Previous Occupation: Family Business in Petroleum Products Retailing and Automotive Lubricating Oils Distribution
Present Occupation: Head of Retail Broadband Business – A.P Circle, Reliance Communications
Sector: Telecom
Work Experience: Two & a half years in Corporate Career and many more in family Business
Interests – Professional/Personal: Graphology, Music, Technology, Meditation etc etc.

Tell us about yourself - your profile, recap your professional life after ISB including your career progression

Have been a Jack of all trades (and also a master of a few all through). Post-ISB, the new challenge in the corporate world is to demonstrate the mastery of the various trades.

Coming from a family business background - I have always believed that I have a good overall understanding of business and that I could get into any company and do any role as long as I found it interesting and challenging. I know it might sound like a cliché but this is a fact. A big business conglomerate like Reliance group, I thought, would appreciate the overall business sense and give me the freedom to move across functions, roles and levels.

Over a period of around two and a half years at Reliance - I have handled 4 different roles/functions each with an increasing level of complexity and responsibility. Started off as an EA to the Circle CEO but was soon given the responsibility of heading the Retail Collections department that was in absolute doldrums ((told the CEO that I could handle any function/role). Turned the department around ,took the circle ranking in Collections from last in the country to No # 2 in 6 months and went on to head Revenue & Sales Operations (another function) for the circle. Then, finally settled down as the Head for Retail Broadband Business (Responsible for all functions - sales, service, revenue & collections) for the Andhra Pradesh Circle.

What was your key take-away from the ISB?

A major takeaway from ISB has been the demystifying of the ‘Corporate way’ of doing business or the ‘scientific process’ of decision making. Understanding how ‘scientific’ the process actually is/has been a true learning of my ISB & post-ISB Career.

Another major take-away is the tag of an ‘ISBian.’ It is this tag that enabled my entry in to the corporate world after spending several years in family business.  

How do you think the ISB has contributed to your career growth?

First of all the ‘ISBian’ tag gave me a foothold in the corporate world. Then it further accentuated my achievements in professional life.

Besides this, the strength of the Alum community (don’t quite like the word network) – who I can always count on, in terms of support is surely a huge factor.

Many of the concepts learnt in the curriculum have been of immense help. Cannot help but thank many of the professors who drilled them down in us. And mind you - most of these concepts that have come to my rescue are not from the ‘quant’ subjects but from the so called ‘faff’ ones.

What is your vision for the School?

One - that it will break-free off the run of the mill business school mould that mostly produces consultants and finance professionals just as any higher secondary school produces Engineers and Doctors.
And two - that it will create true businessmen even if they are employed in the Corporate world. 

What are the strengths that the School can leverage upon and areas it can improve?

Strengths: Brand, Faculty, great pool of students and alumni

Areas of improvement: Think beyond making doctors & engineers (read consultants & I Bankers!) Also, there is a lot that can be done in honing up an individuals’ personality while in school.

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