MISB Bocconi Alumni Spotlight – Rahul Hisaria, PGPB Class of 2014

1. What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishments (both personally and professionally) and how MISB Bocconi aided to your growth?!
 
I have several notable accomplishments in my career so it is tough to pick one. Probably one of the most recent accomplishment, which also happens to be one the most notable, is thriving and succeeding in a foreign country that has a completely different language, culture, lifestyle, work environment. Within a few months of joining the company, I was entrusted with numerous assignments. I think I have tremendously grown personally as well as professionally after embarking on this journey las year.

My experience at MISB Bocconi, which included cross-cultural exchanges such as- sessions by faculty from across the globe, campus exchange programs, curriculum packed with international business cases, helped me adapt to a completely new environment.

2. How did you become interested in your field?

Being an Engineer, I have always taken a great deal of interest in numbers and operational procedures. Moreover, during my course at Bocconi, I had opportunities to exchange thoughts with very well known professors/people in this field. This reinforced my decision to pursue a career in Procurement.
Procurement, though not a very ‘glamorous’ job, is an area of great potential especially in the current scenario, where every company is trying to keep afloat by cutting its costs.Since typically half of a manufacturing company’s cost is managed by the procurement function, it provides a world of opportunities in itself. I found this field very appealing and hence, decided to take a plunge.

3. What do you enjoy most about your current career position?

My current position offers an interesting mix of internal marketing and interaction with people (mostly Vendors/Suppliers). It works in close association with functions like R&D, Design, Quality, and Production. In my role, there are vast data sets to be analyzed with just the aim of finding opportunities to cut costs. After analysis of data, one has to prepare suitable strategies for each category of parts that we source. There is always a challenge to reduce costs through numerous existing ways but since new obstacles/opportunities arise in a competitive market, we are always developing new processes and ways in order to achieve our aim of cost reduction. Moreover, interaction with Italian and foreign suppliers is one of the things which make this functionality a very engaging and fascinating job.
Furthermore, I enjoy my current position because of the friendly and helping environment in my team. They have been very supportive, right from helping me out in polishing my language skills to clearing out my work-related doubts.

4. What have been the biggest challenges in your career? Did your experiences at MISB Bocconi help you to overcome obstacles you’ve faced at Elica?

The biggest challenge after coming to Italy undoubtedly has been the language. People rarely speak English and is very difficult to manage when you are in a meeting where most of the conversations are done in Italian. To some extent, exchange program conducted by Bocconi helped to overcome this obstacle as I learned basic Italian language. Moreover, MISB Bocconi has also taught me the importance of perseverance, one of the greatest asset to possess in one’s life.

5. Looking back, what would you say was the most challenging aspect of MISB Bocconi? How would you advise others who may be facing that challenge?!

The most challenging aspect of MISB Bocconi was the whole curriculum, which was very comprehensive covering more subjects than those in any other institutes. At any given point in time, we were studying 2-3 subjects which became demanding at some instances. To overcome this becoming an ‘out-of-hands’ situation, we had to manage our work time really well and by that, I mean we had to maximize the overlap of each team members’ work-time. Moreover, we stipulated time for each category of activity and once we were ready to go, we would assign each activity to the best suitable person at hand. So usually, we would complete our projects in a timely and efficient manner. This way of time management that I followed in MISB is proving to be an asset in my workplace as well.

6. Describe any significant relationships with fellow colleagues at Elica. How did your friendships with other colleagues help you?!

I have made several good friends in Elica. My relationship with my colleagues is cordial. From the day one they have been helpful and supported me wholeheartedly. I feel comfortable in the office and I have no hesitations at all in reaching them for any help. In particular, there are some colleagues who helped me during my initial months of coming to Italy right from finding a house to helping me with language issues. Moreover, most of the time we discuss about cultures, traditions, countries etc. and it is quite interesting to hear and learn from their stories and experience. Their support has been overwhelming.

7. What advice would you give to younger alumni or current students who aspire to follow a similar career path?!

I would like to tell them that always look out for the field that really interests you. Now, by ‘interest’ I mean something that absorbs your full attention every time you come across it.
What you learn in college is just the guiding light, it is up to you how you want to shape your career, which growth path do you want for yourself etc.
Coming to following the same career path as mine, I think it is imperative to know data analysis. There are tons of data, which are the building blocks of your analysis. MS Excel is an indispensable tool. Moreover, one needs to be a good communicator in order to influence other people and explain one’s idea quickly and concisely. Equally, being a good listener is also important. Finally, one needs to have bags of confidence and natural curiosity.

8. What was the best activity you did at MISB Bocconi? Or Do you have a favorite or funny story about your time at MISB Bocconi?!

There are so many fond memories at MISB Bocconi. But just to name a few, I enjoyed doing group assignments, staying till late in the evening for completing them. It was a mix of learning and fun. Then to take a break, we never finished eating when we fetched snacks from the canteen or walked down the street to eat something. It was much more enjoyable during the monsoons when it used to rain all day and the air became pure again. Sometimes, our professors used to join us for lunch at the table and we discussed about a lot of things- culture, food, places to visit, superstition etc.

9. Your overview on administrative help by MISB Bocconi team?!

The continuous support provided by the whole team at MISB has been instrumental in not only shaping my new career but also in my personal growth. All of the administrative staff have been with me through thick and thin. They accommodated our unceasing needs and were always there for our help. I am grateful to them for all their hard work and support throughout my stay in MISB and even now.

10. What do you enjoy doing with your free time? Family? Hobbies? Interests?!
I like to spend time with my family and friends. We usually spent our evenings in a coffee shop to wind from the day’s work. I am an avid reader of books. I also like to travel and since Italy is well-connected to other parts of Europe, occasionally I never mind taking a day or two off.

I take this opportunity to tell you that on the occasion of ‘Salone del Mobile’ 2016 in Milan, Elica is releasing a few videos to be also telecasted on television across many countries in the upcoming months.