Rajiv Vinnakota

Co-Founder and Managing Director, The SEED Foundation
B.A. Molecular Biology, Princeton University

On why he chose Oliver Wyman:
I chose Oliver Wyman for a variety of reasons, but mostly because of the experiences I knew I would have and the people with whom I would get to work. I knew a few Analysts hired the previous year; they all spoke very highly about the firm, and especially the opportunities available to junior staff that aren’t always possible with competitors. Going through the interview process, I met senior members of the firm who were smart and intellectual, but also down-to-earth and fun. When I received my offer, I knew that this was where I wanted to work.

On his experiences in consulting:
In my years with the firm I had a variety of experiences across geographies and industries. In addition to major projects in New York City, Washington D.C., and Rhode Island, I worked internationally, spending nine months in Sydney, Australia and five months in Calgary, Canada. Through all of this, I gained significant experience in the banking, oil and gas, and healthcare industries. I received a couple of stretch opportunities early in my career, and these provided me with contact to senior leaders, especially in the financial services industry. As I built a strong base in this area, senior leaders got comfortable providing me with more responsibility and more opportunities to develop and demonstrate my leadership skills.

On leaving and founding The SEED Foundation:
The original idea for The SEED Foundation came from discussions at college reunions.  I spent two years sharing and discussing this idea with my Oliver Wyman colleagues.  Eventually, I decided to take a leave of absence to study the idea of opening the nation’s first urban public boarding school and used the Oliver Wyman and Princeton networks to meet many advisors and potential supporters. A year later, I officially left the firm to establish an organization that would open model boarding schools for underserved students.

On the support he received from Oliver Wyman as an alumnus:
Oliver Wyman was invaluable to the development of The SEED Foundation. My former colleagues spent time on projects, raised funds, and joined the board of directors, while the office allowed me access to Oliver Wyman resources to support the initial start-up. Many of the people who helped us initially are still active supporters.

On success and public recognition:
SEED has received a lot of media attention and support over the years, most notably from President Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, and has been featured in articles in many major publications. Since opening The SEED School of Washington, D.C. in 1998, we’ve been able to demonstrate that our comprehensive 24-hour model works.  In fact, 98 percent of SEED graduates have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities (a statistic that is staggeringly higher than the national average of 56 percent).  The success of the Foundation and the first SEED school led to the opening of a second school in Maryland, which is preparing underserved students from across the state for success in college and the professional world.  It is gratifying to have made such a difference in the communities we serve and to have established a successful educational model for others to apply and develop across the country.  For all of SEED’s successes, however, we aren’t done yet.  We’re always looking at ways to get students even better prepared for college and to expose even more students to SEED’s opportunities.

On having fun on the job:
At Oliver Wyman we worked very hard, but we had a lot of fun, too. The people were smart, focused, and passionate about their work and the ideas that they were generating. At the same time, they enjoyed each other and the camaraderie that developed from being in an office that shared ideas and time together. It was an office culture that I have tried to build and bring to The SEED Foundation. The relationships were very real.  Not only do I still keep in touch with many, many friends from Oliver Wyman, three of them were in my wedding party!