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Ausang Shukla
Class of 2005
Senior Vice President, Macquarie Capital
Previous Occupation: Associate, Lehman Brothers/ Nomura
Present Occupation: Senior Vice President, Macquarie Capital
Sector: Investment Banking
Work Experience: 11 years
Interests: Professional/Personal: Reading, golf, biking/ driving.
Can you tell us a little about your family background/ history?
I was born and brought up in Delhi and come from a family of professionals. I’m
currently based in Mumbai with my wife Priyanka, who is a Chartered Accountant
and works with McKinsey & Company.
Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including
recent awards/ special projects).
Over the past 10+ years in the corporate finance / investment banking sector, I
have had the opportunity to advise leading Indian and multinational
corporations, including Axis Bank, IDFC, Centurion Bank of Punjab, BNP Paribas,
Natixis, Newscorp, Apollo Tyres and Crompton Greaves, among others, on a range
of M&A transactions. Building deep relationships and trust, together with
recognition from clients for helping them identify opportunities and consummate
transactions, has been my biggest achievement.
Tell us about your profile pre-ISB, and recap your professional life after
ISB, including your career progression.
After completing my undergraduate degree from University of Delhi, I joined
PricewaterhouseCoopers to pursue my Chartered Accountancy. At PwC I worked in
the assurance and financial advisory divisions in New Delhi and had a stint in
international tax in the United States.
Post-ISB, I joined Ambit Corporate Finance in Delhi and subsequently moved to
Mumbai to join Lehman Brothers as part of the investment banking team. In 2010,
I joined Macquarie where I currently lead coverage for financial institutions
and the telecom sector in India and insurance in South East Asia.
Describe your fondest memory at ISB.
Having a truly diverse experience, including being part of events such as the
China-India Conference, the Capital Markets Conference, and Net Impact Day Out
for children from a local school, being part of clubs such as the Salsa Club and
the Wine Club and making some of my closest friends. .
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?
At a personal level, ISB truly helped me broaden my outlook through various
activities and interactions with classmates and faculty. The intensive rigour of
completing an MBA course in a one-year programme has taught me how to balance my
time and prioritise activities.
How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
Apart from honing my core corporate finance skills, the one year at ISB helped
me get a wider perspective, which has been invaluable in helping me become a
stronger professional. I often find myself using concepts I picked up from my
strategy, statistics, marketing and leadership courses in work situations.
If you have to sum up ISB in one word:
Stimulating!
What was the main highlight of your programme at the ISB?
Having a fabulous set of classmates and putting on eight kilos in one year from
all the Sarovar food and endless beer sessions
Word of advice for the current class?
Business schools are not just about placements! Make the most of this year and
learn from your classmates, professors and guest speakers.
What was your favourite course/ class at ISB and why?
While it’s hard to pick from the fabulous professors, the two courses that
particularly stood out for me were the electives in Mergers and Acquisitions by
Professor Sreenivas Kamma and Leadership Lessons from World Literature by
Professor Rajeshwar Upadhyaya .
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.
My biggest mentors were my classmates who helped me through the programme and
remain my first port of call even today when I am trying to understand a new
concept or simply to exchange views. Among the faculty, Professor Amit Bubna was
particularly helpful with regard to exchanging thoughts, ideas and concerns.
What are the areas in which you can contribute to ISB?
Helping in the admissions interview process, holding sessions for current
students and helping to build a more active alumni community
What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
Helping clients achieve their strategic objectives, learning about new markets/
industries and having the freedom to chart my own growth path.
What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in?
Any trends that you can see?
In the financial services space, innovations in technology are already starting
to alter the manner in which these services reach out to customers. Perhaps
within 10 years, financial institutions would have to be significantly different
to stay relevant to their customers.
The other key trend is the rapidly evolving regulatory environment, which will
impact the way institutions are structured and conduct their businesses. Staying
at the forefront of these changes will be critical to the success of
organisations and their managements.