a marketing manager with the Boston Red Sox for four years post-graduation, her decision to attend HBS was heavily influenced by the financial assistance she received. “My fellowship reduced the economic pressures so I could really immerse myself in the experience and consider a variety of options after graduating,” says Williams. Currently an engagement manager for McKinsey & Company in Atlanta, she draws upon the insight she gained at HBS for her work helping clients facing significant business challenges.

Given her own experience as a fellowship recipient, Williams supports financial aid through the HBS Fund for Leadership and Innovation. “Now that I am in a position to give back, HBS is at the top of my list,” she says.

“I want to help put others in a position to choose careers based on impact and enrichment, and not just a paycheck.”

Saurav Patyal (MBA 2018)
(photo by Susan Young)

Saurav Patyal (MBA 2018)
(photo by Susan Young)

RECIPIENT: HBS Fund for Leadership and Innovation

The HBS mission—to educate leaders who make a difference in the world—resonates deeply with Saurav Patyal (MBA 2018). “My goal is to utilize business and innovation to impact people’s lives on a large scale,” he explains. “I’m excited about improving access to affordable health care globally and especially in South Asia, where I’m from.”

As an undergraduate at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India, Patyal started a rural social enterprise in southern India that provided supplementary education, support for marginalized farmers, and vocational training. He earned an engineering and economics degree in 2011, was a consultant at McKinsey & Company in India, and led commercial operations for Abbott India Limited in Nepal before coming to HBS.

A fellowship is enabling Patyal to pursue his MBA to gain the broad-based skills he needs to become a strong and holistic leader. A member of the HBS Health Care Club, he helped organize its 2017 conference and plans to get more involved in the School’s Health Care Initiative. Patyal says his time at HBS is inspiring him to think bigger about his role in the health care landscape.

“Without a fellowship, I would feel constrained in the breadth of career opportunities I could consider,” he notes. Patyal explains that the financial assistance he receives will become even more critical when his wife, Tanvi Jain Patyal, joins the MBA Class of 2019 next fall.

“This fellowship gives my wife and me the incredible opportunity to gain one of the most enriching and transformational educational experiences of our lives.”

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