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11 Aug 2021, 00:00
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| FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: 6 ISB alums who made an impact in the Indian Startup Ecosystem |
|
The Indian School of Business (ISB) is highly regarded as a premier global, independent, management institution that grooms’ business leaders and entrepreneurs. It is the only Indian institution to be featured in the Top 25 B-Schools of FT Global MBA Rankings 2021, thus proving its mettle in providing world-class management education. Over the course of time, ISB has nurtured entrepreneurial skills in a plethora of students, who have made a name for themselves through their innovative leadership and management. In the first edition of the ISB Verve series, we share a few notable entrepreneurs who have created a niche for themselves in their industry verticals. From automobile, technology, finance to education, their diversity truly reflects the core strengths of ISB and the potential to nurture future business leaders and entrepreneurs. Mayank Kumar, upGrad  Mayank Kumar is an ISB Alumni from the PGP Class of 2009 and co-founder of upGrad, a unicorn startup in the Ed-tech space. upGrad began in 2015 with the conviction that in an ever-changing industry, professionals need to continuously upskill themselves in order to stay relevant. Starting with the first program in Entrepreneurship, upGrad has created some of India’s largest online programmes to help thousands of professionals achieve their career goals in the areas of data technology and management. With over 10 years of experience in education as an investor and advisor, Mayank focuses on the overall growth and strategy, team building and strategic partnerships at upGrad. The startup received the ‘Best Education Brands’ award by Economic Times in 2018, Most Innovative Companies in India’ by Fast Company in 2017 and has made it to LinkedIn’s ‘Top 25 Startups’ two years in a row (2018 and 2019) and 1st position in 2020. Aakash Chaudhry, Aakash Institutes  Aakash Chaudhry is the Managing Director & Co-Promoter at Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL). An ISB alumnus from the PGP Class of 2004, he leads the senior management team and is responsible for the overall supervision and direction of the company. Started in 1988, AESL offers coaching services for medical as well as engineering entrance exams and foundation level exams through distinct verticals namely, Aakash Medical, Aakash IIT-JEE & Aakash Foundations. With a pan-India network of 200+ Aakash Centres and more than 250,000 student Count, AESL is one the largest tutorial chain in India. In 2021, Byju’s acquired AESL in a cash & stock deal estimated at $950 million. The buyout is among the largest acquisitions by an Indian startup – bigger than Snapdeal’s purchase of Freecharge for $400 million in 2015 & Flipkart’s acquisition of Myntra for an estimated $330 million in 2014. In 2018, Aakash Chaudhry was recognised as one of the disruptive leaders by Business World and was listed among the coveted “40 Under 40” young leaders list. Piyush Shah, InMobi Group  Piyush Shah is the co-founder of InMobi Group. Founded in 2007, InMobi is the world’s leading Marketing Cloud, driving real connections between brands and consumers. The startup has been recognised as 2019 CNBC Disruptor 50 Company and Fast Company’s 2018 Most Innovative Companies. Piyush currently heads the vision, strategy, and execution of Marketing Cloud and Data Cloud services. Before taking up this role, he spearheaded the product team as the Chief Product Officer and lead the Performance Advertising business. Piyush was also instrumental in launching InMobi SmartPay, a mobile payment solution. Married with two kids, Piyush graduated in Strategy and Marketing from ISB, Hyderabad in 2004 and was president of the ISB Alumni chapter. Umang Kumar, CarDekho.com  Umang Kumar is an internet entrepreneur and co-founder & president of Cardekho.com. In a decade of experience across internet startups & leading media houses, Umang started his career in media/sales strategy after graduating from ISB in 2006 and found his calling as a quintessential sales guy. The same blend is what came in handy while building up a multitude of online businesses including Cardekho.com. His company has been revolutionising the personal mobility space since 2008 by integrating technology in the automotive sector. It has expanded to Southeast Asia with Zigwheels.ph, Zigwheels.my and Oto.com & UAE with Zigwheels.ae. With investors including Google Capital, Tybourne Capital, Hillhouse Capital, Sequoia Capital, HDFC Bank, Ratan Tata and Times Internet, the company is poised to scale up & succeed. Rahul Garg, Moglix  After graduating summa cum laude from the PGP class of 2010, Rahul Garg worked with IAB and Google before founding his startup – Moglix. Started in the year 2015, Moglix is an Asia-based E-commerce company intensively inclined towards B2B procurement of industrial supplies, in particular, MRO, Safety, Electricals, Lighting, Cleaning & Housekeeping, Office Stationery & Supplies, Power Tools and many more industry essentials. The company currently has a supply chain network of more than 16,000 suppliers across 35 warehouses and lists more than 500,000 stock-keeping units on its online marketplace. $120 million from investors at a valuation of $1 billion in 2021, Moglix entered the exclusive unicorn club in the startup ecosystem. Harshvardhan Lunia, Lendingkart An ISB graduate from PGP Class of 2008, Harshvardhan Lunia is the Co-founder & CEO of Lendingkart. Founded in 2014, the  startup aims to make working capital finance available at the fingertips of entrepreneurs, allowing them to focus on business instead of worrying about the gaps in their cash-flows. Lendingkart has developed technology tools that facilitate lenders to evaluate borrower’s creditworthiness and provide them with other related services. |
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it.
-BB
12 Aug 2021, 07:00
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| FROM ISB Admissions Blog: When I saw the ISB Campus, it was like love at first sight! – Rajiv Nair |
|
“When I saw the ISB Campus, it was like love at first sight! The rigour of PGPMAX continues to be the key reason why leaders should choose the programme over other EMBA courses.” – Rajiv Nair, Class of 2011 (Founding Class) Rajiv Nair is the group CEO of Kaya Limited, India’s leading chain of dermatologist-backed clinics committed to delivering flawless skin and healthy hair. Equipped with state-of-art safe technologies, Kaya Clinic provides a wide range of hair, skincare solutions and dermatologist formulated retail products. With over two decades of experience in the retail sector, Rajiv Nair has worked in nearly all retail formats serving key leadership positions in Celio, Hypercity Retail India Limited & Shoppers Stop. Be it departmental stores, specialty retail, hypermarket format or catalogue retailing, Mr Nair’s areas of expertise include Buying & Merchandising, Retail Operations, Private Label/Brand Development and overall P&L responsibilities. A proud ISB alumnus, Rajiv Nair was among the founding class of PGPMAX in 2011. After almost a decade after graduating from ISB, Mr Nair reflects on his time pursuing PGPMAX – the life, learnings, experience & lessons he still cherishes to this date. Tell us about yourself, your role in the current organization and your professional journey so far. My professional journey began at the age of 21 when I applied for a role in India’s first departmental store “Shoppers Stop” as a Graduate Management Trainee (to kill time as I was preparing for competitive exams!) This turned out to be very lucky for me as I spent the next 15 years with the Shoppers Stop Group. I had an amazing run of 15 years at Shoppers Stop, growing from a trainee to the Business Head. I took up many challenging leadership assignments in this organization including my role as the Trading Head for Women’s & Kidswear, Head of Men’s Own Label, Business Head of Mothercare (UK based brand for Mothers & Babies), Business Head of General Merchandise & Apparel at Hypercity (Big Box Hypermarket) & Argos UK. Sometimes things just happen for a reason & my entry into Retail was sheer chance. I grabbed this opportunity with both hands. Along the way, I completed an MBA in Marketing from the University of Mumbai to understand the nuances of consumer marketing after 3 years of working at the Department Store. ISB PGPMAX was my second MBA at the age of 37. After ISB, I joined Celio (French Apparel Retailer) as CEO for their India business (joint venture with the Future Group). For the last 4 years, I have been Group CEO of Kaya Limited which runs over 100 dermatology clinics across India and the Middle East. Kaya is a brand promoted by Mr. Harsh Mariwala, the Chairman of Marico. We are India’s largest dermatology chain and one of the best Dermatology Clinics in the middle east in countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia & Oman. On the personal front, my wife, Bakul is a passionate retailer & a keen marketer. I have two lovely daughters – Ananya (14) & Aditi (8) who are studying in School. What inspired you to join the PGPMAX programme? Why ISB? I spent 2 years in Hyderabad between 2002-2004 as Unit Head (Operations) for our Department Store at Hyderabad. During that stint, I had the chance of visiting the brand new ISB campus to look at some tie-up opportunities. When I saw the ISB Campus, it was like love at first sight! I interacted with a bunch of students who did a project at our store that year. They made a strong impression on the quality of education. After completing over 18 years in Retail, across multiple formats, I felt that I was ready to take a leap and manage a business as its CEO. To grow further from an EXCOM (leadership team) to CEO, I felt the need to upskill myself further in Business Strategy & Leadership. Business Environment in retail was becoming more complex & uncertain posing many challenges to our Hypermarket business. I was therefore contemplating a second MBA & hence was looking at both Indian and Foreign universities. When I saw the ISB PGPMAX advert, it checked all the boxes. My Primary considerations were a classroom setup, world-class faculty & working while learning (no career break). My prior exposure to ISB made my decision easy. I did not even have to attend any info sessions & dived right in taking a leap of faith. How has the overall ISB experience affected your career direction? I have always aimed and envisioned myself to be at the top job in my field of work but felt I lacked some crucial skills. To lead well, you need to learn well. ISB PGPMAX helped me learn as well as polish skills especially in terms of Leadership, Strategy, Finance & Entrepreneurship. Tell us about your ISB days, specifically about the course and the faculty. What ISB memories do you connect with most profoundly? I loved every minute of the ISB experience. If I must pick a few, the first without doubt were my batchmates. Thanks to PGPMAX, I’m in the company of some of the most brilliant minds in the industry. We meet every year & reconnect. Our banter on WhatsApp goes on every day! The classroom experience is the highlight of PGPMAX. The eminent faculty members from the best B-schools globally make learning fun at ISB. The rigour of the programme continues to be one of the key reasons why EMBA aspirants should choose PGPMAX over other EMBA courses. Of all the modules and subjects, I enjoyed Strategy, Finance, Economics, Leadership & Entrepreneurship. I cannot forget my interactions with our Work Group viz. Group E (Excellence). We virtually spent our days and nights together as a team. They were my best buddies during my time on campus. The Gala Events in the evenings were a welcome break & so were the drinks & dinners with friends. What are the ways through which business leaders should manage the current unprecedented times? I would like to share some of the learning that I had as a CEO in the early days of the pandemic.
The Covid 19 pandemic is a once-in-a-lifetime event & challenges every fundamental of business planning & strategy of BAU. No one had plans for business shutdowns of the scale that we have seen in the last 2 years. The ISB PGPMAX trained us to adapt to the ever-changing business environment. The first subject that we learned at ISB was called Decision Making under Uncertainty (DMUU). I would recommend this programme to all aspirants during the pandemic. The sheer wealth of experience of the faculty and the cohorts gives you a perspective that can never be gained through on-the-job experience. There is no right time to join PGPMAX. The programme deals with the best knowledge in the current context and brings to bear the collective experience of the global faculty & seasoned professionals from the industry. In this complex & uncertain environment, all of us need guidance and coaching. What better place than ISB! What is your philosophy of a good leader? What nuances of leadership did you pick up during the programme worth applying in your professional life? The concept of a Level 5 leader, which I learned in the ISB class on Leadership, is something that has stuck with me till today. Empathy in a leader is a crucial trait & in this pandemic era, it is perhaps the most important trait. The program helped me realize the need to balance performance & people focus. Great leaders have always had a keen ability to listen and learn from their people. The other key learning is the ability to create a leadership team that will complement your strengths. Surround yourselves with people who are better than you at their core functions & channelise their energies to drive excellence. With the digital & social media revolution, I am learning a lot from my juniors as some of the new-age disruptive ideas come from the younger teams. The ability to try, fail fast & move on is something that I have also inculcated over the years. No plans are perfect. Pilot ideas and learn. What does it mean to you to be part of the ISB Alumni community? The value you have derived and how has it benefited you? I cherish the lifelong friendship & bond that we created at ISB. I have made many friends & built a great network through the Alumni. We meet our class group at least once a year when we go for a two-day trip to a new destination every year. Our trips to Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi & Galle were memorable. The Alumni network has been a constant companion in helping us reconnect with the school and some of us still contribute in our small ways in helping the school. We also have access to the larger ISB community through platforms like Workplace & LinkedIn networks. ISB also conducts lifelong learning sessions for us to benefit from the best faculty through webinars. What is it that keeps you buoyed and relevant? What do you cherish doing in your spare time? While I have always loved the outdoors and my favourite holidays have been in the mountains, I picked up a very healthy habit during the pandemic. I aimed to cover at least 50 KMS per week with a mix of runs and brisk walks to improve my fitness. I have done this for almost a year now and I am thoroughly enjoying it. The pandemic also helped me spend more time with my wife & kids which has been wonderful. Reading, spending time watching movies & OTT shows have been my favourite pass time in the last year. What advice would you give to the current classes? Cherish every moment, create friendships for life. Partake in the great learnings and contribute to the learning environment (as it is two-way). Do not fret over your future career moves after ISB. Focus on the time that you spend at ISB and make the best out of every single day as you will miss them! If you must encapsulate ISB experience in just one word, what would that be? Enriching |
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it.
-BB
12 Aug 2021, 07:00
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Bookmarks
| FROM ISB PGP Admissions Director Blog: When I saw the ISB Campus, it was like love at first sight! – Rajiv Nair |
|
“When I saw the ISB Campus, it was like love at first sight! The rigour of PGPMAX continues to be the key reason why leaders should choose the programme over other EMBA courses.” – Rajiv Nair, Class of 2011 (Founding Class) Rajiv Nair is the group CEO of Kaya Limited, India’s leading chain of dermatologist-backed clinics committed to delivering flawless skin and healthy hair. Equipped with state-of-art safe technologies, Kaya Clinic provides a wide range of hair, skincare solutions and dermatologist formulated retail products. With over two decades of experience in the retail sector, Rajiv Nair has worked in nearly all retail formats serving key leadership positions in Celio, Hypercity Retail India Limited & Shoppers Stop. Be it departmental stores, specialty retail, hypermarket format or catalogue retailing, Mr Nair’s areas of expertise include Buying & Merchandising, Retail Operations, Private Label/Brand Development and overall P&L responsibilities. A proud ISB alumnus, Rajiv Nair was among the founding class of PGPMAX in 2011. After almost a decade after graduating from ISB, Mr Nair reflects on his time pursuing PGPMAX – the life, learnings, experience & lessons he still cherishes to this date. Tell us about yourself, your role in the current organization and your professional journey so far. My professional journey began at the age of 21 when I applied for a role in India’s first departmental store “Shoppers Stop” as a Graduate Management Trainee (to kill time as I was preparing for competitive exams!) This turned out to be very lucky for me as I spent the next 15 years with the Shoppers Stop Group. I had an amazing run of 15 years at Shoppers Stop, growing from a trainee to the Business Head. I took up many challenging leadership assignments in this organization including my role as the Trading Head for Women’s & Kidswear, Head of Men’s Own Label, Business Head of Mothercare (UK based brand for Mothers & Babies), Business Head of General Merchandise & Apparel at Hypercity (Big Box Hypermarket) & Argos UK. Sometimes things just happen for a reason & my entry into Retail was sheer chance. I grabbed this opportunity with both hands. Along the way, I completed an MBA in Marketing from the University of Mumbai to understand the nuances of consumer marketing after 3 years of working at the Department Store. ISB PGPMAX was my second MBA at the age of 37. After ISB, I joined Celio (French Apparel Retailer) as CEO for their India business (joint venture with the Future Group). For the last 4 years, I have been Group CEO of Kaya Limited which runs over 100 dermatology clinics across India and the Middle East. Kaya is a brand promoted by Mr. Harsh Mariwala, the Chairman of Marico. We are India’s largest dermatology chain and one of the best Dermatology Clinics in the middle east in countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia & Oman. On the personal front, my wife, Bakul is a passionate retailer & a keen marketer. I have two lovely daughters – Ananya (14) & Aditi (8) who are studying in School. What inspired you to join the PGPMAX programme? Why ISB? I spent 2 years in Hyderabad between 2002-2004 as Unit Head (Operations) for our Department Store at Hyderabad. During that stint, I had the chance of visiting the brand new ISB campus to look at some tie-up opportunities. When I saw the ISB Campus, it was like love at first sight! I interacted with a bunch of students who did a project at our store that year. They made a strong impression on the quality of education. After completing over 18 years in Retail, across multiple formats, I felt that I was ready to take a leap and manage a business as its CEO. To grow further from an EXCOM (leadership team) to CEO, I felt the need to upskill myself further in Business Strategy & Leadership. Business Environment in retail was becoming more complex & uncertain posing many challenges to our Hypermarket business. I was therefore contemplating a second MBA & hence was looking at both Indian and Foreign universities. When I saw the ISB PGPMAX advert, it checked all the boxes. My Primary considerations were a classroom setup, world-class faculty & working while learning (no career break). My prior exposure to ISB made my decision easy. I did not even have to attend any info sessions & dived right in taking a leap of faith. How has the overall ISB experience affected your career direction? I have always aimed and envisioned myself to be at the top job in my field of work but felt I lacked some crucial skills. To lead well, you need to learn well. ISB PGPMAX helped me learn as well as polish skills especially in terms of Leadership, Strategy, Finance & Entrepreneurship. Tell us about your ISB days, specifically about the course and the faculty. What ISB memories do you connect with most profoundly? I loved every minute of the ISB experience. If I must pick a few, the first without doubt were my batchmates. Thanks to PGPMAX, I’m in the company of some of the most brilliant minds in the industry. We meet every year & reconnect. Our banter on WhatsApp goes on every day! The classroom experience is the highlight of PGPMAX. The eminent faculty members from the best B-schools globally make learning fun at ISB. The rigour of the programme continues to be one of the key reasons why EMBA aspirants should choose PGPMAX over other EMBA courses. Of all the modules and subjects, I enjoyed Strategy, Finance, Economics, Leadership & Entrepreneurship. I cannot forget my interactions with our Work Group viz. Group E (Excellence). We virtually spent our days and nights together as a team. They were my best buddies during my time on campus. The Gala Events in the evenings were a welcome break & so were the drinks & dinners with friends. What are the ways through which business leaders should manage the current unprecedented times? I would like to share some of the learning that I had as a CEO in the early days of the pandemic.
The Covid 19 pandemic is a once-in-a-lifetime event & challenges every fundamental of business planning & strategy of BAU. No one had plans for business shutdowns of the scale that we have seen in the last 2 years. The ISB PGPMAX trained us to adapt to the ever-changing business environment. The first subject that we learned at ISB was called Decision Making under Uncertainty (DMUU). I would recommend this programme to all aspirants during the pandemic. The sheer wealth of experience of the faculty and the cohorts gives you a perspective that can never be gained through on-the-job experience. There is no right time to join PGPMAX. The programme deals with the best knowledge in the current context and brings to bear the collective experience of the global faculty & seasoned professionals from the industry. In this complex & uncertain environment, all of us need guidance and coaching. What better place than ISB! What is your philosophy of a good leader? What nuances of leadership did you pick up during the programme worth applying in your professional life? The concept of a Level 5 leader, which I learned in the ISB class on Leadership, is something that has stuck with me till today. Empathy in a leader is a crucial trait & in this pandemic era, it is perhaps the most important trait. The program helped me realize the need to balance performance & people focus. Great leaders have always had a keen ability to listen and learn from their people. The other key learning is the ability to create a leadership team that will complement your strengths. Surround yourselves with people who are better than you at their core functions & channelise their energies to drive excellence. With the digital & social media revolution, I am learning a lot from my juniors as some of the new-age disruptive ideas come from the younger teams. The ability to try, fail fast & move on is something that I have also inculcated over the years. No plans are perfect. Pilot ideas and learn. What does it mean to you to be part of the ISB Alumni community? The value you have derived and how has it benefited you? I cherish the lifelong friendship & bond that we created at ISB. I have made many friends & built a great network through the Alumni. We meet our class group at least once a year when we go for a two-day trip to a new destination every year. Our trips to Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi & Galle were memorable. The Alumni network has been a constant companion in helping us reconnect with the school and some of us still contribute in our small ways in helping the school. We also have access to the larger ISB community through platforms like Workplace & LinkedIn networks. ISB also conducts lifelong learning sessions for us to benefit from the best faculty through webinars. What is it that keeps you buoyed and relevant? What do you cherish doing in your spare time? While I have always loved the outdoors and my favourite holidays have been in the mountains, I picked up a very healthy habit during the pandemic. I aimed to cover at least 50 KMS per week with a mix of runs and brisk walks to improve my fitness. I have done this for almost a year now and I am thoroughly enjoying it. The pandemic also helped me spend more time with my wife & kids which has been wonderful. Reading, spending time watching movies & OTT shows have been my favourite pass time in the last year. What advice would you give to the current classes? Cherish every moment, create friendships for life. Partake in the great learnings and contribute to the learning environment (as it is two-way). Do not fret over your future career moves after ISB. Focus on the time that you spend at ISB and make the best out of every single day as you will miss them! If you must encapsulate ISB experience in just one word, what would that be? Enriching |
This Blog post was imported into the forum automatically. We hope you found it helpful. Please use the Kudos button if you did, or please PM/DM me if you found it disruptive and I will take care of it.
-BB
