Know all about SPJIMR Mumbai from Jugal Popat (PGDM Alumni)

S P Jain Institute of Management and Research was established in 1981 in Mumbai. It is a member of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. SPJIMR Mumbai offers Postgraduate and Doctoral courses in the field of management and business administration. The SPJIMR Mumbai Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), Fellow Program in Management and Post Graduate Programme in General Management programmes are approved by the All India Council for Technical Education. The PG programmes have also been accredited by the National Board of Accreditation. SPJIMR is guided by a principle of learner-centric pedagogy.

Careers360 brings you an interview with Jugal Popat, Head - Strategy and Growth, WillJini.com. He completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Management from SPJIMR Mumbai in 2020. In this interview, Jugal Popat has shared his experience and life at SPJIMR. What is life like inside the institute? How did he choose the PGDM programme at SPJIMR? And other things about S P Jain Institute of Management and Research Mumbai. To know more about SPJIMR Mumbai from an alumni perspective read the full interview of Jugal Popat with Careers360 in the article below.

Careers360. Tell us about your domain and your work profile. At the professional level, did you pursue the same field you were interested in or you switched?

Jugal Popat. I am currently working as a Head - Strategy and Growth at WillJini.com which is a LegalTech start-up. Yes I am in the same field that I had initially thought of before starting my MBA which is ecommerce.

Also Read: SPJIMR Mumbai Courses and Fees

Careers360. Can you briefly tell us about your career path so far?

Jugal Popat. I graduated from Mumbai University (Nagindas Khandwala College) with a Bachelors in Management with a specialization in Marketing. During my undergrad, I did several internships in the field of Marketing to explore my interests and narrow down further on my likings. During this journey, I worked at BookmyShow in Content Writing, Uber in Sales and Operations, Lowe Lintas in Client Servicing and finally at Vivo India in Branding. I worked at a Private Jet company (ACI Aviation) in a Business Research and Digital Marketing role post my graduation For my autumn internship at SPJIMR, I worked at Swiggy in a Marketing role. I got a PPO (pre placement offer) from Swiggy and joined them full time post my MBA. After working at Swiggy for around 2.5 months, I started working in an early stage start-up – WillJini.com as Head – Strategy and Growth.

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Careers360. Is the Industry work different from what you learnt at SPJIMR Mumbai?

Jugal Popat. Yes, very different from what we learnt at college.

Careers360. How do you think your time in college has added value to your life, both professional and personal?

Jugal Popat. The biggest takeaway that I have from SPJIMR is the ability to confidently interact with the brightest minds from our country and arrive at amicable solutions in times of disconnect/ disagreement. This skill came in like a golden weapon for me during my tenure at Swiggy where I handled a very talented sales team of 600+ across the country as well as a team of 40+ in our Head Office.

Quick Link: SPJIMR Mumbai Admissions

Careers360. What was your initial thought process when you joined SPJIMR?

Jugal Popat. Honestly, I had joined SPJIMR with a heavy heart. I had scored 99.55%ile in CAT and being from a Commerce background, I felt I could’ve easily gotten one of the top IIMs. But their strict and slightly unnecessary graduation score cut-offs did not land me a single interview shortlist. I was devastated but then S P Jain Institute of Management and Research happened. I had not in my wildest of dreams expected what SPJIMR could’ve given me. It was way better than what IIMs could ever give me. I’m glad things didn’t work out where I wanted them to. Often things that we think are the best for us, are not the best for us.

Also Read: SPJIMR Mumbai Facilities

Careers360. You must have had a memorable time at your SPJIMR. Do you miss being a part of it? Share a few good memories.

Jugal Popat. I think of S P Jain Institute of Management and Research. My bedroom wall is full of photographs from my college times. Some of the best memories on campus include celebrating almost all Indian festivals (Onam, Navratri, Lohri, Eid, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Christmas), walking around the lake at 3am, then running late for the morning 8am lecture and trying to keep my eyes open during the lecture :P

Some of the best memories off campus include the 3 weeks global immersion at Cornell University where we stayed in Cornell Dorms for 3 weeks and experienced life of an Ivy League student, the DoCC wherein we worked for a rural NGO for 1 month (my NGO was on the outskirts of beautiful Dehradun).

Check This: SPJIMR Mumbai Reviews

Careers360. How did you keep updated with the industrial requirements and what was the role of the institute in it?

Jugal Popat. I was always interested in Ecommerce as an industry, and entrepreneurship. Electives in the second year helped with a lot of flexibility to choose my subjects so that I can learn them in depth.

Other Links: SPJIMR Mumbai Q&A

Careers360. You are a proud alumnus of this top College. What is the best part of the Institute from a student's perspective?

Jugal Popat. The best part about SPJIMR is the collaborative culture that all our students have. Grades are not the most important part of the program, which enriches life so much more. I still remember how toppers from our batch used to send all their notes to the entire batch before exams so that everyone could study well. I can't even imagine such a culture in any other B-school in the country!

Careers360. What is your suggestion/guidance for MBA aspirants?

Jugal Popat. Be true to yourself and don’t show an unhealthy competitive spirit. We don’t do that here.

Disclaimer: This content was distributed by S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai and has been published as part of Careers360’s marketing initiative.

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