Mazahir Moiz Boriawala
Class of 2006
INOX Hardware Trading L.L.C.
Partner Assistant Manager

Previous Occupation: Business
Present Occupation: Business
Sector:
Hardware Trading
Work Experience:
7.5 years in the family business
Interests - Professional/Personal: Entrepreneurship, music, running.


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

I am a commerce graduate that came to ISB with over two years of experience in my family business. We trade in products related to the wood working industry with operations spanning across the GCC.

Post ISB, I rejoined the business in the woodworking sector for a year following which my brother and I were charged with setting up a new business that trades in products for metal working industries. The company is three years old now and I am deeply involved in most aspects of this business – be it product portfolio development, HR, strategy, marketing, geographical expansion etc.,

What was your key take-away from the ISB?
The biggest asset of a management professional is his instinct. Most professionals do not follow their instinct and fail to deliver results because they do not believe in themselves. Management education provides you with tools and metrics necessary to test your instincts and puts you in the “hot seat” without the risks. This is where self confidence is built and where the ISB delivers brilliantly. It does so by putting you in a room full of very sharp minds and by providing excellent faculty, superb study material and a very comfortable environment. ISB for me was a great way to build my confidence and marry rock solid analytics with instinct for better decision making.

How do you think the ISB has contributed to your career growth?
ISB gave me experiences I could leverage upon when we started the new venture. We continue to face many challenges with product portfolio, allocation of resources, scale-up etc for which I heavily rely on what I learnt while at ISB.

What is your vision for the School?
ISB should continuously strive be a leader in thought leadership by focusing on research and achieve the highest standards in management education. I would also love to see ISB build entrepreneurship in both business and social sector.

What are the strengths that the School can leverage upon and areas it can improve?
Strengths are the quality of the program, its faculty and students; partnerships with other business schools and businesses; its research focus and the alumni network. I would even consider location as these are very interesting times for India.
But, the school must increase participation from aspiring students in the developed world and also in the subcontinent and Southeast Asian countries. To be truly global, we should increase the number of countries represented on campus.

How do you think alums can associate with the School or alum’s role in building the School?
The alumni body plays a very significant role in developing the brand equity of the school in their respective countries/organizations. We must strive to deliver the best results and maintain the highest level of professional integrity.
Creating touch points between the current students and the alumni network can help the current students leverage on the experiences of those before them. Mentoring and guidance programs can not only help the current students but also sweeten the deal for aspiring students.

What is the area you can contribute in?

From founding the Middle East Chapter to now being an alumni representative for the same – I am confident in saying that I am always available for any activity that would help the school and/or its students.