Abhishek Singh Tomar

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

”10 countries, 8 schools, 4 jobs and 2 degrees, still as curious as ever!”

Hometown: Army BRAT (Born, Raised & Transferred)

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m a certified Paraglider with 10+ solo flights and a certified Scuba Diver with 5+ diving sessions across India and Thailand. I went on a solo backpacking trip across Central Europe covering 5 countries in 18 days on my 25th birthday.

Undergraduate School and Major: Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur (Mining Engineering)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Deputy General Manager, Office of CSO, Torrent Pharmaceuticals

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of IIM Bangalore’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? IIM Bangalore offers the maximum number of electives across any Business school in the country. Unique Electives such as Sports Analytics, Management Paradigms from Bhagavad Gita, and Himalayan Mountain Challenge will help me charter my own learning experience. Also, since my schooling days, I have been actively involved in sports and IIM Bangalore has the best sports facility across any IIM!

What has been your favorite course or extracurricular activity at IIM Bangalore? What has been the most important lesson that you have learned from it? One of my favorite courses at IIMB has been Competition and Strategy by Prof R Srinivasan. It not only helped me get familiar with different Strategy frameworks and provided exposure to different industries but also it forced tertiary-level and outside-the-box thinking through first principles approach.

Another course that I really enjoyed is Professor Chetan Subramanian’s Macroeconomics. His dynamic teaching style, coupled with boundless enthusiasm and thought-provoking discussions, turned Monday afternoons into eagerly-anticipated learning experiences. The course’s exploration of Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply models, and their connections to unemployment, recession, and inflation, was particularly enlightening. These concepts were presented with remarkable clarity, making complex economic relationships feel intuitive.

What makes Bengaluru such a great place to earn your MBA? Bangalore has a robust startup ecosystem and strong industry connections, allowing us to engage frequently with industry leaders and gain valuable insights from their experiences. During our course, we have interacted with industry leaders like Rahm Shastry, Executive Chairman of DriveU; Akhil Sharma, Director of Product RazorPay; and Chris Dickens, Global Head of non-financial risk at HSBC. All these interactions have been instrumental in solidifying our understanding of business. Also, the Bangalore weather, along with the beautiful IIMB Campus, makes it the best combo for learning.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At Medikabazaar, India’s largest B2B Health-tech company, as part of the CEOs office, I led an 8-member team to establish India’s first online platform for buying and selling Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). This involved working directly with the CEO and presenting our progress and strategic plans to the Board of Directors. Our platform was designed to streamline the procurement process for mid-to-small sized pharmaceutical companies, ensuring timely access to high-quality APIs. Through our collaborative efforts, we successfully launched the platform, which achieved a monthly revenue of $2 million. Our work not only transformed the way APIs are traded in India, but also set a new standard for efficiency and transparency in the pharmaceutical supply chain which is currently highly fragmented with small players.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far:

* Competing against the brightest minds in the country, I received a Merit scholarship worth 6L for being in the top 1% of the candidates during the IIM Bangalore admission process.

* To better hone my people management skills, I took up additional responsibility of International Immersion Committee which is responsible for both internal and external stakeholder coordination for all 82 students travelling to ESCP, Berlin and Madrid, Solvay Belgium and WHU Germany.

* Notwithstanding the packed MBA curriculum, I have participated in all cultural and sports events organized on the campus. I represented my batch in Basketball, Swimming, Frisbee and Hockey during intra-college events. It has been instrumental in building cordial relationships with not only my own batchmates but also the PGPs.

What is your class’s favorite hangout away from school? Why do you gather there? My favorite hangout place on campus would be Haneena’s. My favorite hangout place outside the campus is Uru Brewery given the proximity to the campus.

What do you hope to do after graduation? I would like to continue working in the Internal Strategy team of a healthcare company, where I can focus on addressing real-world challenges. My goal is to develop and implement strategic initiatives that improve patient outcomes, enhance operational efficiency, and drive sustainable growth within the organization. By leveraging my expertise in healthcare strategy, analytics, and stakeholder management, I aim to contribute to innovative solutions that address pressing healthcare issues and make a meaningful impact on the industry.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into IIM Bangalore? Get done with your GMAT well in advance and give sufficient time to the application and essay writing process. The application process requires a lot of introspection, and you will discover a lot about yourself during this process. IIMB appreciates genuine individuals with diverse viewpoints and experiences. Have confidence in your unique story and remember: your authenticity is your greatest strength!

DON’T MISS: MEET IIM BANGALORE’S EPGP CLASS OF 2025