Starting my IMB Journey
I started my IMB journey at SDA Bocconi Asia Center in July after clearing the admission process in the first round itself. The time gap in between gave me enough time to contemplate my decision. I have been born and brought up in Ahmedabad and have had very limited connections with people outside Gujarat. However, I started interacting with my fellow colleagues from the very beginning. The diverse background of the students made it a very overwhelming experience to start with, considering their age and spectrum of experience. I found myself in a crowd of people who were exceptionally talented and highly motivated to achieve something in their lives. Having a peer group of such talented individuals gave me the confidence that I would require to transform myself into the best version of myself in the coming 2 years. Any management program demands immeasurable hours of studies, sleepless nights and not to mention undeterred dedication but our institute made sure that they prepared us for what was to come with the help of various workshops. These workshops were designed for us to get accustomed to and have basic knowledge of the courses. This was possible because the school acknowledged the fact that all the students are from various backgrounds and everyone stands differently. Market research, idea generation, and accounting were some of the workshops conducted among others that helped lay a foundation for us to start our studies upon. Only after ensuring that the students have the basic knowledge did the institute go ahead with the core subjects of the curriculum. Despite the online platform of studying due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I made a lot of friends and we studied together on video calls. We spoke not only about our cultures, but I also extremely enjoyed learning about the different lifestyles of people. We had myriad guest lectures from the start, covering different domains, ranging from sales, marketing, operations, and supply chain management which were led by top leaders from the industry. They tried to give us an insight into these domains to help us better understand the scope of the current job market. During these lectures, many activities were conducted to break the ice among the students and help them get acquainted with each other well. This was followed by various committee selections which demanded hard work and dedication and it was my privilege to get into the Placement Committee of SDA Bocconi Asia Center. Moreover, we were exposed to case study competitions wherein we won some and also lost some. The school has many professional clubs such as marketing, finance, operations, entrepreneurship, HULT Prize, 180 DC, TedEx Masters, and many more which offer you opportunities to explore more in the fields of one’s interest. I enjoyed the vigorous and creative selection process for these clubs while helping my other friends throughout this process. Being from a technical background, I faced difficulty in understanding finance and accounting. We had Italian professors for the subjects of Accounting and Understanding Investments. They paid special attention to each and every student to ensure that everyone had a strong foundation for the subjects. We always had our teachers and our seniors to guide us which made the process easier. I would like to make a special mention of professor Davide Reina who took the subject of marketing for us. I loved how a three-hour class was made so interesting and interactive where the first one and a half-hour of the class would be a lecture and the second half would consist of case studies that we would solve in groups. He has such a unique teaching style and always kept the class interesting. I really look up to him. I am excited about charting out my journey with SDA Bocconi Asia Centre and growing through every part of this course About Mansi Shah, IMB Class 2023 An information and communication technology engineering graduate with a penchant for constantly pushing the limits and dabbling into diverse departments sums me up perfectly. I have a distinguished history in managing several avenues ranging from academics, sports, internships to extracurriculars and breezing through them with substantial results. I am a national level volleyball player. I enjoy writing, modelling and dancing. Having said that I am a published writer. Not limiting myself to just one domain, I have held various leadership positions in sports and entrepreneurship cell of my bachelors institute. Author – Mansi Shah | Editor – Rohan Mehrotra and Vedika Nathani
La Conquista- SDA Bocconi Asia’s intercollegiate business fest 2021
SDA Bocconi Asia Center is proud to present its first annual intercollegiate business fest – La Conquista which will be held from 7th to 14th August 2021. The economies worldwide have gone boundless with digital transformation propelling the scale of innovation to make businesses drive through by tackling complex problems to sustain and compete. The various clubs at SDA Bocconi Asia Center are thrilled to conduct 8 exciting competitions to create an intellectual avenue for the participants that will prepare them to conquer the business world. La Conquista provides an opportunity for the participants to showcase their business acumen and test their abilities to leverage their skills and show them a glimpse of real-world business scenarios. Marketing Club Presents The Brand Switch “Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart!” Marketing and Innovation are the core functions of any business. Marketing is everywhere. Everything from presenting yourself for a job interview to selling your products online includes marketing. Marketing enables the companies to create demand and earn profits. Therefore, a marketing team becomes the most crucial part of any business. The Marketing Club at La Conquista invites all the enthusiastic marketeers to showcase their innovative & creative ideas. It is the ultimate marketing challenge where the participants will be able to dive into the pool of innovation and present their out-of-the-box ideas. The participants will be judged based on creativity, logic, strategy, and innovative ideas. We promise that the participants will enjoy the essence of marketing while they are on a mission to conquer The Brand Switch! To all the marketers out there, embrace the beauty of spontaneity and manifest the power of creative ideas. Follow us on Linkedin for more information – CLICK HERE Consulting Club Presents Innovazione “To get Game-Changing results, start focusing on Game-Changing thoughts.” Consulting is all about providing professional or expert advice in a particular area such as security (electronic or physical), management, accountancy, law, human resources, marketing (and public relations), finance, engineering, science and digital transformation. Innovazione gives you the chance to slip into the shoes of a head honcho and make decisions that could spell unmatched success, financial wins, and everything-else-in-between, for your business. It’s a multi-stage event that will test your ability to generate valuable insights and stick to your guns in the face of intense competition. Rack your brains to come up with the right solution! This competition brings together the smartest minds in the country to battle it out for the coveted title of being the winner of the competition by providing solutions to contemporary business cases. For More information follow us on instagram – CLICK HERE Luxury Club Presents LuxFeud “It’s not the quality of the sketch. It’s the quality of the idea.” – Versace It is known that despite the economic crisis going on around the world, the sales of luxury products only continue to grow. Luxury brands are now more than just a status symbol; they are considered a symbol of dreams, taste, advantage, privilege, and above all, success. It’s a known fact that today, the luxury market in India garners huge attention as most of the global luxury brands have already arrived or are expected to enter. Luxury retailers have realized that India is one of the world’s most vibrant, diverse and challenging markets for brands that want to capture this market. LuxFeud will expose the participants to information, news and thought-provoking content with a focus on the Indian and the International luxury landscape and help them understand the nitty gritty’s of the industry. Follow us on Instagram for more information – CLICK HERE GenOps – Operations Club Presents Opstackle “If you think of standardization as the best that you know today, but which is to be improved tomorrow; you get somewhere.” – Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company. Every product has its own story and crafting this story for a product is incumbent on the Operations Personnel and that’s why Operations is the cornerstone of a successful business. It is the difference between being a good designer and running a boutique. The decisions that must be made in the due course are aplenty. GenOps at La Conquista presents Opstackle which gives an edifying experience to the participants on the difference between what works and what can be optimized. Opstackle invokes partakers to identify the business constraints at a rudimentary level and solve them for specific business outcomes. We, Operations & Supply Chain enthusiasts are in the chain of helping businesses get better and it all starts with how they operate. So, keep your chains moving at Opstackle! Follow us on Instagram for more information CLICK HERE Ecell – Entrepreneurship Club Presents Creazione “Entrepreneurship is two steps forward, one step backwards. But no matter what, you have to keep stepping up.” Entrepreneurship refers to the process of creating a new enterprise and bearing any of its risks, with the view of making a profit. It is an act of seeking investment and production opportunities, developing, and managing a business venture, undertaking production functions, arranging inputs like land, labour, material, and capital, introducing new techniques and products, identifying new sources for the enterprise. Entrepreneurship is a holistic field, and it cannot be taught; it can only be experienced. Creazione is aimed at creating a holistic learning experience for the participants. The competition will enable them to conceptualize and commemorate their vision and ideas into a functional business plan to combat the challenges that the industry has to offer. Follow us on Instagram for more information – CLICK HERE Business Technology Club Presents Data Ideate “We can have data without information, but we can never have information without data” Technology helps businesses keep their ideas secure from their competition and data allows companies to make definitive predictions about the future. Business Technology Club at La Conquista intends to showcase how data-driven decisions can be a proactive approach rather than a reactive one. There is nothing odd about
Global Strategy Series 2021
In an exciting 3-day event, the students of SDA Bocconi Asia Center, Mumbai and SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan collaborated for the Global Strategy Series held through 6th- 8th of July 2021. The event kicked off with a welcome note from Professor Olga Annushkina-Associate Professor of Practice in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, SDA Bocconi, Milan. She briefed the students about Green Wise that was born in Japan in 1905. Green Wise has grown to be recognized as the first professional reality in the use of green according to its holistic concept. According to its Slow Green philosophy, Green Wise celebrates the beauty of nature by abandoning all chemical processes. Professor Olga introduced the Green Wise case study to the Master in Strategy and Entrepreneurship (MISA)* and International Master in Business (IMB) students who met virtually for the first time and were introduced to each other to set the tone for the rest of the event. As many as 70 students took part in the workshop to experience cross-cultural diversity. The participants aimed to create an impact through high-efficiency sustainability ideas. During days 1 and 2, the participants worked in small groups to ideate on the implementation of Green Wise’s new mission to achieve optimum impact on society by bringing sustainable practices through floral, landscape and interior design objectives. On the third day, after an exhilarating brainstorming of ideas, the ten teams presented their unique ideas with absolute enthusiasm in the presence of Nanahiko Mio San-Director, Green Wise, Italy. The event reached its conclusion with wise words by Nanahiko San and a short discussion of the lessons learnt in the plenary. “It was really interesting to work with SDA Bocconi Asia Center, Mumbai. Different points of view were a key factor for the optimal collaboration between us: complementary competencies and experiences helped to see the same problem in different ways providing a more complete experience. It was a real pleasure to work together,” said Alberta Michetti, MISA student, SDA Bocconi, Milan. The E-Cell (Entrepreneurship Cell) of SDA Bocconi Asia Center successfully coordinated the event and ensured that all the IMB participants from SDA Bocconi Asia Center had a wholesome experience with valuable takeaways. “The Global Strategy workshop of IMB & MISA has strengthened networking with professionals and has enhanced my knowledge on various sustainable practices. Kudos to the core committee,” said Nikita Tanwar, student of IMB 2020-2022, SDA Bocconi Asia Center. *MISA in Italian – Master in Imprenditorialit e Strategia Aziendale
Alumni Spotlight: Ashna Goel’s Entrepreneurial Journey- MilkinOats
In a conversation with Ashna Goel, co-founder and director of MilkinOats where she reveals how SDA Bocconi Asia Center played a pivotal role in inspiring her to start an entrepreneurial journey. The big idea – Why MilkinOats? In India, we come across a few dairy-free alternatives like almond milk and soy milk but none of them can be a substitute for dairy milk (cow’s milk). None of these dairy-free alternatives can be heated, boiled, and used in tea, coffee, Indian gravies, and desserts, among others. During my travel to Italy for the 4th semester of my masters at SDA Bocconi, I came across various dairy-free milk alternatives in the supermarket which made me dive deep into the characteristics of each dairy-free milk alternative. After research, I figured out that oat milk is the perfect dairy-free milk which has a great product-market fit because of its characteristics that match cow’s milk. It has a very smooth, creamy, and rich consistency and it can be boiled and foamed making it perfect for cappuccinos, lattes, smoothies, and other beverages. Oats, in general, has a lot of health benefits since it is rich in dietary fibres, omega-3 and other nutrients which makes it a product to be consumed by all. In addition to this, as we read every day about eco-friendliness, we also found that oats are a highly sustainable food grain. These thoughts eventually led to the starting of MilkinOats along with Vishwesh J. Nair, a colleague from my previous employer. Inspiration – what motivated you to start your own business? I was always motivated enough to start my own business. From the second year of my graduation, I knew what I wanted to do in the future, and I decided to pursue International Master in Business at SDA Bocconi Asia Center. During the 2-years at SDA Bocconi Asia Center, I took up various internships, live projects and built my network and confidence which was required for my entrepreneurial journey. I had my goal and aims defined. What are the Co-founder’s objectives and goals for MilkinOats? Our goals and objectives are to shift food consumption habits from animal-based products to sustainable plant-based food and beverages. We want to achieve this by delivering products that have maximum nutritional value that is affordable and accessible to all. Our objective is to bring in a vegan revolution in India. How is Milkinoats different (sectorial comparison)? MilkinOats is just about Oats. We plan to make all the products out of oats and oat milk. In addition to this, our primary product i.e. Oatmilk is one of its kind which foams remarkably unlike any other dairy-free alternative. What are the future plans? Currently, we have Barista’s Choice Oatmilk and Oatmilk Chocolates with two variants: Chalet Velvety and Chalet Almond Crunch along with Lite Oat Bites. We are currently diversifying into skincare segment where products will be made primarily from oats and oat milk since oats has a lot of skin benefits as well. Six months down the line, we plan to expand our food and beverages range by adding RTD flavours of oat milk, cold brews, oat milk cheese, dips, mayos, butter ice cream, yoghurt, the list goes on! MilkinOats’s competitors? We consider the entire dairy and non-dairy sector are our competitors. Your advice to the IMB aspirants and early-stage entrepreneurs. My advice to IMB aspirants will be that it’s okay to not have a plan but what is not okay is to take two years of IMB for granted. Make the best use of these two years as this shall help you in the long term. Also, my advice to early-stage entrepreneurs is that the journey won’t be easy rather it will be an extremely difficult one with various high and low points but don’t lose hope, have confidence in your idea because if you are confident only then you can convince people to become your customers. Connect With the Alumni Written by Ayushi Dixit and Padmavathy Srinivasan
What it takes to be a Bocconian?
The key to secure admissions in SDA Bocconi’s International Master in Business at the Asia Center To embark your journey at SDA Bocconi Asia Center, focus on the critical points below to prepare yourself diligently and kickstart your management career. CV “Painting an attractive self-portrait is hard, but that’s the key to crafting an MBA resume. A powerful resume grabs admissions officers’ attention, which may bring applicants closer to an acceptance letter.” Provide examples: MBA applicants should give admissions officers a reason to say “yes” by demonstrating a strong desire backed with purpose on their resume. Demonstrate leadership skills: Portray your leadership skill as it is a necessity on an MBA resume. You’ll further groom your management abilities during your MBA program, but the admissions committee wants to know that the foundation already exists. Describe extracurricular activities: Admission officers lay emphasize on the meaningful impact of the candidate on organization and community and not so much on the number of activities the candidate has participated in. Hence, avoid listing a large number of activities without explaining your accomplishments or admissions committee will suspect that you’re either padding your resume or stretching yourself too thin. Offer specifics: An MBA resume should have a detailed description of one’s accomplishments mentioned in concrete language. Admissions committees like to see action words and results-oriented phrases in a resume, so for every bullet point, try to quantify results in amounts or percentages whenever possible. Highlight soft skills: The best MBA resumes are focused on soft skills which are also called power skills that are essential to business leadership and critical in the workplace. Teamwork skills are worth highlighting. Think of examples of when and how you united people behind a common goal, capitalized on others’ talents and skills, instilled a vision, identified a new problem or prioritized the project’s needs above personal ones. Focus on career advancement: Applicants with significant work experience should focus on positions that are more critical to their professional success. Experts say “When applying to a business school, you’ll need to show the admissions committee a clear path of professional growth. “Hence, one should avoid looking stagnant at the admissions wants to admit students who continually seek to learn and advance their skills and leadership abilities. Keep your resume streamlined. Applicants with significant work experience should focus on positions that were most critical to their professional success. “When applying to a business school, you’ll need to show the admissions committee a clear path of professional growth, ” Avoid looking stagnant, as the admissions team wants to admit students who continually seek to learn and advance their skills and leadership abilities.” Ultimately, a successful MBA resume tells a coherent story and clarifies why business school is the natural next step. Add value to the application: Your resume should add new information but maintain the consistent impression you’ve given throughout the application. It’s the applicant’s job to make sure each part of their application brings out their values. Remove jargon: Eliminate industry jargons from your resume and use terms that an MBA admissions committee can understand and comprehend. Keep it short: An MBA resume should ideally fit on a single page and not exceed two pages. Tell the truth: A big part of an MBA admission officer’s job involves judging applicants’ credibility. It is not wise to inflate credentials on your resume. Just be honest. Become informed before you apply: Conduct in-depth research and know all about the B-school. Bocconi Test Tips for the Bocconi test from Sayli Mhatre, IMB Batch 2020 – 2022 “The Bocconi test is an adaptive test with a pattern similar to that of CAT and NMAT. It is divided into 3 parts; Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Logical Reasoning. A few tips to ace the Bocconi test: Be thorough with data interpretation and logical reasoning shortcuts which is similar to CAT. Time management is key. Develop a habit of reading and comprehending the questions quickly. Read articles from The Hindu and attempt practice tests. Practice abstract reasoning to identify patterns efficiently. Since the exam is adaptive, focus on accuracy in solving questions to score high. Practice meditation for better concentration.” For more information, watch the video below. Personal Interview An interview is the first time where you can make a lasting impression. Strategize and prepare thoroughly and bring to the table all the skills and experiences you have to become an MBA and what change you will add. Before the interview, you must: Be well-versed with the video interview software- For seamlessly navigating through the software, look at the meeting link shared with you and identify the software that is going to be used for the interview. Update to the latest version and look up all the controls- unmuting, screen sharing, leave call option. Check for any video and audio disturbances. It is recommended that you do a test run to see how you will appear to the interviewer. Place your laptop at an appropriate angle. Stack up a few books under your laptop to adjust the height if required so that you are not ‘ooking down upon’ the interviewer. It is lowkey psychology associated. Turn off notifications on your laptop and keep your phone on silent mode. Log in to your laptop from a ‘Guest Account’ to eliminate all notifications Keep your laptop charged and request your household to limit their wi-fi usage, also, as a back-up, turn on your mobile hotspot to interchange connection in case of any internet disruptions. During the interview: Background and lighting- Declutter your background and opt for natural or artificial lighting that lights up your face. Avoid back-lit backgrounds. Keep essentials handy: notepad, pen, water bottles and any documents. Tactical approach to appear confident and relaxed: “Do’s Your Comfort zone When you’re talking to a screen, it may be more difficult to pick up on social cues or think about your own. Above all, let your personality shine throughout the interview, even if it’s not face-to-face just like how you would do face-to-face Look
GenOps Virtual Conclave 2020
The Operations Club at SDA Bocconi Asia Center hosted its annual club event, “GenOps Virtual Conclave 2020” on October 11th, 2020. Mr. Alessandro Giuliani, the Managing Director of SDA Bocconi Asia Center welcomed the panellists and addressed the gathering. Mr. Parmeshwaran Iyer, Global Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Beiersdorf, kickstarted the conclave with his keynote speech on Supply Chain post-COVID. Mr. Parmeshwaran highlighted his journey at Beiersdorf and his experience and key takeaways from the cyber attack and COVID 19 crisis which he experienced in his professional journey. The keynote speech led to the beginning of panel discussion between Mr. Mats Joseph Fernandes, National Logistics Head at Daniel Wellington, Mr. Sunil David, Regional Director at AT&T, and Mr. Amit Vora, Associate Vice President at Nykaa. The panellists hailing from a plethora of industries brainstormed solutions to build resilient supply chains. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Abhijit Chaudhuri, Professor of Operations Management at SDA Bocconi Asia Center. The panellists discussed the ways to recalibrate agility, adaptability and align business strategies to grow and sustain during COVID-19. They gave insights into how companies shifted their focus, during the 4th Industrial Revolution, from a stability-driven business model which followed structure-conduct-performance to a resilient one by following ‘conduct- structure-performance’ model. The panellists addressed the questions below posed by the moderator to arrive at solutions to build a resilient supply chain. Q1. Prior to the 4th Industrial Revolution, companies were focused on the ‘stability’ of their businesses by following ‘structure-conduct-performance’ model. Do you think during and beyond the 4th Industrial revolution, the focus will shift from ‘stability’ to ‘Resilience’ by following ‘conduct- structure-performance’ model? During COVID-19, companies are shifting their focus to resilience. Talking about the resilient supply chains, Mr. Sunil quoted two critical abilities required, firstly, there should be capacity for resistance and the capacity for recovery. He added that whether we talk about recovery or resilience, it is evident that the organizations which didn’t digitize their supply chains were badly affected and therefore, the pandemic has accelerated the digitization of supply chains using IoT and AI. Taking the cue from Mr. Parmeshwaran’s statement, “Resilience is a long term journey“, Mr. Amit Vora spoke about the challenges he faced in the apparel industry. He emphasized that the supply chain is both upstream and downstream covering various departments. In the apparel industry, there are different manufacturers spread across different geographies of the country which complicates the supply chain. He discussed ways to build a resilient supply chain by taking visibility across the supply chain, setting up a digitized process and executing it on a ground level with the available information. Mr. Amit also highlighted how improved agility in operations helped the business to increase the accuracy of operations and customer satisfaction. Mr. Mats added an interesting perspective to the discussion by quoting how businesses transformed from a push model to pull model and how the focus has shifted from error reduction to error prevention. He also spoke about strategizing growth based on customer feedback. He added, with the onset of the pandemic, businesses have been trying to adapt to a hybrid model by incorporating a push strategy based on customer feedback. Based on the discussion, developing a flexible supply chain is the key to successful operations. Q2. How recalibrating agility, adaptability & alignment strategies of the business helped them not only to grow but also to sustain in the business during COVID-19? This pandemic has helped people to think differently. The processes followed were so agile that we opened up inventories for all channels including customer order, retail order, B2B partners and JIT partners to scale up sales that spiked e-commerce sales from 2x to 4x as compared to pre-COVID sales. A resilient approach coupled with the organization’s vision helped us to navigate through the pandemic and improve cash flows. Mr. Mat added his experience of performing ABC categorization of stocks in the warehouses which helped his organization to save operating expenses of around 6 million dollars. He also talked about how reverse planning of stocks and aligning the processes in order to bring all the sales channels together helped them to keep the business intact. Q3. How does resilience also bring about a return on experience as one of the major parameters of the supply chain? With regards to the customer experience, Mr. Sunil explained how technology is utilized in creating a powerful customer experience. He quoted an example from Nestle and explained the audience how Nestle used technology for its ice cream product segment to improve the customer experience by fixing its freezer problem while also utilizing the same opportunity to collect real-time consumption data to forecast demand.“Quality of value always needs to be defined from the customer’s perspective. Cost and Quality are two different parts of the same equation”, Mr. Mats said. Mr. Vora also shared his experience of creating an omnichannel delivery and returns system for Nykaa to enhance customer experience. The discussion was concluded by our beloved Professor and moderator Mr. Abhijit Chauduri saying that operations and supply chain will continue to be the backbone for every business. He reinforced that supply chain management is going to thrive and the practitioners of supply chain and operations are going to build business ecosystems of the future. The students of SDA Bocconi Asia Center thank the guests; Mr. Parmeshwaran Iyer, Mr. Mats Joseph Fernandes, Mr. Sunil David, Mr. Amit Vora and Mr. Abhijit Chaudhuri for their valuable insights and an interactive session. Written by Ayushi Dixit and Padmavathy Srinivasan
Alumni Inspiration- Journey of Boccononian at ABInBev
ABInBev is the world’s leading brewer bringing people together for a better world. For centuries, the experience of sharing a beer has brought people and cultures together. Their leading brands are Corona, Budweiser and Stella Artois. Celebrating different occasions of life, ABInBev has over 500 beer brands suited for different moments. They have a vast presence in over 100 countries with a global share of throat at 13.2% in the alcoholic beverages category which makes it the market leader. ABInBev is made of DREAMS, realised by its PEOPLE, propelled by its work CULTURE which forms the core values of the company. Kickstarting the campus hiring drive for the International Master in Business students, Mr. Serge De Vos, Head- ABInBev Operations and Mr. Dinesh Khanna, Head- Talent Attraction had come onboard to inspire the students to join their crew of talented and visionary people. Here’s some motivation from the alumni of SDA Bocconi Asia Center who are currently working with ABInBev, a people-centric company, are here to share their experience with us. Dhwani Shah – IMB Batch of 2018-2020 The decision to do my masters from SDA Bocconi Asia Center is something I look back at fondly. This two-year journey was a steep learning curve for me along with unforgettable memories. I was extremely happy with the way the curriculum and extra co-curricular were structured. SDA Bocconi Asia Center provided me with numerous leadership opportunities such as the Marketing Club and TEDxBocconiUMumbai, that enabled my overall growth. SDA Bocconi Asia Center leaves no stone unturned when it comes to giving corporate exposure to its students. I completed several live projects with brands such as L’Oréal and Costa Cruises as part of the curriculum.” I was particularly stoked with my summer internship opportunity at Reliance Brands Limited. I developed a deep understanding of the retail and luxury sector in India during my time there. To further add on to my learnings, I strongly recommend this course due to the Milan semester and its features. This semester allows you to choose the subjects you are most passionate about from a wide range of elective options. The four months I spent studying in a diverse classroom and collaborating with multi-cultural teams is an entire experience in itself, with an added benefit of travelling to numerous countries over the weekends. The faculty at SDA Bocconi is experienced and help you develop a global perspective towards business. All my collective experiences during these 6 trimesters led me to secure my dream job at ABInBev on Day zero. Currently, as a part of the marketing team of one of the biggest FMCG companies in the world, I work on the North American Zone and have been able to work on some key brands and campaigns. I’m thankful for this complete experience that has enabled me to grow into a better person, not just academically but personally as well. Darahas Palakollu – IMB Batch of 2018-2020 Hey, this is Darahas. I have taken up different ideals and designed my personality learning from my experiences, to reach SDA Bocconi Asia Center, to gain more in professionalism and personality. Having worked for EY India for a year before MBA, I found words of Prof. Seema stating ” This college is a microcosm of the corporate world” not very far away from the truth. Blended with Italian and Indian style of teaching, the experience here enriching and unique. Milan semester was a cherry on the top. By the end of my time here at college, I looked back and found an amazing group of people that will have my back forever and thanked the college for leaving lasting imprints. A wholesome experience of 2 years cannot get a better ending than being placed in AbInBev, straight out of campus. A wonderful opportunity provided by SDA Bocconi community and AbInBev, ensured that I was placed on my first attempt on Day zero. Joining as an Analyst at ABInBev, I can only be thankful for the opportunities provided to me across various specialisations, it gave me a year worth of experience in just 3 months. Working in operations and finance, I have learnt how to work with people, even on virtual mode during these difficult conditions. I know it only gets better, once normalcy returns. Joined along with 3 others at ABInBev, I feel an extreme sense of responsibility to uplift SDA Bocconi Asia Center brand higher than it already is. I believe that I am a product of SDA Bocconi Asia Center, and I must be the torchbearer of its reputation wherever I go. I thank SDA Bocconi Asia Center, not just for giving me the knowledge to sustain to live in this world, but for giving amazing people and sculpting my character, which will help me make this world a happy place. Hari Shankar Aggarwal The lingo of business is ubiquitous, yet only a few can discern its applicability. I used to belong to the same league. Then, a computer science engineer I embarked on a conquest to learn the nitty-gritty of the strategic world. SDA was extremely informed and one of the most plaudit choices I made. The choice was purely based on the adaptive learning culture with a more practical than theoretical approach with endless opportunities at one’s disposal. I used to think “Holistic” as my ideal single worded verbiage but post these two years I also believe in it, as a result of wholesome learning experience sprinkled with many practical live projects and internships. A glimpse of my resume can reflect the cross-domain knowledge and opportunities that this institution is adept in providing. I believe that SDA Bocconi Asia Center not only builds careers but also characters for every individual’s heyday and the credit goes to not just the Professors, Management or the Milan Semester but also the diversified cohort one is exposed to. There are only a handful of colleges in the country which can provide an international internship exposure in a company like Bauli, which enhanced
Luxe Talk – Newsletter by Luxury Club
– The Luxury Club of SDA Bocconi Asia Center In a first, the Luxury Club of SDA Bocconi Asia Center took the initiative to launch ‘Luxe Talk’, an all-luxury newsletter for the luxury enthusiasts of the college. Who are the consumers of luxury? What do they get beyond the price tag? What are the recent market trends in luxury? Through a weekly newsletter, the luxury club will share its take on the recent events taking place in the luxury industry. The Luxe Talk covers opulent brands from various industries such as apparel, hospitality, automobiles, personal care and so on. On launching the newsletter, Yash Doshi, the Vice President- Branding and Outreach of the clubs says, ‘In my perspective, Luxury as a concept has always been a relative one. Through these newsletters, we intend to communicate this along with the ongoing trends in the market for our readers’. An excerpt from The Indian Edition of Luxe Talk – Lehengas are Eternal The novel Coronavirus has dramatically modified things overnight. The pandemic has bestowed a paradigm shift in consumer behaviour, be it on daily lifestyle or spending on luxurious goods. Marketers across industries try to revamp their business models and therefore the luxury industry is not any exception. According to a McKinsey report, the global luxury goods market is projected to contract by 35% to 39%. Indian fashion designers spent the lockdown away from factories and stores lamenting completely over loss of revenue. Indian bridal wear is seeing an unusual upswing. The quaint lehenga is sparing the day. The lehenga’s origin dates to the beginning of Indian culture itself. The wedding lehenga has been Indian fashion’s greatest goldmine. An exclusive designer lehenga starts from rupees 1 lakh and goes up to Rs . 30–40 lakhs. “The only things selling with us are bridal and couture cloth”, says Tarun Tahiliani. Sandeep Khosla agrees, “Things are slightly better, and it has more to do with the bridal wear. India has long been derided by fashion purists for its ‘Lehenga-Choli culture’. The gorgeously decorated, 16-panel circle skirt has survived the putdowns responding instead with reinventions like lehenga sari, Pakistani lehenga and Benarsi lehenga. The team behind Luxe Talk- Concept: Garima Sharma, President, Luxury Club| Content: Yash Doshi, VP- Branding and Outreach| Design: Supriya Narayanan, VP- Learning and Development The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are of the Luxury Club members. Click here to view the rest of the newsletters.
Hiring and Recruitment: 4 Trends that are Here to Stay
– Simran Arora, VP- Branding and Outreach, The Human Resource Club of SDA Bocconi Asia Center Does 2020 ever give you a sense of déjà vu? Don’t you think we’ve come a full circle in terms of uncertainty? From the Great Recession to COVID19, every generation seems to be going through tremendous change. The agile business environment faces many challenges, however, there is some comfort in knowing that HR, as a core business function is now prepared to approach them with a progressive mindset. Viewed through the lens of HR, here are some trends that will remodel talent management and build organizational resilience. Employee experience. It’s time to put a full stop to one-way traffic. With empathy at its core, organizations will now work towards giving back to their employees and humanizing the workplace, in turn attracting the best talent. It’s a win-win! People analytics. As HR takes up a more strategic role, it needs a scientific tool to make informed decisions and support empathy. People analytics helps in observing human behaviour and in designing evaluation metrics that help the workforce and organisation perform better as a unit. However, exercising caution is of the utmost importance when it comes to ethical questions being raised about people data. Employees today are revered as stakeholders and organizations must work towards developing and maintaining thoughtful and transparent policies pertaining to their data privacy. Internal recruiting. A trend that phased out eventually and is making a gradual comeback in 2020 is internal recruiting. Through promotions, lateral moves or transfers, organisations can retain talent and acknowledge their employees™ contribution by creating a conducive environment to learn and grow. Multi-generational workforce. Almost every organisation undeniably houses four generations among its workforce, and this adds significant value to a company’s performance. Every generation brings something new to the table based on their experience and expertise. Over a while, HR has learnt about how synergy through age diversity can be achieved. However, the way forward involves carving out new career paths, introducing more flexible benefits, and finding new ways for generations to share intelligence. HR Vaartaa, the newsletter from the HR Club, is an amalgamation of academic knowledge, current affairs and anything coming under the purview of HR. The articles aim to provide engagement, communication, and collaboration amongst the club members. *The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are of the HR Club members. The team behind HR Vaarta- Aprajita Thakur- President | Simran Arora- VP- Branding and Outreach | Neerav Shah- VP- Learning and Development Click here to view the complete newsletter.
From a Business School Graduate to a CEO – Mapping the Journey
Having an illustrious career in fashion retail, Mr. Kavindra Mishra, Managing Director & CEO, House of Anita Dongre Limited shared his dynamic work experience in a fireside chat with Mr. Alessandro Guiliani, Managing Director of SDA Bocconi Asia Center, facilitated by the B-school’s Luxury Club. Mapping his journey from being a business school graduate to a CEO, Mr. Mishra shared key insights on the retail and luxury sector in India and encouraged the students to imbibe important life skills as these are the foundation of a sound mind and balanced life. He shared different anecdotes to illustrate the benefits of incorporating spirituality and sports in everyday life, and how it develops a broader perspective and a healthier headspace. Taking inspiration from Mr. Mishra, Rhea Raheja, student of IMB 2020-2022 says, “It was indeed a pleasure to hear Mr. Kavindra Mishra talk about his professional journey. My key take away from his session was that everything is not meant for you, but it is always worth a try despite the risks involved. I was also inspired to hear him talk about the correlation between living a healthy mental, physical and spiritual life to better delivery of tasks.” Kick starting his retail career after graduating from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore in 1999, Mr. Mishra joined Madura Coats as Area Sales Manager and continued his career at Madura Garments as Brand Manager for Allen Solly. Mr. Mishra has previously held key positions in Pepe Jeans, United Colors of Benetton and Tommy Hilfiger. He is also a founding member of Zovi.com. During his stint at Pepe Jeans as the Managing Director, he discovered his passion for sports which added another layer to his well-rounded personality. Emphasizing on the importance of spirituality and sports, Mr. Mishra says that spirituality has been an anchor in his life as it has kept him grounded and helped him focus on the right things even under pressure. He encouraged the students to participate in sports as it helps in adding layers to one’s personality. Running has been instrumental to keep him motivated and has helped him declutter his mind to fuel thought and innovation in his management decisions. Inspiring the students on the path to his success, Mr Mishra said work ethics, career conviction, and moral compass has guided him to succeed in his career. Ms. Nishtha Gupta of IMB 2020-2022 says, “Mr. Kavindra Mishra touched several essential points on luxury management and important life skills. He highlighted the importance of having a well-rounded personality. His career journey was refreshing and it motivated us to take risks and trust our instincts. These insights were extremely valuable to us“. Advocating for practising consumer centricity, he believes in building sales and product strategies around consumer needs as it is key to excelling in any field. He added that sustainability is the future of the fashion industry and therefore the industry will slowly have to adapt to the shift. To become a successful leader, Mr. Mishra stressed on the importance of hands-on experience in sales which can be attained through fieldwork and customer interaction. To eliminate risks and to implement foolproof career growth strategies, the students were advised to seek mentorship from seasoned professionals, The insightful session was followed by a Q&A round where students interacted with Mr. Mishra and asked him questions on topics that ranged from sustainability, Indian retail, fashion, handloom, spirituality, sales, marketing and body image. Mr. Mishra concluded the chat with the quote, “Always strive for more, and max it out. The best is yet to come” and motivated the students to keep moving ahead with a positive outlook. On behalf of all the students, SDA Bocconi Asia Center would like to thank the guests for their valuable time and the insightful session.