Everyone who joins a B-school easily gets to know about the famous and highly sought-after Group Management Cadre (GMC) summer internship program of Mahindra. It is regarded as one of the most coveted roles on campus, and I was extremely thrilled and elated when I got selected. Come April and in just the initial one week, which consisted of induction and workshops, we understood why Mahindra focuses so much on challenging the status quo and driving positive change.
Working in such a huge federation comes with its own set of advantages such as learning opportunities from all the different sectors such as Mobility, Farm Equipment, IT, Financial Services, B2B, Defense etc.
We received our project charter and deliverables way before our stint started and this gave us enough time to pull up our socks. The intrinsic levels to which the deliverables had been set for interns shows the amount of effort and importance given to the GMC program. I was the only GMC from IIFT, and being a fresher myself, I was a little anxious about my first corporate exposure.
Ensuring a smooth on-boarding experience de-escalated many of my worries. Let’s not forget the amazing food; I guess I gained like 2-3 kilos during induction. We were introduced to many senior leaders on the initial three days. Some of them had no prepared presentations to present, so we got the opportunity to drive the conversations. I simply cannot put down in words the amazing interaction with the phenomenal Dr. Pawan Goenka, MD of Automotive and Farm sector.
It was simply the best with such deep learnings insights about the industry.
On the second day, we met the one and only Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group. Oh! The charm and charisma of his, leaves you spellbound. A once in a lifetime opportunity where we discussed with him about the ‘goals’ and ‘purpose’ in life, and also about the upcoming general elections of 2019. There were GMCs interning in all department be it sales and marketing, finance, HR and such diverse group encourages you to explore new perspectives.
Exploring Khaugali and spending time at the Marine drive with the fellow GMCs are amazing memories I’ll cherish forever. I think I should start calling myself pseudo-XLer with the amount of time I’ve spend with XLers in just one week.
We went to the AFS sector division on the third day. The third day was concluded by really fun bonding activities by The Board Game Co. The games were pretty innovative; I mean who would’ve imagined to play escape room challenge using customised cards.
The last day of induction was the much needed Design Thinking workshop to facilitate us in our projects.
Mahindra has, till now, provided an incredible experience; now it’s time to pay back, it’s time to work diligently and prove our mettle. Wish me luck!