Mr. Sameer Shukla (PFM 1993-95) in his current role as Executive Director of Nielsen manages business relationships with a set of Consumer Products manufacturers and retailers in the South Asia Market. He helps his clients measure their competitive performance in the market, help them spot opportunities, consult them on ways to exploit the opportunities and succeed in the market place.
Maxworth, despite having a solid commercial model, drifted into rough weathers rather early. I got a timely reference from my immediate senior, Verma ji, and got into a Research and Consulting Company, SANKET. The year-long stint at Sanket made a perfect launchpad for my getting through at Nielsen (back then, in 1998, it was ORG-MARG); this time, again, it was my batch mates Ravi and Reddy and our super senior Ranjit who assisted my getting through the rigorous selection process. It has been 22 years at Nielsen since then; this memorable journey has taken me to seven work locations and spanned over eight work profiles!
The important point here is that both the times I made company shifts, IIFM alumni guided me getting through, and something I am greatly indebted to them for.
A. Post my two short stints before Nielsen, the current innings seem to be stable, but only on the surface! Almost every 2-3 years at Nielsen, either I have raised my hand for doing something new/ different or the organization has pushed me for it, keeping the learning curve steep.
My suggestion to the young alumni and those at the campus will be to find ‘meaning’ in what they’re indulged in, relate to it, and keep the going joyful. I strongly believe that in general, one gets more than one deserves… that’s the beauty of life!
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. Nielsen’s focus on its value systems – establishing an inclusive culture and building on ‘trust and accountability’ is extremely satisfying. We put significant thrust on evaluating the ‘What’ and ‘How’ parts of an individual’s performance/ achievement; there is a lot of thrust on quarterly check-ins with the Manager and on an ‘individual development plan’.
On the work front, the most satisfying part is the variety of sectors, types of organization, and interesting subjects that a Nielsen associate works on a routine basis. In campus recruitments, a Nielsen punchline is ‘you can work for any company, or can work for many at a time while being at Nielsen’!
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. IIFM was the first platform where I encountered diversity… our batch of 27 was rich in terms of diversity around educational background, culture, and gender; but the gang took no time to bond. This actually became a great learning board for me, apart from the splendid infrastructure for which we were not charged, and some great faculty members. The learning foundation from IIFM indeed gave me a perspective to see the larger picture and understand how systems and relations can be optimized towards desired goals.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. Well, there are many, let me pick a few.
Thanks to my boarding school, I had a habit of sleeping early; actually, my body clock was set at 9:30 pm. Now we would often work on group assignments till late hours and on touching 9:30, I would doze off regardless of the place, sometimes even in the girls’ rooms. So considerate were the friends, they would not disturb me and manage with vacant beds in other rooms!
Fieldwork in Dewas division (the LOTAS chilta group), Orientation trip to Panchmarhi with Prof JB Lal are some memorable ones; the routine ones like ‘ensuring not to follow guidelines of CHA’, walking down to Nehru Nagar for Samosa-Chai, tea breaks during classes are unforgettable memories!
Q. The best buddies/seniors/faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. In my batch, there were two of my immediate seniors from Lucknow University. Now as the tradition goes, I called them Pooja ji and DK Bhai Saheb… this was soon picked up by others. The two would afflict me when called so by other seniors and at times even the faculty members!
Q. As an alumnus, what’s your advice to freshers or those who are joining IIFM to get the best out of the 2 years there?
A. I will repeat what I told the 2022 batch during their orientation:
Increase Diversity in your Life – Like I said for myself earlier, for most of the students who have not grown up in cosmopolitans, IIFM would be the first experience of diversity and one should make the best out of it- learning from the diverse personalities, beliefs, orientation, and so on.
Facts vs POV – In our student life too, and more so with the progress of time, knowing facts has gradually lost significance. It is the application of facts in a given situation and building a point of view that is important for a leader you are striving to become.
Sharpen Your Axe – Marks would hardly have any significance, instead sharpen your axe by indulging in projects, assignments and putting yourself in tough situations. Setbacks and failure in your attempts at the campus are any day better than learning tricks the harder way once you are in the working stream.
Q.What is your typical day at the office? (We want to know what your day job looks like..)
A. My day calendar is generally lined up with meetings around planning & reviews, prep for a pitch/ initiative, making internal and client presentations, and coaching/ motivating teams. This entails a quick changeover from one subject in a meeting to a very different one in the next. The critical part is to adjust across meetings, according to the participants or audience.
In my current profile at Nielsen, I devote a significant time working on plans and ensuring they are understood well and execution is on track. On a tactical basis, discovery around clients’ situations, finding opportunities for them, and helping them exploit them with good RoI is my responsibility. Also, a good amount of time goes into coaching teams and keeping them inspired to deliver their best.
Q. You would like to share about your typical weekends.. Hobbies.. Family..
A. My hobbies keep changing; last year I picked up tennis, one of the few games that are popular in India that I had never played. I’m eagerly awaiting to resume as my club is scheduled to reopen this month. I am also putting more focus on Daan, Sewa and Swadhyay, off late.
I am blessed with a caring family comprising of two neo adults, my wife, and my in-laws. All in the family together, and an abode overlooking dense mangroves in Mumbai has not perplexed me while largely being home-bound over the last three quarters. And of course, the WhatsApp groups of my IIFM batch, and the boarding school keep my entertainment quotient high!
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. During Reminiscence 2020, earlier this year, we had a good brainstorming session with IIFM Director and senior faculty reps around ways in which alumni can support IIFM’s goals. I know that Alumni activities have gained momentum since the new Association has come in place. We can see some good action also on the ground; it will surely have a good outcome in times to come.
It gives me immense pride to learn from the ‘IIFMIGHT in focus’ series that IIFM alumni are doing great in a very diverse field. Guiding students and young pass-outs on the emerging industry trends, helping in placements through networking, and sharing experience in structured as well as on an informal basis are some of the desired expectations from senior alumni. I try doing my bit in that regard, but there is surely scope to dial up on it!
Q. Any suggestions on who from our alumni you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. We should invite more and more alumni to share their stories, EVERYBODY has worthy things to share from their life experiences, something that can inspire friends and youngsters. Kudos to the team working so tirelessly rolling out one story every week… this one is for you Rishi. Apologies for my being so tardy, but I kept my 2020 promise!