Ishna Sachar

Kelley School of Business at Indiana University

“A luxury brand marketer with an obsession for the future of sustainable everything, starting with retail.”

Hometown: Mumbai, Maharashtra (India)

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve traveled to 21 countries and counting. Experiencing different cultures and their cuisines is my passion, and I am on a mission to tick off 100 countries in this lifetime.

Undergraduate School and Major: Pearl Academy, Luxury Brand Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Reliance Brands Limited, Assistant Manager

In the second half of the year, you will be completing an Academy devoted to areas like Marketing, Finance, Operations, Digital Enterprises and more. Which Academy interests you the most and why?

I am most keen on the ‘Consulting Academy’ for my Kelley experience. As a consultant-in-the-making would list out; there are 3 reasons behind this inclination:

1. Accelerated learning – I am a true believer of the power of experiential learning, and the consulting academy will provide me ample opportunities to learn the ropes of consulting through actual case studies, competitions and group projects.

2. Scott Laughner – The Academy director is backed by an illustrious career and great student reviews, that sums up the core of experiences offered by the consulting academy. With a great leader, I am assured that I will achieve my goals as a future retail consultant.

3. GLOBASE – The program offers future consultants to train through the year at the Academy and finally create real-world impact through problem-solving for a real consulting client in March. I am thrilled to sharpen my consulting toolset and have the right avenue to test the progress.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Indiana Kelley’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? One of my favorite things about Indiana Kelley’s business school was its unequivocal commitment to helping students achieve their goals. Unlike most competitive schools with a great long-standing reputation like Kelley, Kelley focusses on the well-being and prosperity of the student at the forefront, before anything else. The diverse, global-focused program has a strong Career Services team that is earnest and welcoming, while also providing sound guidance and coaching in moments of duress. This aspect was of profound importance to me while making my decision. To me, an environment that strengthens my core competencies and smooths over my areas of improvement will enable my success as a confident, assured professional in the future.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Indiana Kelley?

The Net Impact Club – it aligns with my core values and opens conversations that will matter the most not too far along in the future.

Leadership Club – I aspire to be a leader that inspires. This club will give me the platform to hone my skills and have fun while doing it.

The Wine Club – I am an enthusiast and a self-proclaimed connoisseur of wine.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Facing both, logistical and consumer demand issues during the first wave of COVID, the sales of a key brand in my portfolio – Michael Kors – nosedived. As a franchise partner for Michael Kors in India, Reliance Brands was liable to ensure the P&L was balanced, and near-zero sale put immense pressure on the business. I took on the task of formulating a marketing strategy that was cost effective, executed remotely, and appropriate for consumer EQ, considering the despondency of the time.

First, I established the most key element – cost effectiveness. This meant tapping repeat customer databases through a non-paid platform and creating a virtual experience through digital resources instead of monetary. Second, through earlier focus group studies, I knew that the engagement platform should be exclusive and easy-to-use, so customers see it as an extension of their new COVID normal. Last, through data points gathered from sample surveys, I ensured that customer sensitivities were tended to.

After clearing the checkpoints stated above, I conceptualized and proposed a first-of-its-kind Michael Kors Auction, an India-only digital initiative to engage home ridden customers with a non-conventional Michael Kors auction of ‘New Collection’ products. The idea behind the campaign stemmed from the realization that people yearned for connectivity, cooped up at home and crunched for invigorating ways to spend time. We emulated a closed-door Auction environment via Zoom, permitting RSVP’d customers to enter the bidding room. The campaign made a company milestone, costing $0 and earning $20,000 in 30 mins.

I am most proud of this breakthrough, and the result was far beyond I had imagined. The success of this campaign paved the direction towards creating Reliance Brands’ recurring digital property called “Luxury Shopping Festival”, a first-of-its-kind virtual sale festival that engaged more than 3 million unique customers during the 21-day sale, keeping 42 RBL brands afloat during the pandemic slump. It makes me fulfilled to think that I was at the heart of this inception.

What do you hope to do after graduation (at this point)? After completing my MBA, I am enthusiastic about pursuing a career in retail consulting. The blend of the possibilities of my business education, my past work experience and my passion for the retail industry has ignited a strong desire to help retailers enhance their strategies, operations, and overall performance to a more sustainable path. Here’s why I am keen on this career path:

Dynamic and evolving environment: The retail industry is constantly evolving, with technological advancements and changing consumer preferences reshaping the landscape. This dynamic nature excites me, as it offers an opportunity to stay at the forefront of industry trends, keeping both myself and my clients competitive and adaptable.

Opportunities: Retailers are still playing catch up with the evolving market needs. These loopholes of awareness and knowledge open up several avenues for smart, able consultants with high intent for sustainable growth to help re-create the way retailers operate. I see myself as one of those individuals.

I am excited about the prospect of collaborating with clients, driving innovation, and contributing to the growth of the retail sector as a whole.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Indiana Kelley’s MBA program? The number one advice I would give is this: Be true to your story! Indiana Kelley’s MBA admissions team has a knack for gauging the authentic aspirants from those who aren’t, and it becomes imperatively important to know the ‘whys’ and the ‘why nots’ of your own life. The program is diverse and culturally accepting, so bring in your own authentic self to be the front runner.

DON’T MISS: MEET INDIANA KELLEY’S MBA CLASS OF 2025