Growing Through The Journey - Mr. Subhash Bhowmick & Mr. Ayushnav Sarker, OYO Life

On 4 September 2019, the Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur had the honour of hosting Mr. Subhash Bhowmick, Business Head OYO Life and Mr. Ayushnav Sarker, City Business Planner at OYO Life, Kolkata. As a part of VGSoM’s Leadership guest lecture series – Pratyaksh, Mr. Bhowmick talked about the vast spectrum of retail experience he has had in the past decade in Asian Paints, Reebok, Luxottica and OYO.

Commencing the talk with a video on OYO Life’s co-living spaces and how it is changing the housing dynamics in various parts of the country, Mr. Bhowmick explained how important profiling is when it comes to marketing and sales. Recalling his initial days at Asian Paints, he shared an incident where the difference in business responses between shop retailers and local vendors made him realize the importance of value proposition. Since then, he has made it a point to keep evolving as a "Generalist" - who in simple words is someone adept at conversing with people from varied commercial backgrounds and can easily slip into different roles depending on the circumstances.

Speaking on how heading six different verticals at OYO Life has worked out for him, Mr. Bhowmick elaborated that being a "Jack of all trades" has made him understand both HR and PR in a better way. Thus, when it comes to providing a homely feel to a multitude of people seeking different facilities, this same understanding pans out. He also mentions how the workplace has changed over time with millennials being much freer about their opinions and if channelized properly, these opinions ultimately propel a perpetual engine of fresh ideas.

Towards the conclusion, Mr. Bhowmick addressed the gathering on how one should always focus on doing something that they are interested in and then be patient with it. Adding to his thoughts, Mr. Ayushnav Sarker motivated the students towards being long-sighted with their MBA life, while also realizing the value of time and hard work. The Vinod Gupta School of Management extends its gratitude to Mr. Subhash Bhowmick and Mr. Ayushnav Sarker for an enlightening afternoon that surely encouraged the budding managers to work patiently towards a better tomorrow.