Smith Soc Featured Member

Questions and Answers with Adam Smith Society Members.

Keshav Nair | NYU Stern Chapter

Keshav is a second year student specializing in Finance, Strategy and Accounting. Before moving to NYC for Stern, he worked in product management for Kohler Company in Wisconsin and NAVEX Global in Atlanta. He will be working for Prudential full-time in a Finance rotational program.

What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone?

I have moved around a lot in my life. Born in India; then Malaysia from ages 1-8; the the US. In the US, I have lived in New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Wisconsin and New York at different points. "Where are you from" has always been a tough question to answer.

How do you curate your intellectual diet? What blogs, publications, etc. do you ready daily?

I started getting into audiobooks this year. I enjoy reading/listening to books relating to finance, human nature and soft skills. Favorite authors are Michael Lewis, Raghuram Rajan, Malcolm Gladwell, Charles Duhigg, Leil Lowndes and Kevin Hart (yes, the comedian). For publications, I enjoy reading the Markets and Economics sections of the WSJ. I also touch on Economist every now and then.

Name something you’ve gained from your membership in the Adam Smith Society that you feel like you could not have gotten elsewhere in your MBA program.

I like that the Society encourages debate over free markets and considers different points of view. While many programs/campuses state that they encourage a diversity of ideas, in reality they fall short. Personally, I like that my personal views on having a conservative approach on certain issues is welcomed in The Adam Smith Society without judgment.

Who is your favorite founding father (or president) and why?

Ben Franklin. He was a remarkable individual who influenced several domains from political theory to science. He must have had a great deal of curiosity.

NASA sends you to colonize a new planet, but you can only take 3 books: one on political & economic philosophy to help start the govt., one business book to guide entrepreneurs, & a work of fiction to keep everyone entertained. What do you take and why?

"Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith, or just some summary of the key takeaways from it. "The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki for entrepreneurs. Kevin Hart's autobiography (audiobook) for entertainment - it's hilarious.