Rohit Bery ’88: On Leadership
Last year, Rohit Bery ’88 took on a new role as a managing director of custom programs at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. It’s a homecoming in more ways than one: Bery graduated from Ross with an MBA after his undergraduate studies at the university’s School of Engineering.
Fun fact: He also played in the tenor saxophone section of the Michigan Marching Band for four years. Returning to call Ann Arbor home has held many ancillary benefits, including spending more time with his extended family and enrolling his three daughters at Greenhills. Bery’s wife, Suman Vij, is a dentist and clinical professor at the U-M School of Dentistry. His sister, Priya Bery ‘93, is senior VP for partnerships at the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Throughout Bery’s international corporate career, he has directed teams in a variety of industries and fields, including technology, customer service, sales, marketing, and finance. What has served as the throughline for all of this experience is his commitment to empowerment and diversity of thought, values which he credits to his time at Greenhills.
“Leadership to me centers around the confidence to ask questions, knowing that I’m grounded in principles that will lead to the right thing to do, as well as better outcomes,” shares Bery. “The magic of Greenhills, though I didn’t recognize it until many years after graduation, is the encouragement to pursue something new, in a fair degree of depth, and choose to work hard and become good at it.”
“It’s this built-in resilience and ability to pivot confidently, paired with the school’s excellent writing and verbal communication training, that allowed me to chart this dynamic path.”
In his current role, Bery shares the Ross School’s inspiring vision and mission of bettering the world through business, beyond their degree-granting programs, with a broad range of executives from around the world: How do you get everyone in the room, lead and motivate teams to be a positive force in the world, and make money at the same time?
“Several of my colleagues at Ross are Greenhills parents, who when they see my inclusive approach to our work, valuing the lens and scope that others from other departments or experiences can bring to the table, immediately understand because, ‘that’s what a Greenhills person would do,’” said Bery. “
“One of the most important things I’ve learned over the years is that corporations must invest in cultivating and fostering leadership skills within their ranks. That is how you deliver transformative results.”
When he’s not crisscrossing the planet on business, Bery can be found on a bicycle in the woods, on a mountain pass, or a dirt road, or more likely spectating at a Greenhills track, swimming, volleyball or other event.
“I was so happy to find GH continuing the tradition of inclusion in extracurriculars, with an expectation of progress towards excellence,” he said. “I’ve seen today’s approach to mindfulness, and thinking about the whole student, benefit my daughters immensely. I never earned a letter, but so far there are 20 letters, three captaincies, and three state finals appearances between two kids, and with some luck more to come.”
