Priyanka
Previous Company: Madura Garments, Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.
Sector: Retail
Work Experience: 2 years 10 months
Professional Interests: Brand Management, Strategy
Other Interests: Travelling, Aerobics, Dance & Music

With your prior experience in retail buying and merchandising, what made you choose the ISB?
Retail industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in India and there has been significant rise in the demand for management professionals across functions. With an experience of almost 3 years in the apparel retail industry, I wanted to enhance my skills further in the field of marketing and strategy to gain a competitive advantage. ISB being internationally top ranked with its perfect mix of outstanding world-class faculty, unique associations, global curriculum, diverse peer group and excellent infrastructure, seemed to be the best deal. Some of the above stated reasons made my choice of B-school very easy and ISB was the only answer.

What are your comments on the various infrastructure facilities available at the ISB campus?
ISB has a world-class campus. The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) provides innovative and responsive services with its direct access to various printed and electronic information resources. Comfortable residential facilities and a fully equipped recreational centre are a delicacy with facilities for swimming, tennis, basketball, squash, volleyball, badminton, snooker, table tennis. The School's environment, the hustle-bustle of the city, enhances concentration on studies and other works.

Describe a memorable experience while attending a class session at the School
ISB’s learning model focusses on concept building rather than just imparting theoretical knowledge. Case studies, presentations, online simulation games, role plays and a host of other unique methods make leaning one of the best experiences. Attending lectures and interacting with world renowned professors like Bruce Allen, John Zhang, Prashant Kale have been some of the best experiences so far. Speaker sessions by industry leaders and other famous personalities add to the learning. The session conducted by Dr Dipak Jain, Former Dean, Kellogg School of management, was very insightful and inspirational. I look forward to many more such sessions in future.

What are some of the Clubs that you are a member of and your reasons for joining them?
I am a member of Marketing and the Retail Club. I look forward to these Clubs to gain knowledge about the best industry practices through series of industry interactions and speaker sessions held on campus. Apart from these professional clubs, I am also a member of Net Impact Club, Sports Club and Dance Club.

What are some of the benefits of doing assignments with your study group?
Interaction with a diverse peer group during various case studies and assignments forms an intrinsic component of the overall learning experience at ISB. Interacting with a diverse set of professionals with rich experience in various sectors and cultures ensures fresh perspectives into many new areas. This networking adds to my experience and hence allows me to expand my knowledge horizon to make most effective and well informed decision.