The Ahmed Brothers Stick Together to Shape the Future of Supply Chain Management

Brothers Saad Ahmed ’24 M.S. and Zaid Ahmed ’24 M.S. are currently both enrolled as full-time students in the supply chain management program at the Whitman School. The two have brought a dynamic that promotes collaboration and a drive for success through their academics. Their shared commitment to exploring the supply chain industry and passion for pursuing their degrees underscore their mission to stay together following graduation.

Before attending the Whitman School, the brothers attended Dayananda Sagar University in Bengaluru, India, for their undergraduate degrees. Saad studied computer science and engineering, while Zaid pursued computer technology.

Due to the pandemic, they decided to work in India and gain some experience before returning to academia for their master’s degrees. Saad worked as an inventory management assistant where he was responsible for data extraction in the COVID-19 sample collection management system for Urban Primary Health Care Center. Zaid worked as an application development associate, operating with testing teams to ensure complete functionality and resolving defects in new application production processes with Accenture.

Saad reflects on their decision to attend the Whitman School and the qualities they looked for in a program during their search. Their requirements consisted of a university with a good reputation, a large alumni network and STEM designation within the program. After meeting with Shri Ramakrishnan, assistant director for recruitment, in regards to their candidacy, the two realized that the Whitman School was able to fulfill all their needs, ultimately pushing them to complete their master’s degrees at the Whitman School. 

“Supply Chain stood out to me in comparison to other programs mainly due to the fact every day our interactions have a touch of supply chain connected to it, while being very focused yet very broad,” Zaid shares. While Saad says, “I decided to join supply chain management because I was looking for a career path that did not fit the cliched career. A subject like supply chain is often overlooked but plays a very significant role in everyday business.”

The brothers enjoy the flexibility of the master’s program at the Whitman School. “The main advantage is that we get a lot of opportunities and space to not only study but allocate time for ourselves on a personal level. We are able to explore extracurricular activities from sports, clubs and on-campus events,” Zaid says.

As they approach the final months of the program, the Ahmed brothers hope to integrate their computer science and engineering backgrounds with their supply chain expertise in future opportunities. They aspire to bridge the gap between technical skills and supply chain to contribute to innovative solutions and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of supply chain management by embracing technology and sustainability.

“We definitely would want to stay together and work at the same company or at least in the same location. However, in this competitive race, getting a job is really tough, let alone getting one together.” Zaid says, “If not at the same company, we are excited to set foot into the same field of work.”

By Anna Rooney ’24