Indian/Male

Undergraduate: Bachelor of Financial and Investment Analysis from a leading college within Delhi University.
Secured a 76%, which translates into First Division, with distinction. Placed among the top 10 students of the course.
Interned at a large public sector bank in the Investment Management division.


Have cleared level 1 of CFA qualification and presently preparing for level 2 (June 2012)

GMAT Score : 760 (QA 50; VA 42)
AWA : 5.5

Current Work Experience:

- Recently (Feb 2012) joined as Deputy Manager in the Corporate Strategy and Planning team of a large consumer goods company
- Activities under the purview of the position include annual operating plans, 3-year strategic outlook, business scenario planning and forecasting, and building of internal capabilities and value drivers through process design and compliance

Previous Work Experience:

- Worked for about 20 months at a UK-based business research firm, as Analyst (10 months) and Senior Analyst (10 months) in the Strategic Services team
- Worked across a broad range of industries, including telecom, consumer products, and pharmaceuticals; focus on risk assessment, industry and market analysis and growth strategy formulation
- Work included:
         - Strategic decision-support (China procurement setup options, best cost country sourcing, etc.)
         - Industry analysis (including size and growth, competitive landscape, trends and drivers, and Porter’s analysis), and
         - Company analysis (including business overview and strategy, operating metrics, revenue and cost analysis, and industry and competitive bench marking)
- Responsible for end-to-end delivery of projects, conduction primary and secondary research to draw insights, and guiding new analysts on complex projects

Some key projects undertaken:

- Spain Hotel Industry – Profitability Assessment
        - Assisted a leading private equity player in assessing profitability determinants of various hotel operating models in Spain
        - Built profitability models for hotels with various ownership structures, of various quality levels, and in different geographies (under present, pessimistic and optimistic scenarios)
        - Recommended investment opportunities based on profitability models and qualitative risk assessments

- China Procurement – Competitive Intelligence and Global Integration
- Assisted a global wine and spirits company in understanding various internal and external factors hindering the adoption of its sourcing platform in China
        - In-depth evaluation of various sourcing setups, practices followed by other FMCG companies and identification of key success factors for a sourcing operation in China
        - Mapping of market insights with current organizational practices to recommend action areas

Other organisational Initiatives
- Part of recruitment team - Visited college campus as part of the company's recruitment drive, and conducted test, group discussions. and interviews for selection of students
- Trainer - Conducted a wide range of training for new joiners and lateral hires; modules for training encompassed all project and research-related activities
- Rolled out the Visual Arts Library (a repository of analytic and visual tools) for use by employees across the organisation



Interests: Sports (tennis, table tennis, football), reading, travel

Extra-curricular activities
- Part of college team that rolled out the inaugural issue of a quarterly magazine pertaining to our course and set plans for succession; oversaw two issues before graduating
- Participation in business plan competitions at college level
- Participation in various sporting competitions at school and college level
- Participation in various public speaking competitions at school and college level

Current Plans:
- Continue learning in the Business Strategy team on the present organization, and build on skills acquired at previous employment
- Understand dynamics of corporate function, and assist in formulation of group-level strategy
- Apply for full time MBA program in Fall 2013 in a top-tier B-school

Long-term Goals:
- Leverage skills acquired in the Strategy domain and the MBA to work at a reputed company in the consulting vertical
- Leverage academic background in finance to provide a value proposition marrying both streams of learning

I am planning to apply for the fall 2013 session.

Please advise on the programs I should be targeting and the schools I have a chance of cracking.

Thanks

Hi,

Thank you for your input. I have tried to distinguish myself from the Indian-IT-Male candidature, and I'm relieved that it comes across.

Among the top-10 business school, are there any particular that you would recommend based on my profile?

As of now, I'm considering applying to Harvard, Stanford, Kellogg, Wharton, Sloan, Booth, and Columbia. I understand that most, if not all, of these schools may be out of reach due to limited work experience (3+ at time of matriculation). The idea is to be aggressive this year and target only the top schools - and next year, I can adjust my choices based on results this year. I'm thinking of this approach as Fall 2013 isn't a strict deadline in terms of career path, and I might look at Fall 2014 as well if I don't get into a top-10 school this time around.

Also, based on the above, which of Stern/Tuck/Ross would you recommend as possible attempts this year?