Rohini Muthuvelan

Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

“A technology artist by passion, empathetic woman leader for inclusion and passionate hustler by profession.”

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I earned my first ever professional degree at the age of 14 in Arts for clearing all the levels of Bharatanatyam (An Indian Classical dance form) from a renowned dance institute in India.

Undergraduate School and Major: Bachelor of Technology in Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: I worked for Procter & Gamble in their biggest manufacturing plant in India as the Capital systems manager. Besides managing CapEx, I also led the Site Internal Controls to drive best in class stewardship results across 8 different departments of manufacturing.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest career accomplishment was when I led a team of 18 to successfully complete installation of production machine within 9.5 hours, one of the biggest breakthroughs P&G India manufacturing had ever witnessed. But the complexity of this project was not what makes it memorable. After I took over management of the end-to-end execution of production line start-ups, I realized that I was the only female assigned to lead an 18-member team comprising of male technical executives and contractors. My biggest challenge was to break the mental and cultural barriers that existed in terms of following a woman leader for an operation-intensive project on the shop floor and set the right culture within the team so that every person is motivated to come to the workplace with the right attitude and intent.

My favourite quote is “Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast”, and I decided to address the elephant in the room by solving the cultural issues first. I brought the team together to have a candid and open discussion about the existing problems, brainstormed to jointly come up with solutions, and built a vision that the team believed. This first step was crucial, as it paved the way to stronger bonds among the individuals and resulted in the seamless execution of the project. I also chose to lead from the front in shift-work and demonstrated that women are no less than men when it comes to getting their hands dirty on the shop floor. By the end of the project, I not only earned the respect of shop floor employees but also helped set an example for other women to lead with courage and not shy away from such opportunities.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? It wouldn’t be fair to sum up all the incredible qualities of my fellow classmates to just one. Personally, two of the most important qualities that have stood out are that my classmates are a bunch of compassionate listeners and open-minded individuals.

For a person like me, who comes from a very conservative society, it was really eye-opening to be part of an inclusive culture. I experienced my first moment of truth when I attended the Forte MBA women leadership conference in Chicago with my future classmates. I was taken aback when I saw others genuinely taking interest in my story, my origins, and the cultural differences and challenges I encountered. They not only made me feel included by being respectful and asking insightful questions about my background but opened up and shared their stories as well to help us really connect. Personally, the two-day conference was a great experience where I could make such an amazing set of friends even before the program started. It also gave me confidence that inclusion and promotion of diversity are much more than buzzwords in such a diverse international program.

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? Aside from my classmates, the most important factor was cultural competence. Coming from India, I was brought up in an extremely diverse environment with every other person who I know spoke a different tongue, practiced different customs, and had different eating habits. It was extremely important for me to seek an international MBA program in a place where I will feel home and I don’t get treated as an outsider.

An active practitioner of setting the right culture which is ethically fair for everyone, I strongly felt the urge to thrive at a location where the individuals have the ability to be respectful, acknowledge, and value different cultures. In my experience, I have seen organizations/societies crumbling down even after having the best of the best individuals since they didn’t have the right culture that inculcates emotional commitment towards the organization as well as the individuals. The Rotman School of Management stood out for me for setting high standards in fostering culturally competent leaders and I truly resonated with their value of giving back to the society.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Besides the industry clubs which I will definitely be part of, I am super excited to collaborate with other artists in my batch and start a new club for all the dance lovers out there. Since we don’t currently have an active association dedicated to dance, I am really looking forward to taking the initiative and utilize this opportunity to introduce a stage for all those who want to take their passion forward in business school. It would appeal both to those who are looking to learn new forms and newbies who are open to exploring this beautiful art and overcome their inhibitions. I being an avid dancer myself, I would like to build a community that appreciates art and encourage artists in a dynamic business school setting.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? The question that challenged me the most was, “What type of leader your teammate will think of you”. This particular question was interesting because it asks you about the perspective that others think of you as a leader, so it was important for me to step into their shoes and understand before I could frame the answer. It led me to dive deep into several 1:1 conversations with my direct reports, receive feedback from my peers, and engage in meaningful discussions with vendors, contractors and external business partners.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? In my five-year experience at the world’s leading CPG organization, I have held multiple responsibilities and achieved fast-tracked career growth. The learning curve allowed me to collaborate with outstanding leaders and resolve challenging situations in time-sensitive environments. I also traveled to 11+ countries and worked with diverse teams to build solutions.

Further into my career, the MBA now becomes pivotal now for three reasons. First, my career goal is to advance into senior management roles within consumer retail/E-commerce industries. Such growth requires me to upgrade my skillsets across business functions. I also need to become aware of the practices and strategies that span organizations and industries. Second, as the corporate world is increasingly globalized, a diverse network of individuals across countries, organizations, and industries is an invaluable asset. Such a network allows for a new perspective on problem-solving and opens strong opportunities for career growth. As I make the transition today towards greater challenges and look for new opportunities from my network and beyond, an MBA program now fulfills the requirement ideally. Finally, as the industry landscapes are rapidly changing and the industrial revolution4.0 approaches us, I need to be ahead of the new challenges that lie ahead. With automation, AI, and IoT hitting the industry by 2025, I want to pioneer and drive an organization’s core strategy and culture around recognizing and implementing these changes wholeheartedly and ethically.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I applied to McGill MBA program while I was in the process at Rotman

How did you determine your fit at various schools? The three priorities that helped me determine my fit while I was researching different MBA programs across the globe were the following:

1. Location: Having traveled across 11+ countries in Asia and Europe, I gained considerable exposure on how the businesses operate in these regions, as well as insights into the culture, people and lifestyle. Given the limited exposure I had in the North American region, I wanted to explore the other side of the world and get more perspective on the dynamics of developed countries such as Canada and the USA. That way, I was very sure that I would have developed well-rounded cultural awareness that will help me thrive in any part of the globe by the end of the MBA program. Furthermore, I also looked at the places that are diverse, immigrant-friendly and guarantees some financial and career stability in the short run too, especially as an MBA is a high investment step in my career. All the above points helped me prioritize Canada over the USA.
2. Cultural Fit: After deciding on the location, I wanted to be very clear on cultural fit when it comes to picking the city. Since I was brought up in a cosmopolitan, fast-moving city like Mumbai in India, I am used to the fast life and can prosper comfortably in big cities such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Coming from a cutthroat competitive environment where you are always under the pressure to be at your best, I wanted to experience a city that was multicultural, diverse and progressive in its mindset. More than that, I wanted to be in a setting that encourages individuals to attach equal importance to both professional and personal goals. I researched cultural fit via different mediums such as going through travel and lifestyle blogs to get general vibes of the location. I also connected with multiple residents, friends, students, and alumni to understand their viewpoints and attending MBA webinars. Toronto was the clear winner out of all the cities in Canada
3. Brand Image and Program: Rotman MBA is the #1 program in Canada and the University of Toronto has long-standing recognition for its excellence in faculty and research. The strong alumni network across the globe and Rotman’s focus on design thinking pedagogy were also factors.

All the above factors along with the fact that Toronto is evolving into an attractive hub for entrepreneurship and technology convinced me to choose Rotman so that I will be able to pivot my career in line with my career goals

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? During my freshman year at college, I was a victim of molestation by outsiders on the university campus. When I took courage and reported it to the university, I was genuinely surprised at their indifferent attitude. Moreover, there was little effort to improve security measures for women on campus.

In response, I made a choice and took initiative. Angered by the indifference in the system, I stood for the post of vice-president in the student body elections. With a clear-cut agenda to make a positive impact and while maintaining my academic focus, I passionately worked towards connecting with people on campus, understanding their concerns and possible remedial measures to overcome the current situation. Eventually, when the election results came out, I was not only unanimously chosen to be the vice-president, but also became the first woman in the university’s 50-year history to lead the student body.

That winning strike at elections truly transformed me as an individual because it helped me recover the self-confidence that I lost on the same premises two years back and made me realize that even I am capable of getting large masses into confidence and building trust by showing genuine care and always doing the right thing irrespective of the consequences. The whole experience gave me a platform to grow into a bold, accountable and resilient woman leader that I am today. Moreover, this stint also taught me life lessons that eased my transition into the corporate world and helped in building a supportive network.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? Ten years from now, I aspire to be a role model woman leader heading the P&L at a global scale for one vertical of business at an organization which thrives on innovation and operates in a sustainable manner. I want to be recognized as the one who set the pace for operations and left a transformational impact on the industry and community around me.