Anubhav Mital

HEC Paris

“I am curious, sociable, a keen observer, hardworking and an explorer with a sense of humor.”

Hometown: Kurukshetra, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: My friends call me the ‘connections guy’, I somehow end up finding at least one existing connection whichever city I go to.

Undergraduate School and Major: National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra. B.Tech in Information Technology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: The Boston Consulting Group, Senior Data Analyst

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Four years ago, I joined BCG in a two-member team and was handed over a market-sizing project. With my limited knowledge in that domain, it was a bit overwhelming, as we had to understand the data for more than 60 countries and from around 30 different sources. Furthermore, we had to understand the existing data models and upgrade them utilizing the analytical, technical and content knowledge in this small team. Considering the team size, I had to pragmatically own the majority of the analysis and leverage technology to its best to make the processes efficient. In the end, we got a very good response and multiple accolades for our analysis as we were able to not only deliver the project in time but also structured and ultimately institutionalized the project as a key offering. Since then we have been the point of contact for that analysis and keep making improvements, which is subsequently resulting to be a unique selling point for our clients and huge revenue generator for the firm.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? I feel the best thing about my class is the approachability and the interest to explore and learn from each other. The diversity of my classmates exposes me to so many cultures, industries and work streams, which I believe, will be a strong pillar in my learning experience during my MBA course.

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 key motivation for me to select MBA at HEC Paris was the well-structured and still customizable curriculum. With 16 month course properly divided in 8 months of fundamental phase giving a strong foundation to the students, later 8 months will be completely customizable with a wide variety of electives and specializations. In addition, there are so many events with an intent to imbibe the leadership skills such as Saint-Cyr Leadership Seminar and MBAT, which is a student-run sports tournament.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? HEC Paris has more than 20 student clubs and covering every vertical of international businesses. I am looking forward to joining the Consulting club and the Technology & Data Analytics club since they have always been an area of interest for me both personally and professionally and will play a big role in drawing my career path.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? My constant desire to enhance my performance, consistent thrust on learning, and ability to deliver in tight timescales has helped me emerge as a highly rated professional. I have performed exceptionally well, making teams understand the intricacies of growth and enable sound decision-making. However, for my long-term objective to grow as a strategy consultant, proper professional exposure to other domains and a holistic view of management is pivotal to gain a comprehensive view of the industry. An MBA at this point in my career will synchronize perfectly with this idea and will help achieve my career objectives.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I have gained around seven years of professional work experience with most of it in the domain of analytics and consulting. In this journey, the majority of my colleagues either were MBA graduates or had some specialization in the management field. While working with them, I learned a lot from them and eventually realized that to work and grow in this industry, having that business acumen and a holistic understanding of the business is necessary. An MBA will act as a platform, which will not only give me that understanding and exposure but also will present so many opportunities and variety of projects which will help me achieve my career goals and also let me craft my career path intelligently.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? In addition to HEC Paris, I applied to INSEAD, France and Indian School of Business, India. I was exploring MBA opportunities in institutions, which promote global exposure and diversity and provide a curriculum that syncs with my career goals. Both of these institutions have a very good reputation and are very well recognized based on my research and interactions with the alums. All the three institutes that I applied to have the capability to provide the unique exposure to a diverse peer set and a customizable curriculum, which includes real-world fieldwork exposure which is where the learning is at its maximum.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? At first, I reached out to current MBA candidates and alums from prominent schools such as HEC, Wharton, Oxford and the National University of Singapore. I discussed my current role and career aspirations while keeping my personality in mind. Then I heard their perspectives on what should be my criteria while selecting a Business school. They brought the focus on leadership and management skills to my attention, as well as the importance of diversity in the classroom and the subsequent impact on an individual’s network and networking skills. I also did my research on the top B-schools online content and connected with admission committees of various colleges. Finally, I identified the Business Schools I wanted to apply to and would be the right choice to grow and achieve my long-term goals.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? My defining moment was when I was offered the position of Convener for the cultural fest of my undergraduate school. In that position, I was leading three committees namely Invitations, Sponsorship, and Marketing and also had to organize 15+ competitions. This experience made me realize how much I enjoy solving real life and tangible problems. This realization made me choose to move away from the traditional career path of an IT engineer and to utilize my strategic mindset. I decided to choose a career, which would focus on solving real-life problems and would utilize my skillset efficiently. Hence, I made a choice to grow in the field of analytics and consulting which shaped my career path and made me the person I am today.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I plan to become a strategic consultant who will provide cutting-edge solutions, engineered to deal with and minimize challenges consumers might face in the future.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself working in a strategic role for an international firm where I am able to utilize my previous work experience and knowledge gained from my MBA working in the best interest of clients and utilizing my exposure to maximize and make results efficient.