Previous Occupation: Financial Controller, Nivea India and Tata Teleservices
Present Occupation: Project Leader, Boston Consulting Group
Sector: Building Materials, EPC, Energy and Auto
Work Experience: 7.5 years (total)

Can you tell us a little about your family background/history?  
I was born and brought up in Chennai and lived there for the first 12 years of my life. Then my family moved to Hyderabad, where I did the rest of my schooling and CA. After that, I moved to Mumbai for work, then ISB happened, and now I am back to Mumbai.

Tell us about your profile pre-ISB, and recap your professional life after ISB, including your career progression.  
Pre-ISB I was a financial controller at Nivea and later at Tata Teleservices. After ISB, I joined BCG in 2009 and have been there ever since.

Describe your fondest memory of ISB.  
I got to know 445 people at ISB – an amazing experience! I was President of the Consulting Club. I did not study much during the core terms and enjoyed my time here at ISB heartily.

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?
ISB was the reason I was able to choose my current career path. It was a fulfilling experience and I got to learn so much more than I knew earlier.

How do you think ISB has contributed to your career growth?  
I was introduced to a lot of new coursework, especially all the quantitative subjects such as Decision Models Optimisation (DMOP), statistics, etc. ISB is a place where you can dream what you want to dream and achieve what you want to achieve. The administrative team was especially helpful in making my experience even more worthwhile.

If you have to sum up ISB in one word:
Enlightening.

What was the main highlight of your programme at the ISB?  
I think the entire experience of meeting people from different streams of life and getting to know them was amazing.

Word of advice for the current class?  
Discussion around grades happens every year. There is a non-disclosure setup, etc. Even we had it in our time, but we decided against it because one has to acknowledge that several firms look for the brightest people. You’ve come here to learn and stand out. Otherwise why would you grade at all if they were not relevant?

However, I strongly feel that this should not be the single purpose for ISB. Often, people waste most of the year chasing grades and don’t do anything else, which is very disappointing. One should know how to balance one’s schedule and plan accordingly. That’s what ISB teaches you.

Consulting firms look for GPA and much more. It is equally important what you do outside of academics. Having a well-rounded personality is an important aspect.

What was your favourite course/class at ISB and why?  
“Decision Models Optimisation” (DMOP) – I was the only CA who scored an A.
“Government, Society and Business” (GSB) – We were probably the only section and the only class ever to accept the 3.3 rule, i.e., we accepted the class average and distributed the grades amongst us and did not appear for any exam. Some people even accepted lower grades because of this system.

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.  
No one in particular fit this role. Shiv and Sarmaji were the go-to people for many things.

What are the areas in which you can contribute to ISB?  
I am engaged as a BCG representative for the recruitment process – resume workshops, talks, etc.

What do you enjoy most about your current career position?   
I enjoy the ability to bring change to the companies we at BCG consult for. I feel we are not really in the consulting business but in the change management business. We mobilise organisations to go down the path of change.
For me, consulting is not about making a few powerpoint presentations; neither is it about pure implementation. It’s about making that trajectory change for the organisation we consult for. We go in thinking we’ll solve a process problem but end up solving an organisation problem.

What is the next new thing in the industry or vertical you are working in? Any trends that you can see?
I am working for a very large metal company right now where I meet the Managing Director every month and advise him on what the organisation needs to do differently. We keep working on several new concepts at BCG, such as the BCG Matrix and experience curve. We are looking at the adaptive advantage strategy that needs to evolve, so we are looking at seven or eight different levers that help an organisation define.

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