How SP Jain shaped my dream of becoming an Analyst: An interview with Kunal Goenka
Idealising the ‘never stop chasing your passion’ attitude, Kunal Goenka (Master of Global Business, Class of 2021) started his career at the age of 19, intending to become a robust industry leader. A Kolkata-based Chartered Accountant with 6+ years of work experience at KPMG and EY, Kunal is currently working as a Supply Chain Analyst at Bayer Singapore. Find out more about Kunal’s inspiring journey & his SP Jain MGB experience in his recent interview with Team SP Jain.
Q. What are you up to currently?
Kunal: Post the completion of my internship with Bayer Singapore, I have started working as an Analyst with them. In the current pandemic situation that is creating a distancing from our loved ones, I always make sure to connect and stay in touch with my family and friends. I also try to keep upskilling myself through various online courses on innovative topics. Before the pandemic, I used to engage in sports like swimming and table tennis regularly.
Q. What are some significant moments from your life that shaped you?
Kunal: I decided to pursue Chartered Accountancy and began my training with KPMG at the age of 19. Working since an early age has helped me grow exponentially and technically with soft skills like communication, time management, understanding different perspectives, and having a broader outlook. A reputed global course from SP Jain also played a huge role in shaping my personal and professional life – be it by exposing me to diverse traditions and business cultures across different countries, or by helping me respect and understand the beliefs of different communities around the world.
Q. Who inspired you to choose your career, and how did you work towards achieving your goals?
Kunal: My inspiration has been my father. He has always been the person that I look up to. Also, I have always been fascinated by numbers. My idea of pursuing CA and SP Jain’s MGB was to focus my efforts on my passion. After completing my undergraduate degree, I worked with KPMG and EY for 6 years before joining SP Jain. I have primarily been an auditor for most of my experience and was involved in business strategies in the last year as well.
Q. Why did you decide to pursue a master’s degree from SP Jain? How has this decision helped you?
Kunal: I was researching the top business schools around the world and realised that SP Jain has a truly global reputation. The tri-city master’s offered by the school seemed very promising, and I was keen to experience it. Over the past 16 months, this course helped me grow both personally and professionally. I was able to train under reputed international faculty and benefit from their expertise. Understanding their outlook and absorbing the wisdom they possess is highly motivational. Critical thinking, reasoning, and presentation skills are a few more skills that I was able to build during this period.
Q. If you had to pick just 1 person from SP Jain who impacted your life the most, who would it be?
Kunal: It was our professor, Dr Veena Jadav, who made a very strong impact on me. She has always been an elite example of how management understands the issues, works around them, and produces a solution that is beneficial for the students. Her understanding of the situation from both sides of the table is very inspiring.
Q. Where did you intern during your last term? Could you tell us a bit about your internship experience?
Kunal: My internship was with the Singapore branch of Bayer – a German multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company. I was appointed as a Finance Intern where I was a part of a couple of projects like Freight Optimisation and Strategy Building in the Radiology segment. During the internship, I gained exposure to the pharmaceutical industry, deep-diving into freight-related cost structures, and understanding how senior management builds strategies for the company. Even before I finished my internship, I was offered a full-time role as an analyst in the same company. I’d like to specially mention Mr Rajendra Tiwari who was my reporting manager during this period. He has been a mentor and has helped me in many ways. Other than helping me learn during my internship period, he has also motivated me, understood my concerns, kept me going amidst the pandemic, and believed strongly that I am a good performer. Things would not have been the same without his presence.
Q. You are a part of the 2021 cohort, a class that graduated during a global pandemic. How are you facing the unique challenges that have come your way?
Kunal: I give credit to SP Jain MGB program for where I am today. Nurturing me to be fit for a professional position in Singapore (where it is the most challenging, given the visa regulations and strictness), helping the cohort with many mock interviews (both behavioural and technical), case sessions, and soft skills – these are just a few of the many ways in which SP Jain helped me graduate with flying colours and secure a highly coveted role in Singapore.
Q. Describe a scene of your vision for the future. Where do you see yourself 5 or 10 years from now?
Kunal: I do wish to climb up the ladder and present myself as a strong professional figure; but more than that, I aspire to be a strong leader where my team respects and appreciates my work and approach.
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