Prep to Pivot with Ruchira Singh: Recent Episodes
Ruchira Singh
Are you also one of the 87% of people who want to pivot to a new industry post MBA? Are you looking to understand more about functions, roles, and domains before making such a major switch? If yes, then join me in my P2P learning journey of networking where I hold insightful interviews with expert guests who share their wisdom through a Knowledge Nuggets section, a rapid-fire Network & Chill session, and more. So tune in to this indie podcast and prep to pivot your career!
Follow me on LinkedIn for more updates: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchira-singh-738642125/
"Just saying 'follow your passion' may be impractical - instead pick jobs where at least some parts of the job are inherently interesting for you - that can be a source of long-lasting success."
Madan Pillutla is Dean & Professor of Organizational Behaviour at the Indian School of Business. His research uses social-psychological perspectives to understand organizational behaviours. Recent papers have examined gender differences in competitiveness and morality and the role that physical attractiveness plays in selection decisions.He has many publications in the best academic journals in the field and has also served as an associate editor in top journals.
Prior to becoming Dean at ISB, Prof Madan was Professor of Organisational Behaviour at LBS where he has won numerous teaching awards for introducing the popular Negotiations elective and has directed successful executive education programs such as the Essentials of Leadership and Negotiation & Influence programs. Prof Madan taught the founding batches of the PGP program at both the Hyderabad and Mohali campuses of the Indian School of Business (ISB) and received the best teacher award from the inaugural batch of students from the Mohali campus.
"Keep looking out for evidence of practices that you follow in the corporate"
Professor Sarang Deo, is Professor of Operations Management and Executive Director of the Max Institute of Healthcare Management at the Indian School of Business. His primary area of research is health care delivery systems and he is interested in investigating the impact of operations decisions on population level health outcomes. Some of the healthcare contexts that he has studied include the influenza vaccine supply chain and the phenomenon of ambulance diversion in the US, HIV early infant diagnosis networks in sub-Saharan Africa, and formal and informal pathways for TB diagnosis in India. He regularly collaborates with international public health funding and implementation agencies such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and PATH for his research.
Prior to joining the ISB, he was Assistant Professor at the Kellogg School of Management. He obtained a PhD from UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and B. Tech. from IIT Bombay. Before entering academics, he worked with Accenture as a management consultant.
“The more open you are to experiences from what happens in your company, it take you in many different directions over the long term..because today a person doesn’t do just one career”
Today with us we have expert guest Prof Lil M. who is an entrepreneur and academician with a passion for bringing great technology platforms and products to life. He brings to his classes a variety of experiences from his work at Amazon, Intel Corporation, Motorola Solutions, Sun Microsystems, and two successful high-tech start-up companies: Junglee and Snapstick. He currently consults independently for technology companies in the areas of products, marketing, and business strategy.
He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Marketing at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Adjunct Professor of Marketing at the London Business School, Visiting Faculty at the Indian School of Business, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and at ESADE, where he teaches Digital and Social Media Marketing, Mobile Commerce, FinTech, Product Management and New Product Development to MBA and Exec. MBA students.
#fintech #productmanagement #socialmediamarketing #mobilecommerce #mba #business #business #marketing #technology #work #career #digital #strategy #management #tech #development #entrepreneur #students #university #london #school #amazon #ahmedabad #isb #podcast
"Keep your interests alive and cultivate them and you never know how they'll blossom some day."
Today we have with us expert guest Prof Ed Rogers, who served as the Chief Knowledge Officer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland from 2003 until his retirement from government service in 2020. At NASA, he built a set of knowledge management practices that strategically support the Agency’s missions.
Dr. Rogers received a B.S. in Agronomy from the Ohio State University, a Master’s in International Business from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behaviour focusing on game theory applications to collaboration in high tech firms.Since 2009 he has been a visiting faculty member at the Indian School of Business teaching teh elective Managing Complexities.
Tune into this episode to understand why he made a pivot from academia to NASA and back into academia!
"Strategy is as much inward looking as it is outward looking"
In episode 11 , we have expert guest Prof Deepak Jena, Assistant Professor in the Strategy area. His research focus is in the area of innovation management and corporate strategy. Broadly, he studies the link between firms’ innovation efforts and competitive advantage and also investigates why and in what manner firms use a mix of corporate development activities to alter their product- and geographical-market scope. At ISB, he teach electives in strategic innovation management and growth strategy. Prior to my PhD , he worked several years in the industry (with Deloitte, TCS, LG Electronics and WNS Global services) primarily in the area of business and corporate strategy.
Tune into this episode to understand his strategic shift from corporate to academia!
“Self-leadership is the most important one - if I cannot manage myself, how will I manage others?”
Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3yH7xNbJ82aMmRrmozKO54?si=oLJ6G6OuQqGNByFNoRostA
In today’s episode we have with us expert guest Prof DVR Seshadri. Since 2000 until joining the Indian School of Business in 2016, D.V.R. Seshadri, taught in various Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and recently Indian Institute of Management Udaipur . For 15 years prior to 2000, he worked in a variety of companies the last ten of them as CEO spanning a variety of industries from pharma, petrochemicals to manufacturing and software.
His areas of interest among others include: B2B Marketing, Innovation and Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship. He is actively involved with several NGO’s in addition to engagement with several top corporates such as companies in teaching and consulting capacity.
He has co-authored several books: including ‘Innovation Management and ’ ‘Global Risk / Global Opportunity’ among others . Additionally he has developed over hundred case studies and authored several application-oriented journal articles in his areas of interest.
Tune in to this episode to understand how pivoted from a corporate career to a life in academia!
"If you can first identify and then turn your passion into a profession, you can get happiness in a sustained way"
Vijaya Sunder M is currently an Assistant Professor (Practice) and Experiential Learning Program (ELP) Chair at the Indian School of Business (ISB). Additionally, he is an affiliate faculty at the Max Institute of Healthcare Management and an advisory board member at the Center for Executive Education at ISB. Previously, he was Head of Business Process Excellence at the World Bank Group, USA, Assistant-Vice-President at Barclays, and Quality Leader at American Express and Citi.
Prof Vijaya was among the world’s top 2% of the management scientists 2021 list published by Stanford University based on a composite research score. Prof Vijaya has authored two books more than 50 research papers in reputed peer-reviewed international journals.
The American Society for Quality (ASQ) in 2022 awarded Vijaya the prestigious global Crosby Award for his extraordinary contributions to the field of Quality Management for business executives, researchers, academics, and practitioners.
Tune in to this episode to understand how he made a pivot into academia!
In episode 8 of Season 2 of Prep2Pivot, we have expert guest ,Vandith Pamuru, Assistant Professor, Information Systems at the Indian School of Business. His primary research interests are in the areas of user engagement on online platforms and incentives design, in the context of emerging technologies including Reinforcement Learning, Causal Inference, Randomized Control Trails, Natural Language Processing, Topic Modelling, Hidden Markov Models, and Econometrics.. His work has been presented in multiple conferences, He received his PhD in Management Information Systems & Masters in Economics from Purdue University, and his undergraduate in Information Systems from Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) – Pilani. Prior to his PhD, he has extensive industry experience in user experience design and product management.Tune into this episode where he shares his story of making a pivot into research and shares the opportunities and challenges in reentering the world of academia!
"Research is academic entrepreneurship"
In episode 7 of Season 2 we have expert guest Kashish Arora, Assistant Professor, Operations Management at the Indian School of Business. His research builds on tools from economics, computer science, and statistics to develop data-driven solutions for problems in Operations Management, and Marketplaces and Industrial Organization. Prior to his career in academia, he worked as an Investment Analyst at Credit Suisse.
Tune into this episode where he shares his story of making a pivot into research and shares the opportunities and challenges in reentering the world of academia!
"The ability to identify a good research question...figure out what is both interesting and lends itself to analysis" is a research problem in itself!
In episode 6 of Season 2 we have expert guest Sripad Devalkar, Associate Professor, Operations Management at the Indian School of Business. His research lies at the intersection of understanding issues related to supply chain management and how the interaction of operational, financial and risk management decisions affect outcomes especially in the agricultural and non-profit and public sector operations.
Tune into this episode where he shares his story of making a pivot from consulting into research and shares the opportunities and challenges in reentering the world of academia!
“Be patient for success, it is better to climb up the ladder/industry rather than jumping to the top”
Today we have with us expert Professor Ramabhadran S Thirumalai, Deputy Dean Programme, Associate Professor of Finance (Practice) at the Indian School of Business. He is currently working on the impact of various regulatory changes on security market pricing, efficiency and liquidity. His research interests also include the trading behaviour of various types of market participants. He teaches courses on Derivatives, Security Markets and Fixed Income Securities in PGP as well as introductory finance courses in several programmes at the ISB.
"Any occupation you pick up will be like a marathon but be prepared for sprints along the way which will take over your life for that moment and that's okay"
Prof Manpreet Singh Hora teaches courses including Supply Chain Performance and Managing Service Operations for the MBA and the Executive Education programs at the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.
Dr. Hora’s research focuses on enhancing operational performance and managing risk through capturing knowledge, codifying knowledge and building learning and innovation capabilities. His work has been applied in areas of product recalls, sustainability and service operations and has been covered by NPR, CNN Money and Bloomberg BusinessWeek. He serves as a Senior Editor for the POM journal and an Associate Editor for JOM.Prior to his career in academia he served as the Vice President of Deutsche Bank.
“Research should not have boundaries…just like business problems, it cannot be bucketed into areas”
Tune in to episode 3 - a candid conversation with Prof Dr. Subodha Kumar , Distinguished Chair Professor & Director, Center for Business Analytics and Disruptive Technologies at Fox School of Business at Temple University and is a visiting faculty at the Indian School of Business.
Prof. Kumar has received numerous other research and teaching awards and has published more than 225 papers in reputed journals and refereed conferences. In 2019, he was elected to become a Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) Fellow. He was ranked #1 worldwide for publishing in Information Systems Research.
He is the Deputy Editor of Production and Operations Management Journal and the Founding Executive Editor of Management and Business Review (MBR), among other editorial boards.
“Research was a constructive way of channeling my curiosity and allows me to explore deep thinking with colleagues who also enjoy the same”
Tune in to episode 2 - a candid conversation with Prof K.Subramanian, Executive Director,International Monetary Fund, where we discuss what made him pivot into research, his work as CEA and general principles of his life. Prof Subramanian is an Indian economist who served as the 17th chief economic adviser to the Government of India. He is a leading expert on economic policy, banking and corporate governance and a Professor of Finance at the Indian School of Business
"Attachment to the process without attachment to the outcome is one of the things I learned over time"
Tune in to episode 1 - a candid conversation with Prof Deepa Mani , Deputy Dean, Executive Education & Digital Learning,Indian School of Business where we discuss her story of how she transitioned from one successful career to the next, what it takes to do research in a business school and personal lessons learned along the way.
This is one episode - you don't want to miss!
Should I pursue MBA or pursue Masters and do Research?
A common fork in the road for most graduates or those with some years of experience under their belt, looking to make the next career move.
What if I told you - you don’t have to choose?
Intrigued - well listen to the trailer for Season 2 to know how!
Have you been dreaming of starting your own company someday?
Do you wonder if you even need an MBA to make your dream come true?
How can you pivot to Entrepreneurship post an MBA?
If you want to get answers to these questions and more then tune in for this week’s episode on Entrepreneurship (Post MBA) with expert guest Sarthak Verma.
Sarthak is the co-founder of Career Edge , a career guidance platform democratizing access to timely, credible and affordable mentorship for all. He took the entrepreneurship plunge right after completing his MBA from the Indian School of Business where he secured an Institute Rank of 8 out of 700 students in his batch and was the president of the Entrepreneurship Club.
Eshita is a Management Consultant at Accenture with ~3 years work experience in Technology and Management Consulting with a penchant for travelling.
With multiple offers across Management Trainee roles, Product, Tech and Management Consultant roles, in this episode she shares the nuances of how to plan a daily schedule, resources to push you across the finish line and practical tips to reduce anxiety before placement!
What differentiates Impact Consulting from Strategy Consulting?
What are the kind of projects you work on in the Impact Space?
What are the pros and cons of consulting and where is it headed in this increasingly digital world?
If you have ever wondered about any of these questions, then tune in to this episode with expert guest Anurag Yadav. Anurag works as a Senior Consultant with Dalberg where he has worked across different industries and was the co-founder of Career Edge. Prior to this, he founded and lead the Business Analytics Club at the Indian School of Business where he secured the Institute Rank 2 and completed his MBA.
Case Interviews.
When do I start? How do I start? What do I start with?
If these are some questions that have crossed your mind recently, then worry not - this episode with expert guest and author of "Crack Consulting", Pyusha Dalmia holds the answers to all these questions and more!
Pyusha is a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company working in the Private Equtiy space. Prior to that, she worked at Deloitte and then at a SaaS Industry startup for a while. Outside of work, she loves reading, singing, and anything related to adventure sports.
So tune in to this episode, plan your roadmap for interview season, and prep2pivot your career!
Whether you’re writing your B-school application essay or getting ready for placements, if you’re at the crossroads choosing between #consulting and #productmanagement - then you can’t miss this episode with expert guest Niharika Sharma who's held both roles!
Niharika works as a product manager for Microsoft teams, helping users manage their time and stay on top of their calendars. Prior to that she worked as a consultant at SAP and completed her MBA from the Indian School of Business. Outside work she loves playing badminton, video games, and dancing.
Tune in to this week's episode to witness how to decode and quantify the abstract concepts of strategy, mission, and vision of a firm and whether your personality aligns with this role with expert guest Mr.Abhinav Ravi, who leveraged his MBA to pivot from Financial consulting to the CEO's office role.
Aditya Maheswaran is a management consultant at Korn Ferry, an award-winning speaker, and an executive coach. He is a sought-after keynote speaker and a thought leader in leading in the VUCA world, with purpose-driven leadership, executive presence, mindfulness, and personal excellence.
Tune in to know how he made his pivot and understand the man behind these choices and what his favorite speech is!
From sowing the seed of creating a mechanism to benefit all future ISB students during placement, to understanding how to leverage the resources of an MBA to make a pivot from the financial consulting industry to business strategy, Shrey Sawhney shares his candid experiences in this week’s episode. So tune in and prep2pivot your career!
A man who pivoted across different industries to find his calling as a career coach is reshaping the way young minds think with his platform unlearn.cool. In this episode, he shares his stories of successes and failures that helped shape his journey.
Down to earth man.
Real practical advice.
Heart-warming laughter.
This episode on how to pivot careers from a maestro himself Dushyant Mishra, is one that you don’t want to miss.
Are you curious about the way people think? Does the way people behave pique your interest? Do you enjoy decoding human emotions and needs?
If so then Human Capital leadership might be an interesting career to explore. To know the why, what, and how of this industry, tune in to this week's episode of Prep2Pivot with our expert guest Mr. Anand Radhakrishnan.
Anand has been growing as a leader in the Learning and Leadership Development space, both within and beyond formal work. At Accenture, he currently leads the Learning for India Corporate Functions. He is a certified Leadership Coach, well-being Coach, Certified Yoga Instructor, and a volunteer with Swasth Yog Institute, a well-being enabler based in Mumbai.
Anand completed his MBA from the Indian School of Business where was the President of the Toastmasters club. In 2017 he founded the professional community for ISB alumni in the Human Capital and related fields in 2017 and has also been leading two Learning Advisory Councils for PGP and PGPpro programs of ISB in 2019-20.
The ability to influence without authority, hold a conversation with experts and ask the right questions are some essential skills to work in the world of PM according to our expert Ashmit Bhandari, a Senior PM at Innovacer.
To know more about this role and whether it’s the right fit for you - tune in to this week’s episode - The Urban Dictionary of Product Management!
Highlighting her transferable skill of being a data-driven decision-maker is one of the ways Aakanksha Agrawal pivoted to her dream career. In this week's episode, she shares her journey and touches upon the what, the why, and how to delve into the world of #marketinganalytics.
Tune into this week’s episode and prep to pivot your career by updating yourself with the “Urban Dictionary of Consulting”.
Identifying your current #skillset and how it relates to your dream #career is one of the strongest ways to know whether to pivot to that industry. To help understand what the skills needed for the #consulting industry are, this week's podcast features expert guest Pavan Sathiraju.
Pavan completed his MBA from INSEAD, post which he worked at McKinsey for three years. He is currently the co-founder of Blue Chapter & Cases Over Coffee, which provides experiential learning programs for strategy consulting and global MBA aspirants.
Have more questions? Follow reach out to me on LinkedIn where I talk about industry interviews, careers, and life at a B-school!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchira-singh-738642125/
If you are preparing to pivot your career, then you've reached the right place. Invest in P2P with me and leverage Peer2Peer learning conversations to Prep2Pivot your career through my insightful interviews with expert guests.