Ritesh Dogra
Previous Company: BP Shipping
Sector: Energy and Operations
Work Experience: 4.5 years
Professional Interests: Strategy, Business Development
Other Interests: Inline Skating, Reading Fiction



How do you think the ISB network would benefit you?
The ISB network will benefit me in innumerable ways. An ideal network should involve diversity and not density. At the ISB, I have developed an extensive network not only among my peer group but also with the world class faculty and the distinguished speakers who visit the institute on and off. The network helps in knowledge sharing and keeps us abreast of all the latest developments. Adding to it, one always has a network to look up for all help and support needed at any point of life. The important thing to note is that these networks are not limited to the ISB, these are life long.

What are some of the electives that you have opted for and why?

Looking forward to major in Operations, I have opted for electives in the same such as Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Managing Product and Service Development. I wanted to further my knowledge in operations so as to have a sound understanding of the same coupled with the practical learnings during my past work experience. Almost every business today is looking forward to improve its operational efficiency and I believe this is the perfect time to apply all that I learn at the ISB in the real world scenario. Apart from this, I have also opted for a few courses in Finance, Strategy and Marketing so as to gain maximum exposure in every field during the course of one year.

The learning model/curriculum at the ISB is very structured and methodical. During our first 4 terms we are given a basic understanding of everything and during the next 4 we can specialise in the field of our choice. The one year programme at the ISB is a perfect concoction of world class faculty, global curriculum, diverse peer group and regular industry interaction sessions which makes it unique and the best.

How about the faculty?
Needless to say, the faculty comprises of experts in their field. The mode of teaching of each is unique and different. The most important feature which has been common to each faculty is that they keep us highly focussed and engaged during the classes. Added to this, the ready to help attitude of every faculty inside as well as outside the class adds to the learning experience. The faculties also share their own research papers as well as their corporate experiences which help us understand the practical aspects of the course.

Could you highlight any incident in the classroom that had an impact on you? Or any case study/ subject that you found particularly interesting?

The classroom has always been a wonderful experience not only for me, but for all of us. Be it learning from peers or a new initiative, we have always worked in close coordination and cooperation with each other.

As far as case study/ subject is concerned there was one case study in the Marketing Decision Making course called “Optical Distortion case” which was based on a business of fitting lens in the eyes of chickens so that the birds became easy to handle, thus leading to increased productivity of eggs. It was quite different from the other cases we had read until then and the case became even more interesting with the experiences of a few students from the poultry farming business. Finally we realised that the case covered almost all concepts we had learned in the course.

You are from the shipping industry, how do you think this programme will contribute to your career growth?
During the course of my job, I was a part of the implementation team in my organisation, i.e., I had to implement the decisions taken by the senior management level. I was on crude oil tankers and slowly understood the dynamics of the movement of oil across the globe. I nurtured a desire to get in the decision making management level myself and thus the ISB was the perfect choice for me.

The programme at the ISB has helped me learn various aspects of business and now I am in a position where I feel I can take strategic decisions on my own. Apart from this, a major in operations will enhance my skill sets further and thus undoubtedly contribute towards my career growth.

As the President of EMO Club, tell us about some of the initiatives you have taken up at the ISB.
As a president of the Energy, Manufacturing and Operations Club, I did face an uphill task. Since ISB is a world class school, I felt that we were not doing as much in the Energy, Manufacturing and Operations sector as other business schools worldwide. The first logical step towards this was to understand the aspirations of the club members. The next step was an action plan. Apart from alum interactions and industry perspective building sessions, for the first time at the ISB, we are had an Energy Conclave on October 25, 2008. The theme for the Conclave was “Gearing up for the energy challenge: Energy strategy – challenges and opportunities”. We will be having many industry thought leaders amongst us. The purpose of this is to increase our knowledge and understanding of the sector and not limit ourselves to events such as business plan and case writing competitions but dig deeper down into other serious issues facing the world as well. Apart from this we will also be having a logistics round table on similar lines. I am glad to say that there is great enthusiasm in our batch and the membership of the club this year has almost doubled since the last year. The operations team at the ISB and the club have also formed a “green team”, working towards finding and implementing ways and means to conserve energy and greening the campus.
 

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