Kellogg Chronicles: Building A Finance Career Through APEX

Before coming to Northwestern University’s Kellogg School, I spent several years working in environments where leadership and judgment directly shaped outcomes. I served as an associate on the energy transition platform of an institutional asset manager managing approximately $125 billion in assets. In one case, I worked on the sale of an energy asset valued at $250 million. True, the financial analysis and execution were rigorous. What stood out most was how decisively the executive team’s long-standing relationships drove buyer access and influenced the momentum of the process. Trust and credibility were not abstract concepts, they materially shaped the trajectory and outcome of the transaction.

Seeing that firsthand reinforced my view that success in finance depends not only on technical skill, but on the ability to build durable relationships over time.

Earlier in my career, I served as a military commander, leading teams in high-pressure situations where decisions carried real consequences. That experience, combined with my subsequent work in energy transition investing, shaped what I wanted from an MBA. At Kellogg, I wanted to accelerate my career in finance while building strong, long-term relationships through repeated interaction with real decision-makers and real market dynamics.

With that goal in mind, I evaluated MBA programs. What ultimately differentiated Kellogg for me was the Advanced Private Equity Experience, (APEX), a selective, practitioner-led program for MBA students with prior private markets experience. It provides sustained mentorship, deal exposure, and direct access to senior investors. Shortly after I was admitted, David Schnadig, Co-President of Cortec Group and a member of Kellogg’s Private Equity Advisory Council, reached out to congratulate me and offered to connect. In our initial conversation, he emphasized mentorship as a long-term commitment and positioned himself as a resource as I navigated career decisions. That interaction crystallized what APEX represents in practice: direct access to active investors, candid perspective drawn from real operating experience, and learning shaped by lived judgment calls rather than abstract theory.

INSIDE APEX 

APEX runs alongside Kellogg’s broader finance curriculum. It is designed for students with prior exposure to private markets who want deeper engagement with the industry. What stood out to me early on was not the structure of the program, but the nature of the relationships it facilitates.

At the center of APEX is Kellogg’s Private Equity Advisory Council (PEAC), composed of senior alumni currently working in private equity who commit to ongoing mentorship and engaging with APEX students throughout the year. Rather than one-off interactions, PEAC members are consistently present through one-on-one mentorship, small group settings, and ongoing conversations. That continuity creates a level of trust and openness that is uncommon in many finance settings.

UNPARALLELED MENTORSHIP 

The clearest example of APEX’s impact on my experience has been my mentorship relationship with David Schnadig. David exemplifies the mentorship model that makes APEX distinctive. He is consistently accessible and deeply engaged, and our conversations have focused on how to build the right skill set early in a finance career and how professional relationships develop over time. Rather than offering high-level or generic advice, David shares practical perspective drawn from his own experience, including how different roles shape judgment, exposure, and long-term opportunity.

One conversation, in particular, stands out. As I evaluated several options for a summer role, I reached out to David to walk through the alternatives. He shared detailed insight into the cultures of the firms I was considering, explaining what each path would likely teach me. That discussion guided my summer internship decision by helping me focus on responsibility, exposure to senior decision-makers, and technical skill development. What makes this relationship especially meaningful is its continuity. David has consistently made himself available for follow-up conversations and is regularly present at APEX events, reinforcing a culture of commitment to students. That ongoing access has made mentorship a sustained and practical part of my Kellogg experience.

LEARNING DIRECTLY FROM PRACTITIONERS IN SMALL GROUP SETTINGS

That same model of access and candid engagement extends beyond mentorship. One of the most impactful experiences for me was a small group dinner with Rich Copans, Partner at MDCP.

During the discussion, one student asked where Rich would position himself if he were graduating today. He paused, then spoke about helping his firm find its edge in an increasingly competitive private equity landscape. Rather than focusing on scale or deal volume, he emphasized the importance of developing a clear niche and deep expertise as  ways to consistently create value over time.

That moment stayed with me because it reframed how I think about early career choices. Instead of optimizing for breadth or speed, it reinforced the value of intentionally building differentiated skills and perspectives that compound over a career. The intimacy of the setting allowed for candid follow-up questions, turning a high-level observation into a practical lens for approaching recruiting and long-term career development.

PERSPECTIVE FROM SENIOR INDUSTRY LEADERS

Kellogg also creates opportunities for broader exposure to senior industry perspectives. One example was an LP–GP dynamics panel, where students engaged directly with experienced investors on fund structures, alignment, and long-term capital relationships.

In parallel, smaller APEX gatherings offered equally valuable insights. That includes a dinner hosted by Kip Kirkpatrick, Partner at Vistria Group and a senior member of Kellogg’s Private Equity Advisory Council. Kip opened the evening by explaining that this dinner is held every year and is a highlight for PEAC members. As he put it, the gathering is about “staying connected to the next group of Kellogg students joining APEX and getting to know them early.” That framing made clear that the evening was not a one-off event, but part of a recurring commitment by senior alumni to remain engaged with the program.

During the discussion, a theme that stayed with me was the emphasis on choosing early roles that offer real responsibility and judgment, even when the path is not perfectly linear. Together, those insights reinforced how Kellogg creates continuity between students and alumni through ongoing, substantive engagement rather than isolated moments.

PRACTITIONER-LED LEARNING IN THE PRIVATE EQUITY DEEP DIVE COURSE

A core pillar of APEX is the Private Equity Deep Dive course, coordinated by Professor Jose Liberti. The course runs weekly and is entirely practitioner-led, with each session centered on a real transaction presented by a senior investor who was directly involved in the deal. Rather than discussing a hypothetical or retrospective case, the class is built around how decisions were made in practice, including the tradeoffs, constraints, and judgment calls faced in real time.

Sessions span topics such as GP–LP relationships, distressed investing, buyouts, continuation vehicles, and capital formation. At the same time, session speakers were drawn from firms including Cortec Group, Great Hill Partners, Insight Partners, and Vistria. What differentiates the course is the transparency of the discussion. Speakers walk through internal debates and decision points that are rarely captured in traditional case studies, offering students a clearer view of how private market investing actually operates week-to-week.

EXPOSURE ACROSS KELLOGG’S BROADER FINANCE ECOSYSTEM

Beyond APEX, Kellogg’s broader finance ecosystem further reinforces career development. At a finance dinner with senior industry participants, including Liraz Evenor, Managing Director at Bain Capital, the format itself stood out. Each table included a senior professional or faculty member seated with a small group of students, allowing for extended conversation throughout the evening. After dinner, the discussion continued informally during networking drinks, giving students the opportunity to connect more personally and continue the dialogue.

That dynamic felt distinct from similar events I had seen pre-MBA, where interactions with senior professionals are often limited and structured around brief remarks. The small-group format and extended access created space for thoughtful, two-way conversation, making the experience more substantive than a typical networking event.

REFLECTIONS ON THE APEX EXPERIENCE

One question that consistently proved useful in evaluating APEX alongside other options was how each environment supports the development of real, sustained relationships over time. In the context of MBA and finance career building, I would advise anyone to pay close attention to how and where those relationships are actually formed, rather than focusing solely on individual classes or short-term outcomes. In my experience, the most meaningful value of APEX did not come from discrete events. Rather, they stemmed from repeated interaction with practitioners who remained engaged well beyond initial introductions.

Viewed this way, APEX reflects how Kellogg creates settings where learning and professional development unfold gradually through continued exposure to people actively working in the industry. Rather than centering the experience on immediate recruiting outcomes, it supports the longer-term accumulation of judgment, perspective, and professional relationships.

Bio

Guy Lechner is a first year MBA candidate at Kellogg School of Management and an APEX participant. Prior to Kellogg, he served as a military commander and worked as an associate at an institutional asset manager overseeing approximately $125 billion in assets, focusing on energy transition projects and portfolio acquisitions.

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