a)
Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life?
Aditya Birla Group (ABG) is a name which needs no introduction in the corporate world, a diversified conglomerate with major interests in delivering world quality products & services. This software to metal conglomerate revolutionised the lives of Indian people by upbringing socio-economic reforms through its wide offering of valuable solutions. The group was founded in 1857 and since then I believe it has touched the lives of every Indian at least once or more.
For me, it has been the part and parcel of my life, from the morning calls I make to my parents, the apparels I wear and probably the walls which surrounds me. Pantaloons, particularly has been on my favourite list. It has changed shopper’s experiences by continuously improving its matrix of providing a plethora of collections at reasonable prices. Once you enter in a Pantaloons' store, you are bound to fall in love with the light music, well-balanced lights, product categorizations, behaviour of staffs and thrilling offers.
The group has substantially contributed to structuring a stronger and developed India. Hindalco – an ABG company, gave India its first integrated Aluminium extraction plant. Similarly, Birla Carbon - world’s leading sustainable manufacturer and supplier of carbon black additives, UltraTech Cement - largest cement manufacturer in India and other ABG companies are pivotal players in writing India’s strong economy.
ABG is a workplace to more than 1,20,000 happy employees worldwide. It is one of the very few companies to provide its employees with a self-developed township which is well equipped with health, education, transportation and many more services – one such example is Renukoot. They are not just big in the business but equivalently big in social welfare, striving for the betterment of people in the underprivileged section of the society, touching 7.5 million lives in 5000 villages across geographies.
b) How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far?
I aspire to learn, grow and achieve a senior leadership role from where I can take strategic decisions for the betterment of the organization and the society of which I am a part. A step towards the journey was to gain in-depth knowledge about various domains of Business viz Finance, Marketing, Operations & HR and thus pursuing an MBA course was the most aligned path.
I was working in an automobile manufacturing organization where I was responsible for executing Technical Planning projects. Automobile manufacturing is a growth industry and has a unique dynamicity which requires consistent innovation spread across ever-changing consumer demands. The positive side is that I got tremendous opportunities to learn and execute. However great opportunities often come with great challenges. Straight out from college, I was having a hard time adjusting to extended time schedules, dealing techno-commercial frontiers and managing a team of twenty odd people. On a personal level, I was drifting apart to prepare for MBA entrance examination, which required a focussed approach to perform well.
Education is perhaps the strongest weapon a person can have to tackle challenges. By the judicious usage of engineering skillset, implementation of cross-functional ideas and time management, I was able to cope up with most of the issues. Parallelly, I worked on improving my interpersonal skills which helped me in reshaping the structure of approach towards problem-solving. I learnt how important it was to build a good network, both internal and external.
Leveraging the results of an improved version of me, I was able to perform well in the MBA entrance exam and subsequently secured admission in one of the premier B-Schools of India. With sheer commitment & perseverance, I believe I am a step closer to my aspirations but I know that there is still a long way to go.
