Previous Occupation: Technology & IT Advisory sales
Present Occupation: Senior Consultant - Business Advisory (Media & Entertainment)
Sector: Management Consulting
Work Experience: 9+ years
Interests – Professional/Personal: 
Professional: Digital media & entertainment
Personal: Travel, Photography, Yoga

Can you tell us a little about your family background/history?
I belong to a typical south Indian family, but I have been settled in Mumbai since birth, so a mix of south Indian and Mumbai influence. My parents have retired and I have a wife and one son who is 1.5 years old.

Briefly describe your personal and professional achievements (including recent awards\special projects)
Personal achievements include co-producing a short film that won the Indian National Film Award among other international awards. 

Tell us about your profile pre ISB, and recap your professional life after ISB including your career progression
Pre-ISB: IT engineering and sales support experience with Infosys and IBM.I Worked in US for 6 months during the total pre-ISB work-ex of 5 yrs.

Post-ISB: I wanted to pursue sales/business-development and took up a campus role with Cisco in sales for the Mumbai region. I later moved to sales with Gartner. Eventually, I decided to pursue a long-term passion of media & entertainment and went to UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and pursued a short course in Producing. I then continued this life-long interest in media & entertainment by joining the media & entertainment business advisory practice at Ernst & Young.

Describe your fondest memory at ISB
Watching the sun rise after all-night parties!

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 am much more open to diverse profiles and meeting people with radically different mind-sets. I have also greatly expanded my knowledge base and mental framework to analyze business & world events through multiple perspectives.

How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?
The ISB experience and brand name greatly increased the options available for switching careers and I moved from sales to consulting very easily. 

If you have to sum up ISB in one word: 
Intense

What was the main highlight of your programme at the ISB?
Study-wise: A framework of key perspectives (financial, sales, competitive, etc) which  are required for understanding various business issues in any industry
Personal: Life-long friendships and a fantastic alumni network

Word of advice for the current class?
There are multiple paths to achieving happiness in your careers. It may take years, but keep looking for what REALLY drives you - and then follow that through all the ups and downs. 

What was your favourite course/class at ISB and why?
Macro-economics.... I understood how policy decisions and other natural/man-made circumstances can impact millions of people around the world.

What are the areas that you can contribute in to ISB?
Career guidance for current students.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?
My current job fulfills my long term personal and professional interest in Media & Entertainment.

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Any trends that you can see?
Digital M&E technology (consumer devices, digital business models, etc) will impact the entire value chain and introduce several new methods of production and delivery. Traditional players will see several threats and opportunities in the next few years. New players can make an impact in a very short time as compared to traditional players in the industry.

© 2012 Indian School of Business, Disclaimer.