In this installment of our Real Humans: Alumni series, we meet Jonathan Kotek, who entered an MBA program to pivot away from consulting. He chose Northwestern Kellogg not just for its long track record of successful professional outcomes, academic rigor, and network strength, but for its culture. Keep reading to learn how Kotek’s time at Kellogg developed his skills at breaking down complex business problems and thinking with an executive lens in preparation for his transition to strategy and development management at one of the world’s largest companies, PepsiCo.
Jonathan Kotek, Northwestern Kellogg MBA ’25, Associate Manager at PepsiCo
Age: 28
Hometown: Brookfield, WI
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Notre Dame, Finance
Graduate Business School, Graduation Year and Concentration: Kellogg School of Management, 2025, Strategy, Management Analytics, and Finance
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Before Kellogg, I was a Senior Consultant at EY for 4 years, working across industries (CPG, industrial manufacturing, etc.) on supply chain strategy engagements.
Post-MBA Work Experience: After Kellogg, I joined PepsiCo as an Associate Manager in Strategy and Business Development starting in August 2025. In my role, I work on M&A and partnership strategy supporting the company’s foods portfolio.
Why did you choose to attend business school?
I wanted to use business school to pivot out of consulting and try something new, but I wasn’t exactly sure what that would be. I approached business school as an opportunity to explore through an internship, coursework, conversations with other students, and networking to better understand what I wanted to do next.
Why Kellogg? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Kellogg because it hit the mark on the key measurables (e.g., professional outcomes, academic quality, network strength), while also feeling like the right cultural fit. From the beginning, Kellogg felt unique for how generous, close-knit, and collaborative the student body was. Once I experienced that culture, it became an easy decision.
What about your MBA experience prepared you for your current career? How do you feel that your MBA has been an asset when it comes to navigating new challenges, such as AI?
My MBA experience taught me how to break down complex business questions and think with an executive lens, asking the right strategic questions and “seeing the forest through the trees”. It also made me more nimble. I feel better equipped to react, pivot, and proactively engage with new challenges like AI. Conversations with classmates and professors also encouraged me to adopt new tools quickly rather than wait to see how they might impact my work.
What was your internship during business school? How did that inform your post-MBA career choice?
I interned as a Program Manager Intern at Amazon in San Diego. Early in my time at Kellogg, I knew I wanted to try out Tech Product/Program Management as a potential path. It was a fantastic experience, I learned so much about a new role and industry and took away many “Amazon-isms” that I will use long into the future. Ultimately I chose to pursue other opportunities but the internship gave me clarity and confidence about the direction I wanted to take after my MBA.
Why did you choose your current company? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to work?
I chose PepsiCo for three reasons: I wanted to work for a company close to the consumer, one where I could have a real impact on the business, and one with a high-performing team I could learn from.
PepsiCo checks each of those boxes. It has iconic brands that many of us grew up with, and the strategic moves we make show up directly on store shelves. The company is also at an exciting moment, evolving its portfolio to respond to changing consumer preferences, with a strong focus on M&A and partnerships—the team I joined. Finally, I was immediately drawn to the people I met during the process. My future colleagues were sharp, and I knew I would learn from them.
Advice to current MBA students:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of the job search?
Treat the internship and job search as truly exploratory exercises rather than boxing your search into traditional paths laid out by classmates and historical MBA outcomes data.
–One thing you would change or do differently as part of the job search?
I would focus more on quality rather than quantity in applications and networking. MBA students (myself included) often apply to any role that sounds somewhat interesting, but investing more time building deeper connections with a smaller set of companies is often more effective.
–Were there any surprises regarding your current employer’s recruiting process?
I assumed most MBA hiring groups treated you like just another number, but I was surprised to learn with PepsiCo and other companies I applied to that this isn’t always the case. I was pleasantly surprised by how personal the process felt, which reinforced that this was the right place for me!
–What piece of advice do you wish you had been given during your MBA?
I wish someone had advised me to have more career conversations with classmates. Programs like Kellogg have no shortage of career resources, but one of the greatest resources is the people I sat next to each day. Some of the most valuable insights I gained came from simple conversations over lunch or between classes, learning about others’ experiences and career goals to help clarify what I wanted, and what I didn’t.
