Tanya Gupta

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

“An ordinary girl redefining standards of normalcy for the entire albino community.”

Hometown: New Delhi, Delhi

Fun Fact About Yourself: “When the whole world was trying to stand out, I just wanted to fit in.”

Undergraduate School and Major: Jesus & Mary College, University of Delhi – Bachelor of Commerce (Hons)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Product Manager @ Trademo

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? Owing to my low vision, traditional classroom learning has never worked for me, as I could not read the blackboard. I wanted to do an MBA for my professional growth, but the fear of facing similar challenges again in an academic setting was haunting me. Multiple admission webinars by IIM Bangalore cleared those doubts, and now I can proudly say that the institute is very inclusive in its approach. The use of digital whiteboards has solved this problem and, for the first time, I love being in a class. I wish this option were available back in the 2000s.

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? Since my school days, I had an inclination for chess. Chess as a game is very close to my heart. This game has taught me multiple lessons: The power of silence, the perspective on exploring endless opportunities, and the art of patiently evaluating before making a choice.

I had taken a break from this game due to personal reasons. IIMB has made me meet my old friend once again.

What makes Bengaluru such a great place to earn your MBA? Bengaluru is an ideal place to earn my MBA degree, especially considering my post-MBA goal of continuing in the field of product management. The city offers a wide range of opportunities for interactions with industry experts through seminars and workshops. As a hub of major tech giants, being in proximity to these companies is invaluable. Opportunities here are abundant, making it a perfect environment for professional growth.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest achievements have been  persuading the top management to venture into a new revenue line and building one for the company. It happened during my stint at UrbanPiper. I was conducting user interviews for a different product and identified a very different pain point. Further analysis confirmed the need and that’s how UrbanPiper’s very own Kitchen Display System, CookBook, came into existence. During the initial years of your career, handling such a complex project right from ideation to actual launch does give you sense of accomplishment.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: During our Entrepreneurial Management course, we conceptualized a business model that was quickly validated. Soon after the course ended, we saw an app live on the App Store/Play Store doing exactly what we had envisioned. While the app isn’t ours, the validation of our business idea felt like a significant achievement. Business schools are all about developing a business mindset, and this experience made us feel one step closer to that goal.

What is your class’s favorite hangout away from school? Why do you gather there? Considering the rigor of the program, one hardly gets time to step out. However, the campus is so beautiful that you might not want to go out on your own. I  personally find sitting beside the football field to be a very calming place for interactions in smaller groups. But for bigger gatherings, nothing is better than our very own Q-square where we gather for all the batch celebrations.

What do you hope to do after graduation? I hope to work as a Product Manager in the E-commerce space as I personally feel very connected with this domain a lot. Despite my limitations, it has given me wings of independence. I no longer had to rely on others to get my needs met.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into IIM Bangalore? First and foremost, don’t self-reject on the basis of your GMAT scores, work experience, or undergraduate college. The selection criteria at IIM Bangalore are extremely holistic, and no one can predict what will work. Focus on understanding why you want to do an MBA, and clearly articulate this in your statement of purpose.

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