UW Major: Economics; Finance, Investment, and Banking
Age: 36 | New York City
Managing Director, Rothschild & Co
From his New York City office, Tim Hotchandani has his finger on the pulse of the finances behind the global health care industry.
Hotchandani counsels companies through Rothschild & Co, one of the world’s largest financial-advisory firms. His Wall Street career has also included roles at Deutsche Bank, Lehman Brothers, and Thomas Weisel Partners, where he got his start in the industry.
A fellow Badger grad volunteered time to secure Hotchandani the interview that launched his career. Now Hotchandani is delivering returns to the next generation.
He is part of the alumni group Badgers in Finance, which helps students prep for interviews and brings them to New York City for a behind-the-scenes look at Wall Street.
Hotchandani’s participation continues a movement he started as a student, when he cofounded the Investment Banking Club (IBC). At the time, he says, Wisconsin students were often rejected from top firms as unpolished and lacking up-to-date skills. Wanting to reverse the trend, Hotchandani and his cohort sought counsel from industry professionals and learned from a lot of trial and error.
“Before the club got
going, the flow of Badgers getting into investment banking outside the Midwest
could be characterized as a slow trickle,” says Hotchandani, who also gives his
time to the UW’s Nicholas Center
for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. “Fast forward to today, and if a
student gets into the IBC, they all but certainly will find a slot in
investment banking in whichever location they choose.”
Hotchandani continues to mentor students in the IBC. And as testament to the quality of Badger talent, Hotchandani says his own employer is among the firms now recruiting Wisconsin graduates.
“Badgers can hang with the best in investment banking,” he says. “Staying close to the IBC, Nicholas Center, and New York Badgers in Finance gives me a front-row seat to the great things going on at the school and provides an opportunity to keep paying it forward.”
Photo by Nancy Borowick
Q&A with Tim Hotchandani
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My mother would always tell my brother and me you can do whatever you put your mind to.
What are you reading now?
I am a voracious “reader” of audiobooks from New York Public Library on the Libby app. A few recent interesting titles are Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson, Scalia’s Court by Kevin Ring, and, since my wife and I recently welcomed our first child into the world, Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old by Suzy Giordano.
What is the one thing every UW student must do?
If it’s important to you, start giving back to the university before you leave campus. Your time may be more plentiful than money when you leave at first, so try to make giving either one a habit each year. Time is relentless, and it’s easy to lose track, so don’t.
What advice would you offer to graduating seniors?
Aside from having as much fun as you can in your final few months on campus, try to learn as much as you can as quickly as you can in the first few years of your career. Identify people recognized as being the best at what they do, observe them, get to know them personally, and try to emulate what makes them great.
What occupies your free time?
Between family, work, fitness, eating, and sleep, there isn’t much “free” time. That said, I enjoyed training for and ticking off a bucket-list item by doing Ironman Wisconsin, and I love making my three-month-old son giggle.
What was your first job?
I started doing internships in finance beginning the summer after freshman year and also caddied on weekends at a golf course I read about in Peter Lynch’s book. Both experiences were helpful to build familiarity with the industry as well as get to know senior professionals. The first job where I was able to support myself fully was after graduation, and even though living in a small studio apartment was all I could afford, it was a liberating moment for me (and my dad!).
If you could trade places with any person for a week — living or dead, real or fictional — who would it be?
Superman.
What is your favorite quote?
“The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit. Try, if you can, to belong to the first class. There’s far less competition.” — Dwight Morrow
“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” —Nelson Mandela