Testimonials

• 
  Bindya S

  PGDM, IIM Bangalore
  B.E. (CSE) from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology
  

  

  First Project at HIL Limited on “Improvement of Aerocon Block Sales in Western Region”

  “The NextGen Programme motivated me to get up and look for the circumstances I want, and to make them if not found”

  A first job is always filled with endless scepticism about the new work place, adapting, fitting in & lot of expectations. I have heard about reality shocks where, in a week, my friends find their expectation collide head-on with the reality of the organisation’s expectations with them. But it has been a total contrast in my case. What I have learned in the span of less than five months is enormous. Right from day one at Birla Towers till date, I have had opportunities to interact with industry stalwarts & learn from their abundant experience. My project was focussed on developing marketing strategy for a commoditised product, hence was very challenging. I got to learn about the industry, market & tested all the ground realities through my market visits. It was honour to work directly under COO of the Aerocon blocks & Panels Mr. Rajiv Upadhyay, who guided me to set clear goals & always motivated to work with desire. This project has helped me gain enormous domain knowledge, get acquainted to working of the corporate world, given me a perfect transition from academic to corporate. It has motivated me to get up and look for the circumstances I want, and to make them if not found.
• 
  Binoy Subba

  PGDM, IIM Bangalore
  B.Tech (IT), Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata
  

  

  
  First Project at Birlasoft on “Grow Hunting Business in Australia "

  “The magnitude of the project was overwhelming”

  As the name suggest, the project was to increase Birlasoft’s business in Australia. To begin with, the magnitude of the project itself was overwhelming. To device a hunting strategy for an entire country was not only interesting and challenging but it also tested me in aspects way beyond my expectations. The gradual discovery of tasks, teams, individuals, benefits, risks and traps involved in every action taken in pursuit of the objective of this project was astounding; and each facet carried a lesson of its own. Some lessons can be expressed by words and other only by actions.
  The project demanded extensive interactions with all levels of employees in the organisation, of which, the interactions with the top and mid-level were on the higher side. The fruitfulness of the discussions depended on the preparation of the discussion, knowledge of the subject, openness to alternatives and the ability to render and entertain critics. Therefore, it was of utmost importance to make all necessary preparations before the commencement of discussions. Besides, to obtain and validate information, I was required to spend maximum time with people who had minimum to spend, which would not have been possible if I was ill-prepared. The most valuable experience however, was the opportunity to be involved in the meetings and discussions which would result in decisions that would impact the company’s future in an entire geography. Finally, this project has left me richer in experience and knowledge which will find its use in future. But, the lesson that it has left me with, which will always find its use in personal and professional life, is that relevance, empathy and right communication will always get the work done.
• 
  Nakul Mittal

  PGDBM, IIM Ahmedabad
  B.Tech (IT), Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata
  

  

  First Project at Birlasoft on “Integrated Digital Transformation–Service Line Incubation"

  “The broad scope of the project gave me a chance to work on multiple dimensions.”

  As a part of this project, I was responsible for creating strategy and implementation plan for a new service line at Birlasoft. This project was critical for the company as it was shifting its focus more towards providing technology solutions to enable businesses in transforming their customer experience through cutting-edge digital tools.
  Through this project I got to experience an entrepreneurial work environment within a well-established organisation. The broad scope of the project gave me a chance to work on multiple dimensions starting from understanding market needs to designing a go-to-market strategy, and from creating thought leadership papers to running focused campaigns for pipeline generation. The project also provided me with significant exposure to the areas relatively new for me like digital marketing and alliance formation which helped me broaden my perspectives and add new skills. Regular interactions with the company CXOs during the project helped me learn a lot about designing operational strategy and overcoming challenges pertaining to multi-stakeholder management in a competitive IT landscape. Overall, it was both enriching and fun to work on this project where your colleagues were more like your friends, and value addition in terms of capabilities refinement was enormous.
• 
  Nirvana Laha

  PGDM, IIM Ahmedabad
  B.Tech (CSE), IIIT Hyderabad
  

  

  First Project at Hospitals on “Procurement Optimisation"

  “The fact that the outputs I was generating as part of the project were actually being implemented in the organisation is what gave me the most satisfaction and motivation.”

  I worked on a project on Procurement (purchase) Optimisation at the Kolkata Hospitals (CMRI and BM Birla) of the CK Birla Group. The project involved several components including:
  
  

  1. Devising a strategy to generate procurement related savings to meet a specified savings target
  2. Studying the present organisational structure and capabilities of the procurement department of the hospitals and recommending a new organisation structure for future ERP implementation, and
  3. Studying the existing processes in the procurement department and recommending new process designs to close any existing process gaps

  
  This being my first exposure to the healthcare industry, the project was very challenging and at the same time provided me with a great learning opportunity. The fact that the outputs I was generating as part of the project were actually being implemented in the organisation is what gave me the most satisfaction and motivation. For example, vendor negotiations were actually carried out based on the strategy I devised. Similarly the HR department at the hospitals studied my organisational structure related recommendations and is in the process of implementing them based on discussions with other stakeholders. Throughout the project I received very valuable guidance from my mentors at the CK Birla Group Corporate Office and the management team at the Kolkata Hospitals. This helped me get a very nice flavour of a new industry in the short span of 4 months as well as execute my project satisfactorily.
• 
  Srikrishna Sriram

  PGDM, IIM Calcutta
  B.Tech (EEE), NIT, Trichy (NITT)
  

  

  First Project at Orient Electric on “Supply Chain and Logistics Optimisation for Electric including Integration across the Businesses"

  “My first stint has been an excellent starting point and I look forward to a similar experience in my next rotation with the group.”

  My 4 months with the CK Birla Group have been a tremendous learning experience so far. One thing which I really liked at the outset was the fact that I was into my project after just 3 days of joining the organisation. The opportunity to put in place new systems which have been absent so far in a long-standing organisation like Orient Electric has been both an intimidating as well as exciting assignment. I have been fortunate to work under the direct guidance of senior people from the Transformation Management Office, hence ensuring that that my project has had a good sense of direction from the outset as well as keeping me on my toes and pushing my limits when it comes to delivering key results. My first stint has been an excellent starting point and I look forward to a similar experience in my next rotation with the group.
• 
  Siddharth Kumar

  PGDM, IIM Calcutta
  B.Tech (Electronics), Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad
  

  

  First Project at AVTEC Ltd on “Inventory Optimisation"

  “Be it be my interaction with the top leadership of the company or with the shop-floor worker of the plant, there were always new things to learn every day”

  Since my joining on 2nd June, I have been exposed to a variety of challenges, right from solving difficult and ambiguous problems to working with different types of people. It has been a very exciting journey which also has provided ample opportunities for professional development. Be it be my interaction with the top leadership of the company or with the shop-floor worker of the plant, there were always new things to learn every day. At times, the problems in my project have forced me to think innovatively and derive new algorithms to get simple and logical solutions. Faced with real life difficulties of getting work done by others, I have learnt valuable lessons while handling them. My project guide (CFO) and the CEO have always encouraged me to think independently and freely while forming my ideas. I feel lucky to often get an opportunity to know the perspective of the top leaders on certain strategic matters of the company. At the same time, it feels great to be involved in one of most crucial project for the company. I express my sincerest thanks to the CK Birla Group for providing such an opportunity early in my career. All in all, it has been a very exhilarating and satisfying experience for me and I am looking forward to having a great time in the future, too.
• 
  Venkata Raman A

  PGDM IIM Ahmedabad
  B.E. ECE, GCT Coimbatore (Anna University)
  

  

  First Project at HIL Limited on "Sheeting Substitutes"

  “The practical application of frameworks helped me appreciate the importance of various concepts and theories learnt thus far.”

  My experience with CK Birla group has helped me achieve a steep transformation from an academic world to a corporate professional in no time. Having been given the role of consultant at HIL Limited, I am working on a project which has been well beyond my expectations. The practical application of frameworks helped me appreciate the importance of various concepts and theories learnt thus far. Through HIL, I got a deep knowledge of the building products industry, an industry about which my knowledge was very limited while starting my project. I got an opportunity to visit markets across many states to understand the product and the industry, which was a massive learning experience. My interactions with various experts, dealers, distributors, retailers and customers was very enriching and insightful. Working with the COO of Sheeting Business, Mr. Jayachandran, has been the best thing that could have happened to me as the guidance offered by him helped me achieve goals way beyond my expectations. Also, the training programmes organised as part of the NextGen programme are highly appreciable. Altogether the time spent thus far at CK Birla Group has been very exciting with numerous challenges, learnings & fun and describing my experience as "fantastic" would summarise it.
• 
  Utkalika Mohanty

  PGDM, IIM Bangalore
  B.Tech. Silicon Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar
  

  

  First Project at TMO on "Exploring Avenues for Growth in Healthcare/Analytics space"

  “I sensed the winds of change and comprehended; ‘Now I am a part of the ambitious, challenging and exhilarating transformational journey of CK Birla Group.’”

  The journey started from a colossal boardroom at the 10th floor of a spectacular building in the heart of the Delhi, listening to the Chairman and 9 different CEOs. On that very day, I sensed the winds of change and comprehended; “Now I am a part of the ambitious, challenging and exhilarating transformational journey of CK Birla Group.” The opportunity of working with the extremely knowledgeable industry experts at the Transformation office (TMO) has facilitated in broadening my long-term vision. After working on 3 different projects in these 4 months, not only I have gained industry knowledge but more importantly I have been evolved as an individual by learning softer intangible aspects.
  In a strategic role for new business development, I essentially dealt with the market entry strategies; estimated the market potential, evaluated options for inorganic growth, analysed legal aspects of real estate requirement and pursued a micro market strategy for target segment. I fumbled when there was ambiguity and got hit by the wall many a time. However strong support from the team and personal training by my guide Mr Anindya Das helped me find my own direction for achieving the objective. The 3 key takeaways: problem-solving skills, impactful communication and phenomenal value addition to my personality.
• 
  Abhisek Jain S

  PGDM, IIM Bangalore
  B.Com, Loyola College, Chennai
  

  

  
  First Project at Orient Electric on "Inventory Optimisation"

  “The best part of the NextGen programme is the early exposure it gives in terms of the varied profiles offered.”

  Our batch of Group Management Trainees was in for a pleasant surprise on the very first day of the induction programme when we were told that we would be interacting with Mrs. and Mr. Birla and the CK Birla Group Company CEOs. Little did we know that we were going to be humbled by the experience of meeting with these industry stalwarts and that we would take inspiration from them even before we got hands on with the projects assigned to us.
  
  My first project stint was with Orient Electric and involved the optimisation of inventory levels across warehouses of the Company. Though Operations Management was not my favourite subject back in college, my mentor at Orient Electric made it easy by keeping his door open for any doubts and shared his 20+ years of experience to ensure I had no qualms in getting things right the first time itself. What made my first project experience even more enriching was that there were not many robust systems in place to handle the issues faced by the Company and hence everything around inventory management had to be created from scratch. It opened up a world of learning opportunities in terms of persuading and implementing serious changes.
  
  The project stints designed at the CK Birla Group showcase that the organisation is largely entrepreneurial in nature and, rightfully, complete accountability is vested in the person working on the project. The best part of the NextGen programme is the early exposure it gives in terms of the varied profiles offered, be it operations, strategy or marketing. It also lays down the path to the Chairman’s Circle, a fast track programme, designed to work with industrialists with tons of experience. It is motivating to learn the level of impact my work creates at the CEO and Chairman level. What more, the final presentation is made in front of the board!