Thursday, May 29, 2008

Interview with Subash Bidare for Page 3

Interview with Subash Bidare for Page 3 (Nov 07)
(Alumnus Class of 1998 IBS BANGALORE..)
Regional Director South Asia & Country Manager India
MTI Consulting

IBSAF: Briefly tell us about yourself & your work?
Subash: Am currently the Country Manager of MTI Consulting – an international business strategy & marketing consulting firm with offices in 10 countries having done consulting work in more than 30 product/service categories across 32 countries. I was instrumental in setting up the Indian operations of MTI and am also a brand consulting specialist for the South Asia region. Currently MTI in India is working with clients like the Madura Garments of the Aditya Birla Group, Modi Group, Marico, Fashion brands like Satya Paul, Samsaara, etc.
Before MTI Consulting, I was with Vertebrand Management Consulting for five & half years – where I started as an Associate Consultant & when I left I was Sr Manager – Marketing Services. I started my career with Quality Research Group – into Consumer / Market Research, Consulting & Executive Coaching.
IBSAF: Tell us a bit about yourself and your family background
Subash: I was born in Hassan in Karnataka, studied & started working in Bangalore. I have lived in Delhi for a couple of years when in Vertebrand. In the last 2 years I have mostly lived out of my suitcase traveling across South Asia & Middle East on work.
My father is a banker, my mother is a homemaker, my sister is a Chartered Accountant and my brother in law is a doctor. I live with my parents in Bangalore (its more like my home is in Bangalore – I largely live in hotels, airports, flights, taxis & offices) & my sister + BIL live in London.
IBSAF: How has your career progressed after passing out of IBS (look back at your sojourn in IBS)
Subash: Career has progressed well – I stated in research, moved to brand consulting and then moved to strategy consulting at an international level. At each level it was a different experience & I have enjoyed every day of it. When I was in IBS – I was once told that I wouldn’t be a good consultant by a visiting professor who taught us Management Consulting. Here I am with 7 years in consulting.
IBSAF: With your kind of profile, you must be faced high pressure situation very often, How were able to overcome them?
Subash: High pressure situations are part of everyday life. You have to have a definite plan for everything & everything has to be done according to plan. At the end of it all your confidence in your abilities to pull things off is what makes the difference.
IBSAF: How do you balance work and family (time spent with your family)
Subash: I have been basically poor on this front. Over the last 5 years I have made very few friends – & struggled to keep the existing friendships… some how I haven’t been able to dedicate enough time towards this. On the other hand I have many many acquaintances – in fact far more people than I can handle.
Am still a bachelor – difficult for relationships to grow as most of the time I don’t have time or am not in town. My parents on one hand are happy that my work life is happening & on the other they are sad that they don’t get to see me at all. My mom once complained “You arrive late at night from a different city & will leave early in the morning to another city – why do you come home at all cant you get your laundry done in the hotels you stay?”. In another instance my boss quipped “How was your visit to Bangalore?”.
So if you asked me about balance – right question – but am the wrong person to answer it!
IBSAF: Why is your idea of relaxations(or de-stressing as it is called lately)
Subash: I let the stream off by traveling, trekking, partying… work hard – party harder is the way I look at it.
IBSAF: What has been your biggest lesson so far in life
Subash: Believe in yourself & your belief will make ANYTHING happen through smart work & conscious efforts.
IBSAF: Which is the Sector which can expect a big future apart from Finance and IT sector in India and globally? Can you share your vision of the future of our Country during the next decade?
Subash: In India I feel sectors like Tourism & Hospitality, Real Estate, Research & Development, Entertainment, etc are already up but still have a lot of stream left in them.
Coming to your second question – I think its better left to delinquent politicians & bureaucrats to make news headlines. I think the country will progress at an unprecedented rate & its upto all of us to take a piece of it.
IBSAF: How connected are you with you friends an batch mates at IBS
Subash: I am connected to my batch mates on email, phone & networking sites.
IBSAF: Your Advice to fellow alumni embarking upon their careers especially in your field
Subash: Smart work, logical thinking & a limitless mind will take you places in any field.
IBSAF: Quote : A few lines to your Juniors at IBSAF.
Subash: All IBS did was taught me how to think & aim for the sky. My message is think big – aim for the sky & nothing less – if you miss the sky at least you will end up hitting a lamp post.

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