Previous Occupation:  Pre-ISB, I was a principal engineer at Honeywell
Present Occupation: Currently, I am associate vice-president at a mobile commerce start-up and also founder & editor of The Better India ( www.thebetterindia.com )
Sector: Mobile and Media
Work Experience:   10 years
Interests:  Professional/Personal: Professional interests include the mobile and internet space in India. Personal interests include swimming, cycling, theatre and writing

Tell us about yourself - your profile, recap your professional life after ISB including your career progression.
I am a computer science engineer with five years of pre-ISB work experience at Honeywell. Currently, I work at a mobile commerce start-up and also run an online news organization called The Better India (www.thebetterindia.com). At ISB, I did not accept any job offers through campus interviews as I wanted to venture into the start-up space. I joined an upcoming internet start-up and helped in building their social networking platform. While working here, I started my venture TBI. From working at a huge organization pre- ISB, I am working with small start-ups in product management. Of course, there are risks involved, but the trade off is the exposure you can get while juggling multiple tasks across a wide variety of functions. I have learnt a lot in the last four years with start-ups and have had the privilege of having worked with some really smart people throughout my career. 

Key take-away from the ISB?
In my year at ISB, I was exposed to a wide spectrum of topics ranging from economics to negotiation skills and from strategic performance management to leadership lessons in world literature. This wide range of topics gave me a new perspective towards life and work. 

How do you think the ISB has contributed to your career growth?
The ISB's strong alumni network has helped me immensely in my career growth.

What is your vision for the School?
My vision for the school is that it should become world class not only for business education but also for fostering innovation, spearheading research and nurturing future entrepreneurs. 

What are the strengths that the School can leverage upon and areas it can improve ?
The alumni network, which gets enriched each year, should be leveraged for knowledge sharing. In fact, there should be a closer interaction with the alumni network. The School must also promote entrepreneurship amongst students. Even though there are the centres of excellence, I believe entrepreneurship should be more actively encouraged.

How do you think alums can associate with the School or alum’s role in building the School
Alums can build the School's brand by excelling in their careers. I think the alums should also be associated with the School regularly. The mentoring initiative is a great step in that direction.

What is the area you can contribute in?
I can contribute in helping students understand how to take career decisions, and more specifically on what it takes to start your own venture and be a part of the start-up scene in India.

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