Ben (Duc) Nguyen

University of Richmond, Robins School of Business

“Curious about how things work, disciplined enough to figure them out properly.”

Fun fact about yourself: I enjoy playing poker for strategy.

Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam

High School: Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted

Major: Business Administration with Finance Concentration, Mathematical Economics

Minor: Data Science

Favorite Business Course: Portfolio Management

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College

M&A and Strategy Harvard Case Competition Leader (Aerospace & Defense)
Third Place – 2025 CFA Virginia Stock Pitch Competition
Richmond Scholar – Full (100%) merit-based scholarship
Dean’s List – All A’s in every semester
2023 UR Piano Concerto Competition Winner
Bloomberg Terminal Technician: Led training sessions on equity screening, comparables, and valuation methods for underclassmen.

Where have you interned during your college career?

Ernst & Young – M&A Advisory (Singapore)
ABB – Private Equity (Singapore)
PetroVietnam – Investment Intern (Vietnam)
FiinRatings – Credit Rating Agency (Vietnam)

Where will you be working after graduation? Seeking a role in investment banking, ideally within M&A or an industry coverage group, while remaining open to opportunities in data science.

Who is your favorite business professor? Professor Saif Mehkari. He teaches Mathematical Economics, and what I appreciate most is how he emphasizes structure in thinking. His classes are rigorous, and you’re expected to understand the logic behind the math – not just apply formulas mechanically. He pushes students to slow down, define assumptions clearly, and be precise. That discipline has influenced how I approach problems across finance and economics.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Conviction should follow analysis, not the other way around. It’s easy to have a view; it’s harder to support it rigorously.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Take the technical foundations seriously early. It’s tempting to focus on internships or networking right away, but your long-term confidence comes from actually understanding how things work. Also, don’t just follow what seems popular. Try different areas (finance, operations, analytics, etc.) and pay attention to what genuinely holds your interest.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I would have sought out more interdisciplinary collaboration earlier. Some of my strongest insights came from combining finance with biology, geopolitics, and technology. Business doesn’t exist in isolation, and neither should your education.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? AI has been integrated into coursework through data analysis, financial modeling support, and research synthesis. One key insight I gained is that AI accelerates execution, but judgment remains human. Although AI can generate frameworks and analyze datasets quickly, it cannot replace conviction, context, or ethical reasoning.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I’m most proud of competing in the CFA Virginia Stock Pitch Challenge. Not just for the result, but for the process. Our team spent late nights in the trading room refining our thesis, rebuilding the model when assumptions didn’t hold, and debating every input until it made sense. It involved a lot of second-guessing and whiteboards, but that’s where I learned the most. We also had the chance to present and speak with portfolio managers afterward, which made the experience feel real beyond the classroom.

Which classmate do you most admire? René Polanco. I admire him for intellectual humility. Despite consistent success, he listens carefully, gives credit freely, and elevates group discussions.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? My mother. She taught me discipline without pressure and ambition without entitlement. Watching her navigate work and family responsibilities shaped how I define resilience.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

Work on complex, high-impact transactions that require both technical rigor and sound judgment.
Develop into someone trusted for thoughtful analysis and steady decision-making in high-pressure environments.

What made Ben such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Ben Nguyen is an exceptional student and an outstanding member of the University of Richmond community. Throughout his time at the Robins School of Business, he has distinguished himself through academic excellence, leadership, and a commitment to supporting those around him.

Academically, Ben came to the university a Richmond Scholar (the highest scholarship a student can receive) and he has more than lived up to that honor. His current GPA stands at a very high 3.97, which is even more remarkable when one realizes that he has achieved this while pursuing both breadth and rigor in his coursework. Ben has pursued a demanding double major in Business (with a concentration in Finance) and Mathematical Economics, along with a minor in Data Science and additional coursework in Music. Across this diverse curriculum, he has earned A grades consistently, including A+ marks in courses spanning multiple disciplines and those with a very high level of rigor. For example, he earned an A in FIN 467, a course well known for awarding very few A’s each semester, in MATH 300 he earned a rare A+ grade, while also earning A+ grades in Music. During his time at UR, Ben has consistently chosen rigor over ease, and his grades and GPA speak for themselves. Personally, it was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to teach Ben in my class.

Beyond the classroom, Ben is a dedicated leader and mentor. He is an active member of student groups such as the Lakeside Consulting Group and Beta Gamma Sigma. He is also one of my go-to people when students seek career advice. Ben is always willing to help and consistently provides thoughtful, practical guidance to any student I send his way. More formally, he leads training sessions on equity screening, comparables, and valuation methods for underclassmen, helping to develop the next generation of analysts and business leaders. Ben’s wide-ranging talents outside the classroom have also been recognized through several notable achievements, including Third Place in the 2025 CFA Virginia Stock Pitch Competition and winning the UR Piano Concerto Competition in 2023.

Just as important as his academic and co-curricular contributions, Ben is a great friend and colleague to his peers. He is thoughtful, disciplined, and consistently generous with his time and support of others. His peers, and faculty too, hold him in the highest regard.

The Robins School of Business is fortunate that Ben chose to come here, and I am confident he will go on to do remarkable things. Ben Nguyen is a star!”

M. Saif Mehkari
Professor of Economics
University of Richmond

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