Harsh Bardhan (PFM 2005-07) heads the Strategic Planning and the Performance Management for RBL FinServe. In a career spanning over 15 years with multiple organizations, Harsh has gained experience in conceptualizing and implementing competent business strategies for growth and business expansion, managing the performance at the optimal efficiency levels in Micro Finance.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/harshbardhan
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. It’s been an enriching journey so far with loads of learning en route. After a fascinating two-year voyage with IIFM, I started my career with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance (IPru) as Management Trainee. IPru gave me first-hand exposure to corporate life, People Management, Team Building and Branch Management.
After working for three years in the rural areas of Maharashtra, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, I felt it was the right time to pursue my interest area of work, Micro Finance.
With the guidance of one of our alumni Mr. Shyam Patro, I got the opportunity to make a head start in the MFI industry. It was a small stint of two years in a Delhi-based MFI Mimoza Financial Enterprises Pvt Ltd.
After that, I moved to Hyderabad to work with one of the industry leaders, SKS Microfinance, now known as BFIL. It was a great learning experience to work closely with IIFM alumni and industry veterans. The six years tenure with BFIL was a great aid in building my skill set in planning and performance management.
In Dec ’18, I moved to RBL FinServe, Mumbai which gave me the platform to head a vertical and work independently in the area of Strategic Planning and Cost Management.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. I got the opportunity of working in multiple organizations and geographies. Every opportunity comes with its learning and experiences. Some external factors such as Demonetization and COVID taught me to sail through the uncertainties. Even after working for a decade and a half, I feel there are many more milestones to reach.
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. Being the Planning Head provides me with a space to work closely with each vertical. From incentivizing the field officer in the hinterland to working with the business head for driving the efficiencies. Deciphering the balance sheets, P&L Statement and the cost ratios with Finance, I and my team are involved in the entire process of running the business as well as expanding.
Be it planning the manpower for the organization in tandem with HR or setting up new branches with Admin and working with Senior Management for business acquisitions, there is so much to learn and grow at every stage, every day.
Working with a team of dynamic and extremely competent youngsters and having fun with them is something I look forward to.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. I am a Mechanical Engineer graduate, and IIFM helped me gain a new perspective. A well-balanced curriculum gave me an all-around exposure and those countless assignments taught me the importance of meeting deadlines. Apart from the faculty and the classes, it was the two projects and a field trip that provided the first exposure to the other side of the professional world.
I learned from each one of my batchmates – some introduced me to the world of books while others dragged me to the volleyball and the badminton court. Long GBM over the trivial issues was a rehearsal for the office meetings.
Many times, when I am close to a deadline, I still feel the same rush as opening the books for the first time along with a bunch of friends, a night before the exam in IIFM.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. Each day spent in IIFM was memorable and I will cherish that forever. The first thing that comes to my mind is “Jai Bhanda” – a group of friends I am still close to.
Literally running with pants on fire in the hostel corridor, courtesy of Suraj, Rajiv and Shyam Sir (deo and lighter are to be blamed here). Watching a snake from the balcony with my roomie (Kr. Abhishek) on the first morning of IIFM. After this incident, he went missing for two days.
Just feels like yesterday when my education loan application was rejected as I was underage.
Evenings spent in Tulshi and Shakshi Dhaba are still afresh in my mind. Maggi at the canteen, Chotu ki chai and chicken from Hakim can beat any gourmet restaurant. Every now and then someone updates the picture of the Holi bash we had at the campus on FB. I still find it hard to recognize myself in the pictures. Nothing can beat that celebration, the best Holi I had.
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, alumni.. Anything else!!) or takeaway from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. The answer is “All of the above” without a second thought. This question reminded me of the surprise quiz of CSR Sir and CVRS Sir. This was the easiest choice I made at that time too.
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. For this, I must write my autobiography and for sure, around 50% of the pages will go to the days spent at IIFM. I am lucky enough to have many friends from IIFM (batchmates, seniors and juniors) in each city I spent time in.
Even now at get-togethers, I often talk about the evenings with the Bhanda gang (Suraj, Ashish, Rajiv, Arun), going to Nehru Market daily for our Budha Pujari. Fun memories of my roomie, he would always get hungry after a shower. I used to wake him up in the middle of the night so that he stops snoring, and I can go to sleep. Gossip sessions with the neighbors (Good Boy Himanshu and Nautanki Debu).
Intellectual Gyaan from Shreekant (E-Baba) and playing pranks on the rest of the batchmates. Nightlong bakar sessions with Sudeep and his Haryanvi are still missed. The field visit to Chhattisgarh along with Tirkey, Suraj & Sharad was more of a month-long adventure.
The most fun part of the first OT was learning to ride a bike (courtesy Tarvinder) with Kamal. Interestingly, it was only two of us in the entire hostel and had the whole broadband bandwidth to ourselves.
How can I forget the friends from the senior batch?? From Intro sessions answering “Why IIFM” to the awesome parties at Sakshi and Tulsi, thankfully I can still call some of them at midnight for anything.
Amongst the faculties, I enjoyed the classes of CSR Sir and the way he taught. Was closest to PK Biswas Sir during the IIFM days.
Q. As an alumni, what’s your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. IIFM prepares you for life and not only your professional sojourn ahead. You will miss these days once you’re out of here. Learn as much as you can, make friends, and make memories. The journey is long, so take one day at a time.
Q. What is your typical day at the office?
A. From 9 to 9, I am in the office and some more in Mumbai traffic. Most of my day is spent in meetings. Post-COVID, virtual meetings have also been added to the To-Do list. The remaining day flies off in reviewing with team members and monitoring the organization’s performance against the plan.
Q. And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family and anything else you want to add
A. It’s extremely important to strike a work-life balance. Can’t say I am there yet, but a work in progress for sure. I try to spend most of my time on weekends with my wife Ritu and my seven-year-old brat Prakhar. My favorite thing to do on the weekend is, losing to Prakhar in Chess, Monopoly, Cricket, basically everything.
Apart from that, I enjoy going on road trips, swimming, catching up on movies and reading. A perfect evening for me is with family, friends, and ghazals playing in the background with scotch on the rocks.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors
A. My all-time favorite is Shantaram (gifted by my wife, I was compelled to mention this). The Kite Runner, Madhushala, Chanakya in You, Byculla to Bangkok, and The Black Book of Soul are some of the other titles I liked. My favorite author is Hussain Zaidi.
For movies, call me a cineaste, I try to watch as many movies as possible.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments toward its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. Happy to help in whichever way possible, be it guidance or sharing the tricks of the trait I have learned so far. I would like to help build the IIFM community stronger in the workplace.
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. Unfortunately, I am not in touch with the current batch or curriculum. Not in a position to answer this.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. Each IIFMite will bring his own experiences that are worth reading, so you can pick up anyone.