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Swastika Nare
Class of 2006
GE Healthcare – Strategic Marketing Manager



Previous Occupation: Prior to ISB, I was working as a marketing executive with BOC India Ltd, a member of The Linde Group.

Present Occupation: Strategic Marketing Manager – ASEAN with GE Healthcare

Sector: Healthcare

Work Experience: 12 years 

Interests – Professional/Personal: Reading, studying literature

Tell us about yourself – your profile, recap your professional life after ISB including your career progression

I came to ISB with five years of work experience in sales and marketing with BOC (member of The Linde Group). BOC had offered to sponsor my ISB education if I chose to join them upon graduation, and I took up their offer.

Post ISB, after a short project in India and a merger integration project in Singapore, I joined The Linde Group in their South and East Asia office in Singapore as Regional Manager for network optimization (supply chain optimization).

After 18 months in this role, I moved on to become the Global Manager for the same function. In this role I was involved in the development of product and supply strategy as well as new investment reviews and approvals.

I recently moved to GE Healthcare as Strategic Marketing Manager for the ASEAN region. This role involves managing product as well as country level marketing activities for ASEAN.

Describe your fondest memory at ISB

I had taken the PaEV (Planning an Entrepreneurial Venture) course without having any ideas for a venture. After struggling with a few ideas, three of us decided to work on a social venture since that struck a chord with all of us.

My fondest memory was when our PaEV project was selected in the Asia Finals of the GSVC (Global Social Venture Competition) to move to the next round. The joy was not just in the win, it was in the realization that something as vague as an “idea just to pass the course” can translate into something “so real” when nurtured by professors like Mr. Sarma from the Wadhwani Centre and by the spirit and enthusiasm of a committed team.

With the knowledge and experience gained at ISB, when looking back, tell us something that you would have done differently while you were a student here?

I would have liked to get more involved with the various clubs on campus. The School has been very open to suggestions and ideas from alumni; I wish I had spent some time on campus for the School as well.

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?

ISB has broadened the canvas of my thoughts. The subjects we studied helped put everything in perspective, like pieces of a jigsaw falling in place. This develops strategic thinking, which is not limited to the professional world, but finds its way into your personal life as well.

Today, the global world, repeatedly dissected by way of case studies of global corporations seems more familiar than my own backyard. ISB made me a global citizen long before I moved out of India for work.

ISB has given me the confidence that someday I might be able to start my own venture – something I had never thought possible prior to getting into the School.

How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
Post ISB I managed a global role in supply chain optimization even though my pre-ISB experience was in sales and marketing. This is thanks to the knowledge I have gained at ISB, where the curriculum is not only highly relevant, but also taught by faculty who can create experts out of novices.

The thought-provoking debates, both within and outside the classroom with students from diverse backgrounds, have sensitized me to various views and thinking patterns, a skill that is put to test repeatedly in my professional life.

The ISB course packs and lecture notes are “ready reckoners" till date.
The ISB alumni network has proved very effective to me personally when reaching out for information or guidance.  

If you have to sum up ISB in one word: Gurukul
(My quad in SV2 overlooked the tennis court where the peacocks gathered and cried at dawn. I have often wondered why we do not use the peacocks in our advertising.)
A residential B-school with a peaceful, serene atmosphere and a dedicated faculty and staff is indeed a modern Gurukul.

What are the areas that you can contribute in to ISB?
After having helped establish the Singapore Chapter and currently working as the Chapter Representative since inception, I believe there is a lot that alumni outside India can do to promote the brand to international students and recruiters. It is also important to keep the alumni network active. I will continue to work in these areas If there is an opportunity, I would also like to contribute to projects that ISB may take up in the social and public space.