Manojit Bose
Founding Class

 


Tell us a little about your family background/ history. How has it influenced you?
My father retired as a senior executive from ONGC after being with them for close to 38 years. He had a transferrable job and by virtue of that, I grew up in different cities and studied in different schools. Probably, that has helped me in my adaptability to diverse circumstances and situations. My parents have settled down in Kolkata.

Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards/ special projects).
Amongst the various responsibilities I had as Head of eGovernance team in the state of Jharkhand, driving the roll out of eDistrict was one of them. eDistrict was one of the flag ship projects of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. The roll out of eDistrict was so successful and the implementation model so unique that it received two awards at a National level. The kind of social impact an eGovernance project has is simply immeasurable.

Tell us about your profile prior to attending ISB and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.
I am an engineering graduate from NIT, Silchar. When I applied for ISB, I already had around 10 years of work experience and was working for TCS, then. I was based out of their Tokyo office and was managing the relationship with GE businesses there. I had been nurturing the idea of pursuing a MBA for quite a few years and when ISB was launched, I applied for it. Post ISB, I got to avail of some really exciting opportunities both in India and in the US, leading up to my current role.

How do you think your time at ISB has contributed to your career and personal growth?
Most importantly it has provided me with a well-rounded perspective on various aspects of a business, particularly the financial aspects, something which I didn’t have prior to ISB. The opportunity to learn from some of the best people in their respective fields is something which I always cherish. Interacting with fellow students, some of whom are now good friends, from such diverse backgrounds certainly helps in the learning process. ISB is growing from strength to strength and is today widely acknowledged as one of the best B-schools in the country. Being an alumnus of ISB gives you that recognition.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
It provides a very strategic insight into the thinking of the government on various mega initiatives they plan. It also provides an opportunity to engage with them and help shape some of these initiatives in ways which makes it more inclusive and takes care of the concerns of the industry. The technology industry is undergoing a lot of change. Being here provides one with an early insight into these changes.

Briefly describe a typical day at work, in a way that illuminates the kind of challenges and opportunities your role involves.
It is typically a mix of pre-scheduled calls and meetings with senior government officials and various people from the IT industry. The discussions are on various issues like providing inputs to the government on some draft policy or review meetings to monitor progress on various work which we are doing on Smart Cities and others, to discussing with industry on potential ways of them collaborating with us in some of the strategic initiatives we engage on.

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Are there any trends that you can identify?
Clearly, the emergence of digital technologies is transforming businesses across sectors both within India and globally. And the way the Indian IT Service providers respond to this change is going to be critical in determining the success of these companies in the years ahead. The business models which have worked till now for the service providers may not work in the future. Different organizations are trying out different strategies to be ahead of the curve in their efforts to monetize the huge opportunities which the disruptive technologies are throwing up.

What was the main highlight or most memorable aspect of your programme at the ISB?
Being one amongst an extremely talented and diverse group of students was certainly one of the highlights. It actually drives you a lot. Added to it was the fact that some of the best known people in the world were there to teach us. I personally had the privilege of having been interviewed by Prof Sumantra Ghoshal as part of the admission process, someone whom I consider to be a legend who is widely acknowledged as one of the best management thinkers of all time. And having him as faculty for more than a couple of months was unbelievable. Though, sadly enough, he is now no more.

If you could offer a word of advice to the current class at ISB, what would it be?
It is important to figure out what one is passionate about, where one’s strength lies and then pursue opportunities in those areas.

How do you feel you can contribute to ISB?
I would be happy to contribute to ISB in whichever way I can.

© 2015 Indian School of Business, Disclaimer.