Blog

Name

Hugo Naulot

Hometown

Rouen, France

What did you do prior to Tuck?

I worked as a management consultant, first at Ernst & Young (EY), and then at Vertone, a marketing and sales consulting firm based in Paris.

Why did you choose Tuck?

Several things drew me to Tuck. First, I wanted to attend a school with a residential campus. I went to college in Paris, but did a one-year exchange at Hamilton College, a liberal arts college in Upstate New York. This was my most memorable academic experience, and I was looking for something similar in business school. Second, I was attracted to Tuck’s personal scale. This allows easy access to professors, recruiters, and of course, classmates. By moving to the U.S., I was leaving behind professional, social, and family circles. I wanted to attend a school where most people would be in the same situation, which facilitates friendships and contributes to Tuck’s tight-knit community. Finally, I was drawn by Tuck’s academic rigor and required core curriculum. I studied political science and international relations in undergrad, and was looking for a rigorous foundation in all aspects of business.

Do you have any post-Tuck plans yet? What are they?

I’m excited to be returning to ServiceNow, a leading SaaS company based in Santa Clara. I interned with ServiceNow in the summer as a member of the Corporate Strategy team.  

What made you want to be part of the CDS MBA Fellows program?

Coming to Tuck, I knew that I wanted to transition from consulting to technology. However, I wasn’t sure which subsectors of tech I found the most interesting. By engaging with the center, in particular the Tech 101 Learning Series and Britt Technology Impact Series, I quickly started to formulate an opinion on the sectors and business models that I was passionate about. The breadth of speakers brought by the center and the impact that it had on my career search convinced me that I wanted to be part of the CDS MBA Fellows Program. I wanted to deepen my understanding of digital strategies and engage with classmates who shared similar interests.

What is the best part about being involved with the CDS?

When I was first introduced to the center, Executive Director Patrick Wheeler said something that truly resonated with me. He explained that the CDS focuses on enabling business strategy and innovation through digital technologies, but is not a “Technology Center.” CDS is not reserved to students who want to pursue tech careers, but is rather targeted to individuals who are passionate about the ways in which digital strategies and information technologies drive business transformation. In my opinion, this mission statement drives the best part about being involved with the CDS: the diversity in backgrounds, interests, and opinions of students involved with the center. My Fellows class is composed of students who worked in various industries such as entertainment, government, energy, and law. Some of them will work in technology after Tuck, others in consulting, banking, and healthcare. Despite this diversity, we are all connected by a common passion for digital technologies and innovation. This provides an amazing learning environment. One of my favorite moments at Tuck is connecting with other fellows during our bi-weekly meetings, where we discuss latest technology headlines and trends.

What other activities are you involved in at Tuck?

I’m a Co-Chair of the Technology Club, a role in which I help Tuck students prepare for tech careers. During the Fall and Winter terms, we organized a wide range of career-focused events, such as mock interviews, resume and cover letter reviews, role-specific workshops (Product Management, Business Operations, Product Marketing), and company panels. I’m also a Venture Capital Fellow with the Center for Private Equity & Venture Capital (CPEVC). I’m currently working on a research paper with the center analyzing the ways venture capital funds provide value to their portfolio companies. Finally, I’m a Tuck Admissions Associate (TAA), a role in which I help Tuck Admissions recruit the next class of students by interviewing applicants and providing feedback.

What has been the biggest growth moment for you or moment where you stepped out of your comfort zone? What did you learn from that experience?

My most challenging time in business school was the Tuck Technology Conference, which happened virtually on September 25th, 2020. As a Co-Chair of the Tech Club, I was one of the four students responsible for putting this event together. We worked closely with the CDS to bring amazing speakers to the event, most of them Tuck alumni, such as Tracy Sun T’03 (Co-Founder and SVP at Poshmark), Kenny Mitchell T’04 (CMO at Snap, Inc.), Francis Barel T’05 (France General Manager at PayPal) and Michael Aragon T’01 (SVP of Content at Twitch). We decided to open this year’s Tech Conference to peer business schools and brought together 700 participants from 15 leading MBAs around the world.

What speaker(s) have you learned the most from in your time at Tuck?

The center brings great speakers to campus, and one of my favorite events was Wayfair co-founder and CEO Niraj Shah’s fireside chat in the Fall. He provided valuable lessons on the “Build versus Buy” debate (Wayfair is known for building its own tools), building great teams and maintaining culture as a company grows, and building successful business models in low-margin industries.

Any books you’ve read recently you recommend to our readers?

I recently read Scott Gallaway’s The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. The book provides great insights on how those four companies infiltrated our lives, how they built economic moats and avoided laws that apply to other firms, and lists some companies that might be able to challenge them. Scott Gallaway’s irreverent style makes it a great read!