Aditya Birla Group (ABG) is a pioneer among India’s Business Conglomerates and has been offering its valuable services to the country for 160+ years both before and after independence. ABG’s products and services span multiple industries and market segments including Fashion, Retail & E-commerce, Telecommunications, Mining, Cement, Chemicals etc. When one takes cognisance of this fact it is easy to understand how influential ABG has been in the lives of each and every Indian.
I write this article, to put forth how ABG has shaped me in my journey here to IIM Trichy and how it shall continue to be a big influence going forward. I, being a proud alumnus of BITS Pilani (
An Educational Institution under the broader umbrella managed by Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla & Family), have all the pleasure and authority in stating that ABG is the most consequential brands of India. ABG’s Fashion & Retail firm’s brands such as Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Van Heusen and Peter England are a go to choice when it comes to my clothing preferences, both professional and personal. The quality and variety they offer is second to none especially considering the affordability of these brands.
Also, as a Telecommunication agency, ABG’s ‘Idea’ had been my trusted service provider since the time I first started using GSM SIM based Mobile Communications and as a result I continue to avail these services to this day on my original number. It has enabled me access to quality communication network everywhere I travelled for work or leisure. This way, it has added value of saving time and costs, reducing complexity and hassle-free service. The combined entity of Vodafone Idea is now the world’s 2
nd largest telecommunications agency.
ABG’s other businesses like Ultratech Cement, India’s Largest cement company and the combined entity if Hindalco Industries and Novelis, world’s largest rolled-aluminium producer are a matter of pride for every Indian including me.
When I complete my post-graduation from IIM Trichy and re-join the corporate world, I am sure to tackle situations where I’d have to make key decisions which would impact the organization in particular and the nation in general. I would then look back at ABG’s vast experience and gauge my options against ABG’s successful 160 years of service. ABG is #BigInMyLife.
Challenges I faced and how I overcame them to achieve my ambitions
1. Understanding my Individuality and pursuing my Interests: I have been dedicated and highly merited student since my childhood schooling days. Apart from academics I have professionally pursued various sports including Lawn Tennis, Football, Cricket, Hockey and various other field sports. I have also completed my graduation from BITS Pilani University which is considered one of the premier educational institutions in the country.
All of these however has always been at the direction of family and well-wishers. Like many students in India, I realized what I actually interested me late in my life. To be particular, during my graduation years, I have been exposed to things like social work, managing organizations, brand management and marketing etc. I presided over an NGO tackling multiple issues while also taking up new initiatives. I have also worked with Marketing and PR departments as part of the fest organizing body. Through these experience I realized that social impact work and sales & marketing interested me. I worked on the same by pushing my boundaries and eventually worked in pre-sales of a Financial Technology firm which has been a wonderful and enriching experience. I am now at IIM Trichy to learn more and do more.
2. First Assignment as a key Anchor for a Multi-million dollar in Europe
Almost 2 years into my role as a pre-sales executive at the above mentioned fin-tech organization, I was asked to anchor a multi-million dollar deal in Europe. Until this point, I was playing a secondary role to a much experienced senior in the team. I would also be the youngest pre-sales personnel in the company’s history to have taken up such a responsibility.
The expectations from me were handling all deliverables including RFP/RFI submissions, Product proposals and Solution customization. Due to my performance here I was asked to take up additional responsibility of product demo, collaterals and resource management for the client engagement on-site. This was a humongous responsibility considering the order of work and the weight of consequences. I personally had to master 10 different offerings enough to demo them while managing travel and accommodation for the rest of the team.
I saw this as once-in-a-lifetime opportunity despite the head-swinging challenges in the path. I involved all the stakeholders from product management to regional sales to make the most of this opportunity. I devised a day-wise execution plan marking out responsibilities of all the stakeholders. I managed to understand the key features and caveats of the offerings.
As the moment arrived, I felt ready to fly-in and accomplish the mission. I did a marathon of product demos for 5 days and at the end of it, I felt an accomplishment far greater than anything before in my life. This is also considering the fact that the regional sales team in Europe called it the best demo they had seen in a long time. I received similar appraise from my team back at home base in Chennai.
My key learning from this experience was that no situation is too difficult or problematic unless you make it one. A little bit of stringent planning and execution can go a long distance. Most importantly, to make myself bigger than the situations I am being put it because that’s the only way one would be able to come through with it.