Darshan Patil (PFM 2010-12), is a development professional turned Central Banker and is currently working as a Manager at the Reserve Bank of India in the Department of Supervision.Before joining RBI , Darshan has worked in various roles in diverse sectors ranging from forestry, agriculture based livelihoods, climate change, value chain and research .Darshan is a sports enthusiast and enjoys playing football in his free time.
LinkedIn ID: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan-patil-016b5a22/
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. Well, the journey has been sometimes tough, sometimes enjoyable but very satisfying. It’s been 10 years of my professional journey post IIFM where I have switched multiple jobs and worked in diverse sectors of forestry, agriculture based livelihoods, climate change, value chain, research and now finally settled in with the Reserve Bank of India – working in the area of banking supervision.
I remember when I was preparing for MBA entrance exams and accidently got to know about IIFM through the online forum – Pagalguy. Some of our seniors (PFM 2009-11) were there on the forum and became our guiding light since our preparation days. For me, who has done his graduation in Life Sciences, IIFM presented a perfect blend of MBA along with the sectoral knowledge so I was very happy when I got the offer letter from IIFM.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. I believe that the learnings would never stop, but one key factor along this journey has been the constant belief and support of the alma mater – be it my batchmates, immediate seniors and juniors, faculty members, and all the alumni with whom I have interacted or sought guidance/help as part of different work assignments.
I started my career with M.P. Forest Department and was lucky enough to work at the headquarters, which helped develop a broader picture of the forestry sector. We (Me, Mradul and Bharghu – PFM 2010-12) were fortunate to work on important projects such as Green India Mission, Bundelkhund Watershed Development Program & World Bank funded Ecosystem Services Improvement Project.
Then I moved to the development sector and worked with Access Development Services in the area of agri-based livelihoods specially focusing on Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). This switch felt difficult at that time but was also the most enriching one in terms of the ground level experience it helped me gain.
Further I briefly worked with NABARD Consultancy Services, which was a short but important period in my career as at that time I had started appearing for competitive exams again for NABARD and RBI. I was lucky enough to find Dharmendra from PFM 2012-14, working at NABARD as Assistant Manager, when I joined NABCONS. He having converted the NABARD exam the year before, enabled me to find a support group and get back in the groove for competitive exams post 5 years of working after IIFM.
Then I moved to Deloitte and worked in their Consulting team focusing on agriculture, livelihoods, value chain-based consultancy services. Param Sir (PFM 2006), was the one who kind of recruited me there and was my Manager-cum-boss-cum mentor throughout my tenure. He played a very important role in helping us (me, Mradul and Paramita – all from PFM 2010-12 and joined Deloitte laterally) settle at Deloitte and also perform to our maximum potential. I believe I delivered some of my best work while at Deloitte.
Then finally since September 2019 I have been working with one of the most august organization – the Reserve Bank of India. I am working in the Department of Supervision, which is tasked with supervision of all Scheduled Commercial Banks, Urban Cooperative Banks, NBFCs, Payment Banks, Small Finance Banks & All India Financial Institutions. This role is completely different to what I did in the 7.5 years of my career before.
The reason for listing all my jobs is to show their importance as various milestones in my life, where the biggest learning has been the ability to learn and unlearn and take on a new challenge head-on to move forward always.
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. I am working with the Reserve Bank of India which in itself is the most satisfying part of my current role ?. RBI is not only one of the best technocratic organization but also one of the top paymaster in the industry where you can explore and enrich your knowledge and potential everyday while having a ‘fairly’ good work life balance. I say fairly because, being in the Department of Supervision the work pressure at times is more but because I have worked in far more demanding roles earlier, so I can manage this pressure relatively well.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. Absolutely!! In every role/ assignment I have undertaken, the learnings of IIFM have played a big role. As highlighted earlier, my first 4 jobs were in forestry and development sector, where the knowledge and most importantly the alumni and faculty connect has been pivotal whenever I was stuck in some assignment. IIFM has helped me to stay humble and have more empathy and also keep in mind the environment and development angle even now when I am working with the Reserve Bank of India.
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. I believe the Alumni (seniors, batchmates as well as juniors) have been the biggest influencers in my careers. I have learnt a lot and tried to imbibe the good qualities which I could observe in different people whom I worked with or interacted with all through my career.
My advice to the freshers and new graduates would be to make the best use of this wonderful alumni and faculty network that we have and not be shy to reach out to people as and when you need help. I remember when I was trying for my first job switch, I had shortlisted many seniors whom I used to contact, take guidance, share my CV with for their assistance. The point to understand is the role of IIFM alums who are always going to do their best in assisting but we should never expect them to get us the job once we share our CV as there are few things beyond their control which can be the deciding factor. Be rest assured, most IIFM’ites try their best to match the requirements in their network with IIFM graduates so stay engaged and invested with the IIFM world.
Also, having worked in diverse sectors across all these years, the advice is to never shy away from your IIFM credentials as they are worth in gold. Even at RBI, on the very first day, I had told my CGM-in-charge, about my MBA from IIFM and the different sectors I have worked in which created an impact for sure as few months later I got to work on a questionnaire for banks to gauge how they are perceiving Climate Risk as a potential financial risk. So, our past knowledge always comes in handy and adds value in our career.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. There are so many memories. Each day starting from the first day felt like an exciting adventure!! The 21-months just passed away in a flash. Some of the favorite memories would be:
- The awesome orientation program especially the 3 day visit to Panchmarhi which laid the foundation for the IIFM experience.
- The exploration of the beautiful campus right from the first day – exploring the caves, grasslands, sunset point, the beautiful football field and so on as every part of our hill is special.
- All activities related to Sports Club and the inter-club rivalry with Cultural Club ?
- The first Independence Cup Football match with the Senior batch and then the following year with the Junior batch where we won ?!!
- Organizing different Sports activities all through the year and especially during Kalpataru which brings a different level of energy in the campus.
- The awesome SI experience where we (some 8-9 guys) had the hostel to ourselves and a special mention of our cooked chicken every Wednesday in Ankit Malani’s room!!
- The birthday celebrations, different club activities, late night treks, the exam hysteria, the 21 day field visits each year.
The list would just go on and on….as IIFM is a collection of so many special memories which stays with us forever.
Q. And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family and anything else you want to add
A. Weekend is spent with my family – my wife, son and our pet. Hobbies – I love playing Sports, especially football. I still try and play football once a week along with my RBI colleagues ?
Q. The best friends/seniors/faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share.
A. I believe the time we spend at IIFM, especially with our batchmates and immediate seniors and juniors – make us become a part of an extended family. Also to name my best buddies – Swayam, Mradul, Karthick, Vijit, Chauhan, Shubham, Malani, Chotu (Arnab) Lovesh, Nishant from our batch. Among the seniors, had good time with Anubhav, Mini ma’am (Aakansha Tiwari), Nakul, Bhaiyaji (Avinaw), Karan, Richa, Anuj and among the juniors Gary, Sen, Ankit, Hitesh, Shende, Raipuria, Sattu (Satyendra).
IIFM faculties have always been there to help whenever needed all these years. Special thanks to Amitabh Sir, Biswas Sir, Bhaskar Sinha Sir, Yogesh Dubey Sir, Dharni Sir, Patil Sir, Captain Khare Sir, CSR Sir, Suprava Madam, Madhu Verma Madam – who have been there to guide me always.
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. Make the best use of one of the most beautiful institutions of the country. Immerse yourselves in the IIFM experience. Make use of the Library, which most of us realize only when we pass-out!! Invest in Data Science and Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint skills as that is one commonality which would stay relevant in diverse sectors.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni and students?
A. I would always be open to guide and help the current batches and fresh graduates.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. PFM 2010-12 – Arnab Dey, Karthick MP, Varun Dutt