Engineering with a Business Mindset: Vipul Tailor’s EMBA Experience
Vipul Tailor brings 17 years of experience in Projects and Maintenance across leading organisations including Apollo Tyres, Asian Paints, and Quaker Chemical India, where he currently serves as Deputy Manager – Engineering at the Dahej site. An engineer and automation enthusiast, Vipul pursued an Executive MBA in Operations from SP Jain School of Global Management, graduating on the Dean’s List.
In this conversation, Vipul shares how his EMBA journey helped him move beyond technical problem-solving to develop a stronger business and strategic perspective. From connecting engineering decisions with business outcomes to learning from professionals across industries, his story is a testament to the power of continuous learning.
Read on to discover Vipul’s journey from engineering expertise to strategic leadership, and the lessons he has gained along the way.
- What inspired you to pursue the EMBA, and what kept you on the Dean’s List?
I had built strong technical credibility by designing electrical systems, commissioning greenfield projects with advanced plant automation systems, and leading multi-crore capex projects. But I realised technical depth alone doesn’t get a seat at the strategy table. I wanted to speak the language of finance and business as fluently as I spoke the language of engineering. That same drive to prove experience and academic rigour can coexist is what kept me consistently on the Dean’s List.
- How did the EMBA change how you connect engineering, operations, and business strategy?
Every capex decision I now make runs through NPV, IRR, payback and strategic long-term thinking alongside technical feasibility. I have learned to frame plant-level problems as strategic business issues, not just engineering fixes.
- Was there a GSIP, ASP, or classroom experience that changed your approach?
Three experiences really stand out. The Global Strategy Immersion Project pushed our team to build a consulting-grade market entry strategy for a global company – PESTLE, SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, right through to a Balanced Scorecard and action plan, defended before a professor moderated by the dean himself. My Applied Strategic Project let me apply that same rigour to a real issue in my organisation within my own specialisation, working with an academic and an industry mentor. And the Harvard Business simulations for Blue Ocean Strategy and Integrated Decision Making forced me to make trade-offs under pressure and see the compounding impact of decisions across functions.
- How valuable was learning alongside professionals from different industries and geographies?
Learning alongside professionals from different industries was immensely valuable. My GSIP (Global Strategic Immersion Program) teammates came from pharma, engineering projects, media and IT, and their perspectives constantly challenged my manufacturing-honed assumptions, helping me to sharpen how I frame and solve problems.
- What advice would you give experienced professionals who think experience alone is enough?
The moment you believe experience alone is enough to climb the corporate ladder is the moment you stop growing. Continuous learning is what turns good engineers into business leaders.
About the Author
Vipul Tailor completed his Executive MBA (2026) in Operations from SP Jain Global, graduating on the Dean’s List. An engineer and automation enthusiast, Vipul currently serves as Deputy Manager – Engineering at the Dahej site.
Also read:
Why learning never stops: The mindset behind executive leadership
Building influence before a leadership title: A journey of growth and transformation
