Know all about SPJIMR Mumbai from Prakhar Gupta (PGDM Alumni)

S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai was established in 1981 as a member of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. The institute offers Postgraduate and Doctoral degree courses in the streams of management and business administration. The SPJIMR Mumbai Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), Fellow Program in Management (FPM) and Post Graduate Programme in General Management (PGP-GM) programmes are approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The PG programmes have also been accredited by National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

Careers360 brings you an interview with Prakhar Gupta, who completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Management from SPJIMR Mumbai. He was a student of the class of 2017. In this interview, Prakhar 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 Prakhar 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 did you switch?

Prakhar Gupta: I currently work in a Private Equity firm as an Investment Professional. I had keen interest to be in the core finance area especially in Investment Banking / Private Equity (IB/PE) job profiles right from my graduation days and fortunately I was able to pursue my interest as my professional career post college.

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

Prakhar Gupta: I joined Axis Capital from campus, as a part of their Investment Banking team. At Axis Capital, I was responsible for origination and execution of ECM, M&A and PE transactions across various sectors and during this period I got a chance to work some of the largest M&A and IPO transactions in the country. After spending ~3.5 years at Axis, I switched to GEF Capital which is a growth Private Equity firm focusing on investment in climate related sectors. I have been at GEF for 2+ years now and have gained experience across various sectors, through investments in Electric Mobility, Logistics, Water Treatment etc.
Also Read: SPJIMR Mumbai Courses and Fees

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

Prakhar Gupta: While PE wasn't a specific focus area in the courses undertaken during college, the courses I undertook helped me acquire soft skills and technical acumen across domains of finance. This provided a very robust foundation for ramping up my IB and PE specific knowledge while at work. Some of the professors in college who had prior experience in the IB/PE industry also helped me in accelerating my learning at job.

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

Prakhar Gupta: Time spent at college both on academics and extracurriculars had great contributions towards building a broad skill set as well as diverse network, both of which are pertinent for growth across professional and personal life. On one hand the theoretical part learnt provided me with the tools to look at the business holistically, and on the other hand, the academic group projects and extra-curricular activities really helped imbibing stakeholder management, teamwork and leadership along with many more related skills.
See Also: SPJIMR Mumbai Placements

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

Prakhar Gupta: When I joined SPJIMR, I had lots of passion and curiosity towards learning about financial markets but did not have required knowledge or practical experience of being in that industry. Also, I had been largely an individual contributor in my jobs prior to SPJIMR and working as part of large teams and managing people was definitely a gap which I wanted to fill through MBA. SPJIMR provided me with multitudes of opportunities including courses, acad-group projects, competitions, faculty, industry experts and company interactions etc. through which I could get properly acquainted with the finance industry and mould myself to fit into my aspired job profiles.

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

Prakhar Gupta: College days are undoubtedly the most memorable part of my life and would want to rewind into those wonderful times if given an option.
Quick Link: SPJIMR Mumbai Admissions

Careers360: Briefly take us through your life at the campus, the activities you used to do and your routine life.

Prakhar Gupta: Life at the campus is quite vibrant and has something in it for all personality types. Our cricket practice sessions started pretty early in the day around 6:30-7 AM which were followed by academic classes starting ~8-9 AM. Usually we had 4-5 classes a day till 3-4 PM in the day. The filler time in between the classes was spent in library or group activity rooms chit-chatting and studying with friends. Usually, we had meetings lined up for Sprint (Sports fest) organizing committee activities or Sports Committee to review the progress and plan on new initiatives. Post dinner time was spent with various acad-groups and competition teams working on different academic assignments and competitions that we participated in. Around mid-night we used to return to the room where we used to catch up with roommates and friends with occasional poker sessions before heading out to sleep.

Careers360: Apart from academics, what were the other activities you were involved in and how did it enrich your life?

Prakhar Gupta: For me personally, I followed lots of sports activities and was also part of the Sports Committee of the College. As part of the college cricket team we participated in tournaments in 10+ colleges in 2 years. I was also a core committee member of the organizing team for Sprint, annual sports fest of SPJIMR where I had first hand experience of working in and managing large teams (30+ member team). I am an avid dancer and therefore I also grabbed every opportunity at campus right from Teachers Day event to fest inauguration event etc to perform alongside my dance group. I also took part in numerous competitions and ended up winning a few of them with my teammates. But most importantly, I spent a lot of late nights with friends and colleagues building bonds for life. Friends that I made during campus time have gone on to become one of strongest supporting pillars in my journey ever since.

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

Prakhar Gupta: Talking and taking guidance from individuals working in the industry has been the most important source for keeping myself up to date on current industry requirements. Rest of the learning comes on the go while at the job, along with staying closely updated with current affairs. SPJIMR helped me truly understand the impact of micro and macro events on business and with this well-rounded understanding, inculcated in me the habit of reading news religiously. Visiting faculty at the institute with vast industry experience were very helpful in providing knowledge which was useful and relevant during early days at job. I am still in touch with many faculty members at SPJIMR and we discuss many topics including the changing trends and requirements in the industry.
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Careers360: You are a proud alumnus of this top College. What is the best part of SPJIMR from a student's perspective?

Prakhar Gupta: There are multiple aspects which I have embraced a lot about my education at SPJIMR:

SPJIMR’ pedagogy revolves largely around focus on processes rather than outcomes. This philosophy has helped me immensely in my life post college as I became a process-oriented person rather than one running behind results alone.

Many of the initiatives that students are involved in including DOCC, Abhyudaya etc helps students build empathy and willingness to contribute positively to the society, which in turn builds well rounded leaders.

Diversity of students at SPJIMR significantly differentiates it as one ends up having a diverse network which helps in broadening perspective and gaining learnings from various fields.

Other Links: SPJIMR Mumbai Q&A

Careers360: What is your suggestion/guidance for the SPJIMR PGDM aspirants?

Prakhar Gupta: My suggestion to the SPJIMR aspirants will be to treat college time as exploration and experimentation time. To start with, try to embrace everything that’s coming your way in college right from academics, extra-curricular activities, relationships (20% of the batch ends of finding their life partner at college along with lifelong friends) and mentors whom you will find during the journey (could be teachers, seniors, peers etc.). Few key skills to learn over time at campus which will go a long way in defining your success will be bringing clarity in your goals, acquiring relationship building skills and fostering a drive to get things done. Do make sure you also focus on inculcating these skills during your MBA journey alongside all the fun at campus.

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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