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Atma Shivalanka
Class of 2011
Management Consultant
McKinsey & Company
Previous Occupation: Oil & gas venture
Present Occupation: Management Consultant, McKinsey & Company
Sector: Consulting
Work Experience: 5 years in the British Army, 3 years in Barclays Capital, 2 years in the oil & gas industry.
Interests – Professional/Personal: Running, yoga, boxing, traveling, India, Indian classical arts, spirituality
Tell us about yourself – your profile, recap your professional life after ISB including your career progression
I was born and raised in London and moved to India three and a half years ago. After school, I was commissioned into the British Army as a troop commander. I served with an armoured brigade and later joined the NATO Stabilisation Force in Bosnia, where I assisted with peacekeeping efforts. I later moved into the officers' training corps where I instructed officer cadets in infantry tactics and marksmanship. I graduated from the London School of Economics whilst still in the Army, and then joined Barclays Capital in its Commodities division, where I structured derivatives and traded crude oil for three years. Whilst there, I trained for, fought and won two boxing fights in London's annual Hedge Fund Fight Nite – to raise Rs 5 lakhs for clean water and sanitation projects in Ghana. Then, I decided to move to India to go back to my roots. I worked in the oil & gas industry for two years in Mumbai and Delhi before joining ISB. I graduated in April and joined my present firm where I am currently consulting in the financial institutions group, advising a large multinational bank on its long-term India growth strategy in commercial banking and financial markets.
Describe your fondest memory at ISB
Listening to Robert Swan, the polar explorer and first man to walk to the South Pole and North Pole, address the School in Khemka Auditorium and share his amazing experiences was truly wonderful. We were all thrilled by his audacity and inspired by his adventures. It was clear that he had found his passion, and this motivated us to find ours.
With the knowledge and experience gained at ISB, when looking back, tell us something that you would have done differently while you were a student here?
I would have had a more balanced life, focusing on health and fitness, and hopefully that would have improved my performance inside and outside the classroom. And I would have got more sleep!
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?
The experience helped me to connect with my peers in India in a way that I could not have done elsewhere. It’s great to have such a large group of friends and acquaintances with whom one can have so much trust and shared values. I’m more open to meeting new people and I find it easier to relate to people from different backgrounds. The sense of pride that we have in our School has certainly left a lasting impression. I am confident that the School will continue to grow to new heights.
How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
The ISB experience has given me a strong foundation on which, to grow professionally. I’m sharper and faster, more analytical in my thinking, more capable in professional networking and more knowledgeable about India and business. I think the School does a great job of taking the intellectual capacity of an individual to the next level, which helps when one has to solve big problems and create impact. The biggest kicker is the alumni network: it’s an incredible community with which, one can draw from and contribute to professional knowledge and lifelong friendships.
If you have to sum up ISB in one word:
Inimitable!
What are the areas that you can contribute in to ISB and to the society?
I represent my classmates as the coordinator for the “Class of 2011 Scholarship,” a Rs 4 lakhs scholarship for a meritorious and needy candidate, and the first ISB scholarship by an alumni class. I advise the Graduate Student Board team members in their work. I am assisting in the planning for the Graduate Student Board 2013 and the 30th global student leader conference, which will be held at ISB in March 2013. I help the admissions department with international marketing and also mentor several students in the new class, advising them on career options.
It’s important that we all give back to ISB given how rewarding the experience has been for all of us – and each individual can find his/her own way of giving back, however small or large it may be. One important area that we should explore is how to attract students from more diverse backgrounds to ISB. We should start a mentorship programme to coach outstanding candidates from underprivileged backgrounds to prepare them for admission to ISB.