Personal Information

Previous Occupation: Entrepreneur, Financial Services & Solar Power
Present Occupation: Senior Associate, Samsara Capital
Sector: Real Estate Private Equity
Work Experience: 5.5 years
Interests – Professional/ Personal:

I enjoy running, swimming and playing football. I love to travel and experience new places and cultures.

Can you tell us a little about your family background/ history?
Born into a family of entrepreneurs, I spent my formative years in Mumbai following which I moved to London to complete my schooling and university. After spending close to ten years in London, I moved back to Mumbai in an entrepreneurial role. My time in Mumbai prompted me to stay in India for business school, which led me to ISB.
My parents are both entrepreneurs in their own right. My father, a serial entrepreneur, is currently focussing his efforts in solar energy. My mother is a designer and has her own fashion label.

Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards/ special projects).
I was an active sportsman growing up and I continue to play sports. Before joining ISB, I had run the 42-km Mumbai Marathon and climbed Mount Fujiyama. I recently ran the half marathon in Mumbai, and will continue to focus on improving my timing in the 21-km run. On the professional front, I am a CFA charterholder.

Tell us about your profile pre-ISB, and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.
After university, I joined Lehman Brothers on their Hedge Fund desk as a product specialist. Here I was charged with raising capital for Lehman's hedge funds from European investors. After spending four years with the team (two before bankruptcy, and two as a new company after Lehman's bankruptcy), I was enticed back to Mumbai by the India growth story. Here, I started a firm that raised European capital for listed companies in India. After the European crisis took firm root and completely derailed my business model, I joined forces with my father and helped him start the solar energy business, which he now manages. 

Post-ISB, I started off at a boutique investment bank. However, the role was not to my liking for a variety of reasons and I managed to switch roles to a Private Equity Fund where I am now enjoying my work.

Describe your fondest memory of ISB.
I was fortunate enough to have met a number of ambitious, eclectic and self-motivated people at ISB. I was even more fortunate that my quad captured the essence of ISB in a microcosm. I have to say that one of my more vivid memories at ISB was meeting all my "quaddies" for the first time. We continue to be extremely good friends, even though we have been scattered across the country.

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?
Being immersed in such a diverse peer group for a year has definitely had an effect on my personality. Of all the things I can think of as I reflect back on my pre-ISB days, I can definitely say I am more self-confident now. I back myself more in decision making and am more confident about taking on full responsibility and accountability. 
Lasting impression: A large class, we got together as a tight unit and always pulled together. ISB disarmed most people of their egos, and that resulted in a fantastic all-round life experience.

How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
It’s probably too soon to comment on this. ISB has already had a direct and indirect impact on my career growth. When I was job hunting, it had opened doors for interviews. Today as a professional, it continues to create opportunities through an active alumni network. But it will take a few more years before I will be able to look back and really judge ISB's impact on my career.

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

What was the main highlight of your programme at the ISB?
It's a tie: Education and ISL.

Word of advice for the current class?
I have two pieces of advice:
1. Everyone is there for a reason. Embrace your differences instead of looking for how you are similar - that is the only way you will grow.
2. Find your own place at ISB. Everybody gives gyaan, but every journey is different.

What was your favourite course/ class at ISB and why?
Krishna B. Kumar: Global Economics. Genius meets eloquence. He made macroeconomics come alive. His style of teaching and his ability to simplify the most complex of topics was a highlight. His method of examination was unique at ISB, and I thoroughly enjoyed preparing for and sitting his examination. It was the only morning class in core terms that I was always fully awake for!
Other courses that I thought were brilliant were:

• Microfinance: Shamika Ravi. With fantastic subject content and first-hand experience, she made theoretical economics thrive in the practical reality of India.
• Infrastructure & Project Finance: P.S. Srinivas. Professor Srinivas brought his years of experience with World Bank to the classroom with a series of absorbing and intellectually stimulating case studies
• Corporate Strategy and Organisation Design: Kannan Srikanth. He opened my mind to new ways of thinking, even if it meant I had to read way too much before every class!
• Negotiation Analysis: Abhijeet Vadhera. Simply brilliant!

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.
While I had no formal mentors, I had the good fortune of meeting some of the professors out of the classroom. I would encourage all students to do this. Outside of the wealth of experience and knowledge they have, there are some very strong personalities amongst them. My experiences outside the classroom helped me decide what career path to follow.
My peer group: From two to ten years of experience, from fashion merchandising to ship building, we had everything within our class. If you wanted to know something or needed guidance,  there always was someone just a phone call away!

What are the areas in which you can contribute to ISB?
I would like to help with admissions, CV reviews/ mock interviews and mentoring, if required. As I grow older and wiser, I would also like to help with creating job opportunities. For now, I hope to come up with some interesting ELPs.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
Small firm, diverse and motivated team, young boss and no politics. I learn every day!

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Any trends that you can see?
An area that is not new, but definitely growing rapidly is debt financing in real estate. PE funds who invested equity in 2007/ 08/ 09 got burnt but have come out wiser. They are looking for secured investments via the NBFC (non-banking financial company) or NCD (non-convertible debenture) routes. Developers are cash strapped, and without access to bank financing, are open to looking at these structures with investors.

© 2013 Indian School of Business, Disclaimer.