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Juhee Bhandarkar
Class of 2013
Director — Digital, Mindshare, GroupM
Present Occupation: Director — Digital, Mindshare (GroupM). Managing digital media strategy and planning for clients in the retail, insurance and technology space.
Sector: Internet, e-commerce, mobile, brand management.
Work Experience: 4.5 years
Interests – Professional/Personal:
Music: I am a trained vocalist with 12+ years of Indian classical music training and light and semi-classical music training. I am currently learning western vocals with TAAQademy (Thermal and a Quarters Academy) in Bangalore. In the past, I have participated in and won multiple stage competitions and one television competition.
Dance: I have also learnt bharatnatyam, jazz and hip hop forms of dance.
Analytics, CRM and social insights: I believe there will soon be a meeting point between digital insights and new product development in experiential, high-involvement industries. Digital is going big!
Can you tell us a little about your family background/ history?
I am a Mumbai girl born to an ad filmmaker and a mother who has spent her youth singing and appearing in TV ads. Art has always been a critical component of our lives growing up.
My sister is a fresh graduate from Rachna Sansad School of Architecture. She is also inclined towards the arts.
Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards/ special projects).
After spending two weeks in the Mindshare Singapore office, I was pulled into a global pitch which was a big success. I won a lot of appreciation from my colleagues and a raise in designation and responsibilities.
Tell us about your profile pre-ISB, and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.
Pre-ISB, I worked as a media planner, a business strategist as well as a social media professional. The companies I worked with were a mix of large and small teams, which taught me a lot — especially about the changing dynamics of co-workers.
Post-ISB, my outlook became more holistic. I stopped seeing each function as a separate work area, but rather as a collection of activities that worked for the achievement of an organisation’s business goals.
I got placed with GroupM Singapore, where I was the sole digital strategist for a portfolio of clients. After spending three months with a diverse group of colleagues, I had to move back to India for personal reasons, but at an elevated designation and with hefty responsibility.
Describe your fondest memory of ISB.
In our core terms, we had a gamut of legendary professors, one of whom was the Chair of Marketing at Wharton, Professor Jagmohan Raju. Having him validate our perceptions, or better still, steering us to think more like him was a special experience. It will stay with me forever.
Apart from that, I can think of many days — the inauguration, with the Board of Directors being as approachable to us as our own classmates, stalwarts who were willing to engage with us;
the flash mob we organised at Equinox; the multiple debates we had in class; the perpetual 4.0s in class participation as well as the various theme parties. There are too many fond memories to list!
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?
I was creative but unstructured. ISB taught me to think 1-2-3-4, not 1-4-3-5-7-2 like I used to do before. The ISB MBA makes you a logical thinker with a high emotional intelligence (EQ). It's a humbling experience for those who go in assuming they know everything. It is also a door to many points of view and many opinions, making it a very intellectually stimulating year.
Today, I am a knowledge seeker, a structured thinker. Everything is about problem solving for me. ISB learnings apply not only to your career, but also to your personal life.
Post-ISB, I see myself utilising 24 hours far more effectively and optimally. As we did in school, I handle multiple assignments, one huge party and dance practice for an upcoming event all in one day.
How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
It gave me the opportunity to work outside of India, which opened my eyes to diverse ethnicities and opportunities. It also enhanced my problem solving skills.
If you have to sum up ISB in one word:
Thrilling..
What was the main highlight of your programme at the ISB?
The easy access to industry stalwarts and knowledge centres that were there to help you enhance your skill set.
Word of advice for the current class?
Enjoy every experience. Capitalise on industry accessibility. Get good enough grades but don't expect perfection. The thing you take away from here is not the grade, it is the network and the bird’s eye view of business.
What was your favourite course/ class at ISB and why?
“Power and Politics.” We had a great professor who helped us realise the importance of relationships in an organisation. Six months into a management role, I can vouch for the fact that this course is a life lesson.
Was there anyone during your time at ISB who acted as a mentor for you? Tell us a little about this relationship and why it was valuable.
Abhishek Mohunta, Class of 2011. He was in an administrative role at ISB. Both of us had similar interest areas — media and entertainment — and at every stage, he was there to guide me on the roles I should consider, companies he could help me get to campus, what my expectations should be if I joined X company, etc. When I joined ISB, I went through a patch of self doubt. I wasn't hitting great grades, but he told me to focus on what I am good at. He was my counsellor and guide and still remains a good friend. This helped me set the right expectations.
What are the areas in which you can contribute to ISB?
Digital is the next big thing. I would be more than happy to contribute towards building a strong inclination towards digital media in the marketing courses. This could be through live projects, case studies or even industry-led workshops.
What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
People management. If I hadn't done an MBA, I would do psychiatric medicine. I love observing and managing people. It's an experiment in itself. Every person can pass off as a case study.
On the hard skills, I enjoy the fact that many accounts come to me for fire fighting. It's like someone offering you a problem solving assignment.
What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Any trends that you can see?
Crowdsourcing; social media insights (apart from the regular social networking sites); and a close link between customer base management, events and online media buys. Mobile will be a key component of all digital plans with a big focus on location-based activities.