Northwestern University Alumni

Senior Manager, Lifecycle Marketing B2B, Adobe, Concord, California

AJ Kunimitsu-Aguado is senior manager for lifecycle marketing at Adobe, where he leads global B2B email strategy for Creative Cloud and Document Cloud. He has extensive experience in multichannel acquisition and engagement across retail and tech. Kunimitsu-Aguado began his career at Target Corporation and went on to lead customer relationship management and retention at Gap Inc. and Pandora. He served as global executive co-chair of Adobe’s Asian/Pacific Islander employee network, where he led initiatives in cultural advocacy, leadership development, and building intersectional community.

A proud Northwestern alumnus, Kunimitsu-Aguado earned his bachelor’s degrees in communication studies and an ad hoc major in Asian American studies. He received the Asian/Asian American Heritage Award from Multicultural Student Affairs. On campus, he served as co-president of Kaibigan, executive board member and 120-hour club inductee for Dance Marathon, philanthropy chair of Phi Delta Theta, site lead for Alternative Student Break, and a dancer with Fusion Dance Company and BLAST.

A 2022 New Leaders Council San Francisco Fellow, Kunimitsu-Aguado dances with a hip-hop collective in Oakland, California. He lives in the Bay Area with his husband, their newborn son, and their two dogs.

Chief Executive Officer, The Coaching Factory, Los Angeles, California

Chelsea C. Hayes is chief executive officer at The Coaching Factory, a Los Angeles-based corporate training and development firm that specializes in interactive experiences for inclusion, leadership, and management. The Coaching Factory provides counsel to CEOs and celebrities. Her clients include global powerhouse brands such as PepsiCo, General Mills, Yum! Brands, Morgan Stanley, Eli Lilly, Spin Master (home of the Rubik’s Cube), and Kendo (home of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna).

Prior to founding The Coaching Factory, Hayes was the director of human resources at the Los Angeles Sparks WNBA team. She launched her career ghostwriting for the chief diversity officer at General Electric.

Hayes earned two bachelor’s degrees from Purdue University and served as the national second vice president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., where she was the third-highest-ranking elected global officer in a sorority of more than 300,000 members.

She earned a master’s degree in communication from Northwestern University and has a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from HR Certification Institute. She is a member of Council of One Hundred (C100), a group of top executives who connect alumni to support their professional success. She also co-founded and continues to serve on the NVISION committee which advances C100’s commitment to access and community.

Hayes, who loves arranging flowers and being an overinvolved aunt, is currently in production on a television show based on her work.

Partner, BFG Partners, Denver, Colorado

Rajesh (Raj) Babu is a leader in the natural foods industry, currently serving as partner at BFG Partners, a venture capital firm focused on investments in food, beverage, beauty, and other consumer goods. Prior to BFG, he was president of Cappello’s, a grain-free frozen foods brand, and president and chief operating officer of Birch Benders, a natural pancake and waffle mix brand, growing the company’s revenue eightfold and leading a successful acquisition by Sovos Brands in 2020.

Head of Digital Video, Audio, and Social, CNBC International, London, England

Cristy Garratt is the head of digital video, audio and social for CNBC International, where she is responsible for the network’s original digital video content, podcasts, and social media channel.

With a specialty in multimedia storytelling, she has spent her career using a mix of gut instinct and data to grow digital audiences from virtually nothing to millions. Leading a team of content creators in London and Singapore, Garratt has successfully launched several new series across multiple platforms for CNBC and has grown CNBC International’s social media following to more than three million.