In many ways, brothers Nakul and Nishul Juneja (MBA ’22) live up to the identical twin stereotype.
They wear similar rectangular glasses and often finish each other’s sentences. They completed the same undergraduate program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, then both went on to work at the Hershey Company’s corporate office as analysts. Now, they’re checking off another major milestone together: graduating with MBA degrees from the Rotman School of Management.
It’s a familiar problem for marketers — and one the Juneja brothers grappled with — when a similar brand exists in the market, how do you differentiate?
“People assume we have the same outlook on everything, but it’s very different at times,” says Nishul. “It was our experience at Rotman which helped us understand how to identify and leverage our personal strengths.”
Following graduation, the brothers will split off on different paths, with Nakul joining consulting firm McKinsey & Company as an associate, while Nishul joins Amazon’s advertising team as a senior product manager. And while their academic paths at Rotman were mirrored — from taking nearly the same courses, joining the same clubs and both interning at Amazon — their time at Rotman proved invaluable in helping each of them define their own personal brand.
Nakul Juneja
Spending time with Nakul, you’ll quickly realize he loves experiencing new things, despite being the more introverted twin.
When they were picking out their first cars, Nakul went for a red open Jeep, while his brother opted for a much more muted option — a Ford SUV. While he had never worked in a consulting role before, it was one of its long-time goals to give it a try. During the MBA program, Nakul learned his strengths lie in strategy and international management. One of the highlights of his time at Rotman was participating in a mental health case competition with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Rotman Management Consulting Association.
“I found an appreciation for consulting work across different sectors and discovered the impact I can have on people and organizations through my work,” he says.
Like his brother, Nakul also considered joining Amazon full-time after graduation. During his internship following his first year in the MBA program, he helped build an internal software product designed to track employee engagement. While he loved the stimulating environment there — especially as The Great Resignation had started to take hold — he decided to pursue his long-time dream of a career in consulting.
“I’m excited for this new chapter in my career,” says Nakul. “McKinsey works with global companies on complex issues where I can really apply the learnings and frameworks from class, from negotiation to international business.”
Nishul Juneja
Nishul also thrived during an internship at Amazon and decided to return after graduation. He saw that the opportunities in the company aligned with his long-term career goal: to manage diverse teams, and ultimately become a leader at a global company.
“Amazon is probably the most customer-obsessed company in the world, and it meshes well with my desire to become a customer-obsessed manager,” says Nishul.
The brothers agree that Nishul is the more extraverted twin, and his experience at Rotman shows it. He pursued an executive position in the Rotman Marketing Association, where he served as the vice-president of industry relations and finance. After a string of case competition losses in their first year, it was Nishul who decided the brothers would win at least one case competition before they graduated.
“We signed up as a two-person team for the Brewery Case Competition, hosted by the Rotman Beer Association, where you partner with a local brewery and try to fix a business problem for them,” says Nishul. “We were with Lost Craft Brewery, and we spent three days working on their business problem... and trying a bunch of their products.”
The brothers came in third place, which they took as a win.
“Everyone wants to do everything. There are a hundred different things to try during an MBA program and it really is like drinking from a firehose,” says Nishul. “I tried to find the two or three things that really mattered to me.”
Ruthless time management and sharp negotiation skills are just a couple of things Nakul and Nishul will take with them for the rest of their careers.
“Learning during this time was a life-changing experience,” says Nishul, noting they began the program in September 2020 when companies, schools and governments were “resetting.”
“We’re now entering a world where everything has changed, and we have the right skillset to succeed in this new world,” he adds. “In business, we’re seeing new regulations and a big push towards e-commerce and international trade — all these things which we learned in-depth at Rotman.”
For Nakul, it's the warm and welcoming community he found in Toronto and at Rotman that made an impact on him as an international student.
“It’s the most familiar unfamiliar place you’ll ever see. Your classmates are there for you. The school is there for you,” he says. “It might take some time to get used to things, especially for folks who are more reserved, but once you’re here, you’ll see that there are opportunities for everyone.”
Nakul and Nishul are now poised to embrace the world separately, but together.
“We came to Rotman wanting to pivot our careers and meet interesting people, and we’re leaving with so much more than that,” says Nakul. “We now have the knowledge and experience to help us succeed in an ever-changing world.”
“Getting a refreshing perspective on the world, working with students and professors from diverse backgrounds — it makes you see the world differently than before,” adds Nishul.
“It changes the way you see problems, the way you behave, and ultimately, who you are.”
Written by Jessie Park | More Student Stories »