Spartan Profiles: Naveet Narula

BUSINESSMAN & PHILANTHROPIST

            The Asian American Business Development Center yearly picks the nation’s top 50 “Outstanding Asian Americans in Business.”  Last year one honoree was Navneet Narula, ’00, a financial services executive at Accenture, Atlanta, GA.  Narula, the first Sikh ever to win, was given the award in New York City by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

            “I am humbled and honored,” says Narula, who is active with the United Sikhs organization.  “The support from the Sikh community, and also from Accenture, was instrumental in my winning.” 

            Navneet spent three months in 2005 leading a volunteer United Sikhs team in South India and the Great Nicobar Islands, areas destroyed by the tsunami.  He also helped the relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  Most recently, he was part of a United Sikhs team helping the survivors of the earthquake in Kashmir. 

            Neet says he just felt compelled to perform these philanthropic tasks and was lucky to be allowed to do them.  “During all that time I continued to take care of the needs of my clients at a very high level,” he notes.  “I had a great team (sometimes up to 100) and as a team leader, my role was also to inspire them.” 

            A native of Chandigarh, Punjab, India, “Neet” was recruited to play tennis at MSU by coach Gene Orlando.  “It was a fantastic experience,” he recalls.  “I was the only turbaned guy at MSU and that was OK.  People respect each other.”  He became a member of the Izzone and was very active with the Eli Broad College of Business’ Multicultural Business Students. 

            He credits Broad assistant dean Ernest Betts with inspiring him to stand up and become a leader.  “You can try to merge in or fit in, or you can stand out,” he explains.  “To be a leader, you must stand out.  To be exceptional, you must be the exception.”