The most exciting thing for a b-schooler is to work on real-world problems of one of India's top federations. And what better way than to do it with case study competitions? Mahindra War Room is a unique opportunity for business school students. In this series of Mahindra Warriors, we feature the 20 teams - the finalists. The ones who have made it to the last leg of the competition. The series comprises of the Warriors' journey.
Meet the Mahindra Warriors in this series and tell us who do you think has what it takes to win this year's Mahindra War Room. Let us know in the comments below!
Introduce each member of your team!
‘Even an iota can make a difference’. Our team is a blend of different traits which constitute the skill set required to work in a coherent manner. The thinking cap belongs to Dipankar Pal who formulated the idea and is quite stringent when it comes to numbers hence responsible for the financials. he is quite realistic and always lead a life with a balance of all probabilities being the critic of the team. Ankit Raj is the strategy guy who decides how things should roll out and gives shape to the floating ideas keeping everyone’s perspective into mind. If team spirit and morale booster are constant fuels required for smooth functioning, he is always charged up. An idea can impress if presented well. This aspect is taken care of by Radhika Lohia who paints our plan into the canvas. If we ever decide to give up, let’s do it for once would be her take making us work till the end. Marketing is the aspect without which plans might fail. This aspect is taken care by Arushi Mittal who formulates ideas on the basis of research. Ever so energetic and optimistic, she brings a wave of freshness to the team. All four of us bring something unique to the table and hence, are a good match together.
What made you participate in Mahindra War room Season 11?
The plethora of cases to choose from and the depth to which cases expect us to work in order to achieve the desired result is what inspired us to participate in MWR season11. The grandeur of the event and intense competition makes it even more worthy of participation.
After getting to know the group better through the competition, What does Mahindra Group stand for, in your mind?
Mahindra Group is true to its values and associates closely with every stakeholder. It is a customer-centric company which build its product around the need and demands of the customer. Its continuous thirst for diversification supports these objectives efficiently.
How did you go about picking your case and solving it? Tell us a few team anecdotes.
We scanned through each case and decided to choose a case which can exploit everyone's skill set. We took three cases into consideration and Mahindra Finance case was chosen owing to the potential future that lies in the industry and the gaps that could be filled with our ideas. When we were going for our primary research, we decided to approach banks like the one belonging to a normal farmer family. This methodology helped us to extract maximum information about the current structure and dealings.
How are you preparing for the finale?
Preparation of finale requires to keep our nerves in control which we are trying to achieve. We want our idea to be presented well and show our wholesome approach towards the case. So we are gearing up to showcase our idea in a way that covers every aspect. We are brainstorming and coming up with questions that we might ask ourselves after seeing our work and answer those effectively. Also keeping the presentation bit in mind, we are refining our presentation and our presentation skills to be on point.
What is the one question you would like to ask Mr Anand Mahindra when you meet him in person?
The one question that we would like to ask is - For the young entrepreneurs of India, what is the one thing that you would advise them to do which can make their ideas successfully implementable?
Your plan with the prize money?
Trips to see the most interesting parts of India and explore the uniqueness (food, culture) of each place.