Joint-Degree Spotlight: Transforming Food Systems Through Business and Policy

Hometown: Bangalore, India
Education: Bachelor of arts and law, NALSAR University of Law
Internships: Archer Daniels Midland, Bezos Earth Fund

Why did you decide to pursue a joint degree at Yale SOM?

Before grad school, I worked at a nonprofit in India focused on reforming industrial animal agriculture. There, I got to help grow the country’s ecosystem for cage-free and plant-based foods. While I was applying for public policy programs, several joint-degree students that I spoke with recommended that with my interest and involvement in India’s food sector, I would benefit from doing an MBA too. This ultimately proved to be the right decision.

Describe some favorite classes and/or campus groups you’ve participated in.

Some of my favorite Jackson classes are the history and statistics core courses taught by Professors David Engerman and Justin Thomas, respectively. I’ve also enjoyed Policy Challenges in the Sahel, taught by Professor Bisa Williams.

At SOM, I’ve benefitted from the core courses Investor, Sourcing and Managing Funds, and Competitor. The elective course Interpersonal Dynamics, and the Brazil Amazon Global Network Week were also standouts.

Have there been unexpected benefits from your joint-degree program?

I have more questions than ever about the roles of the public and private sector in food systems transformations, but I’m more convinced than before that it will not happen without their partnership. I have developed a similar understanding for other sectors that my joint-degree peers are involved in. I’ve gained a system-wide lens on the challenge I sought to understand coming into graduate school. In addition, I’ve built a larger community of personal and professional relationships from both schools that I deeply cherish.

What professional opportunities have you pursued as a result of your joint degree?

I've pursued two different but complementary internships: one at the multinational food company Archer Daniels Midland on their venture capital team, and another at the Bezos Earth Fund. In both internships, I worked on projects related to financing alternative protein projects, and I believe these experiences were only possible because of the joint degree. After I graduate, I hope to pursue opportunities that involve some mix of public and private sector strategy.

How has your MBA enriched your understanding of public policy?

My MBA has taught me that the private sector both influences and is influenced by public policy. For a full-system transformation, the private sector will have to be a part of the theory of change. Studying at Yale SOM has helped me understand how that might happen.