UC grad shares path to success, from biochemistry to corporate president

As an undergrad in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in biochemistry, Sujata Malhotra dreamed of going to medical school.

But upon graduation she decided to go into the food and beverage industry, beginning her career at Cargill, Inc. She held various positions — quality assurance chemist, technical services manager, sales manager — while earning a master’s in business administration from Capital University, focusing on international marketing. 

Malhotra implements the company strategy to drive optimum profitability, product mix and customer satisfaction; leads negotiations and collaborations to secure major contracts and partnerships to drive revenue growth and market penetration; cultivates a high-performance culture by inspiring and leading cross-functional teams toward shared business objectives while prioritizing employee safety; and acts as a visionary leader to modernize processes to increase efficiency. 

During this time, Malhotra became the secretary on the board of directors with Candy Production Club of Chicago, a professional organization of candy makers; most recently she was the organization’s president. In addition, she is a Dean’s Advisory Board member for the UC College of Arts and Sciences. As a strong believer in higher education, she started the Sujata Malhotra Scholarship Fund for students majoring in chemistry or biochemistry. 

Featured image at top: Main Street on UC's Uptown Campus. Credit/UC Creative + Brand.