Coaching the Leaders of Tomorrow feat. Sujeev Chittipolu ’21
- Author
- Rice Business
- Published
- Wed 10 Sep 2025
- Episode Link
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/81aa532b
After many successful years as a mechanical engineer for Baker Hughes, Sujeev Chittipolu ’21 thought it was time to invest in his leadership potential. That led him to Rice Business.
As part of Rice’s Professional MBA program, Sujeev formed invaluable connections through programs like CoachRICE and even joined the board of one of his classmate’s nonprofits — Amel Association Houston. Through Amel, Sujeev is taking what he learned at Rice Business and building leadership coaching programs for underserved youth in Houston, particularly in refugee communities.
In this episode, Sujeev chats with co-host Maya Pomroy ’22 about his 16 years at Baker Hughes, how playing with machines in his father's small business shaped his interest in engineering, his work with Amel to give back to the community, and how the Rice MBA helped him put the final pieces together in his career.
Episode Guide:
01:30 Early Career and Education
02:14 Journey at Baker Hughes
05:37 Pursuing an MBA at Rice
09:51 Giving Back Through AMEL
15:19 Balancing Career and Personal Life
16:00 Advice for Aspiring MBA Students
16:43 Impact of Rice MBA on Career
22:23 Staying Connected with Rice
24:53 Future Aspirations and Final Thoughts
Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.
Episode Quotes:
How coaching transforms a student’s confidence and future
12:36: I would say one student named Musafa. He was initially not a student. He was active doing his things, but he was not very verbal in the class, right? [13:41] So as he worked with a coach, what we’ve seen was he could explore his inhibitions, he could set his goals, understand what were some of the drivers that were inhibiting his potential. And we’ve seen a clear change. He was about to quit high school. Yes, and working with the coach, it changed. He was over the process of a year, right? Two semesters, he became more verbal. He was confident in himself. He could understand what he wanted in life. He could realize, okay, I have a goal in career, and then okay, I can work towards it. So I think that one story kind of inspired more of us to come back and give. And it’s just like we’ve seen many of those, Maya, over the last three-plus years working with HISD.Shaping mindset and leadership through the Rice MBA
16:19: [Maya]: So thinking back on before Rice and after Rice, what were some of the ways that your mindset has really changed because of the MBA that you worked for?16:32: [Sujeev Chittipolu]: So many ways. I think the way I look at problems and the way I look at challenges is very different now. I'm kind of more holistic in approach. I challenge myself much more based on the lessons I’ve learned during Rice, and even the leadership piece, right? Leadership not just at work, but I think leadership goes all the way — starts from home, through the community, at work. So you set an example for yourself. You set an example for your family members, so you’re learning always, trying to grow. So I think Rice has influenced me personally, professionally, and I think I keep continuing to reap rewards as I grow personally as well as professionally.
On the hard work of growth and the rewards of giving back
15:38: There is no easy way or there’s no shotguns in growth or in career. You have to differentiate yourself. You have to work hard to one, grow yourself and be able to give back. I think both of these. If you are passionate, if you want to grow, it’s not easy, but the journey might be tough, but the efforts are always rewarding, right? Giving back, you can see one story that is shared. It changes your perspective on life. It gives you things that show how grateful you are to be able to give back. So, take the leap forward. I think you always find time. There are weekends that you can stretch. There are days you know you need like one or two hours a day that you can stretch and always be able to give back. So yeah, I think take the leap forward, and it will be worthwhile.
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