Previous Occupation: GM with Reliance Communication
Present Occupation: CEO – NaturalMantra.com
Sector: eCommerce
Work Experience: 19 years
Interests – Professional/ Personal:  Travelling, cricket and music

Can you tell us a little about your family background/ history?
I belong to a Marwari business family. My father was in the iron and steel trading business. Both my brothers have their own businesses. Right from my childhood, my father always taught me to never give up, to always give my best and the results would follow. My wife works with Accenture and my daughter, who is 14 years old, is studying in Class 9.

Tell us about your profile pre-ISB, and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.
I have an engineering degree from the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University. Pre-ISB, I worked with Infosys for about 13 years and with Accenture for about one year. In my last role at Infosys, I managed pre-sales for the Asia-Pacific business. Just before ISB, at Accenture, I was managing IT solution delivery for one of the company’s Platinum accounts (a US$100 million + account)

Post-ISB, I joined Reliance Communications (RCOM) to create and manage the business consulting arm for RCOM’s IT division. After a four-and-a-half-year stint at RCOM, I started my own venture, which is into eCommerce of Natural and Organic products for every day needs. At this venture, our aim is to provide sustainable lifestyle solutions to each individual thru genuine Natural and Organic products.

Describe your fondest memory of ISB.
There are so many of them, but the one that I cherish the most is from placement week. As the Placom Director for our batch, I saw the coming together of the entire batch, ISB staff and the spouse association with the sole purpose of helping each other and making it one of the best placements for the batch. This experience will remain with me forever.

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? Saying that I have “changed” would be an understatement. I feel like an entirely new me after ISB. There is a sea change in the way I do things post-ISB. I feel that the biggest change is that while earlier my approach was more reactive to different situations, post-ISB, it has become more proactive and holistic. The extremely high level of intellect at ISB has left a lasting impression on me.

How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
One year at ISB transformed me into a more holistic thinker, which contributed to my career growth in a big way. Not only did I grow well within RCOM, but I was also able to fulfil my dream of starting my own venture.

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

What was the main highlight of your programme at the ISB?
I feel the biggest takeaway from ISB has been the network that I have been able to build and can rely upon at any time. This has particularly become a strength for me now that I am running my own venture.

Word of advice for the current class?
Every minute spent at the ISB campus is priceless. Make use of it. While on campus, develop your network and focus on learning. Your network and learning are what you will require post-ISB. Success will automatically follow.

What was your favourite course/ class at ISB and why?
Financial Accounting and Branding were my favourite subjects.

What are the areas in which you can contribute to ISB?
There are many areas in which every ISBian can contribute to ISB. Each and every ISBian is a brand ambassador for ISB. So am I. Demonstrating ISB values is one of the ways I and other ISBians must contribute to ISB. Additionally, I feel the admission process and alumni engagement are two important areas in which alumni can help, and I attempt to participate in both.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
I am running my own venture, and the feeling of creating something of substance is what I am excited about.

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Any trends that you can see?
In the eCommerce and Technology industry, the advent of 4G telecommunication technology will be the game changer in the way people communicate, use data and internet. It will bring ever newer innovations in the eCommerce, gaming, television and content industry.

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