Earlier this month, four Nicholas Center Class of 2026 students began their investment banking summer associate positions within their respective firms. The below featured students (Noah Hurtado, Clare Sullivan, Matthew Winkler, and Andrew Sternaman) all worked extremely hard last year to prepare for the rigorous IB recruiting cycle which landed them with offers at Harris Williams, Baird, and RBC Capital Markets. This class marks the largest IB internship class for the Nicholas Center. Together, we worked to support these students in a number of meaningful ways both within the Nicholas Center, and by using the existing support of current students, our Advisory Board and alumni. We’re extremely grateful to Arjun Singh (’25) and Brad Chandler for their mentorship of our first-year students. We also are thankful for the numerous Board members and alumni who supported these students with coffee chats, mock interviews, and recruiting advice.
A Global Finance Leader in the Making
Noah Hurtado is from Amsterdam, Netherlands where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance, Investment, and Banking. With fluency in Dutch, Spanish, and English, Noah brings a unique global approach to financial analysis, portfolio management, and investment strategy optimization.
Noah’s multicultural background – growing up in Spain and the Netherlands, studying in the Netherlands and the U.S., and working in the U.S. and Amsterdam has given him a broad perspective on global financial markets and economic dynamics. Prior to joining the MBA program, Noah worked at BrightPensioen as a Portfolio Manager, where he played a pivotal role in expanding assets under management and refining ESG investment strategies, demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to sustainable finance. His previous experience as a Finance and Operations Associate at GraphWear Technologies in San Francisco showcased his ability to drive cost efficiencies, manage departmental budgets, and support go-to-market strategies through rigorous financial analyses.
Furthermore, Noah’s experience as an associate at Bellier Financial allowed him to demonstrate his analytical prowess in media coverage and client-side KPI development, leading to measurable improvements in visibility and client retention. With a solid foundation in financial analysis, risk assessment, and investment decision-making, Noah pursued his MBA to deepen his expertise and gain additional knowledge and hands-on experience in the Nicholas Center Program. Noah has joined Harris Williams as an investment banking summer associate.
From Rugby Captain to Investment Banking
Clare Sullivan grew up in Chicago, IL and attended Tulane University in Louisiana where she completed her undergrad degree in Marketing and Management.
Clare joined the Women’s Rugby team while at Tulane University and it was during this experience that she learned important leadership lessons on and off the field. As captain, she led the team to win a national championship. Prior to joining the MBA program, Clare worked at Cabrera Capital Markets, an investment bank and full-service brokerage firm. At Cabrera, Clare worked in Taxable Fixed Income sales where she was responsible for managing Tier 1 – Tier 3 institutional clients, soliciting new business and converting prospects into revenue-generating accounts. As sales trader, Clare focused on client management, identifying new leads and managing the syndicate book for corporate bond new issuance.
Clare chose to pursue her MBA at Wisconsin to advance her leadership and technical skills since she wasn’t a finance major in undergrad. Wisconsin appealed to her because of the smaller class size, rigorous curriculum, consulting projects and tight-knit alumni community. Clare has joined R.W. Baird as an investment banking summer associate.
A Strategic Thinker Bridging Engineering and Finance
Matthew Winkler is from Ohio and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo. Matthew has developed a strong foundation in engineering and supply chain management.
His strong analytical mindset has been honed through years of optimizing global supply chains, managing multimillion-dollar real estate portfolios, and executing large-scale capital projects. Matthew brings a unique perspective to financial strategy and decision-making learned through his five years of experience at Dealer Tire as a Supply Chain Network Design Manager. In this role, Matthew spearheaded international expansion efforts, optimized cost structures, and enhanced operational efficiencies, demonstrating his ability to drive strategic initiatives in complex business environments.
Matthew also worked at Matrix Technologies where he was an engineer, where he focused on intern development and mentorship initiatives while providing engineering support for various high-profile projects across multiple industries. Driven by a desire to transition from engineering to finance, Matthew plans to leverage his analytical expertise and problem-solving abilities to excel in investment banking. Matthew chose to pursue his MBA so he could master valuation, financial modeling, and deal structuring, and equip himself with the skills needed to evaluate acquisitions and drive strategic decision-making. Matthew has joined RBC Capital Markets as an investment banking summer associate.
A Journey of Innovation and Entrepreneurial Leadership
Andrew Sternaman is from Hartland, WI and graduated from UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Personal Finance. Right after graduating undergrad, Andrew jumped headfirst into the business world as an equity partner in Salads Up, a startup fast-casual restaurant concept.
Andrew led the financial and operational management of the Madison location, navigating the complexities of running a business in a competitive market. Andrew then transitioned into the tech space, joining a high-growth B2B SaaS company where he implemented solutions for enterprise clients like Hershey’s. During his tenure, he not only streamlined implementations but also showcased his business acumen by winning the company’s inaugural pitch competition. At his next venture, a tech startup, Andrew managed over $1 million in client contracts as a Project Manager. While the startup’s journey was ultimately cut short, Andrew used the opportunity to deepen his expertise in managing complex projects and client relationships. Determined to take control of his career trajectory, Andrew founded his own firm focused on helping small-to-medium-sized businesses automate their financial and operational processes.
Andrew decided to pursue the MBA at Wisconsin to roll up his hands-on business experience and gain a deeper understanding of the financial side of companies to leverage his skillset into a finance focused role in investment banking, private equity, or entrepreneurial finance. Andrew has joined R.W. Baird as an investment banking summer associate.
How does the Nicholas Center support IB students?
The ideal investment banking candidate is strong in financial modeling and analysis specifically related to valuation techniques, financial statement analysis and building complex financial models. Prior to starting their MBA program in the fall, new incoming students gain access to Wall Street Prep and have several modules and training materials to complete which helps students elevate their technical finance skills. CFIB students will enroll in MBA and specialized CFIB core classes and have access to elective options to prepare them well for the field of investment banking. Students will also be matched with rising second year student and alumni mentors to provide essential advice and guidance as they begin their recruiting journey.
Beginning this year, IB students will be part of Brad Chandler’s Associate/Analyst Development program. Brad is part of our Teaching Faculty and is a former MD at Morgan Stanley. His program helps develop undergraduate and graduate students interested in IB develop technical and soft skills needed to succeed in achieving an IB summer internship. In addition, our WSB MBA Career Team kicked off summer programming to help all incoming students perfect their resume, develop their value proposition, and provide training on networking, job search, and interviewing before stepping foot on campus.
This September, the Nicholas Center will continue their Current Topics in Finance course where students will engage with industry leaders to learn about career paths including investment banking, which will involve a career trek to Milwaukee and on-site visit at R.W. Baird. Past treks included trips to Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City where the students met with leaders from a wide variety of leading corporate finance and investment banking corporations.
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