Rupal Poltack '94: Frequently Asked Questions
From a young age, Rupal Patel Poltack ’94, president of Walton Enterprises, was determined to be part of the corporate world. Because of the support she received from mentors along the way, today she feels compelled to help younger colleagues pursue professional goals that align with their authentic selves.
- Published on January 21, 2021
Rupal Patel Poltack '94 and her husband, Dave Poltack '94
Sure, most kids ask a lot of questions. But how many 13-year-olds want to learn about mortgages? Rupal Patel Poltack ’94, for one. Over a neighbor’s dinner table in 1985, the unfamiliar idea of borrowing money from a bank came up.
“Listening to the adults talk, I had so many questions,” she recalls. “I remember asking, ‘Why can’t we just buy the house? Where does a bank get its money? What is an interest rate? When is the money due back to the bank?’ Now, 35 years later, I am still remembered as the curious girl who was interested in mortgages.”
That inquisitive teenager eventually became a highly successful woman with a lucrative career in finance.
Poltack earned her degree in finance at the Carroll School of Management (and met her husband, Dave Poltack ’94), while taking advantage of the opportunities around her. “Some of our professors ran businesses and worked for investment firms. They were able to share academic theory with us and also discuss how it applied to the real world,” she remembers.
Right out of college, Poltack landed at Coopers and Lybrand (today PricewaterhouseCoopers), progressed from director to senior vice president at Fidelity Investments, held executive roles for various family-owned businesses, and is now president of Walton Enterprises.
From a young age, she was determined to be part of the corporate world and succeed in an industry typically dominated by men. Because of the support she received from mentors along the way, today Poltack feels compelled to help younger colleagues pursue professional goals that align with their authentic selves.
The formula she shares is straightforward: do a really good job, ask thoughtful questions, and build solid relationships. Poltack admits it’s not always as easy as it sounds, but she has held many roles across different organizations, and the results speak for themselves. “What I tell young people is: don’t think about the next job you want. Think about what content and skills you want to learn next. The journey must be interesting and exciting to you.”
Poltack says there are two factors that have helped fuel her success: courage and emotional intelligence.
“Don’t think about the next job you want. Think about what content and skills you want to learn next. The journey must be interesting and exciting to you.”
Rupal Patel Poltack ’94
She credits her parents, who left India for the United States 50 years ago, for the first. “My parents took massive risks,” she says. “They believed in the American dream and wanted a better life for their children.” One sister is associate professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins, and the other is a tax attorney at Fidelity Investments. “We are the fortunate benefactors of their bravery,” Poltack adds.
As for the second? “Understanding people by reading their non-verbal cues is a critical skill,” she advises. “Listen to others’ words, dig deep for their emotional drivers, and learn to assess behavioral patterns.”
Rupal '94, Dave '94 and their family
Poltack is grateful to be able to lean on a small group of friends and peers with whom she can discuss the unique challenges that many female leaders face in the workplace and in their personal lives. “For many of us, the struggles are the same,” she notes. “It is about finding interesting and challenging roles that we enjoy, developing ourselves to the point of mastery, and somehow managing to balance all of that with our personal lives.” Her husband, Dave, is her biggest advocate. “He’s been my rock and my constant supporter so I can pursue my professional aspirations,” she says, “even when they created imbalance for our family.” Together for 26 years, they have two teenagers and reside in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Any career path is a continuous journey, she concludes, adding that she is always seeking new challenges to keep things fresh and remain energized. “We only get bored when we are not developing ourselves and are not in the right working environments for our individual selves,” she says. “Just keep asking good questions!”