Sharad Khandelwal

Warwick Business School

“Curious, creative, purpose-driven thinker who happens to be an amateur wildlife photographer and abstract painter.”

Hometown: Jaipur, India

Fun Fact About Yourself: I know more about the Tigers of India than I know about my neighbors.

Undergraduate School and Major:

Malaviya National Institute of Technology, India M.Tech. Chemical Engineering

Amity University, India B.Tech. Biotechnology

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:

Co-founder, Reghon Solutions, India (Finance Startup)

Managing Editor, Neelkanth Publishers, India

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I did a certificate in Behavioral Science during my undergrad. When I was in publishing, I saw a lot of engineers employed by the Engineering Books division would not stick for long. They would work until they found a more suitable job, especially in IT. It was painful for the firm. I used my behavioral science approach to investigate the root cause of this issue by talking to engineers, by listening to them, by acknowledging their point of view, and then tried to explain to them why publishing is different, what perks it holds, and how it can help build a better education system and society. These conversations were draining, sometimes intense. In the end, they bore fruit and help change the mindset of engineers. This changed the entire work culture at the firm and resulted in better alignment of employees to the firm’s vision.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Openness! That’s the best thing I have experienced coming to this MBA and meeting all my classmates. We have a diverse mix of 40+ nationalities and each country has its own problems, reservations, skepticism, global image, taboos, etc. What I find most comforting is we can all challenge each other’s ideas, concepts, and beliefs without the fear of being judged. This openness has helped create an environment of learning, growth, and trust among classmates!

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of the MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? The Positive Aura! I always believe in the views of people rather than rankings and matrices. I talked to a lot of alumni and current students and asked them about their experience doing the Warwick MBA. Almost all of them praised the learning culture, the nurturing environment, the helpful faculty, the careers team, the post-MBA assistance, etc. This became my prime motivator for applying to Warwick as I believe that a “good environment allows even bad seeds to prosper while a bad environment can turn even good seeds to dust”.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? If you find something that is not morally correct but profitable for the company, would you do it? If not, how will you convince management?

The question was challenging not because I was skeptical about not doing it but because it is hard to justify your position to the company in such matters. Such courageous conversations require a subtle but direct approach, a clear mindset, persuasion skills, firm beliefs, and effective communication. I often faced such situations at work and most often than not my clear, direct approach with management worked. I always prepared in advance, acknowledged my company’s position, justified my beliefs and presented alternatives.

How did you determine which business schools best fit you?

The nurturing environment, where students can think critically, collaborate effectively, innovate rationally, and learn coherently.

The cohort diversity, with students from different nationalities and experiences allowing a diverse pool of knowledge, culture, thinking, experiences, etc. leading to rich conversations and constructive learning.

Business world experience, with trips to various business organizations including international trips to explore the global work culture in more detail. Also, various opportunities to work on client-based projects gaining practical hands-on experience in fields of interest.

Making of Leaders, by shaping personalities and inculcating the traits of true leadership via projects, assignments, and practical activities.

Student exchange programs, which allow for further diversification and exposure in another university and country.

I connected to alumni and current students to know about the schools, their culture, and learning environment. I also searched for the roles and areas where alumni were working to better understand the job scenarios. For other details such as ROI, ranking, average pay, etc. I trusted the Financial Times’ website.