Soumadeep Banerjee from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad is one of India's Most Promising Incoming MBA Students 2022!
The following is Soumadeep Banerjee'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 Mechanical Engineering graduate from Jadavpur University, Batch of 2018. Post that I was selected in the CATALYST leadership program at Linde India, and worked as a design engineer for 15 months. In 2019 I secured 99.67%ile GATE and switched to IOCL. As an Operations In-charge at my location, I led a team of 8 unionized workmen (50+ age) to manage 24x7 operations at my location. In 2021 I took CAT & XAT ,converted IIM A,B,C,L,I,S,FMS, XLRI and I am heading to IIM Ahmedabad.
Tell us more about your extracurricular achievements
I am an active member of Toastmasters International and presently volunteering as the Vice President Public Relations for the last two consecutive terms at the Newtown Toastmasters club since July 2021. I am elected to serve as Vice President Membership starting July 2022.As a Vice President Public Relations, I managed & expanded cub pages on Facebook(500+), Instagram(300+) and Twitter(200+), invited & hosted 70+ Toastmasters from District 41(North and East India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh) on club meetings, events. During my tenure, footfalls in our meetings increased by 50%Additionally I am also associated as a core mentor with Kartavya (
https://kartavyabschoolmentors.com/?page_id=105) ,where we guide MBA aspirants to land in a B-School and fed 300+, guided 115+, donated Rs. 3500+ for various causes.
Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
At IOCL, I was given the responsibility to commission a new plant at a village in Bihar. I was in a team of 4 who were leading the entire commissioning. One day, unfortunately due to some technical glitch at a valve, pressure shot up at a section of pipeline and eventually burst leading to huge sound and bad odour of LPG. The villagers thought it to be a toxic gas and protested. Even though there wasnt any casualty or injury and we brought the entire situation under control, I strongly felt our accountability and responsibility to those around us. Whatever we do, can have a direct or indirect effect on someone. I spoke with 50+ agitated villagers, addressed their grievances and assured them about their safety.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
Before class 7th, I was one of the worst students in my class. My teacher would always complain and I would get punished every day. But in 7th, I met with a teacher who changed my life. Instead of complaining, she took a different stance and dragged me out of a negative vicious cycle. Post 7th, my grades improved drastically, and I topped in 10th. This drastic transformation would surprise most.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
I have just turned 25. I feel and strongly believe that I havent yet reached my full potential. I can do much better and achieve great things in life. Having said that, here would be two successes that are worth mentioning:
- My transformation from one of the worst performers in the class to a topper would definitely qualify as one of the biggest successes in life. This taught me two things:
- You can have a lot of untapped potential in you. You just need to believe that you can and take one step every day. Rest all assured.
- If a person is a failure today, that doesn't mean he/she will not succeed in the future. Failure is just a blessing in disguise which gives you lessons of life.
b)My admission offers from IIM A, B, C, L, I, FMS, XLRI: I realized the power of discipline and being consistent in whatever you do. Having juggled between my studies and my work, it was not easy. But I ensured to allocate at least 2 hrs every single day no matter how tired or busy I was. That made a significant difference.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
I strongly believe in Past is past, Future has not yet happened, so focus and make the most out of the present. So, I have never thought of restricting my future scope and goals. Having said that, I would aspire to be into something of my own and to solve big problems for people around me. I aspire to be into something that I would enjoy & love to do.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
Being able to manage stress and handle any difficult situation is something that I am proud of. While leading a plant at IOCL, I discovered that during adverse conditions, I tend not to panic, and can think logically & clearly even in those times. Probably my habit of meditating for 10 mins every day is what makes a difference.I feel this skill is one of the most useful one in these times. In this fast-paced world, there can be several commitments plus stress which comes free with them. One, who can manage this stress, would be highly successful
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
A successful manager is the one who has the ability to make the right decision based on intuition. That skill of-course comes from past experience. But this is the single most important skill that a manager should possess because they often need to make a choice within a very short time and if instead, they start analyzing everything then it would consume a lot of time. This is not to say that proper analysis is bad. In fact any decision should be data driven. What I am saying is, the ability to recognise patterns and apply solutions based on past experience.Apart from this, the skill of being able to handle pressure & stress also comes in handy for a successful manager. The ability to prioritize things & think logically even in difficult times makes a lot of difference.
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
This happened in one of the two companies that I have worked for. Once, I discovered that a beneficiary was not receiving the complete amount he was supposed to. He was receiving around 12000 INR a month while the actual amount was around 27000 INR. Upon investigating as a first-level approver, I found that a different bank account in his name was created for receiving the amount from the company, and then only a portion was being forwarded to him. Upon asking a higher-level approver about this, I was advised against my interference being a new joiner and asked to keep mum. This was intolerable to me. My conscience propelled me to reach out to the concerned beneficiary and ask him to request for change in the account number. I got threatening calls a few times, but I refused to sign unless there was a change in the account details and ensured no further deception. Although I couldnt do much about all the past deception, this incident gave me the confidence to stand against what I believe is wrong.
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?
As a CEO of any company, the first action would be to address any concerns or issues that my employees are facing. Because even though employees dont appear on the Asset side of a balance sheet, they are the most important resource I have to fuel my earnings. If they are discontent with something, they wont be able to contribute to the company. Regarding which company I would choose: I would prefer to start something of my own, which would solve the problems of people around me.
Any Other Comments Or Factors You Would Like To Highlight About Yourself?
a) During my past 46 months of experience, I have worked with a diverse set of people. At Linde, I started as a designer as the youngest member of a team. While at IOCL, as an operations in-charge, I led a team of 8 people (all 50+ age) to manage & operate a plant. These diverse experiences have equipped me with the skill of being adaptable & work with any set of people.
b) My short term depression back in 2016-2017 has made me more resilient. I realised that sometimes "it's ok to be not ok"