Vishwanath Divya (PFM 2003-05) is currently working as Head (AGM) – Marketing at India Post Payments Bank (Dept. of Posts, Ministry of Communications). Presently, he is based out of New Delhi. In his current profile, he handles 360 degrees of the marketing function at IPPB including Branding, Advertising, Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications, Analytics, Marketing Technologies, CSR & Public Relations.
Vishwanath is very passionate about & connected to the rural financial services domain and has excellent networking with bankers, insurance providers & regulators in India with rich professional experience of over 16 years in the BFSI industry. Before IPPB, Vishwanath worked with India First Life Insurance Co., Apollo Munich Health Insurance Co., IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co. & SKS Microfinance in various capacities under Sales, Marketing, Strategic Alliances, Distribution Strategy, Product Development, Client Servicing, Business Development, Digital Transformation functions.
He has technical expertise in rural finance & an in-depth insight on the rural distribution models with a strong focus on Financial Inclusion. He has been an enthusiastic participant & panel speaker at various national & international forums. He is a qualified Associate from the Insurance Institute of India and recently recognized as ‘Marketer of the year 2021’ at the BFSI Excellence Awards, Mumbai.
Social Media:
Twitter: Vishwanath Divya (@Vish_Div)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishwanath-divya-94859aa
FB: https://www.facebook.com/vishwanath.divya
Email: [email protected]
Q) How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A) The journey so far has been from strength to strength. Even before the professional journey began, various interactions with visiting seniors at IIFM gave us insight into the world outside, and somewhere within, I found the strength to sail through.
I started with Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT) as a Development Professional immediately after campus. Six months into the job, I realized it not be my calling. I wanted to move to the BFSI sector as I was hooked on Microfinance as it was an emerging field those days. In between, I tried to apply for a few jobs where I faced challenges of not being from a well-known institute for the corporate world. I also faced the challenge of being offered low salaries initially. I had to convince the prospective employers & colleagues that the mention of ‘Forest’ in IIFM is not a deal-breaker, and my MBA qualification is bang on & at par.
Luckily, I got a chance to apply for SKS Microfinance & the area of intervention was even more niche – Microinsurance. It was all because of the help and guidance from one of our senior alumni Tanuj Agarwal (PFM 2001-03). That was a turning moment in my life as it gave me so much rich exposure and gainful experience. In less than three years, I became a rural credit, Microinsurance & urban microfinance professional. The same year Indian Insurance Regulator IRDAI rolled out much-awaited Microinsurance Regulations 2005 that had product level considerations to meet the mandatory Rural & Social Business obligations for Indian Insurance companies. It led to chasing a few Life Insurance companies in their Microinsurance & Rural Insurance portfolios. Finally, I decided to join IDBI Federal at their Mumbai corporate office, marking my orbital shift in the professional journey. The journey in the domain of Life & General (Health) Insurance continued with Apollo Munich Health & then with India First Life in strategic roles that led to the current role at India Post Payments Bank. IPPB happens to be the toughest company to join for me, as it tested my academic skills at mid-age through all-India written exams without much time to prepare while I was neck-deep with a full-time job at hand. Thankfully I managed to clear it and was happy to see my roll no. to be at the top. It seemed like starting all over again as I was finally entering the formal banking domain.
The journey so far has been exhilarating and bemusing. Though you have friends and families at the backend, you must steer your journey alone, and sometimes the ride gets bumpy, and the turns are mostly blind. But your personality that grew while studying at IIFM campus always helps you in breathing that belief in yourself and pumping the psychological weaknesses out.
Q) What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A) If I recall well, I was not even aware of MBA as a career option till very late in my academic journey. I got to know about it in 2000, and then cracking the 2002 CAT and finding a place in the IIFM Merit List was the biggest milestone. My folks were not even sure what will happen after this course. Maintaining a good academic record till the end and getting a good CGPA while being part of all possible non-academic indulgences was another milestone for me. That also helped me gain friends for life, another milestone.
On the professional front, SKS was the biggest milestone in terms of the overall shaping of my professional psyche. Moving to Mumbai led me to enter the mainstream corporate world and helped me live the most hectic life I could ever imagine. Now, with IPPB it’s another milestone where I’m part of the world’s largest postal network that is being currently roped in for the delivery of digital banking services and carrying the agenda of financial inclusion forward.
The biggest learning that I have today is to have the courage to take the leap of faith and have the confidence to make your way out to the top. You should continue to learn and grow with an open mind to embrace the change around you. I realized that one should never burn the bridge with your exes, especially your past employers ☺.
Q) What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A) I work for an organization that has Financial Inclusion as its core motto. The fact that I’m able to use my experience in contributing towards building such an organization and taking the agenda of financial inclusion to millions of our citizens at their doorstep is the most satisfying part of my current role.
Q) Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A) Learnings at IIFM were much beyond academics. The best part of the learning at IIFM was to have the kind of exposure to the outside world, generally not found in books. And the outcome, here I was a semi-finished product with immense possibilities within to transform myself in any of the sectors that I would have chosen for. I had the privilege of being the Placement Coordinator for our batch and was able to draft well-accepted placement rules. The same rule came haunting me when I was not allowed to sit for the placement session with SKS Microfinance as I was already shortlisted by HLFPPT & Tara Haat, both serving very different sectors. What I wish to underline here is IIFM never had a dearth of placements & never believed in that cookie-cutter approach of creating professionals over an assembly line. The very basic fact that we were able to pick & choose from diverse opportunities even after finishing the course highlights the strength of the course.
The most important lesson learned was about sustainable development, green consumerism, and conflict resolution that shaped my overall outlook towards co-existence with people and the environment around us. These approaches have been key to my personal & professional development all through.
Q) Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers. What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles?
A) Like most of us, I also belong to a very humble background from a small town. While my parents and family members have always been the biggest support for me, there have been many individuals who acted as influencers and drivers in my career. Our faculty members were the biggest influence in the initial journey at IIFM. Some faculties like Pethiya Sir, Manmohan Yadav Sir, Madhu Verma Ma’am, Suprava Pattnaik Ma’am, RK Singh Sir, Vinay Sinha Sir, and others helped me. I was fortunate to work closely with Vinay Sinha Sir & RK Singh Sir (both IFS), who helped me learn the nuances of in-depth report analysis and conflict resolution. I would say that the campus habitat itself was the huge catalyst as it gave so much peace & space around me to introspect & listen to my inner self.
I would suggest the freshers at IIFM believe in the saying ‘Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.’ IIFM is best used to build life-long friendships and a unique worldview beyond the commercial aspect of being a professional. Just maximize your ability to learn, build your interpersonal skills by interacting with all life forms at the campus, arm yourself with the knowledge required to excel at the workplace, enhance your persona, and set sail for a successful journey ahead.
For someone who wishes to choose a similar sector/ role, I would suggest using your internship & placement opportunity in a planned manner. Explore these opportunities without limiting yourself to IIFM‘s choice of employers/ organizations. In my case, I was able to explore both corporate (ITC Paper – will always be very thankful to our senior Nitin Gupta Sir, PFM 1998-2000) & development sector (BASIX – wish to thank our seniors Rajiv Gupta Sir & Nikhil Mathur Sir) during my internships. I did this to explore my fitment into these sectors to make the right choice at the time of placement. Today, the placement horizon has widened, and I am sure, with the correct planning & execution, one can get success.
Q) What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A) I was sent off by my family, while boarding my train to IIFM, with teary eyes. Probably because no one in my family ever traveled so far for studies. I landed at Bhopal Junction with all my luggage plus my bike together. I remember my entry into the campus with a bedroll placed at the front of my bike and everyone around guessing the purpose of my landing there.
The very first memory of having a field trip under the campus sensitization program was amazing. It was like a picnic trip with strangers who were about to become friends for life. I was elected as Class Representative; the funny part was it was not out of their love but because of their laziness. But that was a beautiful moment as it helped me connect with many of my batch mates at a personal level.
Campus parties are one of the most cherished memories to date. It made the whole experience at IIFM so beautiful. The seniors were always supportive and helpful with last year’s exam papers – a lifesaver for many of us those days.
My gang of friends used to be on the hit list because we slowly turned nocturnal & explorer both at the same time. We started exploring all the nearby locations like Bhadbhada dam, Sakshi Dhaba, Madhuram, etc. late in the night on our bikes. We were mostly on our knees in front of Mess wale Bhaiya to request for food as we used to be always late and the last souls to call it a day. Their love for us was amazing.
Q) In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, and alumni. Anything else!!) or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A) Everything, including course, faculty, library, friends, alumni, played a critical role in shaping me as an individual. The key takeaway was a pride in being a part of a good institution and a sense of responsibility to keep its tradition of becoming responsible professionals high. The whole experience at IIFM gave us that multidimensional perspective that enabled us to choose the sector of our choice and excel.
Q) The best friends/seniors/faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share.
A) I had the privilege of being in the company of seven other great souls (Jaggi, Lokesh, Rakesh, KT, Negi, Pooja, Akai), called G8, who were always together to conspire against every possible rule that was ever broken in the history of IIFM. Thankfully we had girls in the group that kept all of us under some check☺. Our seniors were super cool. The fresher’s party thrown was one of the best memories I have.
Q) As an alumnus, what is your advice to freshers or those who are joining IIFM to get the best out of the 2 years there?
A) When I look back, two years at IIFM were like a ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara‘ moment in my professional & personal journey. I would advise the juniors and freshers to explore every bit of IIFM, be it making new friends, masti with mess team, learning from the faculties, having parties to enjoying the serenity of campus, and many more. IIFM can provide you with those unmatched life experiences that many of us don’t get ever after that. Though the learning format has changed a bit now, I’m sure the character of IIFM as an institution remains the same. Just shed your notions and embrace life here. You will remain awestruck forever as you come out a new you.
Q) What is your typical day at the office? (We want to know what your day job looks like)
A) Typically, my day starts with catching up with my team on various assignments they are engaged with. Then there is a debriefing session with my functional head. In my role, every day throws some of the other surprises and newer challenges as we work with Post Offices as our distribution channel. Their sheer size and spread across India (more than 1.36 lakhs and counting) keep all of us on our toes. Then there are regular deliveries against the product marketing checklist, channel marketing requirements, third-party partners, and various other collaborators and campaigns in the pipeline. I also need to do the legwork for inter-departmental coordination for many ongoing projects and a few of the direct assignments from the CEO’s Office. My working days are a little hectic, and normally I don’t follow any set routine after the initial few hours in the day. We also must coordinate with the leadership team of the Dept. of Posts and sometimes with the Minister’s & PMO Office (being a PM initiative to launch this bank).
Q) And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family, and anything else you want to add
A) I’m blessed with a very lovely and caring family, my wife & two daughters, who allow me to remain busy during weekdays without much of a complaint. They wait eagerly for the weekend for some fun time together. So, I follow what they wish to do during weekends, apart from other usual errands. Hardly get time to pursue hobbies. Earlier had joined a classical music (Hindustani vocal) class in Mumbai but discontinued it after moving to Delhi.
Q) Favorite Books, movies, authors.
A) I love reading non-fiction mostly – about the world economy, current affairs, behavioral sciences, marketing technologies, medicinal breakthroughs, etc. I love watching comedy, sports drama, and science fiction movies but, my kids ensure that it takes multiple attempts to finish just one film. ‘This is Marketing’ by Seth Godin is my recent favorite.
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) It would be a privilege for me to contribute towards the success of IIFM or its Alumni/ students in whatever capacity they believe I can contribute. Earlier I had a chance to hire a few students for internships. I would love to support more such students. I’m available for all possible formats of contribution.
Q) What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? What do you think is a positive change and what is not?
A) What all I could have gathered from the various conversations, I believe there has been a lot of changes that have happened in the due course of time. We were an extremely small batch size of approximately 40 mortals & were able to bond much closely isolated on a hilltop without much technology/ social media. Our learning formats were different where we used to find ourselves in the field every few months during the course – almost six months out of 21 months. We used to have one field trip, two internships, and numerous field visits to nearby locations. We got monthly stipend support that helped many of us to meet our regular expenses. Our relation with the faculty was cordial as they didn’t mind our visiting their houses during festivals (they used to stay in Vanika, not inside the campus those days). They loved us like their kids and supported us wholeheartedly.
The best change I can see today is that the campus has become more vibrant & multicultural due to bigger batch sizes. The course curriculum has also improved to suit the current market need along with the significant improvement in the campus facilities.
I believe there is room for improvement in the overall approach to creating awareness among the public about the institution. It certainly needs more eyeballs and better industry connections.
Q) Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A) Yes, I would like my batch mates Kanishk Negi (Schneider Electric), KT Gangte (Indian Oil), S Ajit (Olam International), Animesh Anand (BFIL – erstwhile SKS Microfinance Ltd.), Jagdish Mundhra (Business Owner), Jayant Prakash (E&Y), Nishant Singh (Deloitte), Shreyas Goyal (Ampersand group), Bishwanath Chakraborty (Any Day Credit – Poonawalla Group), Vishnu Tezoo (Conservator of Forest, Govt. of Mauritius) to be profiled here.