International opportunities within BCG

There are numerous opportunities as a BCG employee to work in different parts of the world. Many get a chance to work in foreign lands for short stints through overseas projects and short term transfers. Those keen on longer stints abroad can opt for the ambassador program or a long term transfer.

Like all offices, BCG India has lots of employees who have made use of these opportunities for great learning experiences. Here are a few.

Rishab Gulshan

Early on in my career I worked with many teams in the Southeast Asia region on specific projects. Working with these teams gave me the opportunity to see many different countries and experience the different cultures and working styles of my colleagues. It also helped me develop a rich network of friends and colleagues.

Then, I had the opportunity to work for a year in the Dallas, Texas office as an ambassador.  That was a tremendous experience—both professionally and personally.  Professionally, I worked in new industries such as high tech and energy—something I had been eager to do. I felt very welcome very quickly. Personally, in that one short year, I traveled extensively across North America with my wife, which was a fantastic experience for us. So much so that my wife decided to pursue studies in creative arts, a long standing desire of hers. BCG made that possible by enabling me to transfer permanently to the Dallas office, where I now work in the Technology and Communications, Energy, and Consumer Goods practices.

Navneet Vashisht

I joined BCG's Munich office in 2001 and moved back to the Delhi office this year. A stage and spotlight addict since my school days, my life hasn't changed much after joining BCG. Presentations have replaced dialogues, project management is keeping the director in check and client trust has become a potent surrogate for audience applause. Over the past five years I have worked across industrial goods, financial services, and technology sectors. In my spare time, I  spend time with my daughter or reading couple of books (always two at a time!).

Living in Germany for five years was quite unique and challenging - an opportunity to live in a new environment, learning a new language and of course see Europe at leisure. Coming back, I have been bowled over by the energy and ambitions of both my colleagues in India and our clients here. BCG India is truly special, a place that is similar to other BCG offices in terms of bonding and calibre but an ambition that is ten folds compared to others.

I hsve an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta

Amitabh Mall

When I joined BCG in 2001, I had the option of moving to a European or U.S. office. I made the decision at that time to stay in India. For four years I truly enjoyed working across diverse sectors in India.

I worked on strategic areas like market entry of a European player into India and portfolio strategy for a diversified conglomerate, as well as tactical areas like channel management and sales force effectiveness.

By 2005, I reached a point where I wanted to do something dramatically different, yet did not wish to leave the wonderful world of BCG. This coincided with my wife’s desire for higher education. We put it all together and decided to seek a transfer to New York. I had imagined it would be a tough process given how many people want to work in New York—but within six months of my first discussion all the decisions were made, paper work completed and I was in the Big Apple!

The last couple of years here have been an exhilarating experience. I have worked for some of the biggest global names in their industry. I have been able to hone in on my focus sector—consumer and retail. And I have worked with some of the most well-known BCG thinkers to develop expertise in areas such as organizational transformation and sales and marketing. But, best of all, I have managed to leverage my experience in India to educate clients here and help them evaluate options to leverage the rapidly growing but highly complex market. All this while I traveled across North America and Europe, enjoyed the fast paced life of New York, and made friends from virtually every corner of the world!

I might decide to come back to India at some point. Or, maybe not. Either way, BCG has enabled me to have a fantastic experience, from both a personal and professional point of view.

Rahul Jain

Consulting offers the most varied and enriching experiences. It provides you with a strong platform to make significant difference early on in your career. It has helped me to discover my passions and chase my dreams.

Since joining BCG in 2001, I have worked extensively in the industrial goods and consumer goods sectors, both in India and the United States. I spent 2005 in the Los Angeles office as an ambassador, where I worked in the bio-tech, distribution, and airline businesses. The U.S. experience was very enriching, both professionally and personally. I was able to learn how the most efficient companies operate. Personally, it helped me appreciate the current growth in India and associated opportunities much better. It also helped me network with other cross-sections of the BCG family.

I earned a degree in electronics engineering from Nagpur University and an M.B.A. with high distinction from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. I enjoy traveling, tracking stock markets, and watching cricket and movies. I try to spend most of my free time playing with my daughter.

Ashish Jhina

I  joined BCG as an Associate in 2005. I have a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from IIT Delhi and was awarded the Director's Gold Medal for the best all round performance in my graduating batch.

During my time at BCG, I have worked in the Steel, Financial Services, Telecommunications, Auto and Industrial Goods sectors. I am currently working on a pro-bono project with the United Nation's World Food Programme and a number of Indian State Governments on the Public Distribution System.

I appreciate the opportunities that come with working for BCG. From working alongside extremely smart people in a multitude of locations within India and abroad, to the incredible leverage that one has through one's interactions with top management in some of the country's largest and most influential corporations, the BCG experience provides early opportunities to create tangible and long lasting impact. The fact that all this happens in an extremely collegial and friendly environment, makes this experience all the more special.

I will be transferring to BCG's Chicago office in a few month's time in search of new challenges in a different business environment.

Garima Batra

I am a Senior Associate in BCG’s New Delhi office. I am a Computer Science engineer from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and joined BCG in 2005. In a span of two years with BCG I have worked with clients in the IT, Energy, Financial services and Industrial Goods sectors and with worldwide conglomerates having significant presence in India.

My experience at BCG has undoubtedly surpassed the expectations I joined with. Repeatedly I’ve been challenged and have been thrown out of my comfort zone, each time forced to perform better than I’ve in the past . Over the last two years I’ve worked on varied projects from defining the three year growth strategy plan for a Financial services firm to redesigning the supply chain for a cement major to defining the role of the corporate centre for a conglomerate.

I plan to start my MBA in the US within the next couple of years. In light of my future academic pursuits, BCG has provided me with another excellent opportunity, this time to gain international experience. I’ll soon be transferring to the BCG Toronto office. I look forward to working in a new environment with new colleagues and clients but simultaneously, strongly believe and hope to re-experience the warm culture of the BCG India office, the corridor gossips and the affectionate mentoring, irrespective of the below zero temperature outside that I’m dreading even before I’m gone.

Varsha Raman

Opportunities present themselves in multiple ways in BCG to work internationally.

I have worked on numerous cases with international teams and clients. In the form of India entry cases and multi-geographic teams, there were lots of occasions to interact with diverse cultures, work styles and countries. This has enabled me build a strong network of friends and colleagues.

On one of my cases, I have had the opportunity to travel to parts of North America and work out of Canada. Working with multicultural teams in the client setting was a highly enriching experience both professionally and personally. Working with the CIO of a large global telecom player on a daily basis was a great learning experience. Combined with the all the travel that I had to different parts of Canada and USA and the friends and acquaintances I made along the way, the entire case was a terrific experience for me.

Tarandeep Ghai

I am a consultant in BCG’s New Delhi office. I earned an MBA with a gold medal (best all rounder) from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. Prior to that, I completed a degree in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

Over the past two and half years, BCG has given me unique opportunities to work in diverse set of industries in different functional domains. I have been involved in shaping the strategic roadmap for the financial services foray of one of the largest Indian conglomerates, to defining the blueprint of focus markets in the future for a cement client.

Recently,  I had this unique opportunity to work for the largest conglomerate in Mauritius on their portfolio strategy. Our client had over 80 companies working in diverse sectors like engineering and construction to hotels and financial services. Our role was to define the prioritized list of companies that they should invest in order to maximize the returns for their shareholders. It by far, was one of the most interesting cases that I have worked on in BCG, not to mention that the destination itself added a lot to the “interest”.

Arpit Midha

I joined BCG as an Associate from IIT Bombay in 2005. I have worked across several sectors- Industrial Goods, Financial Services and Non-profit. I have worked on projects  ranging from pure Strategy to Organization design & Change management to Operations to M&A & Corporate Development.

I had joined consulting with the sole purpose of experiencing the widest variety of businesses in the shortest duration, and I must confess that I achieved my objective. Though cross-continental/ trans-national cases and trainings provide multiple opportunities for consultants to work with and experience several cultures and work styles, I had always looked forward to working in an entirely new part of the world, with different set of rules, laws and economy. BCG was quick to respond to my requests and I got this opportunity a couple of months back. I was allowed choose between offices across Europe and US for a permanent transfer.

I have chosen to take a transfer to the LA office and look forward to the High-tech, Media and Bio-tech clients associated with that office. The transition I believe would be easy. One surprising aspect that I have learnt about we BCGers is that though we all have diverse backgrounds, we are still remarkably similar at the core.