Nihitha Alicherry

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

“Never been one to take a traditional path or make the obvious choice.”

Hometown: Palakkad, Kerala

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve moved cities every 3 years since I was 5 and this has led to a heightened curiosity for food, travel and new cultures. So, along the way, I’ve picked up small souvenirs, countless memories, and even pushed myself to travel to a new place every few months. While moving cities and houses is taxing at the beginning, I now look at it as a completely new world that I get to explore from scratch.

Undergraduate School and Major: Manipal University, BA Journalism and Communication Studies

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: AVP Founder’s Office, 82°E

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of IIM Ahmedabad’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? IIM Ahmedabad was my first choice for an MBA due to its renowned academic rigour. Coming from an Arts background, everything I’ve learnt about building a business has been on the job. Over the years, I’ve realised that while practical experience is great, it is essential for a business leader to have a strong grasp on business fundamentals. Hence, IIM Ahmedabad was the natural choice to help me bridge this gap; it gives me a platform to understand the theory behind building successful businesses and pushes me intellectually to look at things differently and come out of my comfort zone. The case study pedagogy further adds to this experience, as it helps me immediately correlate textbook theories to real-world problems.

What has been your favorite course or extracurricular activity at IIM Ahmedabad? What has been the most important lesson that you have learned from it? Firms and Markets (Microeconomics) by Professor Viswanath Pingali has been my favourite course so far. I had very limited exposure to Microeconomics in school and my undergrad. And so, it was one of the more intimidating subjects in Term 1. Nevertheless, I remember walking out of the end-term exam hall feeling good about how much I’ve learnt over the course of 1.5 months. The credit goes to Prof. Vishy, who taught us microeconomics through intuition and real-world application rather than pure mathematical concepts. Having worked in consumer goods startups, there were many concepts that I learnt during the course that finally gave me the answers to some of the major business problems and phenomena that I had been struggling with over the last seven years. Now I am confident that I will be able to apply my learnings from FAM (short for Firms and Markets) in my future roles as a business leader.

What makes Ahmedabad such a great place to earn an MBA? Ahmedabad truly forces one out of their comfort zone. Be it the sweltering heat when we entered the city in April or the amazing variety of food or even the access to some of the greatest minds in academia and business, this place has been surprising and unpredictable. When I moved to Ahmedabad, I knew this one year would be transformational, but I did not expect it to challenge me both personally and professionally. From figuring out how to deal with the academic pressure to getting used to the tough weather, this place has made me more resilient and confident in my own ability to survive.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I started my career as a PR executive at the age of 21 and quickly switched gears to consumer goods startups a year later. Moving from marketing to category management (and then finally to Founder’s Office roles), my career path has been anything but ordinary. My biggest professional accomplishment has been scaling one early-stage startup from inception to Rs.100+ crores in net revenue within 5 years and growing another one’s product portfolio from 7 to 30+ SKUs in less than 2 years.

I was able to accelerate my career trajectory by taking calculated risks and going headfirst into any and every opportunity I got. This led to my latest promotion, making me the youngest AVP at my last organisation. I was only 28 at the time and already working directly with the CEO and the celebrity founder.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far: IIMA’s academic rigour can be especially challenging for students from non-traditional backgrounds such as mine. Hence, the quant-heavy courses were intimidating at the beginning of the term. My biggest accomplishment has been overcoming this and making significant progress in courses I thought I’d never be able to crack. The credit goes to my professors, who’ve been kind enough to break down the concepts and make them easy to grasp for students from all backgrounds. I also credit my peers, who’ve spent countless hours giving remedial classes to the rest of the batch.

What is your class’s favorite hangout away from school? Why do you gather there? Louis Kahn Plaza, lovingly known as LKP, is a favourite hangout spot for every IIMA student. When we entered the campus in April, the average temperature was 40-45 degrees Celsius. So, the only time we could enjoy the campus was at night. What started off as a curiosity to explore the campus at night soon became a weekend tradition for the batch. Now, every Friday and Saturday night, you will spot us gathered in LKP (preferably around 2am) with some music and impromptu frisbee sessions.

What do you hope to do after graduation? Over the last 7+ years, I have worked with two early-stage startups that are redefining the women’s wellness space in India. My passion lies in building consumer brands, and I wish to continue in this industry. After graduation, I’d like to work with larger organisations and learn how to build a brand at scale. This will eventually help me build a brand of my own or reach the C-suite of a conglomerate.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into IIM Ahmedabad?     The road to IIM Ahmedabad is not a 2- or 3-month journey. Every risk and choice I’ve made in the last 10+ years has led me here. And hence, it is important to carve your own path, start early, and be authentic. No two people have the same journey, and it is important to identify your “Why MBA” and “Why IIM Ahmedabad.” As long as you stay true to yourself, have an appetite to learn, and push yourself to grow, you will be fine.

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