Dhivya Venkataramani

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

“Calm and driven finance professional who blends analytical rigor with creativity, finding structure even in the most unstructured situations!”

Hometown: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Fun Fact About Yourself: I enjoy traveling and painting and every trip I take ends with a handmade keepsake- my way of preserving memories.

Undergraduate School and Major: M.O.P. Vaishnav College For Women (Autonomous)- Madras University

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: BVe Consulting Engineers – Consultant

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? The case method pedagogy and opportunity to engage with diverse industries through workshops and seminars made IIM B the obvious choice for me. I have always valued connecting the dots between theoretical concepts and real-world applications and that is exactly what the programme delivers. I mean, a Venture Capitalist dissected deal structures with us on a Wednesday morning, a day after a start-up founder walked us through his funding journey. That level of industry exposure is the norm here and that has been transformative for my learning.

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? Entrepreneurial Management by Professor Srivardhini K Jha has been my favourite course so far. My dad is an entrepreneur. As much as he has pushed me to figure out my career trajectory on my own, deep down he has always wanted me to explore that world. A few lectures in, the entrepreneurship bug caught on and I genuinely got super inclined towards venturing into it, sometime in the future. The Venture Development project made us put pen on paper and get into the actualities of starting a business.

Outside academics, a month into the programme, I got elected to the Business and Seminar committee as a part of the EPGP Student Affairs Council (SAC). Through this, I got the opportunity to collaborate with my cohort to connect with and host industry leaders for fireside chats, panel discussions and organize EPGP’s very own flagship event through the course of this year. Along with stakeholder management, planning, budgeting and last mile logistics, it is massive exposure to literally all possible industries. It has learning all over it. This is literally the MBA experience that I have always wanted.

What makes Bengaluru such as great place to earn your MBA? Bengaluru is undoubtedly the Silicon Valley of India. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, it has a good mix of people all around. Whether it is interacting with C-suite executives at networking events or simply striking up a conversation with a start-up founder at a coffee shop, the city offers unparalleled access to diverse professional perspectives. That proximity to the industry, combined with IIM B’s academic rigor, makes Bengaluru an ideal place to pursue an MBA.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Transitioning from a bulge-bracket investment bank (Goldman Sachs) to a home-grown consulting firm (BVe Consulting Engineers) had its own interesting learning avenues, exposure and challenges. Driving impact being a Non-Engineer with Wealth Management experience in an Engineering Consulting space has been a highlight in my career. I reduced the average turnaround time for report preparation for viability studies by over 30% and increased the number of projects taken up by the firm by 20%.

Through the course of my career in Goldman, I have challenged various traditional procedures, revamped several historic processes, and streamlined multiple functions. I started my career with the Portfolio Accounting group under Private Wealth Management and in my stint, managed to improve overall workflow efficiency by over 150%, ultimately leading to solid client experiences across EMEA, Asia and the US. My solution-oriented approach and quest towards learning kept me on my toes and made me address challenges at the core by pushing for long term strategic fixes as opposed to short term tactical ones. Years after leaving the firm, my former peers and mentees to-date appreciate me for making sure that knowledge was at the centre of my training sessions and subsequently, my approach to any problem and how that has been instrumental in their career growth as well.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: I have always had a flair for speaking, writing and organizing events, and comfortably stuck to that so far. I have consciously shied away from anything to do with sports. Three months into my MBA journey, with the encouragement from my peers, I pushed myself to step out of my comfort zone and signed up for a few sports tournaments under the umbrella of the Icebreakers event organized by the Sports Council. The whole experience of entering a tournament for the very first time – with less than three days of learning as much as I could about the sport, and making it to the semifinals – is a memory I would always cherish. The adrenaline rush from driving impact in the business side came in handy on the ground as well. Team camaraderie and the ability to stay calm and give it my best shot were my takeaways and in true MBA context, lessons that extend far beyond the ground.

What is your class’s favorite hangout away from school? Why do you gather there? Racing against deadlines and running from one block to another amidst the stone walls give me goosebumps every now-and-then. The stone walls are absolutely magical and make me take a minute to pause and reflect on where I am today and how I should make as much use of what the campus has to offer, in terms of resources and experiences. My peers and I have a tough time leaving the campus to explore places outside. Our hangout spots in the campus are Amul and Night Canteen for after-class conversations and late-night project discussions. Peer learning is an extremely integral part of the programme and conversations with peers from diverse backgrounds add profound value to the whole learning experience. When we do step out, Uru Brewpark, located close to the campus, is our first choice. Like I said, we hardly leave the campus, and when we do, we can’t wait to get back.

What do you hope to do after graduation? Post-MBA, I want to transition into the investment banking space on the broad buy-side M&A deals, involving extensive research and due diligence for companies across various industries. Adaptability to highly intense and dynamic settings with ease is a skill that is sought after by top investment banks and my experiences stand as a testament to my comfort level in operating in such environments. However, to thrive in that space, I had to pause and equip myself with its technicalities, nuances, and mechanisms. EPGP is helping me expand my learning horizon by means of its curriculum, cohort, rigour, brand value and overall experience. The finest of case studies handled by esteemed faculty and peer-to-peer learning are adding values in more ways than one. I can see myself evolve professionally and personally and am excited for the journey ahead.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into IIM Bangalore? All that I would say is that applicants should bring out their authentic selves in their Statement of Purpose (SOP). The admission committee is keen to know their story, journey, what sets them apart, and what their career aspirations are to gauge interest and fit for the programme. Determination and enthusiasm to take on challenges come out most naturally while being authentic. The admission process can be stressful and full of anticipation, but I speak for my cohort when I say that it is one hundred percent worth the wait.

DON’T MISS: MEET IIM BANGALORE’S EPGP CLASS OF 2026

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