Ritesh Mehra P’26, the latest guest speaker within the Applied Science Certificate Program lecture series, is a numbers guy. When outlining his work history for the students in attendance, numbers factored prominently in the overview: Mehra has worked at two different pharmaceutical companies throughout his 27 year career: Bristol Myers Squibb and now Ferring Pharmaceuticals, where he currently serves as the CFO for US Operation. Those two different companies have spanned twelve different finance roles across four different continents, but as Mehra explained, most of the mathematical work required in these roles breaks down to either trying to help make a decision or trying to help inform a decision. Not surprisingly, in the business world, decisions rely heavily on numbers.

In his presentation, Mehra used several concrete examples to illustrate how applied mathematics can be used in decision-making within the world of finance. “The field of applied mathematics involves continuing to ask questions which help refine the data, which in turn helps find the best possible solution for the business,” explained Mehra. As part of his presentation, he shared how historical data helps inform future decisions for a company. Following his presentation, Mehra welcomed questions from the audience about data and statistical analysis and utilizing alternative and approximate analog information when historical data simply does not yet exist. 

While a firm mathematical foundation is essential in this field, Mehra emphasized that to be truly successful, numerical acumen is not enough. Regarding his own journey, he shared that it has been a combination of passion and hard work. “If you do what you like,” says Mehra, “your positivity will come through, and that helps to accelerate your journey, making it easier for you to rise through the ranks on the road to success.”