Mani Khurana
Class of 2005
The World Bank
Economist

Present Occupation: World Bank
Sector: Finance
Work Experience: 6 Years
Personal Interests: Reading, Travelling and Watching movies.

Mani Khurana, from the Class of 2005, says the ISB’s biggest strengths are its diversity and faculty

Prior to joining ISB, I was working with PWC in a consulting role. After leaving ISB, I joined Ernst & Young. In September 2007 I moved on to join the South Asia Sustainable Development Unit of the World Bank.

How has the ISB helped you in your career?

ISB actually put a lot of things into perspective for me. In the initial months a gamut of courses are offered which helped me realise the kind of courses I would like to pursue. I realised that marketing was not for me and focused on finance and leadership and change management courses. The Faculty for most of the courses was amazing. The approach and methodology of teaching was very different from what I had experienced in the past. Also the interactions and experience sharing with the rest of the students was really enriching.

What was your key take away from the ISB?

Life at the ISB was a phenomenal experience and it taught me the art of building consensus across diverse groups.

What is your vision for the School?

I see this school as a major hub for entrepreneurs now. And the idea of an incubator is excellent! More and more people want to set up their own thing but they require the guidance to execute their idea. I have heard that that we may have manufacturing and infrastructure centers for excellence at Mohali. Now infrastructure will always be the key for India’s growth. I work in the energy sector and I can tell you that even though it is a basic necessity of life there is a lot that needs to be done in this sector. Until a while back infrastructure was primarily under government control, now with the private sector investing actively in this space the demand for people with the sector knowledge is rising .Such niche courses hold a lot of potential.

What are the strengths that the School can leverage upon?

I think the strength of the school is its diversity and secondly the faculty.

Do you think the school needs to improve in certain areas?

The only problem that I foresee in the future is the increasing batch size. At our times we had around 276 students and everything- the food, cleanliness and other services were great. The increase in the batch size may put a strain on the resources and I hope the quality of experience at ISB is not affected.

What do you think is the alumni’s role in building the school?

Alums can bring to the table their experience and maybe help the current batch in solving the problems that they are facing at ISB especially at the placement time. We’ve been there, done that and we know it’s not the end of the world. We just need to put in place a structured way of tapping the alumni network.

What was your favourite place on campus?

The atrium- there was always a lovely breeze, sometimes my books would be all over but I still used to try my best to study in the atrium, it was fun!.

What’s the best thing that happened to you the last year?

I got married!

What is your favourite quote?

Eventually all the pieces fall into place....until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment, and know that everything happens for a reason.