Personal Information

Previous Occupation: Junior Manager - Operations, Reliance Industries Ltd (E&P)
Present Occupation: Consultant, PwC's PRTM Management Consulting
Sector: Consulting
Work Experience: Approximately 3.5 years
Interests – Professional/ Personal
Personal: Dancing, swimming, travelling
Professional: Management consulting, growth strategies, market assessment, data analytics

Can you tell us a little about your family background/ history?
I was born and raised in a small town, Kharagpur. I did my schooling and graduation there and after having spent 22 years in Kharagpur, I moved to Mumbai for my first job. I spent three wonderful years in Mumbai and then shifted base to ISB to complete my MBA. I belong to a family of academicians. My father was a professor at IIT Kharagpur and my mother is a writer.

Tell us about your profile pre-ISB, and recap your professional life after ISB including your career progression
Pre-ISB, I was in Oil and Gas upstream operations. I worked as a Geophysicist with Reliance Industries Limited’s Exploration and Production business. I have worked on acquisition vessels and oil rigs as part of my professional career. I wanted to do an MBA because I wanted a career shift into consulting. Post-ISB, I joined an operations consulting firm - PwC's PRTM Management Consulting. I love my current job and have been enjoying every bit of it for the last nine months.

Describe your fondest memory at ISB.
Given a chance, I could tap into a plethora of beautiful memories associated with ISB. My fondest would be one day that was very well spent with Bandhan (a student initiative). It was August 15, 2011 and ISB had hosted over 300 underprivileged kids from nearby NGOs. We spent the entire day engaging with them in different activities. It was the best day at ISB for me.

In your personal life, how have you changed post-ISB? Do you see yourself doing something differently because you went to ISB? What has left a lasting impression?
I have definitely changed in my personal life post-ISB. A broader outlook, awesome amount of self-confidence and a great set of friends - these things, among others, have contributed a lot to my personal growth. I don't restrict myself to a particular school of thought and have opened my mind to different outlooks that may arise from different backgrounds and experiences. I feel much more liberated and self-confident.

How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
My main motivation for doing an MBA was to make a career shift. I had a very interesting job and profile prior to ISB but I felt constrained to a particular industry and stream. I could see myself growing vertically in the organisation and industry, but I was lacking in terms of breadth of knowledge about the rest of the world. Hence, I chose ISB so that I could develop my skills and understanding of different functions and industries and make a career shift into consulting. And that's exactly what I did. Now, I am in a professional role that I love and acknowledge ISB's contribution to my career growth.

If you have to sum up ISB in one word:
Enigma.

What was the main highlight of your programme at the ISB?
The main highlight definitely has to be the world-class faculty. Also, the diversity of the class is impressive. I was really amazed to discover the variety of professions people choose to be in.

Word of advice for the current class?
Make the most of your time at ISB. Don't miss out on anything you are remotely interested in.

What was your favourite course/ class at ISB and why?
My favourite course was "Marketing Services" by Professor Piyush Kumar: 10 classes - 10 cases -10 amazing solutions. The class would start with a discussion of the case facts, and by the end of the class, it would reach a point that I would never have imagined. I loved each and every class in this course.

Was there anyone during your time at ISB who acted as a mentor for you? Tell us a little about this relationship and why it was valuable.
I sought mentorship from my friends while I was at ISB. Alums were very helpful in clarifying whatever queries I had.

What are the areas in which you can contribute to ISB?
I would love to contribute to ISB in whichever area I can, be it mentoring students, involvement in events, or some other way.  

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
As mentioned earlier, I love everything about my current career position. I moved into consulting from the Oil and Gas industry and my first two projects were in the Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences vertical. This major shift in career is what enables me to learn new things every day. Apart from the learning and variety of work, my best experience had been working with an awesome team.

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Any trends that you can see?
I have been focusing on the PLS vertical (Pharma and Life Sciences) since I began my consulting career. The next “in” thing with respect to India is the growth in the Indian Pharma market. According to a report, the Indian pharma market will grow to US$55 billion in 2020. MNCs are moving their operations to India to grab this opportunity as well as to benefit from India's low cost advantage.

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