Nabeel Mukarram

Balancing a Consulting Career, Theatre & Leadership – Nabeel's Journey to HEC Paris MBA

Q: Nabeel, you have a rather unique profile. You're a management consultant by profession, but you're also deeply involved in theatre and the performing arts. Tell us a little about your background.

Nabeel: I've always come from what I'd call a fairly unconventional family. We have teachers, journalists, people working in film—so the corporate world wasn't really the obvious path growing up. In many ways, I became the corporate black sheep of the family!

I studied Economics during my undergraduate years, but I always knew I wanted to pursue something creative alongside academics. I discovered theatre relatively late, around the age of 18, but once I started performing, writing and eventually directing, I realized how much I enjoyed bringing people together to create something meaningful.

Theatre became much more than a hobby. It taught me how to lead, collaborate and communicate—skills that I didn't fully appreciate at the time, but which later became incredibly valuable in consulting.

Professionally, consulting felt like the perfect intersection of creativity and business. It's one of the few careers where you're constantly solving new problems, working across different situations, and thinking creatively while still operating in a structured business environment.

I joined ZS Associates, and over the past five years I've worked across strategy, M&A, commercial consulting and public sector projects within the pharmaceutical industry.

At the same time, I didn't want to lose my connection with theatre. Since 2022, I've produced multiple plays across Pune and Mumbai, including productions that competed at Thespo. While consulting became my profession, theatre has remained a huge part of who I am.

How Theatre Made Me a Better Consultant

Q: When we first met, you mentioned that theatre has actually made you a better consultant. How has that translated into your professional life?

Nabeel: More than anything else, theatre taught me presence.

As consultants, we're constantly interacting with clients, senior stakeholders and project teams. Theatre teaches you not just how to speak confidently, but also when to step forward and when to step back so that others can shine.

Another lesson was the importance of preparation.

On stage, you never walk into a performance without rehearsing. Consulting is no different. The same message won't resonate with every stakeholder, so you need to understand your audience, prepare your communication and adapt your delivery accordingly.

Those are skills I learned in theatre long before I consciously realized I was using them in consulting.

Why Pursue an MBA After a Successful Consulting Career?

Q: You were already in a great place professionally. ZS is one of the best consulting firms in its space, and you were working on high-impact strategy projects. What motivated you to pursue an MBA?

Nabeel: Honestly, ZS is an incredible place to work.

I was fortunate to work with talented people who genuinely cared about doing great work, and I had exposure to an amazing variety of projects—from strategy and M&A to public sector engagements.

The only limitation wasn't the work itself—it was the industry.

Over time, I realized that while I'd developed strong consulting skills, most of my experience was concentrated within healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

I reached a point where I wanted to understand how those consulting skills could translate into other industries and geographies.

The second reason was exposure.

I wanted to meet people who had built careers very differently from mine. One of the biggest attractions of an MBA is the opportunity to learn from classmates who come from different countries, industries and backgrounds. That kind of diversity pushes you to think differently.

Those were probably the two biggest reasons behind my decision to pursue an MBA.

Planning the MBA Journey

Q: Looking back, the MBA application process is a significant undertaking. How did you approach it, and what surprised you the most?

Nabeel: The first milestone for me was getting a GMAT score that I was genuinely happy with.

Once that was done, I knew I wanted guidance because balancing consulting projects with MBA applications isn't easy.

One of the first things we worked on together was building a coherent story.

From the outside, my career looked like a fairly straightforward consulting profile. But once we started reflecting on my experiences, the connection between consulting, theatre and leadership became much clearer.

From there, everything else followed naturally—identifying target schools, choosing geographies and aligning programs with my long-term goals.

One of the biggest realizations during the process was understanding how admissions committees actually build MBA classes.

Coming from the Indian education system, we're often conditioned to believe that success is purely about numbers—marks, test scores and rankings.

MBA admissions are very different.

Top business schools aren't simply looking for the highest GMAT scores. They're building diverse communities made up of people with different experiences, perspectives and ambitions.

That completely changed how I thought about my own application.

Choosing Europe Over the US

Q: Initially, you were considering both the US and Europe. What eventually made you choose Europe?

Nabeel: I genuinely believe both geographies have their own strengths.

The US offers access to the world's largest economy, a longer MBA format and more time to explore different career paths.

But for me personally, Europe always felt like the better fit.

I grew up in the UAE, and I've always envisioned building my long-term career in the Middle East. European business schools have strong connections with the region, and I also wanted to experience a different style of leadership and business thinking.

The shorter duration of European programs was another advantage, but what excited me most was the diversity.

European MBA classrooms are incredibly international. You're surrounded by people from every part of the world, and no single nationality dominates the class.

That global perspective was something I valued enormously.

Why HEC Paris?

Q: Tell us a little about choosing HEC Paris.

Nabeel: My applications initially included both European and US schools.

Receiving an early admit from HEC gave me the flexibility to rethink my strategy.

Interestingly, the deeper I went into the application process, the more I realized that Europe aligned with my long-term goals.

Sometimes you start the journey thinking rankings are everything.

But once you begin interviewing, speaking with students and reflecting on your own aspirations, you realize that fit matters much more than prestige.

HEC consistently felt like the place where I could achieve what I wanted professionally while also being in an environment that matched my personality and ambitions.

That clarity made the final decision surprisingly easy.

Advice for Future MBA Applicants

Q: Looking back, what advice would you give someone who's still deciding whether an MBA is the right choice?

Nabeel: I think every applicant should start by asking themselves three simple questions.

First: Do I want to change geography?

Second: Do I want to change industry?

Third: Do I want to change function?

If your answer is "yes" to at least two of those three questions, then an MBA is probably worth serious consideration.

But don't stop there.

Once you're clear about what you're trying to achieve, work backwards.

Identify the industries you're targeting, the geographies you want to build your career in and the lifestyle you want after graduation.

Only then should you start looking at business schools.

Don't choose a school simply because it's ranked higher.

Choose the school that best aligns with your career goals, financial situation and long-term aspirations.

For me, changing geography was always a definite priority. Once I had that clarity, the rest of my decisions became much easier.

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