8 to Watch Under 40
Photos by Jim Newberry, Noni Brueckner, and Paul L. Newby II
You’re about to meet an exciting group of Business Badgers.
Get to know eight Wisconsin School of Business graduates making an impact on their industries.
—Pranay Kapadia
Co-founder and CEO, Notable
Pranay Kapadia (BS '05, MBA '07)
City: San Mateo, California
Title: Co-founder and CEO, Notable
Previous Jobs: Product roles at Intuit; vice president of project management at Blend
Why he's among the 8 to Watch: Kapadia founded Notable, a software company that is transforming health care by freeing up physicians’ administrative burdens and allowing them to focus more on patient care. Using artificial intelligence, Notable’s wearable, voice-powered system uses Apple Watches to help physicians collect patient data.
Accepting the challenge: Kapadia began his career at Intuit after earning his MBA and asked for the company’s most challenging assignment. He landed it—creating multicurrency QuickBooks accounting software. When he launched Notable in 2017, the challenge was right in its name. “If you look closely, it says ‘not able.’ Everyone said, ‘You’re not able to do that.’”
Key career moment: Globalizing QuickBooks opened Kapadia’s eyes even more to the business of software and how it could transform lives. He left Intuit to enter the startup world first with Blend, a digital lending platform.
Helping health care: Growing up in India, Kapadia wanted to be a doctor but couldn’t afford medical school. Instead, he came to UW–Madison to study computer science. His physician wife once remarked that her job’s paperwork made her and her colleagues “the highest paid data collectors in the world.” That sparked Kapadia’s idea for Notable.
The impact of a WSB degree: Kapadia loved finding ways to solve problems with computers, but knew he couldn’t transform anything by himself. “Even if you have the solution for a global problem, to scale it and actually solve it is not a one-person job.” Earning an MBA got him out from behind the computer to learn the skills and meet people who could help advance his ideas.
Advice to students and young professionals: Kapadia says he spent much of his youth trying to fit in but eventually realized it was more productive to follow his passions and curiosity. “Once you realize you’re not supposed to fit in a certain mold, embrace it and realize that everyone else is different, too.”
Emily Bremer (BS ’11, MBA ’19)
City: Burlington, Vermont
Title: Brand manager-content marketing, Seventh Generation
Previous Jobs: Marketing roles at Trek Bicycle, including marketing manager roles for both the product and women’s divisions, and senior marketing manager
Why she's among the 8 to Watch: Bremer’s strong commitment to applying her business knowledge in a mission-driven company has led to increased global marketing roles at Trek Bicycles and Seventh Generation, which sells eco-friendly paper, cleaning, and personal care products.
Key career moment: Getting a foot in the door at Trek, a company for which she was eager to work, sent Bremer on her way. An avid cyclist, she took a customer service job there shortly after graduating with a psychology degree, then made connections within the company to take advantage of opportunities. “I was quite persistent. I know you often hear, ‘Take risks in your career,’ but it’s true. I put myself out there quite a few times and didn’t always get the outcome I wanted. It’s all part of the growth process.”
Eyes on her work: Bremer was part of a Seventh Generation team that recently launched a climate crisis call-to-action campaign with a TV commercial that aired during the State of the Union address and was featured in The New York Times and Forbes.
Making an impact: Bremer’s strongest motivation is working to improve the lives of people and the planet, first through encouraging bicycling at Trek and then through sustainability at Seventh Generation. Undergraduate work in psychology and child development opened her eyes to what makes people tick, and an MBA helped her learn how to put that into action.
The impact of a WSB degree: Bremer considers herself a “forever learner.” She sought an MBA to get back to a formal education setting, enhance her marketing skills, and learn more about the businesses where she wanted to work. “I know that completing my MBA helped land me where I am today.”
Advice to students and young professionals: Seek out a mentor, and don’t be shy about it. “There is so much power in asking someone you admire to be your mentor.”
—Emily Bremer
Brand Manager-Content Marketing, Seventh Generation
—Drew Vernon
Marketing Director, Tonies
Drew Vernon (MBA '12)
City: Simsbury, Connecticut
Title: Marketing director, Tonies
Previous Job: Brand manager, The LEGO Group; assistant brand manager, Kao and Procter & Gamble; stockbroker
Why he's among the 8 to Watch: Vernon’s creative approach to working with products have made an impact not just on his company, but in the lives of the children who use them. Vernon was behind the launch of LEGO’s Prescription for Play, a partnership with pediatricians promoting parent-child play that quickly grew nationally. This spring, he joined the German toy company Tonies for its U.S. launch.
A passion for innovation: After earning his MBA at WSB, Vernon developed new technologies and products at Procter & Gamble and Kao. “After that, I jumped at the chance to work with something I’d been passionate about since I was a kid.”
All work, some play: Vernon landed a job at LEGO through Wisconsin connections, and will continue to work in the toy industry with Tonies. “Sure, there are meetings and emails, but there’s a fair amount of play. You’re in a good mood at work because you’re making kids happy.”
A self-starter: Before getting his MBA, Vernon was a stockbroker who wanted to work in marketing. While at WSB he launched a blog about brands and marketing to offer insights in those fields. He credits the blog with helping him land the internship that led to his full-time job at Procter & Gamble. “So many people wait to be picked, but one of my mantras is that if you want something to happen, you need to make it happen. You have to pick yourself.”
The impact of a WSB degree: Vernon’s MBA gave him the ability to take his ideas and follow through. “What I took away from Wisconsin was that toolbox of how to think and how to approach a problem. That’s far more valuable than coming out with a specific set of answers to a specific set of questions.”
Alba Rosales (MBA '19)
City: Lakeville, Massachusetts
Title: Director of food safety and quality assurance, Ocean Spray
Previous Job: Research and development positions at Greenleaf Foods, Tyson Foods, and Kraft Foods
Why she's among the 8 to Watch: With a background in science and business, Rosales is driving change and growth in the food sector with experience leading teams in innovation, product development, and food safety.
From scientist to business leader: Rosales’ love of research took her to a career journey as a quality leader, senior scientist, and people manager. Her interest in how food science and business worked together influenced her next positions, enabling growth in the organizations she was part of. “As part of my day-to-day job, I am constantly operating as a hands-on mentor to my team and as a business consultant to my cross-functional partners,” she says.
Coming full circle: Product safety and innovation come together for Rosales in her current position, in which she leads a global team of 14 located in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. As Ocean Spray brings new products to the market, her work will be key. “My team is enabling innovation by ensuring we bring new products with consumer safety at the center and quality in the forefront,” she says.
The impact of a WSB degree: Rosales appreciates how the executive MBA taught her to better manage people, be equally comfortable with business and technical concepts, and gain the business knowledge to make informed decisions about contracts, supply chain, accounting, marketing, and other areas. “I already had a career in food science. It was more about, ‘How do I apply what I’m learning to my career and my field?’”
Rising to the challenge: Rosales grew up in El Salvador and could speak limited English when she came to graduate school in the U.S. in 2006. “I was afraid to even have a conversation with people,” says Rosales, who now speaks English fluently and enthusiastically. “It wasn’t easy, but now I look back and think, ‘That was pretty cool.’”
Advice to students and young professionals: Be open to opportunity, even if it takes you off the original path you saw for yourself.
—Alba Rosales
Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Ocean Spray
—Amy Fallucca
Founder and CEO, Bravent
Amy Fallucca (BBA ’08)
City: Milwaukee
Title: Founder and CEO at Bravent
Previous Jobs: Vice president of human resources at Centare; technical recruiter and account executive at Brooksource
Why she's among the 8 to Watch: Fallucca started her own human resources consulting business that helps small to mid-sized companies across the U.S. recruit, hire, and assess their people operations. Her expanding company, founded in 2016, has doubled its revenue every year so far. She was named one of Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 under 40 in 2019.
Breaking the mold: “When I had my first child, I wanted something that had more flexibility. One of the reasons I started Bravent was because I really didn’t see a lot of opportunities for people like myself—moms with young kids—to work part-time and flexible jobs. I want to challenge my customers—and demonstrate through my business—that the traditional nine-to-five workday model isn’t necessarily the only way to get work done and achieve great outcomes.”
Making an impact: As a volunteer and former board chair of Girls on the Run of Southeastern Wisconsin, Fallucca gives her time to an organization dedicated to helping young girls learn healthy lifestyle habits, focus on character development, and stay active by running. The program, which has chapters across the country, impacted more than 2,200 girls in Milwaukee last year.
The impact of a WSB degree: “When you start out in your career, you think your employer is going to be doing things by the textbook, and they’re not. What I liked about WSB was that we learned the textbook theory behind things, but then also learned through real-world case studies how things actually played out in real companies.”
Advice to students and young professionals: “It’s all about relationships and connections; start building a professional network right away. Stand out and make an impact, because nobody’s going to do it for you.”
Nick Millot (BBA ’12)
City: Chicago
Title: Vice president at Related Companies
Previous Jobs: Analyst at Wells Fargo
Why he's among the 8 to Watch: Named one of Crain’s Chicago’s 20 in their 20s, Millot has distinguished himself in the real estate world, quickly rising from analyst to vice president of development at Related. He oversees some of Chicago’s biggest real estate projects, including One Bennett Park and 400 North Lakeshore Drive.
A hands-on childhood: Millot grew up living in fixer-upper houses his parents bought and renovated. “I learned different aspects of real estate: what kind of value could come from working on projects yourself, the relationships you could build, and not just the numbers side of it—which I came to learn more at WSB—but really the construction side of it, and what it means to tear apart a wall and rip out flooring and rebuild something from the ground up.”
Day-to-day challenges: From start to finish, the projects Millot works on require input and collaboration from many different teams and stakeholders. He says the biggest challenge is finding a middle ground between all the designers, architects, contractors, and lawyers involved.
The impact of a WSB degree: The biggest lesson Millot took away from his time at WSB is balancing both analytical and interpersonal skills in his work. “As a developer, you can run all of the economics, you can have the perfect site, and you can really think you’ve hit a home run. But until you go and create those relationships with your contractors or your designers, it’s not going to be a success. Being able to do the numeric, behind-the-scenes work and being able to form relationships is really the strongest lesson I learned.”
What inspires him: “The most rewarding part is seeing tenants using the spaces that you have worked with your team for six years to design and construct.”
—Nick Millot
Vice President, Related Companies
—Adrianna Fie
Global Consumer Insights Associate, General Mills; Owner, Flotsam + Fork
Adrianna Fie (MBA ’17)
City: Minneapolis
Title: Global consumer insights associate, General Mills; owner, Flotsam + Fork
Previous Jobs: Retail positions in the specialty food industry
Why she's among the 8 to Watch: Fie brings unique insights as a former food professional to her work at General Mills and also owns a kitchen and home goods business that specializes in imported products through a brick-and-mortar store and online.
Roundabout way to an MBA: Fie earned her undergraduate degree in jewelry arts, then got a master’s in food studies. Wanting to further apply her food knowledge, she researched MBA programs and learned about WSB’s career path in consumer insights and market research. “I thought, ‘I can’t believe this is a job.’ It was exactly what I love—understanding why people eat what they eat and understanding people in general.”
Big company, small company: Fie relishes the opportunity to work simultaneously at a Fortune 500 company and in her own small business, where her husband runs the day-to-day operations. “I’m constantly learning about new practices, best practices, and how to translate them into my business.”
The impact of a WSB degree: A marketing strategy class provided Fie with great insight about the importance of building a brand. “It was a good reminder that your product might be similar to other products, but the way you bring it to the world can be different, and that’s what brings customers to you.”
Cheese as a marketing tool: While earning her MBA, Fie launched and managed a specialty cheese department at a local grocery store. It became an opportunity to do real-time market testing. “There were certain descriptors you could use about cheese and you could see people’s faces light up and they’d say, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m going to buy that one.’”
Advice to students and young professionals: Be flexible, even if you are passionate about your ideas. “Always look to adjust to consumer tastes, the marketplace, and the competition because things always change.”
Luis M. Otero (MBA ’12)
City: Madison, Wisconsin
Title: Director of strategic initiatives, Exact Sciences
Previous Jobs: Vice president-marketing, EDAP TMS; group marketing manager, Beckman Coulter; product manager, Boston Scientific; senior engineer/project manager, Johnson & Johnson
Why he's among the 8 to Watch: With a background in engineering and business, Otero helps Exact Sciences develop and bring to market products that provide early cancer detection, including the company’s flagship colon cancer screening test, Cologuard. He also led the commercial launch of a telehealth program and works on mergers and acquisitions, pipeline products, and other strategic initiatives throughout the growing company.
Key career step: After earning an engineering degree at MIT, Otero worked at Johnson & Johnson as a senior engineer and project manager. He gained experience in product development and product launches, but realized he wanted to make a deeper impact solving problems in the field of health care. That led to his decision to pursue an MBA in marketing.
Far from home: Otero grew up in Puerto Rico and hadn’t planned to return after graduating from MIT. But the Johnson & Johnson opportunity was based there, so he returned home for seven years. From the warmth of Puerto Rico, he visited Wisconsin for the first time as he was deciding on an MBA school. “It was cloudy, it was grey, it was cold…I fell in love with it. I just felt so welcomed by everyone at the business school.”
Staying connected: Otero gives back to WSB as an advisory board member for the Center for Brand and Product Management and helped Exact Sciences create an experiential learning project for MBA students this spring. A former collegiate volleyball player, Otero is also on the UW Athletic Department’s Fan Advisory Board.
The impact of a WSB degree: The network that comes with it. “Building those relationships proves helpful, not just when you are in school. Even now there are people I can text and say, ‘Have you ever had a problem like this? How do you approach it?’”
What inspires him: Being able to use his engineering and marketing skills to bring products to the market that can help have a positive impact in people’s lives.
—Luis M. Otero
Director of Strategic Initiatives, Exact Sciences, talking about his first visit to Wisconsin
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a partner at General Capital Group, was awarded the Mary Ellen Stanek Award for Diversity in Corporate Governance. The award, presented by the Greater Milwaukee Committee and Milwaukee Women inc, is given to one individual and one corporation annually that have demonstrated a commitment to promoting diversity resulting in increased gender diversity in leadership in Milwaukee. Gorens-Levy also recently helped launch a professional mentorship and career development program to promote diversity and inclusivity at the C-suite level.More Class Notes »
currently on the faculty at Madison College in the Accounting Department, is the recipient of the 2020 WICPA Excellence Award–Accounting Educator for excellence in teaching, mentoring, and promoting the accounting profession. More Class Notes »
recently began a position as an internship services specialist with a nonprofit organization, Year Up, in its Chicago office. Year Up’s mission is to close the opportunity divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education. His team is responsible for helping manage the experience of over 150 interns in Chicago. More Class Notes »