Previous Occupation: Software Engineer, Silver Atena
Present Occupation: Manager, Strategy & Business Development, MTAR Technologies
Sector: Manufacturing – Aerospace, Nuclear, Defence, Energy
Work Experience: Four years
Interests – Professional/Personal: Travelling, Beverages, Reading

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

Post ISB, I have been working with one of Blackstone’s portfolio companies, MTAR Technologies, as manager for strategy and business development. On the strategy side, I have more of an operational role with a focus on cost-cutting, implementation and change management related activities. On the business development front, I am involved with international business, primarily in aerospace, defence and nuclear energy.

Having a mechanical engineering background, prior to ISB, I worked as a software engineer at Silver Atena, in the avionics and railway signalling domain. I was involved in verification activities across the life cycle of different safety-critical projects.

Key take-away from the ISB.

Without any doubt, my key take-away from ISB has been my interactions with the different people that I met over the course of the year. Having had the experience of working with a diverse group of high-calibre individuals in a fast-paced environment and dealing with our many differences, it is easier for me today, to adapt to the variety of working styles and cultures that I encounter in my professional life.

How do you think the ISB has contributed to your career growth?

ISB has given me the career switch that I was looking for. I made the transition from being an IT professional, working on different modules of code on a daily basis, to a hands-on operational person with deep involvement in management decision making. While I am sure that the ISB curriculum played a role in making this shift, I would give more credit to the opportunities that ISB gave me to meet CXO-level professionals, with whom I work with very closely today. This exposure helped me understand how they think, work and make decisions. These experiences have put me in a better position to progress from middle to senior managerial role in the next one to two years.

What is your vision for the School?

ISB has a grand vision in place for the next ten years. Adding to this vision, I see ISB as a School that has a similar level of brand recognition globally, as it has today in India. While ISB has been recognised by the Financial Times as a top global B-school, work needs to be done before the School is widely acknowledged and identified as a global brand amongst different corporations, universities and the media, at an international level..

What are the strengths that the School can leverage upon and areas it can improve?

The fast growing alumni base is something that can be leveraged upon.
An area that the school can improve on is in relation to diversity on campus. Unless we have international students who account for at least 15%-20% of the student base, we will not be able to benchmark ourselves against the other top-ranked international B-schools.

How do you think alums can associate with the School or alum’s role in building the School?

People’s impression of the School is based on their interactions with the alumni. Thus, the alums have a great responsibility to conduct themselves in a manner that enhances the School’s image. Alums can also contribute by playing an active role in the initiatives and activities organised by the School.

What is the area you can contribute in?

I have been actively involved in many school-driven activities and will continue to do so.

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