Prem Padhye

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Prem Padhye

“…even though school can be competitive when it comes to grades and who’s getting what internship, it’s amazing how truly everyone is committed to helping each other achieve their goals.”

My story

I started a business in 2011 along with my brother hoping to make a mark on the growing functional foods industry.  Leading up to it, I had the privilege of having worked for several great companies in a variety of roles.  I felt pretty confident that with my knowledge of product development, sales, and manufacturing I would be able to get a very good start and could learn the rest along the way.  While we were initially successful in selling our products, I came to realize that I really needed a more solid background in general management and marketing as we were having a tough time to getting to that next level.  I wanted to pursue an MBA to gain the business frameworks I was missing as well as join a professional network that would be able to inspire me in my future pursuits and learn from their breadth of unique experiences.

Why Carlson?

There were three factors I considered when looking for the right program for me.  Were the recruiting companies I’d have access to diverse and sought-after, would I be able to participate in meaningful experiential learning opportunities, and was the student body accomplished and close-knit.  While there are many programs that are great in one or two of those categories, it was really only Carlson that rose to the top as the clear choice in having all three.  Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do post-graduation, having the opportunity to pursue such an array of Fortune 100 companies made me feel confident that exploring my career options would be possible.  Searching through LinkedIn at where different alumni worked showed me that there was no limitation to where I could go and that there would also be a strong network in any industry I pursued.  The experiential opportunities, primarily through the different enterprise programs, seemed to have really exciting clients and projects for students to spearhead.  Most other MBA programs had a component of this, but not nearly to the extent of what I found when researching Carlson.  Now that my enterprise has started, I can say with certainty that the projects are complex and meaningful, and the problems we’re trying to solve have immediate and significant impacts to our clients.  Finally, I can’t say enough about how amazing it is to know my classmates so well, yet at the same time I feel like I’m learning something impressive and interesting about someone every day.  There are just over a hundred students in my class, and even though school can be competitive when it comes to grades and who’s getting what internship, it’s amazing how truly everyone is committed to helping each other achieve their goals.  Choosing an MBA program is a huge decision, and I’m glad I chose Carlson knowing I have a great future ahead.

About Prem

Hometown
Maple Grove, MN
Undergraduate Institution
University of Wisconsin – Madison Mechanical Engineering
Experience
Paragon Fruits Co-Founder
S&P Marketing Business Development
General Electric – GE Healthcare Sales - Interventional Cardiology
General Mills Manufacturing Engineering - Meals Product Development - Foodservice Packaging Engineering - Cereal
Boston Scientific R&D - Peripheral Vascular
Carlson Activities
Brands Enterprise
Carlson Marketing Network
Carlson Ambassadors
Professional Interests
Strategy
Company
Medtronic
Job Title
Strategy & Sales Ops, RTG Surgical Synergy Clinical Sales