Yannick Even
Previous Company: Business & Decision
Sector: IT Consultancy Company specialised in Business Intelligence, CRM & E-Biz
Work Experience: 10+ years
Professional Interests: Consulting, Business Intelligence, Offshore processes, IT Strategy
Other Interests: Indian Classical Music, Sports, Meditation & relaxation

What were your primary reasons for choosing the ISB over other B-schools?
My reasons for selecting the Indian School of Business are manifold. First, the Post Graduate Programme in Management is ideal for my future projects in IT consulting and my wish to continue working in a fast growing market like Asia. Also, recently ISB got ranked 15 by the Financial Times amongst all the B-schools in the world, and that too only after 8 years of it's existence. This has given me confidence that my PG Diploma will be recognised abroad and that the young ISB brand has an impressive potential to grow. I was also touched by the School’s approach as a nonprofit organisation. All remaining money is invested in enhancement programmes and social events which makes the ISB brand even easier to adopt and promote.

Finally, I feel that the one year programme at the ISB is very cost effective compared to any other programme in America or Europe.

How is the experience at the ISB going to contribute to your career growth?
After 10 years as a consultant, I felt the need to undertake management studies to learn more about commercial negotiation, strategy, and other important skills I was using in my business. I strongly believe that the PGP in Management will open me to new opportunities. I have already received some offers from French companies willing to create IT service centres in India. After graduating from the ISB I aim to have a good profile of Indian companies who want to establish businesses in Europe or vice-a-versa.

How has your peer group helped you adjust in India?
One of the biggest benefits of coming to ISB has been the interactions with my peers. Everyone on campus is always willing to learn from the experience of others and ready to extend a hand if needed. The integration was amazingly smooth and easy. By working with a study group of 5 students during the first 6 months, and in a class of only 70 students we got a lot of time to know each other and I believe we are in the process building lifelong friendships. We are also gradually learning how to adapt our project methodologies for a multicultural and a multi-profile team. This learning will be very valuable for me as I plan to lead cross-cultural teams in my future business.

Describe a typical day for you at the ISB.
7:30 Awaken by the soothing sounds of the peacock
8:00 Cold shower followed by a refreshing cup of tea
8:30 Learn how to position a product using customer segmentation in the Marketing class
10:30 Chat with section peers about sport or the latest move in the Indian business
11:00 Play different theory games and relate them to prior business situations in the Economic class
13:00 Lunch, nap and play with my kids
16:00 Read and reply to all the student emails and blogs
17:00 Sharing experiences in the consulting club
18:00 Assist the Conference for the CEO, Coca Cola, India, on marketing his products in an emerging and challenging country
20:00 Football followed by a quick swim in the pool
21:00 Dinner, Skype with European friends and practice music for sometime
22:00 Meet my study group for a late night work session
1:00 Skim the material for tomorrow’s courses and have a quick look at the sports and business news updates before going to bed…

What do you think about the infrastructure at the ISB?
The ISB Campus is really amazing. I moved here from France with my entire family and we were very apprehensive. But on the first day when we saw our beautiful and practical air conditioned flat at the centre of a multiservice campus, I was quite amazed. We basically never need to go out of the campus as everything is available here: a shop which meets all our daily requirements, 2 restaurants, 2 coffee shops, a book and furniture store, a post office, a bank and all of these can deliver directly at our flat!

The Student Villages are filled with other families as well and my kids are always out playing in the beautiful gardens. The Campus is located just outside the city and the environment is very scenic and peaceful. Every evening we like walking in the breeze till the recreation centre where we swim, play with the kids in the playground, and enjoy a casual game of basketball, table tennis, billiards etc. We truly believe that the best of India has been brought here.

If you were to recommend the ISB to an international applicant what would you say?
ISB is the perfect school for future leaders who are looking forward to set businesses in Asia and to work in a global economy, which will gradually include more emerging economies. Not only do we get renowned business professors, but we also get opportunities to meet many business and economic leaders who come to the ISB and share experiences. Most importantly we learn skills which will be valuable for our future careers.