Finding a Worthy Challenge – Mohit Deshpande’s Story
Mohit Deshpande (Master of Global Business, Class of 2019) was 18 years old when he represented India at the Global Youth Leadership Council in Washington DC and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. It was a surprise to many when, despite being the youngest member in attendance, he was chosen to preside over the conference from over 350 students representing 55 countries. However, for those who were familiar with Mohit and his achievements, it was evident that this was no stroke of luck.
“Just after my graduation, I got placed at Bank of America (BofA) as an Analyst. Although I was the top performer at BofA’s Mumbai office throughout my stint, I never felt truly challenged,” shares Mohit. “I was craving some excitement in my professional life, and this is when I came across SP Jain’s Master of Global Business program. Over a year down the line, I can honestly say that this was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
“During the 12 months that I spent at SP Jain, we had to submit our Student Boardroom (SBR) assignments at 11.59 PM practically every day,” Mohit explains. “If you couldn’t meet that deadline, you would definitely lose that grade. Being efficiency-driven, these seemingly impossible deadlines made me push myself even harder, and that is where I realised that my SP Jain experience and the life that would follow are going to be full of the challenges and learning opportunities that I was desperately craving for.”
Post his graduation, Mohit landed a highly coveted internship at Cogoport, a shipping-based start-up out of Mumbai. “My role at Cogoport was essentially strategising and implementing various small projects over time. I was working with very strict deadlines while ensuring that a lot of people around me adhered to the projects’ demands. This is where I discovered my interest in project management. Once I completed my internship, when an opportunity from Cedar Management Consulting knocked at my door, I was so excited to take it up!”
Today, Mohit is working as a Research Consultant with Cedar Management Consulting – a US-headquartered global consulting, advisory and analytics firm. “The best part about my job today is that when I wake up in the morning every day, I know for a fact that I will have learnt something new before I head back to bed. This is a truly exhilarating experience and I have SP Jain to thank for it.”
What is the biggest challenge that Mohit has encountered in his new role? “Something that I’m working on and learning in spades at Cedar is diplomacy and people management skills. I have always been a very loud person, both in terms of my voice and my personality. Throughout my life, I was also prone to reacting to situations instinctively. Working on this instinct and carefully taking time to think before reacting is something I am still learning and hope to master very soon.”
“Succeeding at Cedar, I see myself surrounded by some of the most accomplished and brilliant minds I’ve seen in my life, trying to keep up in an environment where if I blink, I’ve already lost. The key is to listen – listen to every word, and then learn from what you have heard. 10 years down the line, I’m going to be running my own company. I don’t know what company and I don’t even know how I will do it. I just know that this is what I want to do, and I’ll figure out how somewhere along the way,” he concludes.
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