2016 Best MBAs: Jinson Pappachan, Michigan State

Jinson Pappachan Michigan State

Jinson Pappachan

 

Michigan State University, Broad College of Business

“Be humble at each and every turn of life. There is always someone smarter than you out there and you will succeed only when you strive to learn from them.”

Age: 29

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Undergraduate School and Degree: Bachelors of Technology in Electrical Engineering

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? Siemens Ltd, India in the role of Sales, Bid Management and Project Management

Where did you intern during the summer of 2015? Apple Inc. / Cupertino, CA

Where will you be working after graduation? Apple Inc. / Cupertino, CA

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Activities

President of the Broad Consulting Club

Team Leader for Business DoctorX (a pro bono consulting initiative at Broad)

Awards

Broad Warrior Award in May 2015

Outstanding First Year Student Award in May 2015

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school?  I spend a lot of time these days mentoring and coaching the first year students at Broad. Helping them achieve their goals is an activity that I am immensely proud of

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? Three years into my previous career, I was already leading a multinational team with subject matter experts having 10+ years of experience. The satisfaction that comes from leading a perfect interaction with my team and enabling sales of our product and services was very important for me

Who is your favorite professor? Dr. Elizabeth Bain (our business communications course professor). The teachings that Dr. Bain have imparted has had a profound impact on how I manage communications not only in business environments but also on how I structure arguments in the most cohesive and influential manner.

Favorite MBA Courses?

Strategic Sourcing by Dr. Gary Ragatz

Simple and Complex Negotiations by Dr. Jennifer Dunn

Why did you choose this business school? Post my MBA, I wanted to be in the supply chain and leadership space in a global corporation and the program at Broad was well positioned to enable by endeavors

What did you enjoy most about business school? The teamwork-centric curriculum was the most appealing aspect as it simulated a real world environment in the academic front. Everything at Broad is team oriented and the two years working with team mates from diverse cultural and business has really trained me to face the challenges that I am going to encounter at Apple.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from business school? Be humble at each and every turn of life. There is always someone smarter than you out there and you will succeed only when you strive to learn from them.

What was the most surprising thing about business school? Never expected that I would have so much fun in an MBA program

What was the hardest part of business school? I missed out of Study Abroad program because of other time commitments and I will always regret it.

What’s your best advice to an applicant to your school? Be ready to reinvent yourself and be challenged beyond your wildest imagination. The Spartan spirit is in not believing yourself to be entitled just because you are an MBA, but working hard for the betterment of oneself, the organizations you are affiliated to and the community at large.

I knew I wanted to go to business school when…back at my earlier workplace, I was finding my work less challenging and when I realized that my inputs will be better used someplace else.”

If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…as a backup plan, I was negotiation a job offer in Germany in a similar field.”

Which executive or entrepreneur do you most admire? Late Steve Jobs for his never ending passion for perfection

What are your long-term professional goals? In the near long term, I would want to manage the global supply chain for a multinational corporation. In the very long term, I want to start my own consulting firm specializing in procurement and supply chain optimization

Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents. They have sacrificed a lot in order for me to be here.

Fun fact about yourself: I love suits. I wear suits whenever I get the chance often to the ridicule of my colleagues. I own 18 pairs of suits.

Favorite book: The Alchemist

Favorite movie: Shawshank Redemption

Favorite musical performer: Coldplay

Favorite television show: Game of Thrones

Favorite vacation spot: Goa, India

Hobbies? Singing

What made Jinson such an invaluable addition to the class of 2016?

“Jinson Pappachan, more than any student in the Broad College, is responsible for the MBA program’s recent success in creating consulting opportunities both during the graduate experience and after graduation in permanent positions. He took a floundering student organization (of 5 students) and has built the strongest organization in the MBA program (with over 70 active members), a significant feat.  Through his direct involvement, consulting companies have increased their frequency of visits to the Broad College, the most notable visit being from McKinsey and Company in September 2015.

Additionally, Jinson created a not-for-profit consulting group, BusinessDoctorX, that has been providing pro-bono consulting advice to entities across Michigan during the 2015-2016 school year, resulting in work product generated over 100+ hours of volunteer time from himself and a team of volunteers under his charge. Jinson works as hard as he does because he believes in sharing his expertise and time with his student colleagues and clients in a way I have not seen before. This young man is truly special, and I look for great things from him in the future.” —

Wayne Hutchison, Director, Academic and Program Services, Broad MBA

DON’T MISS: CLASS OF 2016: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST GRADUATING MBAS

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