Driving Big Ideas

Tabassum Qurashi (MMM '25) applied lessons learned in Northwestern's MBA + MS Design Innovation (MMM) program this summer as a growth strategy intern for Porsche Motorsport North America.

Tabassum Qurashi (MMM '25) recently heard a talk by Sheik Mikaeel Smith on the Northwestern University campus that particularly resonated with her. Smith told attendees that if they can't find the book they're interested in reading, maybe that means they are the one who needs to write it.

Qurashi is not looking to write a book at the moment, but she knows all about forging her own path. This summer, she worked as a growth strategy intern for Porsche Motorsport North America. Out of a team of roughly 30 people, Qurashi was the only woman. Most of her male colleagues were older and deeply ingrained in the racing industry.

But she was undeterred.

"I really loved how much they valued my input, even though this was all new to me," she said. "I helped the team identify areas for improvement and strengths they may not have considered, which was both fulfilling and impactful."

Formula 1 cars race all over the world, and the sport’s popularity increased dramatically over the past five years, particularly in the United States thanks in part to the Netflix "Drive to Survive" docuseries. When the F1 cars aren't racing, Porsche GT3 cars take to the track.

Qurashi is an avid racing fan but was curious to learn more about the business side of racing.

"Each race team operates as its own business," she said. "I wanted to learn how these operations come together to make race weekends so exciting for fans and employees, and how to strategically plan for the future."

Qurashi's role focused on several key business areas for the Porsche Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge Series, including growth strategy, market analysis, strategic partnerships, and sponsor development. The ultimate goal was to help build a more exciting race experience for drivers and fans. Throughout her internship, she found herself relying on lessons learned in Northwestern's MBA + MS Design Innovation (MMM) program — a dual-degree program between Northwestern Engineering and the Kellogg School of Management.

In Whole Brain Communication, she learned effective storytelling and visualization techniques that she applied to create presentations and reports so companies could understand the impact of a potential partnership.

In Digital Design and Development, she learned the intricacies of app development that she leveraged to help streamline the communication process for race teams.

Most memorably, Research - Design - Build taught Qurashi the value of "failing forward," a mindset she learned to accept as part of the growth strategy process.

"I generated a lot of creative ideas with my team, but some of them were not immediately feasible due to budget constraints or limited team bandwidth," she said. "But I didn't let that discourage me. I documented these ideas for future use. We maintained a spreadsheet of concepts that could be revisited and potentially implemented in later seasons. This practice was a direct reflection of failing forward."

Qurashi worked closely with Porsche Motorsport North America CEO Volker Holzmeyer and regularly traveled to races with her team. She applied her knowledge of user-centered design to conduct ethnographic research and build a comprehensive survey designed to gain insights for improving the race experience.

"Being a MMM student, I've gained a strong foundation in empathy and understanding consumer insights in a strategic way," she said. "Applying those lessons to develop this ethnographic research on the racing grid and talking to drivers, garage crew, and team managers was special. It bridged my academic knowledge with real-world applications."

Qurashi made it a point to interact with people from across the sport throughout her internship. She learned how pit teams operate, talked with potential sponsors, and even picked up career advice from some of the drivers — including actor Patrick Dempsey, who races in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Series.

"The drivers I met offered me invaluable advice that I found relatable and inspiring, even though we came from such different worlds," she said. 'The environment was supportive and filled with a euphoric sense of love and camaraderie, making it one of the most nurturing and uplifting experiences I've had. I learned a lot, and I’m excited to see how this story unravels.”