Mallika Saharia

Harvard Business School

“An intellectually curious pocket-sized powerhouse.”

Hometown: Jorhat, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve lived in over 13 cities and villages across India and am fluent in 5 languages and well-versed (as a self-proclaimed foodie) in a lot of different types of cuisines.

Undergraduate School and Major: Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur- Majored in Chemical Engineering (Class of ’15)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: ITC Ltd, Manufacturing Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was the youngest manager, and the first woman in 40 years of the business to lead commissioning and operations for a new $100M manufacturing line.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Congenial. It was so easy to gel with everybody from the first go. Irrespective of our backgrounds or cultures, I found everyone to be super fun, knowledgeable and proactively responsive!

What makes the case method so attractive as a means to learn and become a better manager? At work, I’ve always learned more and have arrived at more comprehensive and sustainable solutions when looking at a problem from everyone’s perspective and collectively arriving at a solution. It opened my mind to possibilities – theoretical and practical – that I alone couldn’t have anticipated. The case method appeals to me immensely in an academic environment for the same reason. Learning a new subject while incorporating many diverse perspectives will not just seed a holistic intuition of the subject, it’ll also open my mind to new ways of thinking.

Aside from your classmates and cases, 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? Given that I intend to return to India, the strength of the alumni network was a major pull for me towards this program.

What was the most surprising thing you discovered about Harvard Business School during the application process? I think understanding what “diversity” in the classroom meant was an eye-opener for me – the number of countries represented and the range of professional and personal backgrounds of the students (also reflected in the variety of student clubs on campus).

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I am really excited to be a part of the WSA (Women’s Students Association). While researching HBS during applications, I came across the WSA and the wonderful work that they did. Speaking to students and alumni only confirmed this and built on what I had read. As someone actively involved mentoring and setting up means to connect and equip women to pursue non-traditional careers, I can’t wait to be a part of the WSA to contribute, learn and grow into a conscious agent of change.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I took on a role leading strategic initiatives in a large conglomerate right out of college. I was asked, “How did you learn strategy?” In retrospect, it was a very insightful question because it made me reflect on how many intangible on-the-job learnings at work amounted to a “mini-MBA” (in the words of my interviewer) for me.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? With my experience at ITC Ltd. forming a primer, I felt the need for an MBA to acquire global exposure, well-rounded self-development, and to be a part of a community that would provide me the right guidance and motivation to pursue my passion.

MBA programs did you apply to?

Stanford GSB

Wharton U Penn

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I gathered a lot of information from the school’s resources online – website and social media –(Instagram) to get a fair idea of what to expect. I doubled down on this research by talking to alumni and current students on specific areas of my interest. I also researched the profiles of alumni pursuing careers similar to what I had in mind to get an idea of how they’d leveraged the school’s MBA program to further their career goals.

I basically evaluated the following factors:

Community and Culture: Diversity in the classroom, formal and informal setups to facilitate developing meaningful bonds with fellow students as well as professors over the course of the MBA.

Alumni Network and Responsiveness: Spread of alumni across industries and in India.

Course structure, resources, and infrastructure: Courses offering global exposure, choice of courses and specializations offered, infrastructure and collaborations with other premier institutes specific to my area(s) of interest.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? As a child, I played competitive tennis in the national and international juniors circuit. For the longest time, I dreamed of being India’s first world number one in tennis. Owning to a lack of sponsorship, I had to give up on my dream at 16. As a child, it was difficult to come to terms with giving on a dream which many of my peers from the circuit found the means to continue pursuing. However, tennis also taught me a lesson or two about setbacks: giving me the presence of mind to overcome obstacles and hold my nerves until the very end, no matter what the score or stage of the match. I drew strength from this to divert my focus and energy to transition to a career in engineering. Ever since, there has been no looking back! These learnings have guided my actions at every stage of my career, helping me take on challenging roles and seed change in the toughest of circumstances.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? In 10 years, I see myself creating sustainable consumer products that both simplify daily life and also enable equitable socioeconomic development in rural India.