Sun Devil stories: Neeraj Madan

We caught up with Neeraj Madan (MS-BA '15) to talk about the W. P. Carey Alumni Council, his involvement in and outside of Arizona, and the mutual benefits of alumni-school engagement. For this Dallas-based W. P. Carey Sun Devil, “it’s a proud feeling to be a part of the world’s largest and strongest alumni community.”

What inspired you to join the W. P. Carey Alumni Council?

 Neeraj:  I owe my thankful gratitude to ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business, IBM, and my mentors for always encouraging me to give back to the community and build future leaders and technologists. It's a real honor to drive Dean Amy Hillman's strategic initiatives as well as an opportunity to collaborate with other bright members, all of which inspired me to join the W. P. Carey Alumni Council.

What do you gain through your involvement?

 Neeraj:  I strongly believe that giving back is always a two-way street in terms of both learning and experience.

What does the school gain through alumni engagement?

 Neeraj:  During the 2015 student leadership award ceremony address, I recall that Dean Hillman highlighted the W. P. Carey School of Business as being a risk-free environment, where everyone should dream big and be encouraged to innovate. The Alumni Council supports this by continuously seeking areas to help the students to see the business world from a newer perspective and solve real-world business problems. To quote few examples:

What does being a W. P. Carey Sun Devil mean to you?

 Neeraj:  It's a proud feeling to be a part of the world's largest and strongest alumni community, which demonstrates a very strong value system and always stands by each other.

This means a great responsibility to set an example for others. In my case, I have set some SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) give back goals for year 2019 just like we set our professional goals:

1. Mentor 5 individuals to accomplish/realize their potential and goals
2. Help 1 individual to find a job/enter the workforce
3. Make 20 introductions within my LinkedIn network
4. Speak with at least 2 individuals per week (if they reach us) and help the potential ones with a referral.
5. Give back to myself by talking to at least 2 to 3 new individuals every month outside my domain to gain a new perspective

Currently working with IBM, Neeraj Madan has over 15 years of experience in diverse areas such as data science, strategy consulting, organization development, program management, and people management.

Say hello to Neeraj: Email | LinkedIn | Twitter