Andres Pulido

University of Denver, Daniels College of Business

“I’m a storyteller, a Trivia host, and an undercover business student. And I mean business.”

Fun fact about yourself: A fun fact is that while growing up in the U.S., I also lived in the U.K. from age 11 to 13 and South Africa from 13 to 14, and got to periodically, visit family in South America during the Summers.

Hometown: Lone Tree, Colorado

High School: Highlands Ranch High School

Major: Finance and International Studies

Minor: Math and Leadership Studies

Favorite Business Course: I really enjoyed taking Professor Chris Hughen’s Reiman Fund course in my sophomore year. In addition to deepening my equity analysis and modeling skills, I liked working with other students to make buy-sell-hold equity and options hedging decisions in a portfolio environment to outperform the S&P 500. In my second Quarter of the course, I experienced further growth, becoming the Fund’s Head Portfolio Manager.

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

Community

• Boettcher Foundation Scholar & Scholars Board Representative
• United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference Finance & Markets Observer
• Founder & Project Lead of Homelessness Advisory Team to Englewood City Mayor and Change the Trend 20-Coaliton Network Leader. 2021 Truman Scholarship Finalist.

University

• Pardee Center for International Futures Data Team Co-Project Lead
• Reiman Student Investment Fund Head Portfolio Manager
• 7+ Case Competitor, including Founder of the Federal Reserve Challenge Team, captaining a National Runner Up Kelly School of Business Case Competition Team, and on CFA Institute Research Challenge Western U.S. and Colorado Champion Team.
• Grand Challenges Crime Collective Impact Cohort Founding Member
• Pioneer Leadership Program Scholars Board

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Morgan Stanley, Summer 2022 Firm Risk Management, Analyst: New York
• Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Executive Office of the U.S. President, Summer 2021 Fellow to Chief Economist: Washington D.C.
• S. Bank, Summer 2020 Global Treasury Management Business Analyst Intern: Denver
• Denver International Airport with the City & County, Summer 2019 Accounting Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? This summer, I will be interning with Morgan Stanley as a Firm Risk Management Analyst, before returning to the University of Denver to complete my Master of Arts in Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration.

Who is your favorite professor? Professor Chris Hughen is one of the gems of Professors at Daniels. He’s an engaging coach in the Reiman Fund course and a helpful and enthusiastic research advisor when I came to him curious about supply chain resiliency and green bonds. He has also been a fantastic mentor, helping me actively seek and make the most of college and professional opportunities, and to reflect on them, as my Finance Distinction advisor.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? I have realized the importance of self-awareness and introspection. To be a good teammate and eventual business leader, it’s important for me to constantly reflect on how I am doing and how a team effort is going. It’s also important to celebrate individual and team successes. When I carve out the space for reflection, whether it’s going for a walk or making time in a case competition, data team, or homelessness team meeting, my team and I have found creative approaches, new energy, and wild successes.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Majoring in business is a thrilling, challenging, and enjoyable choice. I would encourage them to absolutely explore it. When they fall in love with it, they should let their curiosity and professional goals drive their course selection. I would advise them to seek out advice from professors and to fully throw themselves in, immersing themselves in extracurricular activities and internships from the beginning. In business, you wonderfully get foundational skills, such as in analytics and marketing, and the depth of knowledge in a specific major skillset.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? From the beginning, I could have appreciated the spontaneity of college a bit more. When first starting, I had a five-year course plan and several crazy ideas for business and community projects. Over time, I have gotten much better at savoring the moment, laughing at myself, and appreciating the non-linear, organic nature of life and growth.

What business executive do you admire most? I most admire Larry Fink, the Chief Executive Officer of BlackRock. His annual open letter in 2020 was bold and forward-thinking, crucially placing sustainability at the core of BlackRock’s investment strategy. As a finance and markets observer to the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference, I know how key finance is addressing the climate change challenge and how it will require action from all sectors, private, public, nonprofits, and multilateral groups.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I truly enjoyed working with six of my peers on advising the City of Englewood Mayor and the Change the Network Leader on homelessness. With only one printer nightmare, we were able to change the narrative on homelessness, and drive community improvement that was not only for, but also with and alongside the community. One of my favorite ways was during COVID-19, when we analyzed best practice policy efforts in all 50 states to inform rapid response efforts and distributed 5,085 face masks to people experiencing homelessness.

Which classmate do you most admire? I most admire Liz Ward. She is one of the most kind, optimistic, and principled people I have ever met, and I am grateful to her for welcoming and cheering me on when I first came to DU. In addition to having an admirable work ethic and passion for philanthropy, she’s genuinely curious and excited about everything and has an impressive ability to get to know all she meets on a deeper level.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? While many say it, I truly feel like I have the world’s best parents. My parents are fantastic role models and great people to bounce ideas off of, laugh with, and enjoy board game and pizza nights. They have never stopped encouraging me to be the best version of myself, as I find my own path in my life.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? Hands-down, working in different international financial capitals like London and Zurich! After a few years working, I would be interested in pursuing either a research-focused PhD in Finance, or if I decide it’s a better fit, a professional-focused MBA.

What are your hobbies? I love trivia, swing dancing, skiing, and tennis. I also enjoy experiencing new cultures, history, and local food, when traveling.

What made Andres such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2022?

“As a sophomore, Andres applied for our student-managed investment fund class that is reserved for top undergraduate finance students (usually seniors). Even early in his college years, he demonstrated a seriousness of purpose and drive to make the most of his educational experience. Andres enrolled in my class for two quarters and excelled by combining in-depth investment analysis with a deep understanding of economics and finance.

During the class, Andres made an astute recommendation, which provided me with insight into his intellectual abilities. Our investment fund had a sizable exposure to consumer staples stocks during the recession of 2020. In particular, our fund had a sizable investment in BJ’s Wholesale Club, which is a big-box retailer that exhibited significant sales growth due to changes in shopping habits during the pandemic. While most investors expected this performance to continue, Andres was able to formulate an objective analysis to show that the portfolio would be better positioned in other investments. We ended up selling the stock within a couple of dollars of the high price, and the stock has declined about 8% while the broader market achieved a record high.

What does this contrarian recommendation reveal about him? Investment analysis is particularly challenging for younger individuals with limited experience as they are often biased towards agreeing with the current consensus among Wall Street analysts. Andres demonstrated leadership beyond his educational experience by convincing his reluctant peers in our student-managed investment fund class to sell one of our most profitable investments when it had top ratings from most Wall Street analysts. He made a controversial (but appropriate) investment recommendation and demonstrated his social skills in artfully convincing others. Two attributes that I have seen in highly successful scholars and leaders are a passion to thoroughly investigate an issue and the ability to reach a conclusion without being swayed by the majority opinion. I have seen these characteristics in Andres as he has analyzed investments, and I am confident that these are a strong indicator of his future success.”

Chris Hughen
University of Denver, Daniels College of Business
Finance Professor

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