Q1. Please give us a brief about your entrepreneurial venture and the driving force for the start up?

I am a Published Author, Operating from Dubai. I offer independent IT Cost Reduction Advisory services to C Level Executives and Boards of Large Companies. As an IT productivity coach, I assist CFOs, CIOs and their teams in managing demand for new tech, perform strategic sourcing and work with finance in improving utilization of all IT assets and services; all together delivering higher returns on Technology investments to stakeholders.

My startup's motivating factor has been a never-ending desire to remove complexity from technological investments. After witnessing multi-million-dollar IT projects go to waste, I've always wanted to do something to help IT and business leaders overcome their challenge of managing costs of IT.

Q2. What are the key skills required for an entrepreneur to succeed?

Everyone's motivation for starting a business is different; for me it was finding my IKIGAI. After writing my 1st book, I discovered that I had a passion for coaching people on how to reduce IT cost, a niche skill which I was strong at, and could sell to paying clients. The Next step was to provide a hyper personalized service to my clients with the goal to provide 10x returns while remaining humble and kind. Putting the interest of client’s above your own is the mantra which has allowed me to garner client loyalty and win repeat business.

Q3. How has the PGPM program helped you think strategically and develop more in-depth insights at your current role?

The PGPM program broadened my business perspectives and inspired me to reach my full potential. In a class with many brilliant minds, I was taught by some of the best professors in the world. Professor Bala Balachandran's 2005 Finance class was the one that sparked my interest in the question, "What Causes Costs?" What are non-value-added costs, and how can they be eliminated or reduced to achieve profitability? When I chose to start my consulting firm, that became a guiding principle for me.

Q4. What makes Great Lakes stand out from other Business Schools?

"The best of me is yet to come" is a never-ending thirst I have seen in Great Lakers.

I guess this is a function of our school’s philosophy of "Global Mindset - Indian Roots".Which encourages all alumni, students, and staff to strive for the most efficient use of limited resources (time, money, and health) while employing global best practices to achieve excellence in everything we do.

Most B schools prepare their students for good placements; but, at Great Lakes, students are subjected to a rigor that prepares them for excellence not just in placements but also in life.

Q5. What advice would you offer to current and future students?

Don't look for perfection or satisfaction in your MBA program; a good B-School will broaden your perspectives and leave you with more unanswered questions than when you started. It's a lifelong program that should educate you how to use a map rather than giving you directions so you can find your own path in life.

I had no clue how the following 15 years would unfold when I graduated in 2006, but I knew one thing: with the life skills and friendships I had gained in only one year at Great Lakes, I was prepared to handle whatever challenges life threw at me.