SHANTANU KHANDELWAL

 “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic. It takes sweat, determination and hard work” – Colin Powell.

Hard work is something I have always considered of paramount importance. It is the pillar on top of which success stands. It is the foundation to achieve anything in life; and that nothing is impossible if you believe in what you do. My father always emphasized upon me the importance of choosing a passion, a direction, a path which I can hold on to in my early days and walk upon, in my later years to come and so I began my journey.

After completing my primary education, I then took admission in Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai, under the umbrella of which I graduated as a Bachelor's in Commerce. Thereafter, I further went on to pursue my Masters in Commerce from Mithibai College, Mumbai. It was in college that I came across a host of subjects that ushered me into determining a path to follow but I was yet aware of my field of interest.

Having gained extensive knowledge in the field of business and commerce and getting exposed to the working practices of business, I realised that to further determine my direction, I would need further knowledge into the universe of business management in order to engage myself to interact with these skillsets to determine my career track.

I then deciphered that I needed more comprehensive and practical application-based knowledge on business functions like operations, finance, strategy, and marketing since all play an equally important role in making an enterprise successful thus being my major motivational factor to pursue my Master in Management, specialising in Business Management.

And hence came EDHEC Business School. I never knew what lay ahead for me, but today, looking back at my decision to get admitted at EDHEC, I can only say that it was one of the best decisions I ever made. As Steve Jobs rightly said: “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever...” and spoiler alert, the dots somehow connected but more about that, later.

STARTING AT EDHEC

So I packed my bags and boarded the flight for EDHEC Business School, to start my journey into the world of Business Management. The Master in Management programme gave me the opportunity to gain an international experience where I gained from the insights of leading global experts like the Vice-President of Renault in the first week of college, who shared with us great insights about the importance of sustainable development and the implementation of the same by Renault in the new products to come.

I got the opportunity to interact with students belonging to different socio-cultural backgrounds through various ice-breaker sessions which helped me broaden my horizon as a person by gaining invaluable life experience as I expanded my network at EDHEC Business School.

I gained from the experiential learning stint via real-life consultancy assignments like Capsim, a Capstone Business Simulation that gave me the opportunity experience how functional areas are integrated into a company, to make strategic decisions and tactics that align with the team strategy, which greatly enhanced my business acumen.

Seminars conducted on campus like that of McKinsey provided me with insights about Circular Economy and the ACRE initiative to help combat Climate Change. It provided me with a deeper insight into management issues related to the real business world.

GETTING INVOLVED IN STUDENT ORGANISATIONS

I became a member of EDHEC Consulting Club where I amongst other members in the team were given the responsibility of the Competition pole wherein I got to work on a first-hand basis with the consultants at SopraSteriaNext. Our mission was to create a Business Case Study based on real-world scenarios for the debutant event hosted by the association. It was an incredible learning opportunity to learn coordination amongst the team and third parties to reach a consensus and what goes behind the construction of an event and its cases right from scratch.

I also became a part of Oikos Lille, a CSR association of EDHEC to raise awareness of the challenges of sustainable development in the business world. I was associated with the Partnership department where I got the opportunity to contact corporate organizations and attract them to create a partnership for events like the Sustainability Week. This experience helped me assimilate the quality of effective interpersonal skills and professionalism.

NETWORKING

EDHEC organised the Alumni dinner where I got the opportunity to meet business leaders from various industries and hear their journey of success leading to where they are today. The most interesting part was to learn about the thing that motivates them and fuels their drive to push forward every day. It was indeed one of the most insightful events I had been to since it provided me the opportunity to network with them on a personal basis and get inspired.

Later in the semester, networking helped me land up an opportunity to be a volunteer at Tedx EDHEC Business School. I was having a conversation with a friend over a cup of coffee in the cafeteria about a new TED talk video, expressing my interest in it. Somehow the dots connected, well that’s how networking words, and to my surprise and 4 weeks later, I got a mail asking if I would be interested in being a volunteer for TEDx EDHEC Business School. Dots do connect. Not just ones, but indeed more than you can imagine.

Being a volunteer, I got the opportunity to be a part of one of the most organised and efficient teams I have ever come across. Being a part of TEDx would not only have given me the opportunity to organise it, but it also the opportunity to then meet and interact with speakers coming from different walks of life, from all over the world".

Through the curriculum and the exposure from studying at EDHEC, I got the opportunity to attain a deeper insight into management issues related to the real business world. I got to explore the realms of marketing, finance and consulting amongst other fields which not only gave me insight into the business operations in a socio-economic environment but also gave me the ability to manage in the future, challenges of global affairs with diligence.

LILLE, A LOCATION EASY TO TRAVEL FROM

Talking about the world, traveling around it has been my passion since my childhood. I believe that every time I travel, I get to learn a bit, and forget a bit. Learn by experiencing the food, style, language, currency, passion and the story of the place, and forget a part of me by just losing myself in some part of the world immersing into my existence.

I traveled through the landscapes of Belgium where I got to emerge myself into the amazing chocolates and waffles to the intoxicating city of Amsterdam. From the beautiful view of Prague Castle to the strong and rebellious parliament gates of Vienna. From the historical split city Budapest to one of the busiest shopping hubs of the world, Milan. From the leather industrial centre of Florence leaning to the tower of Pisa, Pisa. And not to forget, Paris, La Ville Lumière.

EDHEC gave me the opportunity to follow my passion of traveling across the world, and my dream to find a direction, a path which I can hold on to in my early days and walk upon, in my later years to come.

And guess what? This is JUST the first Semester of my time at EDHEC Business School.