Meet Ohio State Fisher’s MBA Class Of 2020

Sai Velaga

Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business

“A creative thinker who is a strong believer of yin and yang.”

Hometown: Hyderabad, Telangana

Fun Fact About Yourself: I understand that each lifeform strives for its survival.  I have rescued animals and birds that were illegally sold by vendors in Navi Mumbai.

Undergraduate School and Major: Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Hyderabad, Bachelor of Technology, Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Trans Asia Pipeline Services FZC, Senior Project Engineer

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was the lead on multiple teams for a top priority project that required testing the physical integrity of an underground pipeline network, which has a cumulative length of 600 kilometers and belonged to the largest state-owned natural gas distributor in India. This project was initiated after a gas leak from the client’s pipeline led to a massive explosion, resulting in the death of 27 people living near the pipeline. Our work ensured the safety of people of nearly 300 villages through which the underground pipeline network passes.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? I would describe my classmates as deep thinkers. They come up with comprehensive solutions to complex and ambiguous problems by thinking beyond the obvious.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The Global Applied Projects (GAP), which are three-week long real-world consulting projects, are a unique feature of Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business. I believe that true learning comes by applying classroom concepts to real-world situations. GAP is an excellent opportunity not only to exercise my teamwork, leadership, planning, communication, and decision-making skills but also to understand the work culture in a different economy. Cross-functional knowledge is extremely important in today’s global business environment.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Fisher’s Centre for Operational Excellence (COE) is what most interested me.  COE is a place where member companies, which belong to a wide variety of industries, come together to solve operational inefficiencies symbiotically. This center not only helps students to learn about current problems in the operations and supply chain management industry, but also gives an opportunity to interact with influential people in various organizations.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? After working for a few years in the oil and gas pipeline industry, I felt that my learning curve was flattening. I realized that I could accelerate my career growth by gaining a top-down perspective of business and by enhancing my analytical, communication, and decision-making skills. I also wanted to enhance my knowledge about how the interactions amongst various functions affect the overall performance of the organization.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? From my interactions with current students and my research about career-growth of MBA graduates, I realized that my career trajectory would be much better regarding responsibilities and compensation than if I would continue in my current role. Business schools that are sensitive to student needs such as Fisher can also provide impressive scholarships to eligible candidates, thereby making the decision to pursue an MBA much easier.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? McCombs School of Business, Kelley School of Business, Jones Graduate School of Business, WP Carey School of Business, Eli Broad College of Business

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I understood that business schools base some of their admission decision on the career potential of the candidate post-graduation. So, I started looking at the main trends in the student placements of a business school such as company, function, and roles. As I have a background in project management, I looked for schools that are strong in operations management and supply chain management. I reached out to current students with a similar background as mine to understand the culture of the business school. I also interacted with the leadership of various cultural and professional clubs to understand experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom. Then I short-listed business schools that are located in the vicinity of a major industry and had good industry relationships.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My most defining moment is when I learned about the concept of yin and yang. According to this concept, two opposing forces exist together, and each force also has a small portion that belongs to the opposite force. This ideology made me think about what could go wrong when it appears as if everything is going perfectly. It also helped me to look at the bright side of things when things are not working at all. For example, life in the oil and gas pipeline industry is extremely difficult. People have to stay away from their families for a few months at a stretch. However, I used to think that this kind of separation from your dear ones will increase the quality of the time that you spend with them during time-offs.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I want to work as a consultant or a manager in operations or supply chain management.

Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I see myself in roles such as a category manager or general manager.

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