Summer Of 2020 At Cipla | Rudra Sahu, IIM Lucknow

I joined the EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) section of Cipla’s Sikkim manufacturing units. Being a fresher, this was my first stint in the corporate world. On day 1, I analysed the pre requisites of the project and then prepared a project charter with my personal objective to produce results much before the proposed timelines. I was quick to realise how crucial my project results were for the company. We interns were assisted by the helpful IT team, HR team and our respective buddies who gave a good deal of hand-holding to help us settle faster into the role, the department and the organisation. The HR team also helped to set up engaging activities; namely the “Guess Who?” event, quiz, sharing vlogs on working space, cooking skills and healthy activities, etc.; including interns and guides to keep the virtual connections lively and exciting.

The sense of ownership of the project, flexibility in working hours and the virtual work from home setup was a new experience and propelled my productivity. The project had a major ask for both primary and secondary research. I went through numerous research articles on waste management solutions and interacted with vendors and their respective clients’ to have adequate acumen about the project. The valuable and continuous feedback from my mentor, Amol Hardikar, Associate Director – Corporate EHS, Cipla, on how to approach particular things when stuck, how to do an accurate cost-benefit analysis of multiple options were the ones which added considerably to my learning curve. He connected me to all the right people to gain insights about various aspects of the project and thanks to technology @Cipla, it helped to network seamlessly. The mid review was a much needed checkpoint of the progress and the feedback from Sharad Kalghatgi, Global Vice President & Group Head EHS at Cipla, further chiselled my project deliverables and gave me the chance to execute the suggested proposal and explore additional projects as well. Meanwhile, I sought guidance and feedback about my progress and presentation skills from my project owner, Atul Sant – Site Head, Cipla Sikkim, in fixed intervals that helped me to tune up my presentation in front of cross functional business leaders. I would like to appreciate my proactive team members based out of multiple manufacturing units for their prompt data delivery and clarity in sharing the required information.

In addition to that, my experience as the Operations head of SPIC MACAY IIML chapter aided in connecting with the vendors and pull out the favourable negotiations. I went the extra length to seek knowledge related to my project from a nearby refinery as well. From a fresher’s point of view, it was a cumulative experience, one I feel shall be shared with people seeking insights into internship in pharmaceutical companies, especially Cipla. When I will go back to IIM Lucknow, I would take back a lot of things apart from the functional knowledge acquired. I could experience the gravity of good communication and the dexterity in asking right questions to the right people. It was evident that organisations are 360 degrees dependent and thus, in order to make a process efficient, we need to collect insights from all the key stakeholders. I realised how effective teamwork helped me to manage the resources well and add to the quality and individuality of the project. I am proud to be a part of an organisation that is working relentlessly in tough times like these to make it a wholesome experience for all its employees. Being in the last leg of my internship, I am pretty curious over my candidature to serve through a full-time opportunity in the leading multinational pharmaceutical company in India.

I would like to conclude by appreciating a few of the innumerable benevolent efforts put forth by Cipla in executing various social responsibilities’ policies. As of now, Cipla has set up an INR 25 crore ‘Caring for Life’ COVID-19 dedicated Fund to support patients, the healthcare ecosystem and communities. It also launched a spate of relief efforts for advance testing, to safeguard healthcare providers and extend humanitarian care to communities with supplies of medicines, essential hygiene items and food.

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