From Refinery Floors to the CEO’s Office: The ISB Pivot That Changed My Career

If someone had told me a few years ago that I would move from an oil refinery in Visakhapatnam to a fintech role in the CEO’s Office of a bank in Indonesia, I would have smiled politely and moved on. It would have sounded far too away from the career path I was on.

And yet, that is exactly where I am today.

I write this as a PGP student from ISB’s Class of 2026, reflecting on a career pivot I never planned, but one that now feels deliberate and well earned.

I am a mechanical engineer from NIT Silchar and spent over four years at the HPCL Visakhapatnam Refinery. Refinery life is intensely process driven. It revolves around machines that run continuously, narrow operating windows, strict regulatory frameworks and an uncompromising focus on safety and scale.

Over time, however, I felt a growing pull towards technology, strategy and finance. I became increasingly interested in how financial services were being transformed through digital platforms, data and customer-centric design. That curiosity slowly turned into intent.

What Actually Enabled the Pivot

This transition did not happen because of one interview or a sudden stroke of luck. Looking back, a few factors played a decisive role.

Alumni support through CAS(Career Advancement Services) at ISB and student clubs was the single most important enabler. Through the Career Advancement Services and student-led clubs such as Consulting, Finance and Operations, I connected with alumni who either came from traditional or heavy-industry backgrounds like mine or were already working in roles and geographies I aspired to move into. These conversations helped me reframe my experience, pressure-test my career narrative and understand what recruiters genuinely valued. Alumni were generous with their time, honest with feedback and always willing to help further, whether through resume reviews or introductions.

Mock interviews and targeted feedback came at exactly the right time. Sessions conducted by the CAS team and alumni went far beyond rehearsed answers. They exposed gaps in my thinking, helped structure my responses and ensured my story aligned with the roles I was applying for, rather than sounding refinery specific. The feedback close to interviews was sharp and actionable, and that final refinement made a meaningful difference.

Industry Deep Dive Sessions organised by CAS were among the most impactful learning experiences of the year. Over a single weekend, we covered eight to ten industries, including e-commerce, healthcare and fintech, using structured, first-principles thinking. During interviews, I realised how often these frameworks and insights helped me answer questions confidently about industries I had never formally worked in, without sounding superficial.

This outcome was also the result of eight months of structured learning. Luck always plays a role, but it was luck backed by consistent classroom learning. The curriculum was current and closely aligned with real business problems. Professors brought rigour and relevance into every discussion. Peer learning mattered just as much. Daily interactions with classmates from consulting, banking, startups and tech constantly challenged my assumptions and accelerated my learning curve. By the time interviews arrived, preparation felt cumulative rather than forced.

There were also quieter contributors to this journey. ISB’s infrastructure and the people who maintain it played a larger role than I initially realised. From housekeeping staff who kept the quads calm and conducive to learning to laundry services that removed small daily frictions, these systems allowed me to focus fully. The Learning Resource Centre became my second home, a space where discipline and consistency came naturally during an intense year.

From a Refinery to the CEO’s Office

I will soon be joining Amar Bank in Indonesia, working in the CEO’s Office within the Strategic Planning and Operations Group. It is a fintech-oriented role that once felt far beyond my imagination.

The shift from managing physical processes in a refinery to shaping strategy in a digital banking environment is significant. At its core, however, both roles are about systems, decision-making and execution, just applied in very different contexts.

If there is one takeaway from this journey, it is this. Perseverance and consistency compound quietly. They rarely show results overnight, but they almost always pay off in the long run.

ISB gives you the ecosystem. What you do with it, consistently, is what ultimately shapes your journey.

Synopsis:

From a process-driven role at HPCL’s Visakhapatnam refinery to a fintech position in the CEO’s Office of an Indonesian bank, Ayush Beruvar (PGP Co ’26) traces an unlikely career pivot. He reflects on how ISB’s ecosystem, alumni support, structured learning and sustained effort enabled a successful transition across industries and geographies.