HALL OF FAME: VIJAYANT DHAKA
We interacted with our alumnus Vijayant Dhaka who did his GMBA from SP Jain’s Singapore campus in 2009, and asked him about his experience. Here are a few of the excerpts from the same.
Q. Do you have any fond memories of SP Jain?
A. One of the fondest memories I have is when we organised the SP Jain Premier League, while in Dubai. Based on IPL, four teams were formed and the players were bid for using virtual money. Around a hundred students gathered and participated, resulting in a super fun night to remember!
Q. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and the program you studied at SP Jain?
After working for 5 years, I started my GMBA in Product Marketing in the April 2009 batch from SP Jain’s Singapore campus. Being a founding team member at PolicyBazaar.com, it was tough to quit and go for an MBA, but I was firm and I’m glad I made that decision. It surely helped in shaping up the next few years of my professional journey. I thoroughly enjoyed working on our industry projects with Ogilvy & Mather in Singapore, and Du telecom in Dubai, two very renowned brands. I was a part of the Placement Committee and totally loved working on editing the CVs of my batch mates.
Q. After you graduated from SP Jain, what have you been involved with?
I have been associated with digital-first businesses for the past ten years now. In my current role, I set up and manage India operations for a Singapore based VOIP App, Nanu. Launched in October 2015, Nanu is the world’s only VOIP application that runs on 2G, 3G, 4G, WiFi, and Satellite.
Before this, I worked with digital agencies like Group M, Ignitee and a services start-up called Octane Marketing. Prior to my GMBA, I worked with the Internet start-ups: Policybazaar.com and Firsteuropa.com.
Q. SP Jain focusses on giving you a great learning experience with a phenomenal exposure. What was your experience while taking the course?
We spent an equal time at the Singapore and the Dubai campuses. A clear advantage of a twin city model (GMBA was a twin city program while Vijayant did the course. It is a tri-city program now, spanning across Sydney, Singapore, and Dubai) is that you learn a lot about the culture, business, people, and food. Plus, the excitement of moving to a new city is an added bonus. Learning from my peer group was one of the best experiences I had while taking the course. A lot of my previous work practices got validated during the course. For sure, my presentation skills improved a lot!
Q. What do you have to say about the faculty at SP Jain?
The faculty at SP Jain was always ready to help. If the students wanted to learn, there was no better faculty to reach out to. Some of the courses were truly interactive and exciting, showing how the professors were always ahead in their game.
Q. What does it mean to you to be part of the SP Jain Alumni community?
I have seen the alumni community to be very active in the past twelve months, which is a great practice. Alumni is the most important pillar of any institution and they have to be engaged in some way. I’m really glad things are moving on this front.
Q. Has the SP Jain experience changed you in any way?
It changed me as a professional, made me jump into the next league, and prepared me for that next challenge at work. A lot of my previous work practices got validated during the course. For sure, my presentation skills improved a lot. If I were to describe my SP Jain experience in one word, I would call it REMARKABLE!
Most importantly, I made some really good (read: mean) friends during this course. They know who they are!
