Rakesh Kumar Panigrahi from Xavier School of Management(XLRI Jamshedpur) is one of India's Most Promising Incoming MBA Students 2022!
The following is Rakesh Kumar Panigrahi's set of responses to a questionnaire floated amongst incoming MBA graduates to determine the top-50 Most Promising Incoming MBA students of 2022. Amongst the massive number of entries and responses being evaluated, Soumadeep 's story and profile stood out. Here's his story in his words.
I am a person with both creative and technical skillset as I did my bachelors in architecture from NIT Calicut. I was a continuous recipient of Prime Minister Scholarship for 4 years. After graduation, I worked as an architect in a start-up for few months before co-founding my firm. I stood in top 10 students of my class and bagged college scholarship too. I love experimenting and studying different fields like the cosmos, urban planning, sociology, etc. In the past few months, I have been a strategy consultant, a public speaking trainer, Visiting faculty at TIME for CAT, IPMAT students and an asset management intern. I am also learning more about Venture capital and Marketing Communications.
Tell us more about your extracurricular achievements
As the Unit Secretary, I lead my college in NASA India, the largest architecture student body, and was selected as top 7 finalists for the IDC trophy. Also, have been the marketing head and campus ambassador of various brands like Oyo, Autodesk, Dell, and Internshala. Leading my school as the head boy I have won quizzing and debating events at various levels and was awarded the best all-rounder trophy. I got State Rank-1 in J&K, won gold medals and was the city topper in multiple Olympiads. I actively represented my school in various army adventure camps and was a member in NCC and NSS as part of which we did awareness programs about aids and blood donation. I have volunteered for multiple NGOs and coordinated college events too. Runner up at APS command level Basketball Championship.
Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
During my time at my NIT Calicut , I was actively involved in a lot of activities whether clubs, student associations, internships, or competitions all while I was pursuing my academics. I wanted to be the best and I wanted to multitask. But doing multiple tasks proved to be tough for me there were group assignments which I missed out on as I was attending a few national events and didnt get marks for. So, my grades went a bit down. But later my friends motivated me, and I picked up myself made a schedule of my work based on priority and said a No to a few opportunities. I managed to learn how to effectively use resources in a gruelling situation and manage time and people while delivering good performance. Later this also helped me to manage the work better in the next semester when I topped my class while being the Secretary and while still doing what I love.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
I can speak 5 different languages, have studied in 7 different schools, stayed in 9 different states, and spent most of my childhood in army cantonments. where the overall development of one's personality was highly appreciated. Also, owing to my Army dads postings I got to experience a wide variety of cuisines, cultures, climates, people, and places. I also got to experience various adventure activities and sports like hot air ballooning, horse riding, Golf, Karting, Shooting, Swimming, trekking etc Discipline and gentleman skills were well expected in my school where I had to lead by example. There was a strong sense of doing something for the nation, for the society without any discrimination and being a resourceful citizen. Later, in my college too I went to multiple conferences and workshops in various parts of India, which only added cherry to my journey. Overall, it has been great.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
- My most recent success was getting selected for the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program which is a fully-funded cohort of the top 200 creators from India out of thousands who applied. As a part of this, I am mentored by Ankur Warikoo, Radhika Gupta, and Nuseir Yassin. I am creating content on various topics like Sustainability, Business, Design, and Architecture and will continue to do so. I was fortunate that I have networked with peers who are top-level executives at various companies including Coca-Cola, Google, McKinsey, BCG, etc also Stand-up Comedians, Entrepreneurs, etc. It has pushed me to do things out of my comfort zone.
- The other success for me is admission into top-notch colleges like my undergrad program at NIT, Calicut (NIRF rank 2) for my B. Arch degree. I say this because it's an amazing place to study and also because it groomed me for my life. I made many friends during studying there and I cannot thank them enough as they constantly pushed me to strive higher. It was handy as when it comes to B-school interviews, I have a 100% conversion ratio. I got offers from XLRI, IIM K, IIFT-D, etc
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
I see myself having an amazing network of peers and experts from various fields, while I am upscaling my skills after joining a field at par with my interests. I am inclined more towards consulting or marketing role as a brand manager. After understanding that I have a relatable background that deals in presenting and selling the client a product, doing certification courses, and getting experiences from my marketing internships I believe I am more interested in these domains. I also see my personality developing from the sheer number of diverse experiences. Further in the long run after gaining valuable industry insights, I want to hold a CXO position and take my company to new heights. I see myself using all the holistic and professional skills that I have learned from my alma mater in my professional life and making my parents and teachers proud.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
Inquisitive is a word that has become synonymous with my name, having lived, and worked at so many places I had to understand the roles, ethics, and culture of each place. I would make sure that I understood as much as possible in the least time, even my faculties always appreciated how eager I was to learn things in a very practical way and implement it smartly. "If you want to get a work done, give it to Rakesh. He will do it the smartest way". These were my mentor's words while introducing me to senior executives, and this was one of the best words in my life. The attitude that I'm proudest of is never giving up on learning something new and staying keen on whatever I do. Even in the toughest situations, like my army dad I've always tried to solve what I had set out to and succeeded in most cases. Wherever I am, and whatever I do, I always keep this attitude of being curious as I believe I am a lifelong learner and mentor for others. Once I put my heart into something, I make sure I give my 100% to it.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
I believe successful managers differ widely in their skill sets, values, personalities, and beliefs. But they do have one thing in common is that they get the right things done by asking the right questions. They ask what needs to be done, what are the resources and time available and what is right for the organization. They develop action plans and are accountable for not just their but also for their teams actions and decisions. They take the initiative in communicating and are focused on opportunities rather than problems. Also, for them, the team and the results are more important than individual success.
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
During my UG I was the Unit Secretary of my college for NASA India the largest professional student body for architects. I was representing my student association at a very important national meet, which decides about various conventions and competitions that students will take part in. I remember the discussions went over time and many students were sitting in the hall when the college authorities started switching off the lights and told them to wrap up the event even after so many students wanted to continue. The organizers were having a hard time too and I had to choose whether I sit and be in the audience or help the committee. Although I was much younger, I stood up and requested the authorities and asked the student body to give their support in completing the meeting to come to conclusions. So, with everyones support, we were able to come to a consensus at late night. We were tired but we felt proud that we didnt leave things haphazardly or wasted any student funds. I learnt the important lesson of my leadership there to stand up for others whenever needed.
If you were the CEO of any company of your choosing, which company would you choose and what would your first action be as CEO?
I remember since my childhood days I grew around so many products of Unilever whether it was my shampoo, toothpaste, ice cream, and even my water purifier. I love the idea of creating an impact and would like to be the CEO of Unilever. Post my discussion with HUL leaders in the Unilever Changemaker Program, I had a lot of Q and A sessions with the executives about their work roles and marketing ideas. I loved the company's ideology and values about serving different segments of India and giving its employees much-needed freedom to innovate. The stay and the learning at HUL head office made me intrigued about it. As the CEO of Unilever, a company with such great resources and talent, I will educate small vendors and retailers and get them connected digitally creating an even better reach. This can be a massive game-changer for the company as it will reduce a lot of workloads that salesmen and analysts are currently facing. Thus, it will be a win-win for both sides.
Any Other Comments Or Factors You Would Like To Highlight About Yourself?
I can be called a One Man Army owing to my experiences of interacting with a diverse group of people right from my childhood to later in various conferences and conventions. I have been a part of leading and organizing events that call for understanding my teams strengths and motivating them. By being a jack of all trades and master at some, I find it easy to interact, correlate and discuss with professionals whether they are from design, technology, or architecture. Moreover, I have become good at presentation skills to sell any idea or product. I believe my understanding of aesthetics can turn any mediocre-looking product into a great design.