International MBA alumna gains skills to flourish in operations and supply chain position

International MBA alumna Nikita Pandey (’21 IMBA) is finding a supportive and collaborative work environment in her first year as a senior analyst at Wayfair home goods retailer. Wayfair allows her to independently make decisions that can impact the company’s network planning and optimization area to make it more efficient and productive. 

Directly applying to Wayfair the skills she gained from completing the International MBA, Pandey works for Wayfair’s North American transportation team, which helps build plans for the company’s Canada network.

“In my job, I am constantly looking for process improvements, potential finance and engineering issues and cost-saving opportunities,” she said. “I try to fully optimize the Canadian transportation route so that our internal and external stakeholders’ needs are met.”

The opportunity to learn new things and help the company grow has inspired Pandey to “give 100 percent” to enhancing the company’s mission; she plans to take full advantage of her opportunities with Wayfair, much like she did while she was in the International MBA program.

Before enrolling at the Moore School, Pandey was a senior software engineer for Bank of America in India, working her way up from senior tech associate in just two years with the company. With an IMBA, Pandey said she had hopes of applying her skills in a new field.

Initially focused on enhancing her soft skills in the IMBA program, Pandey chose to pursue her International MBA so she could pursue a leadership role in the supply chain industry. Once she was in the IMBA program, she said she realized she was not only working on those soft skills but was also building her analytical and technical skills, which she now uses daily with Wayfair.

Emphasizing business analytics throughout its curriculum, the Moore School’s International MBA delivers an intensive study of international business with world-class faculty, unmatched study abroad immersion experience and real-world-scenario training. These attributes contributed to the IMBA being ranked No. 1 for the ninth consecutive year, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 rankings released in March. This is the 33rd consecutive year the IMBA program has been in the top 3.

Because of its reputable ranking and top accolades, Pandey said the Moore School became her top choice for an International MBA.

“My goal was always to pivot into an operations and supply chain career after three years of professional work experience,” she said. “I knew the Moore School was the right place to start that transition thanks to all the reputable accolades their International MBA program received and what they provide candidates.”

Pandey says in tandem with gaining invaluable business analytics skills, she enhanced the soft skills needed to succeed, including leadership, communication and working with a team.

“Working in groups, case competitions and capstone consulting projects gave me good opportunities to refine my soft skills,” Pandey said.

Pandey also credits the Office of Career Management with helping her improve on the skills needed to succeed in the operations and supply chain industry.

“The Office of Career Management helped bridge the gap between my communication and networking skills so that I could effectively interact with industry professionals,” she said.

Another way IMBA candidates build on their skills and knowledge is through an international immersion experience. Unfortunately, Pandey could not travel abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was disappointing not getting to travel to another country, but I was able to gain some flexibility in the classes I took,” she said. “I got to take several courses on international topics as well as a mix of specializations within the International MBA curriculum.”

Thanks to the extra courses she took, Pandey was able to get her Business Analytics Graduate Certificate and Global Strategy Graduate Certificate.

Armed with the skills she developed at the Moore School, Pandey will continue growing in her role with Wayfair. Pandey said in the future she would like to continue working in the supply chain industry in a managerial role. She said she wants to transition from an individual contributor role to a team leader position.

-James Culbertson