What was your job profile before the ISB?

I had completed my Chartered Accountancy and was working with Ernst & Young in their corporate finance wing for 2 years before joining the ISB. Given this, I had a reasonable sense of Investment Banking and the competence required to be a top investment banker.

Were you expecting yourself to be working in Investment Banking post ISB?

Yes, I was very clear at the outset that I wanted to be in Investment Banking. That was a goal I had when I joined E&Y. I was very clear about the fact that I wanted to be on the sell side.

How did the ISB help you work towards that goal?

After completing my 2 years at E&Y I realised that I wanted to move into a tier 1 investment bank which does both M&A and capital markets (E&Y’s transaction division being a boutique I-Bank). I had two options then – try to sell my CA degree to an I-Bank and hope that they buy it, or to complete a one year stint at the ISB. Although the CA education is excellent, finance knowledge is limited because it is primarily an accountancy degree.

I joined the ISB with the intention of getting a strong foundation in finance, which coupled with an accountancy background provided potent credentials for a long-term career.

And at year end, I think I was the only student in our batch who majored in only one domain, finance. Overall the experience very nicely complemented my accountancy degree.

In terms of placement, E&Y was a fall back option. I was okay with getting a job that gave me a reasonable chance of eventually moving into an IB role over a 2-3 year time period. I joined Stern Stewart, an EVA consulting firm. While it was not hard core I-Banking but more of a corporate finance role, I joined primarily because I wanted to give it a shot for one year.
So I worked with Stern for one and a half years before moving to HSBC which is my current employer.

Any specific thought process behind choosing the ISB and not one of the other B-Schools?

I think there are two parts to that question. Why India and not abroad? And why ISB and not some of the other schools, maybe the IIMs? I was very clear on India because India was on the cusp of explosive growth and my decision has been ratified as you see bankers from London and NY desperately looking to relocate to India now. I didn’t want to go to the west and work for 7-8 years and then try to get back to India. BFSI / IB is a very relationship based industry and is also heavily regulated. So if you have been out of India for a long time, you have not only lost touch with the industry but more importantly you are not in sync with the entire regulatory scenario. So you’ll have to start from scratch.

Today many people working in NY/ London want to come back to India, firstly because of the job insecurity and secondly because the salary levels are pretty much what you get abroad.

Why ISB? I think I was very clear about not doing an MBA to be a geek. My perspective towards an MBA was primarily learning and not grades. At the ISB, I got a B- or a C in a few funny subjects which were outside my interest area. Joining some other school would have amounted to studying with 90 percent freshers who can’t relate to the real world.

The ISB with its experienced batch and focus on overall personality development was a natural choice for me. Plus the diversity at the ISB really helped me develop flexibility and patience which helps me a lot in my day-to-day job. The faculty was also truly world class and definitely a pull for me.

What would be your advice for students looking for an Investment Banking job?

When I was at the ISB, I was not stressed about the placement issue. I was clear about being an Investment Banker in 5-6 years time, but I was not looking at the ISB as a placement agency. I think if students adopt such an approach, they would be able to maximise their learning and take more judicious long term decisions. I can say from my personal experience that if you are persistent you will eventually move into your dream job.

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