“Ambitious Indiana native, businessman and husband with a passion for enjoying life’s adventures.”
Hometown: Avon, Indiana
Fun fact about you: I was a member of the swim team at Purdue University.
Basic education and qualification: Purdue University, Bachelor of Industrial Engineering
Where did you last work before enrolling in business school? Eli Lilly & Company, Senior Associate – Equipment Assembly
Where did you do your internship in summer 2023? Deloitte, Chicago, Illinois
Where will you work after you graduate? Deloitte, Senior Consultant
Community work and leadership roles in the business school:
- Business Marketing Academy consultancy for large food company
- Consulting assignment from Globese Botswana with skin care company
- Life Science Academy, graduate
- The Washington Campus, Graduate
- Globase Argentina, Head of Client Engagement for a team of first-year MBA students advising an industrial client
- Research assistant for marketing professor Joshua Gildea
- President of the MBA Association Golf Club
- Hoosier Host for prospective students
What academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of while studying at business school? I am most proud of the impact I have made through the Globase program. With my client in Botswana, we were able to quickly build a relationship, create trust, and have a lasting impact on her business. I am proud to have been given the opportunity to lead an engagement in my second year in Argentina and look forward to creating even more lasting impact.
What achievement in your professional career are you most proud of? While at Eli Lilly, I worked in dry goods packaging. One of the drugs we packaged, baricitinib, was approved by the FDA for emergency use authorization during COVID-19. Our demand exploded quickly and I was part of the team that helped manage this transition and increase our capacity. I am proud of this accomplishment because I saw in real time how my work at Lilly was benefiting patients and saving lives.
Why did you choose this business school? I chose the Kelley School of Business because of its focus on developing leaders in the life sciences field. When I came to the business school, I knew this was the industry I wanted to focus on, and IU offers specific programs to support life sciences students.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite professor for MBA courses is Greg Fisher. I took Venture Strategy (W511) with him. Greg is my favorite professor because of the passion he shows for his class and his students. He designs each lecture to be interactive and engaging, and he brings in great real-world examples and stories. His lectures are a great mix of teaching basic business skills and discussing leadership lessons necessary for success in business.
What was your favorite course during your MBA? My favorite MBA course was Negotiation (W505), taught by Richard Ash. I felt that this course challenged me to develop new skills and build confidence in negotiating. The course provided many opportunities to negotiate directly with fellow students, which was informative and enjoyable.
What MBA event or tradition did you enjoy most at your business school? My favorite MBA tradition is Globase. This program is very impactful in terms of both business knowledge and cultural experience. I enjoyed building relationships with business leaders around the world and tackling challenges together. This program also gave me the opportunity to create lasting memories with colleagues I traveled with.
Looking back on your MBA experience, what would you do differently and why? If I could do one thing differently, I would spend more time on experiential learning opportunities outside of the classroom. The classroom experience was excellent, but the programs I experienced outside of the classroom (Globase, Washington Campus, etc.) had the biggest impact on my development. I did a lot of experiential learning, but I would seek out even more and advise aspiring MBAs to do the same.
What is the biggest myth about your school? The biggest myth about Kelley is that it is a smaller program. While the overall enrollment in the MBA program is small compared to our peers, Kelley is a huge school with undergraduate and other graduate programs. There are an unlimited number of resources and opportunities that students can utilize to maximize their MBA experience.
What did you like most about your business school city? I love that the city of Bloomington is centered around Indiana University. The city supports the university tremendously well. Bloomington and Southern Indiana are peaceful and beautiful, especially in the fall and spring. I also appreciate that everything and everyone is close by. It’s easy to get around with friends and have fun here for a reasonable price.
What surprised you most about business school? What surprised me most about the business school was the friendliness of the IU community. I was expecting more of a competitive, cutthroat environment. But faculty, staff and students pull together and it feels like a team. I admire the collaborative culture that IU is able to create for its MBA program.
Which MBA classmate do you admire the most? I admire Aidan Dillon for many reasons. He has served our country at West Point and the Army, is a successful student, and delivers exceptional work on projects and during his internship. What I admire most, however, is his personality. He is a great husband, loving father of two amazing children, and miraculously still has time to spend time with others and be a great friend! I am so grateful to have been able to share this experience with him and know he has a great future ahead of him.
What are the two most important things on your professional bucket list? The top two items on my career wish list are: (1) pursue an international mission and (2) strive to make a meaningful difference and drive innovation in the life sciences industry.
What made Grant such a valuable addition to the 2024 class?
“Grant Lewis possesses a unique combination of work ethic and personal drive, as well as a constant desire to support his classmates and build community. His work ethic was undoubtedly honed as a Division 1 collegiate swimmer (for a specific upstate school). His drive to succeed is evident in how he has leveraged his background in life sciences at Eli Lilly & Company and through the Business Marketing Academy, Life Sciences Academy, and his emphasis in Business Analytics. Grant has positioned himself to join the Deloitte Strategy and Analytics Practice upon graduation.
Grant has also been instrumental in fostering community at Kelley. A big part of that is his constant presence, whether at social events or meetings. But more than that, he has also been a leader. Grant was selected as a leader for GLOBASE 2024 and led a consulting team on a project for a skin care company in Buenos Aires, Argentina – again demonstrating how he can leverage his experience in the life sciences to support the experiences of students in our program. This leadership role at GLOBASE has been especially important as it builds connections between our first and second year MBA students.
Grant is one of those students that stands out to a professor in class – one whose academic performance is soaring and who his peers look to for support. When a professor notices a student like this, he knows he has a leader in front of him: humble, but doing things right for the right reasons. He is shaping his own career and helping his peers do the same. That describes Grant perfectly and is why he is an outstanding candidate.”
John D. Hill
Faculty Chair, MBA Program
