Swagat Bannick
Program: MBA
Graduated: 2016
Current Position: Manager in the Financial Services Consulting of Mazars in London office
I have always been told to figure out what you like to do and then make a career out of it. After my rewarding and eventful school career from eastern part of India, I started with my high school in Mumbai (western part) with focus in Science and Information Technology. My education in Mumbai led me to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from the coveted Mumbai University. There were many personal challenges. But, these challenges in my life made me strong enough to rise up from failure to bag a Business Analyst job in Capgemini Consulting. Since then, there has been no looking back, and I had given every bit of my effort to deliver the best in my workspace.
Armed with this bit of philosophy, I started my career as an entrepreneur and continued it with my Consulting stint in French consulting firm named Capgemini. In Capgemini, I was quickly absorbed by the high performance Strategic Market Intelligence Team comprising of MBA graduates from major business schools across globe where I was able to work on critical internal and client projects, which were sales enabler for Capgemini. My efforts awarded me with consecutive promotions, and gave me an opportunity to work with Insurance industry domain for a critical project (AIG) that was the largest merger in insurance domain in Asia Pacific region. I not only led the Business Analysis team for India, China & Japan but also got multiple awards for my contribution.
After about 5 years of work experience under my belt, I asked myself the same question again. I believe, education and career are the key enabler in today’s globalized and competitive environment where-if career is a space rocket, then it would not be wrong to say that education is its fuel. I had got my answer. I am an immense learner having strong academic potential and crisis management skills. These were the two things, which gave me an impetus to emerge out of the crisis in past to my current life where I studied with some of the best minds in Asia Pacific region in IUJ. I chose to do an international MBA from IUJ to be ahead of the curve in a country like India, where MBA skills are treasured and are considered as an asset for any organization. IUJ gave me the feel of how MBA program is all about- deadlines, meetings, discussions, cases, assignments, sleepless nights, and of course tempting parties.
Now that I had experienced a significant Asian cultural wave in IUJ, my selection for 3 months long summer internship program with Mazars in the Wall Street of New York City, gave me an opportunity to immerse myself and learn the North American way of business. In IUJ, summer internship program is as valued as a job offer. With the assistance of IUJ, I had applied to more than 40 companies globally for a summer intern position, which was indeed a testing time for me. I was finally offered roles in Morgan Stanley, Mazars, Tech Mahindra and AIG which gave me a sense of content and happiness. I chose Mazars, because of the nature of work (which was Management Consulting) and company environment. I successfully worked on multiple, high priority projects closely with Senior Managers, Directors and Partners. Fortunately, hard work paid off. Things ended on a positive note. I was offered a position of Manager in the Financial Services Consulting of Mazars in London office which I readily accepted.
In my pursuit of being a global business manager, at this juncture, IUJ had gifted me this wonderful opportunity to go on exchange at ESADE (one of the top business schools in the world by Financial Times) and witness the global brigade. The best part about the program was its basket of assorted courses that give you a deep dive in to functions like Consulting, Strategy, and Client Acquisition. To be honest, I would also state something that every MBA student aspires for. People who move within the MBA circuit (faculty, students, alumni and firms that strategically hire MBAs on a regular basis, etc.) generally know of IUJ having a good reputation given its ranking. What I love about IUJ is that it attracts people who see an MBA not just as a cost or financial investment, but as a life enriching experience. Having worked in a French multinational company for Japanese clients, I not only got the chance to learn the best practices of work, but also was indeed impressed by it.
After the satisfying Asian and American exposure, I believe that the European exchange in ESADE business school provided me a 360-degree approach towards my career goals and strengthened my international business fundamentals. It certainly accelerated my career for a big leap in the modern corporate business world where I would head back after completion of my MBA. IUJ MBA’s methodology varied according to each subject’s objectives and the skills, attitudes and behavioral patterns to be fostered which perfectly fitted my plan of developing solid management foundations for complex decision-making processes.
So overall, my journey from India to Japan to New York to Barcelona back to Japan in pursuit of my career goal has ended in London. I thank all my faculty members and beloved friends for their support throughout my journey.