Skip to main content
Michael N.

Michael Neal

Ex-Deloitte | Break Into Data, Analytics & AI Roles

  • Chicago Booth Logo

    Chicago Booth

  • Centerview Partners Logo

    Centerview Partners

  • 8.9k

    Expert mins

  • 140

    Followers

Available Saturday

Starting at 5:00 PM UTC

Questions?

You can start chatting with Michael before you get started.

  • Customer favorite

    In the top 10% of AI for Data & Analytics experts on Leland

I started in civil engineering, spent four years at Deloitte on cloud strategy, went to UChicago for an MBA and a master's in computer science, and recruited into investment banking. Along the way I worked on technology for the Olympic Games and built my own company, a prep platform for banking candidates that I still run. None of those moves were obvious from the outside. Each one took the same work: figuring out what the bar actually was, then getting specific about how to clear it. That is what I do with clients. I coach investment banking recruiting, and breaking into tech and AI. If you are switching tracks, I have made that switch more than once.

Work with Michael

Michael’s AI for Data & Analytics Qualifications

Experience level: Executive

Michael has helped clients get into these companies:

I help people understand, build, and use AI in practical ways. Whether you’re building an AI product, improving your workflow, exploring automation, preparing for AI/data roles, or figuring out how AI applies to your business, I can help you turn broad ideas into clear next steps. I’ve worked on technology across very different environments: the Olympic Games, startups, and AI implementations for real businesses. I’ve scoped projects, built tools, designed workflows, evaluated business cases, worked with technical infrastructure, and used AI hands-on across products, data, automation, LLMs, prompts, agents, and operations. My goal is to make AI feel less overwhelming and more useful. I’ll meet you where you are and help you move forward with more clarity, confidence, and practical judgment.

Michael can help with:

AI Automation

AI Fundamentals

AI Model Evaluation

Dashboard Creation

Data Cleaning & Prep

Data Pipeline Automation

Data Strategy

Data Visualization

Freelancing

Natural Language Querying

Predictive Analytics

Reporting & Insights

Why do I coach?

Most of the people I work with are not short on information. They have read the guides and watched the videos. What they are missing is someone who will tell them which parts apply to their situation and which parts to ignore. I had that person at a few points and it changed the outcome. That is the part I try to be.

Work Experience

Centerview Partners Logo

Summer Associate

Centerview Partners

June 2025 - August 2025

Technology Group

Deloitte Logo

Consultant

Deloitte

November 2020 - September 2024

Cloud Strategy / Tech coverage

KATERRA Logo

Operations engineer

KATERRA

May 2019 - August 2019

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Logo

Head Teaching Assistant

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

August 2018 - August 2020

Education

Chicago Booth Logo

Chicago Booth

MBA & MS CS

2024 - 2026

Activities and societies: Investment Banking Group — Technical Lead; Quantum @ Booth — Founder

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Logo

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

BS + MS, Civil Engineering

2016 - 2020

5.0 average review

21 reviews


Overall rating

5
4
3
2
1

Knowledge

5.0

Value

5.0

Responsiveness

5.0

Supportiveness

5.0


Michael has helped clients get into these companies:


Loading reviews...