Riddhi Dugar from IIM Bangalore has earned her place among the 50 Most Employable MBA Graduates from the Class of 2026. Her story is one of consistent overachievement, balancing rigorous academics with elite extracurricular excellence, culminating in a Pre-Placement Offer from McKinsey and Company. Scroll down to discover how Riddhi has transformed opportunities into milestones and challenges into stepping stones on her path to professional excellence.
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The Ascent: From Gold Medalist to McKinsey
Riddhi Dugar’s academic journey is marked by excellence at every turn. After graduating as a gold medalist from the University of Madras in her B.Com (Honors) program, she secured a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO) from Goldman Sachs. However, her ambition led her to choose the MBA path, culminating in a seat at IIM Bangalore.
At IIM Bangalore, she has been recognized on the prestigious Director's Merit List (Top 5%) for her outstanding performance in the first year. Her summer internship with McKinsey and Company in the Consulting domain was a success, leading to a PPO. Beyond academics and a successful internship, Riddhi demonstrated a commitment to holistic development, competing on the institute's swimming team where she won several accolades, and actively serving as the Treasurer of the Student Media Cell. This commitment to balancing multiple high-level commitments is a recurring theme in her profile.
The Inner Core: Resilience and Adaptability
Riddhi highlights making the Director's List at IIM Bangalore as her most significant achievement, a testament to her perseverance. After a Term 1 GPA of $3.58$, which was solid but not top-tier, she was disheartened. Instead of giving up, she fundamentally changed her approach, shifting to learning for the sake of knowledge and increasing class participation. This mindset adjustment paid dividends; she finished Term 3 with a $3.8$ GPA, topping her section, despite battling health issues at the time.
Her top three strengths, which are critical in high-pressure environments yet are not visible on a resume, are:
- Ability to Take Feedback and Make Changes: This proved invaluable during her fast-paced internship at McKinsey, allowing for rapid learning and integration.
- Perseverance: This is evident in her consistent academic performance across school, undergraduate studies, and B-School, showing an unwavering commitment to long-term goals.
- Ability to Balance: Gained through years of managing sports, academics, and co-curricular activities like debating and acting, this strength allows her to maximize her time and make the most of every opportunity.
The Employable Edge in an AI-Augmented World
In today’s rapidly evolving, AI-augmented business world, Riddhi’s key irreplacable skill is her communication and presentation expertise. She considers these soft skills foundational for success in B-school and the corporate world. Gained from a young age through public speaking and debating events, Riddhi has consistently leveraged this trait.
Both her managers at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey noted that this skill would carry her far. It allows her to be confident, put her ideas across effectively to both clients and internal teams, and enables clear, human-centric interaction that cannot be replicated by AI.
The Character: Selflessness in Mentorship
Riddhi’s character is underpinned by a quiet commitment to selfless mentorship. During her undergraduate days, while occupied with CAT preparation and managing her PPO from Goldman Sachs, she noticed the anxiety among her classmates regarding placement season, confused about their CVs or interview strategies.
Having successfully navigated the process, Riddhi offered to help and guide her batchmates. While this took up a good amount of time, it was a fulfilling act that made her feel like a better friend and person. She has carried this attitude into her time at IIM B. She makes it a point to answer requests for help on LinkedIn and other platforms free of cost. She views this ongoing effort as her way of giving back for all the advice and help she received from her own seniors, embodying a philosophy of paying it forward.
Riddhi Dugar brings a rare combination of top-tier academic performance, a successful PPO from an elite consulting firm, and a history of diverse, high-impact experiences. From market research at Zoom Car and strategy work at a startup, to valuation skills from her Investment Banking Research internship at Goldman Sachs, her profile is rich with varied skills. She offers managers a versatile, resilient talent with exceptional communication skills who has demonstrated an ability to learn, synthesize, and apply complex knowledge under intense pressure, all while maintaining a commitment to peer development.
