Previous Occupation:   Worked with Tata Motors before ISB as part of their operations and quality improvement initiatives.
Present Occupation: Work with Fortis Healthcare Limited in their acquisitions team
Sector: Healthcare
Work Experience:  9 years in total
Interests – Professional/ Personal

Professional: Networking, reading, etc.
Personal: Reading, writing, movies and music.

Can you tell us a little about your family background/ history?
My father worked with the Indian Air Force and has recently retired from the forces. My mother is a homemaker. My wife is an electronics engineer who is employed with a leading IT firm in  pre-sales function. We have recently been blessed with a gorgeous little girl.

Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards/ special projects)
I was part of the core team working on quality improvement during my stint at Tata Motors, where I was adjudged the best performer. I was part of the investment and fundraising team at Unitech that raised US$300 million from overseas investors in 2008. During my stint at Tata Housing, I was part of a high-value transaction that we closed in record time, for which I also received MD’s appreciation.

Tell us about your profile pre-ISB, and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.
Before ISB, I worked purely on operational and consulting-focused assignments in the manufacturing domain. Having developed a keen interest in finance during my course at ISB, I graduated to investment roles in PE/ VC and then in corporates, post-ISB. I have moved across functions and industries, working on assignments that have been diverse and of great interest to me.

Describe your fondest memory of ISB.
The fondest memories would certainly be the numerous assignments done late at night at the Atrium.

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 inculcated in me an analytical bent of mind and the courage to think big and different. I don’t think this would have happened, had I gone to any other B-school, and I can say that based on my interactions with graduates from other schools. My interaction with a talented bunch of fellow students and the fabulous faculty at ISB has left a lasting impression on me.

How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
ISB has given me more breadth in terms of avenues to look at and explore, a more open thinking, an ability to spot opportunities and encash them and has definitely made me more mature in terms of looking at problems and solving them. The coursework and academic knowledge have been a bonus.

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

What was the main highlight of your  programme at the ISB?
Lectures and LDP sessions. I have never ever been taught by such brilliant faculty.

Word of advice for the current class?
Maximise your learning. Try to extract as much as possible out of this one year. Live it to the fullest and in a completely positive frame of mind.

What was your favourite course/ class at ISB and why?
There were many favourites – Corporate Finance by Professor Bhagwan Chowdhry, Marketing by Professor Jagmohan Raju and Corporate Control, Mergers and Acquisitions by Professor Sreenivas Kamma. All of these stand out because of the excellent course content, the assignments and the exceptional way in which the courses were taught by the professors. Markstrat was the highlight – it was the closest we could get to reality and it certainly kept us hooked till the end.

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 interacted with a few alumni who really helped me to get more clarity on my aspirations post-ISB. That was very important as it helped me get a perspective from those who were in my shoes some time back

What are the areas in which you can contribute to ISB?
Admissions, knowledge sharing sessions and mentorship are the areas in which I think I could contribute to ISB.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
As part of my current position, I enjoy evaluating business opportunities and integrating them with the overall portfolio of the company. The role has strong strategic importance and involves  good understanding of macro- as well as micro-level aspects of running the business  
Transactions are taxing and painful, though the kick you get at the end of every successful transaction is worth all the effort and pain. The role is not preachy but more hands-on, covering strategic, financial and operational aspects of the business, and hence, helps see the business in its totality.

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Any trends that you can see?
A lot of consolidation is on the cards. Additionally, with the corporatization of healthcare delivery, more money has come into this business, which would bolster investment in independent research and breakthrough technologies/equipment, which going forward, would be the key differentiator amongst players. This will also be very crucial to meet health related challenges as the population ages and percentage of dependent population increases in India.

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