Life after BCG

Friendships at BCG span boundaries and tenures. People make friends for life at BCG, and these friendships last, even when the person leaves the firm. People who leave the firm become a part of our worldwide alumni network, and they then maintain relations with each other and to us through get togethers, e-mails etc.

There are a number of opportunities available for our alumni after their consulting stint - most of our alumni leave to start off their own business to pursue their dream of becoming an entrepreneur. There are others who move into private equity or into the industry. There are yet others who step out of the corporate world.

Wherever they are and whatever they do, their time at BCG gives them a strong foundation of problem solving, credibility, team management, relationship building and practicality and effectiveness which helps them in all spheres of life.

... Sandeep, MD - Sequoia Capital India

Sandeep Singhal is a Managing Director with Sequoia Capital India.  Prior to Capital India, Sandeep worked at BCG, where he advised several mid-market Indian companies on their product and marketing strategies.  Sandeep has an MBA with distinction from IIM Ahmedabad, an MS in molecular simulation from the University of Illinois, and a B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi.

"The key thing about the work at BCG was the premium placed on intellectual honesty. You are rewarded and respected for having your own objective point of view even though it may run contrary to popular opinion. The thing I remember the most about BCG  is  the varied bunch of people who had one thing  in common, everyone worked really hard but at the end of the day, partied equally hard.

In Private Equity World,  getting to an insight to make an investment decision  is key .  In many ways, BCG's approach of focusing on insight, sifting though the data and holding off conclusions so that  one gets to a real insight into the problem  is very helpful in the PE world."

... Suvir - Co-founder, Nexus India Capital Advisers

Suvir is  the co-founder of a Venture Capital firm called Nexus India Capital Advisers. Prior to Nexus, Suvir was Co-founder and Co-CEO of Baazee.com, the leading online marketplace in India that merged with eBay in 2004 to form eBay India.
Suvir has worked across the BCG offices in New York and Mumbai. He has a BS magna cum laude in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
 
"The 3 Cs that I have gained out of my time at BCG are

• Confidence - Very early on in your career, BCG gives you exposure to senior executives across hierarchies and huge responsibility, this creates a sense of confidence
• Creativity - BCG allows you to come up with your own solutions and hypothesis, and does not bind  you to defined templates. It teaches you how to break down complex problems into simple solutions, which helps in all spheres of life. It certainly helps in being an entrepreneur, where there are no templates defined!
• Connections - The connections one had helped in starting off on one's own."

... Aniruddha - Director, UBS, Hong Kong

Aniruddha Ganguly is Director - Strategy Analysis and Business Development with UBS Global Wealth Management and Business Banking in Hong Kong.

He is an alumnus of IIM - A and has a Bachelors of Commerce degree from the University of Mumbai.

"Working at BCG was fantastic - it was almost like being back at campus - with a very collegial and comforting atmosphere. Working with such a bright set of people pushed you to prove yourself.

Working in India and client situations in India is a different ball game in terms of the warmth and relationships that get built - I have not experienced that during my experience with other consulting companies in the past. The blending of personal and professional relationships is something truly unique.

I leverage the consulting skills I picked up at BCG, more specifically the ability to deal with uncertainty and problem solving skills,everyday in my current profile..."

... Bhavna, GM Auto Business - Cummins India

Bhavna is currently a General Manager with the Automotive Business with Cummins India. She has an Economics Honours from ShriRam College of Commerce and an MBA from IIM - B.

"The professionalism in client delivery, the client focus, the company of people edging myself on; in a sense the friendship mingled with competition is unforgettable. An attitude of pushing the envelope gave me a foundation that I am confident will spearhead all my endeavors.

Any business runs on logical thinking and ability to appreciate the people and process around. This learning from BCG has always helped me to find my way in the labyrinth of complex problems (always a composition of simple problems!) that organizations face.

Being a lady in an environment as staid as Automotive (dominated by the other sex) - a strong foundation of being a fighter helps. Its always about the foundation- and that’s a solid one that BCG gave me!"

... Nirali - Founder, Indiaparenting.com

Nirali Sanghi has founded her own website called Indiaparenting.com

She holds an M.B.A in Finance and Marketing, Beta Gamma Sigma from Columbia Business School. She earned a B.A in Economics and Computer Science, Merit Scholar, Departmental with Honours for Thesis and Dean's List from Barnard College, Columbia University.

"Joining BCG when I returned to India from the United States was one of the best decisions I made. Not only did I learn the latest tools and techniques for undertaking vigorous analysis, but I also got a chance to interact with and provide solutions to the leading business houses in diverse industries. BCG also gave me the opportunity to work with some of the brightest and most creative minds and at the same time develop lasting friendships.

The BCG alumni network is really quite powerful, I am in touch with almost every Mumbai alumnus, most of whom have started their own businesses. BCG has a way of attracting entrepreneurs."

... Amit - Founder, EpowerN

Amit is the founder of EpowerN. He is an alumnus of IIM - A and IIT - Kanpur. 

"BCG offered me a plethora of opportunities to learn and to gain experience in different industries. I worked on projects as diverse as portfolio assessment for conglomerates and restructuring financial services firms. The people were fabulously intelligent, fun-loving, and willing to help each other. Some of my best friends today are people I first met at BCG. 

I strongly believe that the kind of responsibilities I was entrusted with so early in my career helped me develop my skills lightning-fast and gave me the confidence to venture out on my own."

... Jyoti, VP - Global Markets, Deutsche Bank India

Jyoti Kumar Agarwal is the Vice President - Global Markets, Deutsche Bank India, Part of Global Principal Finance Book doing structured Finance transactions involving equity, mezzanine and debt capital.

He has completed his B.COM, CA, MBA and CFA.

"BCG has a highly meritocratic work environment and is full of bright and friendly folks.

What I learnt from my time at BCG was to set the bar high, and then beat it. This I think helps me to do better than most in my current role."

... Sumeer, Director, Corporate Strategy Group - Hewlett Packard

Sumeer Chandra is a Director in the Corporate Strategy group at Hewlett Packard. In his role, Sumeer works with senior executives at HP on issues of strategy and operational efficiency improvement.

Sumeer has worked across the Boston, Mumbai and San Francisco BCG offices. Sumeer has an MBA, with honours, from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a bachelor's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

"My fondest memories of BCG are the times I spent with BCG colleagues on various project teams. The spirit of team work, commitment and friendship in these teams was always inspiring and motivating. My colleagues at BCG were great professionals to work with and also some of the best friends I made in my personal life.

What set BCG truly apart was BCG's holistic approach to solving a client's problem, and the collaborative manner in which BCG worked with its clients."