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Chandan Agrawal
Class of 2009
Throughout his career, Chandan Agrawal (The Chairman’s Office, Aditya Birla
Group) has stayed true to the advice passed down by his grandfather (a modest
businessman from Rajasthan): “focus on the basics, and maintain patient focus
through the ups and downs.”
Chandan did not initially land the ‘dream job’ he wanted after ISB. He returned
to consulting with the firm he had been with prior to ISB and only two years
later did he join the offices of Mr. Birla to work closely with him. “It’s the
best thing that happened for my professional growth,” Chandan says.
Chandan enjoys the diversity of situations he experiences daily in his line of
work. “Working with the Chairman’s office provides a nuanced view of how
successful promoters think about growth and shape their businesses to succeed
over long horizons – more importantly, observing how they read and deal with
people is personally very enriching. [I benefit from the multiple perspectives]
of peers within the Chairman’s office – between the five of us, we have more
than 50 years of diverse consulting experience to bring to any decision.”
According to Chandan, one of the most interesting trends in his business is the
use of aluminum (versus steel). “This is one of the biggest affirmations that
the sustainability of our environment (light weight automotive vehicles) is not
just a good tag line,” he says, “but a reality for business.”
His advice to ISB students is: “Focus on answering the question ‘Who do I want
to be?’. You will never get so much time for reflection again!”