When Opportunity Meets Preparation: Meet Kunal Chopra

From Bangalore, India, to Houston, Texas, Kunal Chopra has powered a successful career in oil and gas. Now, he’s beginning a new chapter at Rice Business as a student in the PMBA Class of 2027. Continue reading Kunal’s profile to learn more about his journey to Rice and how Launch Week has made him feel at home. 

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Tell us a little about your career and background.

Education: Mechanical engineering, Delhi Technological University, India

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: ExxonMobil, Guyana Venture Project Controls Lead

Career Highlights and Industry Experience: I’ve worked with ExxonMobil for seven years and have experience as a project data engineer, market analyst, commercial and technical modeler, and project controls engineer in the oil and gas industry.

I began my career in Bangalore, India, before moving to the U.S. to support the LaBarge Carbon Capture Project as a Project Controls Engineer. Earlier this year, I got the opportunity to step into a leadership role as a supervisor and relocated to Houston to work on the Guyana Venture – Deepwater Projects.

What is a fun fact about you?

 I enjoy reading comic books! I’ve been a Marvel fan since my childhood and follow the movies as well.

Why did you choose Rice Business?

I knew about the Rice University prestige and reputation, and the school is right in the center of the energy capital. The Rice MBA offers a diverse cohort of people from multiple organizations and industries, which invites various perspectives to classroom discussions. I’m looking forward to the on-campus, in-person classes, as well as the many opportunities to network.

Why did you choose our Professional MBA program?

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The idea of going back to school to pursue an MBA had always been on my mind, but taking a break from work wasn’t an option. But the Professional MBA program gives me the flexibility to pursue my education alongside my work, and there are multiple electives offered in the program that translate very well to my industry and can enhance my work.

How are you feeling about starting your MBA? What are you most looking forward to?

I am super excited to start the MBA journey! I’m looking forward to gaining new knowledge from this program and leveraging that to both accelerate my career and develop as a reliable leader. I am a firm believer in luck, for “Luck is when an opportunity meets your preparation.” In short, I am preparing myself for the next big opportunity that shows up at my doorstep! 

How was your experience during launch week? What were your first impressions of the program and your classmates?

Launch Week was a sneak peek into what to expect over the course of the MBA program. Switching back into “student mode” is not easy, so Launch Week served as a boot camp and helped jumpstart the process for me. During the Competitive Strategy class, our group was required to evaluate a case study and present our findings. To make the presentation interesting, the five of us ended up creating a Shark Tank skit. It was a lot of fun!

One word for my classmates: Awesome! Everyone has a story to tell, and it’s interesting to hear about how they got to where they are. All of us started from different places, jobs and education backgrounds — and now chose to open this chapter at Rice together.

Kunal Chopra is a Professional MBA student in the Class of 2027.