Previous Occupation: Management Consultant at Opera Solutions LLC 
Present Occupation: Director - Consulting, Analytics and Intelligence in the Media space at Mindshare
Sector: Media
Work Experience: four years
Interests

Professional: Big data
Personal: Photography and reading

Can you tell us a little about your family background/ history? 
I come from a typical middle-class family. My father is a surgeon and my mother is a homemaker. I also have an elder sister who works as a senior manager at a KPO in Mumbai. Having started his career humbly in the smaller cities of Rajasthan, my father seized the opportunity of a lifetime to work in Saudi Arabia for five years. All my formative years were spent there, and I still look back at those times fondly. After this stint in Riyadh, we moved back to our ancestral city, Kota, where my parents have been living ever since.

Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards/ special projects).
On the personal front, I think my greatest achievement has been to convince my girlfriend of nine years to marry me! Representing ISB and winning a global competition also ranks high on my list of personally satisfying moments. 

Professionally, I've been fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. I started my career as part of the early/ startup team of Jasper Infotech. Having helped the firm solidify its services business, I was responsible for the firm's growth into three major metros besides Delhi, along with forays into Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. This infrastructure was the foundation of the firm's later blockbuster product, Snapdeal.com. I was also consistently rated in the top bracket of my peers at my second employer, Opera Solutions. Here too, some of the ideas I pitched along with my manager have now became tangible service offerings of the firm. 

Tell us about your profile pre-ISB, and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.  
Prior to ISB, I was fortunate to have been part of two hugely successful companies. Beginning my career with a start-up called Jasper Infotech, better known these days as Snapdeal.com, I worked as a corporate sales and alliances manager and later as a product manager. Both here and in my second company, Opera Solutions, I was among the fastest to grow through the ranks, having been promoted in approximately a year in both the firms. My career has progressed from a sales role to a consultant role, and after ISB, to an analytics-based consulting role. Having just graduated as part of the class of 2013, I look forward to taking up my new role in a few weeks’ time.  

Describe your fondest memory of ISB.
My fondest memories of ISB are associated with our Holi celebration, which happened after all the dust, had settled down and all of us had completed our last exam. I also cherish the drives that my friends and I took to various locations in the city of Hyderabad and the chai breaks to the nearby Udipi restaurant. I guess it was more about the company, and less about the drive itself!

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?
This one year at ISB has humbled me and brought me down from my high horse. I've learnt to appreciate aspects in others that I did not consider worthy before ISB. I think ISB has left its mark by driving home the notion that if so much can be done in such a short period of time, then if one puts one’s complete mind and energy to something, everything is possible.

How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
If there is one thing I'd keep from my time at ISB, if I had to, it would be the professors. I came to ISB to learn the secret behind the craft of my trade as a consultant. And I left ISB having learnt as much as my heart and mind could take in and absorb. I clearly feel more confident now than ever before about the work I did and will be doing going forward. 
If you have to sum up ISB in one word:
Breathtaking.

What was the main highlight of your programme at the ISB?
The main highlight of my programme at ISB was the peer-to-peer networking. The connections we've made as a class will go a long way in our careers going forward. This is obviously besides the fact the academic rigour at ISB was at par with any internationally-renowned MBA.

Word of advice for the current class?
Remain focused and never say die! Build strong relationships with a few rather than weak relationships with many. Take time out to relax from time to time and see the city around you. And finally, be yourself. Don't try to blend in with the crowd. You've been admitted because you are unique; it would be a waste to give it all up to simply "blend in."

What was your favourite course/ class at ISB and why?
“Capital Raising Strategies” by Professor Simi Kedia and Professor Kapadia. This was a class that I thoroughly enjoyed and from which I gained the maximum amount of learning about the real world of finance. The professors engaged the class in the philosophy of finance, not just the mechanics. The truly brilliant class participation was the icing on the cake!

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.
While there was no single person who acted as a mentor for me, my quaddies, neighbours and a bunch of close friends acted as counsellors in times of need - and there were many such times. Right from understanding tough concepts, to throwing a great party, to the tumultuous times during placements, this group of people had been the first and most important pillar of strength during my stay at ISB. 

What are the areas in which you can contribute to ISB? 
In any way possible. I would like to contribute by participating in the admission events in my city, and if possible, in preparing candidates for interviews. 

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
Apart from the great title, which I've already fallen in love with (Director!), I look forward to taking up a role in a small unit that has a large impact on clients. This would be my second foray into something unconventional, and I'm thoroughly excited about it!

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Any trends that you can see?
Media and analytics are the IT sectors of today. Combine them and you have the perfect business model. In my opinion, the business of analytics-based solutions for clients, in the media buying industry in India, is still in its early stages. It is bound to only grow larger as the corporate sector seems to be taking greater and greater interest in analytical solutions to a variety of business problems.

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