Karthik Balaji
Actuary
Aon Hewitt
What do you love most about volunteering with A&BC and having gone through the OB program?
What I love most about volunteering with A&BC and having gone through the On BOARD program is being able to witness the creative process at first hand. With the projects I’ve assisted with as a BVA and now being a board member for an organization, it has been most rewarding to be a participant in discussions surrounding a group’s artistic direction and helping to navigate to reach those goals.
What does volunteering add to your life?
Personally, volunteering for me has fostered a better connection with diverse communities in Chicago. Professionally, the projects I’ve worked on have enabled me to think critically about issues that impact an organization, which I’ve been able to apply to my teams at work.
What are some of your other interests?
Running, playing the piano, and eating good food!
What goals have you helped organizations reach/other A&BC-related achievements?
I have helped organizations with generating strategic and business plans. As a board member for HotHouse, we are currently working on the next stages of executing our strategic plan which was launched last year.
Funny stuff: favorite food, pets, season, etc.
Among other things, I love vietnamese coffee, and will sometimes go to great lengths to find it. Iced is OK and more likely to be served, but I prefer my coffee hot. I’ve tried making it at home, but it’s just not the same.
-Karthik Balaji, On BOARD Grad