Meet Arshan Tarapore

First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, Arshan Tarapore says working for AlixPartners allowed him to realize his appetite for challenge.

Since childhood, Arshan Tarapore embraced the uncertainty that comes with flying outside your comfort zone. Born in India, his family moved to Minnesota when he was about six years old. “I’d never seen snow in my life and the week after we moved, we were hit with a blizzard. It was a shock.”

Leading up to adulthood, Arshan took to the books, first through undergraduate studies in Geophysics and Economics at Boston University and then directly over to graduate school at William & Mary University, where he earned his Master’s degree in Business Analytics.

After discovering AlixPartners during a job fair in 2017, Arshan joined the firm’s Digital practice as a Consultant, where his career launched hard and fast.

“It was my first job out of graduate school,” he shared, reflecting on the defining impact of his initial engagement, a complex merger of two major retail companies that involved an unusually large team and long timeline. “I’m not sure I realized at the time how incredible it was. I loved it.”

The responsibility Arshan was trusted with at the firm shows up now in his current duties as a First Lieutenant in the Air Force. “What I gained as a consultant helped me accept and welcome pressure and accountability. Now, I use that every day. It’s second nature.”

In 2019 Arshan left the firm to apply his abilities through service in the Air Force, a dream he’d had since middle school.

Arshan started his military career that spring, went on to officer training school, and arrived to his first unit in 2020. He worked as an Operations Analyst in Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) before he most recently attended flight school in Pensacola, Florida at the Naval Air Station.

“It would take days to acknowledge how many people at AlixPartners had an impact on where I am now,” he reflects on his pivot from consulting.

Arshan found organic bonds with his AlixPartners teammates and many of the leaders at the firm. John Lagedrost, Senior Vice President, helped Arshan navigate the new-to-him consulting industry. “John took me under his wing, even showing me how to live in Boston by yourself,” Arshan stated while gesturing to his phone. “I texted him the other day and still consider him a close friend.”

Managing Directors like John Bonno and Patrick Anglin were also formative to the development of Arshan’s own leadership style, which he now exercises in the Air Force.

“I’ve been around what military leadership is,” Arshan noted in admiration for his time working with John Bonno. “[John’s] leadership style very much aligns with how I now lead, and how I like to be led. He manages a team well and gets the best out of people, all while being approachable.”

In different ways, working with Patrick Anglin helped activate Arshan’s fitness for responsibility. “[Patrick] showed you what you were capable of through trust.”

Now an aircrew member, Arshan navigates plane operations and communicates with air traffic control. “I’m entrusted to ensure that the crew flies safely and do whatever tasks are necessary to complete a flight. I really thrive off that responsibility.”

Arshan has found adaptability to be a driver of success – from weathering his first blizzard, consulting on major client engagements, and now as an aircrew member for the United States Air Force. “Things change unexpectedly, and you have to adjust. It happened to me at every engagement at the firm and now especially in aviation, it’s huge.”

No matter the challenge, Arshan’s understanding of the power of teamwork is clear.

“At the end of the day, you're working together to accomplish a common goal.”