September 18, 2011
This weekend has seen guest lectures from eminent alumni of DMS, Mr. Daman Singh,[/b] a 2005 passout currently working with TCS and Mr. Pankaj Nawani,[/b] a 2004 passout working with Max New York Life.
Mr. Singh[/b] came up the dais and this time around he was not only a senior official representing a company but was also our senior. He had no flashy presentations to show, just a keen insight and lots of thoughts to share. An optimist to the core, he had taken up all the opportunities that came across his way. He joined IBM as a consultant, but moved into sales and later rose up to such heights that companies were vying for him. After specializing in sales, he worked in telecom and later become an expert in that field as well. The important thing he had to tell us was that if we cannot reach a particular place through a direct route then there is always an alternative way. All that is needed is a desire to excel and keep learning. He touched upon the fact that people who haven’t a great educational background, need not feel they are any lower. He gave examples of people who started with a zeal to succeed and nothing else, and who had surpassed those from premier institutes, to emphasize the same.
Mr. Nawani[/b] who is currently working as the AVP of Product Management group at Max New York Life Insurance co Ltd., gave an overview of Product management – the definition, difficulties and the traits a product manager should possess. He started his discussion stating the difference between the product of a manufacturing company and that of a bank. In case of a FMCG product, once the product is sold, the work of the seller is completed, but in case of financial services one has to sustain the relationship with the customer. He also spoke about how after releasing a product in financial services, the regulations might change and even the complexity of the product offerings the first time around, requires a product manager who has a holistic view of the product portfolio. He then elucidated on the hard and soft skills essential for a product manager and concluded with a short note on intersection management.