Lekha Juliana David

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

“Dreamer, dancer, writer, and an eternal optimist always reaching out for the stars.”

Hometown: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Fun Fact About Yourself:  Born right-brained-creative and trained left-brained-analytical, I love to solve problems at the intersection of both. As a Product developer (a traditionally left-brained job), I was able to visualize solutions that are never too obvious and connect non-linear dots.

Undergraduate School and Major: Karunya University, B.Tech – Electronics and Communication Engineering.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Lead Engineer at Ford Motor Company

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? “Silent, strong, enticing and alluring, once you see her, you’ll never want to leave her, our stone-draped queen”.  Joining IIM Bangalore was a deep emotion that words can’t explain. I was deeply impressed by the professors’ pedigree and the impact they created on the students, the vast plethora of extremely unique courses you can choose from and the emphasis to learn outside the classroom-sports, all of which shapes you into a well-rounded personality. I knew that learning from the best and being among the best would open my thinking horizon and alter my perspective of the opportunities and challenges surrounding me for the better.

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? In the short time I have been with the program, I have had three courses that literally blew my mind. Prof. R. Srinivasan’s Competition and Strategy course helped me look at businesses from a completely different perspective. It made me curious of every single product around me. When I pick up any product now, I immediately research on the business. I got to appreciate the efforts, the story, and the entrepreneurial pursuit and toil behind every product rather than just being a typical customer who buys, consumes, and forgets.

Prof. Shankar Venkatagiri’s Decision Sciences course – and his passion for the subject – made me enjoy something which I thought I would not. It taught me how math could help us simplify and focus on the most important aspects of problems, when we are surrounded with huge amount of relevant and irrelevant information surrounding us.

Every moment I spend in Prof. Y L R Moorthy’s Marketing course expanded my mind – a mile a minute. Encouraged to question everything and never settle, he helped us find reasons within our voice and encouraged critical and intellectual pursuit of answers for seemingly simple questions.

What makes Bengaluru such as great place to earn your MBA? Being at “The Silicon Valley of India”, our proximity to major startups (and its extraordinary talent) and some of the biggest companies in the country/world is a huge advantage. You have a greater probability of bumping into someone who owns a startup in a random coffee shop. Also, as a city that never sleeps and surrounded with people who are always pushing themselves for the better, the culture is contagious. With an extremely pleasant weather thought the year, you are not constrained with being under the confines of airconditioned rooms.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: As a woman, with a young child in a traditionally male-dominated industry, I am extremely proud of the fact that I thrived through my eight years in the Automotive Industry. In the process, I have worked across some of the world’s largest companies: Ford, Renault, and Stellantis (Fiat-Chrysler). I  have managed both technical and leadership positions for one the most consequential technology for the industry’s future (AD-ADAS: Autonomous Drive – Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), I have also developed a range of products and automation tools that were used globally, pushing the technology forward while saving costs. Rather than just point out one of my professional accomplishments, I would like to project my entire career trajectory as my marathon with miles left to run.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: Learning to embrace and celebrate chaos. Prior to my MBA, I was accustomed to a structured way of problem solving, where I was expected to find closure before moving on to the next task. During the MBA, I was shocked to realize how many cross-functional activities we had to juggle simultaneously and achieve closure in an extremely tight-paced and a high-stakes environment- which theoretically was close to impossible. Through the months, I learned to balance, embrace and frankly-to enjoy this uncertainty and juggle everything much more perfectly. These are extremely important learnings for the high stakes positions I plan to take up, when I re-enter the corporate world.

Also, being elected member of the Placement Committee, I was able to gain the trust of majority of my batchmates – for the privilege and the opportunity to serve them by bringing the right opportunities and helping with their career planning.

What is your class’s favorite hangout away from school? Why do you gather there? “Away from school?” No way! Our campus is the Hogwarts of India. My friends and I love hanging out in many beautiful spots in and around the campus. The benches near the sports ground, midnight walks near south gate, open air auditorium, Haneenas (general provisions store), Night Canteen – Every spot in the campus was our personal hangout, our little kingdom.

What do you hope to do after graduation? My immediate plan is to become a product manager in the technology/Automotive industry, and down the line transition into product strategy. Final big picture aim is to be a C-suite executive in the tech/Auto Industry. Being exposed to extraordinary minds, ideas and purists from IIMB’s startup incubator NSRCEL, also building up my entrepreneurial self.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into IIM Bangalore? For potential applicants/interviewees, as a course that pulls heavily from peer-based learning and experience, get ready to be questioned on your knowledge of your domain and industry, along with your general understanding of business and the world in general.

And for those who have the coveted admits in hand, come with a blank mind and a clean slate. Be prepared to unlearn everything you thought you knew and learn ideas that will transform your view of the world.

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