Arun has been working in the financial sector for the last 14 years across various organizations before joining SBI in December 2013. Arun started his career with Indiabulls and then moved on to HDFC Bank as Investment Relationship Officer after a successful stint at HDFC Bank, he joined Indiainfoline at New Delhi to work directly in the equity market. After a short stint in Indiainfoline where he worked as a proprietary trader which was a completely new experience, he got into equity research with Morningstar India Pvt Ltd as Research Analyst in New Delhi.He is a sports enthusiast and enjoys varieties of sports ranging from Premier League, Formula 1, Tennis grand slam, IPL in the season, to any Indian cricket bilateral series.
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Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. I started my career after IIFM in a unique company which had come for the first time for placements at IIFM in 2007- Indiabulls Securities Ltd. During our placement of 18th PFM Batch(2005-07) there was lot of emphasis on bringing different profiles and Organisations to maximise our potential so kudos to our Placement & OT team for a wonderful delivery and in the process creating the best placement record in the history of IIFM which still stands in terms of number of offers/Organization and the average salary. Many of my classmates were placed in various banking and financial companies at good package apart from the Development Sector and few foreign placements in timber sector.
I got selected for Indiabulls, Mumbai but my stint there was short (courtesey the recession of 2008) which led me to go through a series of jobs/roles in various financial organizations as I was very clear on building my career in finance sector. After Indiabulls, I joined HDFC Bank at Mumbai as an Investment Relationship Officer where I handled portfolio of HNI customers. I was always intrigued by the equity market so i slowly started working and developing my knowledge there which helped me a lot in my career. After a fruitful 1 year at HDFC Bank, I got a chance to join Indiainfoline at New Delhi to work directly in the equity market. After a short stint in Indiainfoline I worked as a proprietary trader which was a completely new experience. It enabled me to get into equity research with Morningstar India Pvt Ltd as Research Analyst at New Delhi.
Meanwhile during these years of jumping from one job to another few of my close friends suggested me to try for a Govt job (so that whenever they meet me next they see me in the same job !! ). So i tried my luck and got selected for Union Bank of India and then bettered after 8 months by getting into the State Bank of India in December 2013 and have stayed here since then enjoying a very interesting and rewarding career.
In the hindsight when I look back at my job-hopping years then i can clearly conclude that the primary cause of my restlessness was the monotonous nature of my role in every Organization which changed after i got into SBI which gave me a wonderful opportunity of working in different profiles making me take new challenges almost every alternate year which has been keeping me engaged and happy. I also got in a stable state leading me to get into a happy marriage.
My 8 years+ at SBI has been very interesting. I started as a Branch Manager at Ahmedabad which was fully automated so we were just 2 people to run the whole branch!! Digital Initiative was initiated to move towards paperless banking. Several advanced features were included here where customer could open their account instantly and at the same time they get their debit card with their name printed on it. After 2 years as BM, I was asked to lead the Personal segment advance department with a portfolio of 135 cr at one of the biggest branches in Ahmedabad. After an interesting 18 months there, i moved to Forex Office where I was handling various activities including NRI customers, forex transactions, import- export transactions and FDI transactions of 51 branches linked to my branch which was Gujarat University Branch, Ahmedabad. After working as Forex officer for more than 2 years, I finally got an opportunity to return to my home state of Jharkhand where currently I am posted at Garhwa as Deputy Manager and handling advances at my branch.
So this is a brief summary of my journey from IIFM to my current profile.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. The key learning for me is to always look for a role/profile/area which is close to our heart and interest area as that makes all the difference between a normal job and a happy job. Once we are in the ‘right’ role/area then magically everything else slowly falls into place too.
Other learning for me is the vital importance of good friends in our life. I have been lucky to have a great set of close friends who are like my family whom I can call/meet anytime and share everything which is so important to unburden and bounce ideas. (Touchwood) I have got those friends mainly from IIFM and they all stood beside me firmly while I was having a tough time in the initial years post IIFM. It was their support that enabled me to handle the rough patch wisely.
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. In my current role I get to meet all kinds of people daily from all kinds of social strata and age group with different financial needs who come to me with their requirements and problems. The most satisfying part of my job is to fulfill their needs and solve their problems post which i see a sense of relief and happiness in them which gives me great pleasure. And on top of it, I get different work profiles which is enabling me to learn different aspects of the financial sector.
Q.Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. IIFM is a place to not just gather bookish knowledge but to sharpen one’s personality traits also. Frankly speaking in my current job and role very little of the IIFM curriculum is being used or useful but other learnings that I got from IIFM is of utmost importance as that helped me sharpen my personality and interpersonal skills. To give my example, I have always been glossophobic so I was very uncomfortable on public platforms and literally unable to speak to large audience (in IIFM days it was the classroom) but those regular assignment presentations at IIFM slowly took away my uneasiness and enabled me to speak infront of people who are staring at you and marking every word you speak to ask Q’s post Presentation!!
Then there were those endless discussions outside mess, in and around hostel and at IIFM canteen where i was a silent observer looking at all my classmates and learning many things on articulating and communicating without getting affected by other view points while deliberating on various topics!
These are few from many learning I got from IIFM which helped me in many interviews and also in my current profile when I interact daily with so many people and address official gatherings.
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. My biggest driver was my clarity and determination to make a career in finance sector after graduating in commerce with a set of skillset which was perfectly suitable for that sector.
My only advice to freshers and IIFM graduates is to work towards your goal/aspirations consistently as sometime it takes time for things to fall into place. Every sector is open for us and our alums are spread all over across sectors/geographies so sky is the limit for all IIFM’ites. IIFM gives enough for us to seek what we desire and aspire so never limit yourself. Opportunities certainly will come your way, to some it might be sooner for some it might be little later so stay patient and motivated till you reach your goal.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. Well they are so many that a separate section can be done just to tell the 2 yrs of IIFM memories. From meeting Suraj and Satya(batchmates) at IIFM interview to first time meeting Robby(my roommate-Rahul Samaddar) and his mother on the first day to having interaction with seniors on our first IIFM night at the hostel lawn are still fresh in my head!! None of us on that first day at IIFM would have ever thought that our bonding will last for 17 years and counting!
There are several happy memories that still bring a smile to my face just thinking about it like late night bakar and parties lasting till wee hours and then somehow making it to the first period in the class the next day feeling like an awesome achievement!! Then on the day of the holiday getting breakfast at hostel like home delivery courtesy Rishi( more than half of us used to wake up late so Rishi & Chandu Bhaiya made this arrangement for our entire period where he used to bring breakfast for all of us which was kept in his room to be picked whenever we used to get up!!). Sometimes skipping breakfast or lunch and having Anda-Maggi in the canteen. Playing Badminton with Tarry, Robbie, Binny, Binay, Tarique, Varun, Pradyuman, Debu, Sourabh and our seniors Shyam Sir, Akshay Sir, Virendra Sir and juniors Sameer, Kallol, Abhishek are all part of the ever-lasting happy memories. Also playing Volleyball matches in the court next to girls hostel and cricket in front of boys hostel with and against every batchmate sometime or other was super fun!! Winning volleyball against the top Mess team in Kalpataru and cricket tournaments was super exciting. Going to Tulsi and Sakshi dhaba with seniors, juniors and batchmates to celebrate small-small occassions and going to Nehru nagar for chai-samosa will stay forever with me. The Welcome and farewell parties were very memorable as it used to give us the chance to meet all seniors and juniors in an informal set-up which used to be very helpful in bonding. Field trip to Chhattisgarh travelling almost full length of state with Suraj, Harsh, and Sharad, 1st summer internship to Hyderabad with Suraj and 2nd internship to Assam covering tea garden & Brahmaputra with Kr Abhishek were also very memorable. The festivals we celebrated in IIFM be it Holi, Janmashtami (dahi handi), Lohri, Eid, Christmas all were memorable. The birthday and birthday bashes with special cake from ‘Bake-n-Shake‘ courtesey Tarique+Rishi which lasted all our time through a fixed contribution done by every member of the class! There are so many memories and each memory has so many stories that I can go on and on…. IIFM is magical!
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, alumni.. Anything else!!) or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. There were various life-skill learnings in IIFM especially interpersonal skills which continues helping me everyday. The biggest takeaway though for me is the life-long friends I got from IIFM. I can call any of my batchmates any time without thinking twice, even if we are not in touch or not talking frequently as they are always around.
Q.The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. During IIFM time most of the interactions(or lack of interaction) and greater bonding with seniors and juniors happened while playing badminton, volleyball, cricket, and partying with them!! In the case of classmates, it was hostel, classroom, field trips, OT’s, and many other avenues which ensured a super bonding and life-long friendship.
They were always beside me post IIFM when I was job-hopping and ensured that I stay confident and relaxed during my stay in Mumbai, New Delhi and Ahmedabad were Sudeep Rathee, Rajiv Singh, Ashish Malik, Mayank, Bigsna, Kamal, Avijeet Sir, Kr Abhishek, Suraj, Harsh, Alok sir, Rishi, Shyam Sir, Shreekant, Sharad, Ashish Verma( to name a few) supported me.
During IIFM days I had almost negligible interaction with faculty outside class apart from P.K.Biswas Sir. I made up for all the missing interactions after leaving IIFM as our batch made an ‘annual ritual’ to visit IIFM during 15th August week every year since passing out in 2007, courtesy Rishi who has been leading it along with Tarique. During these visits, i got a chance to interact and connect with C S Rathore Sir, Madhu Verma Madam, Rekha Singhal Madam, Amitabh Pandey Sir, Manmohan Yadav Sir & Yogesh Sir which made me get to know them better.
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. Simple advice that most of alumni will give is to enjoy these 2 years and make the most of your time there. So do enjoy and acquire knowledge and enhance your interpersonal skills which will be the best takeaway from IIFM.
Q.What is your typical day at the office? (We want to know what your day job looks like)
A.In my current role my day starts with looking and evaluating all pending loan processing. Then comes customer handling and solving their issues along with pitching different banking loan products as per their requirements. I also handle the documents for loans to ensure timely processing and getting the loan sanctioned apart from document execution and disbursement of the loan. I also look after the maintenance and migration of documents. And then there are some branch work which has to be done simultaneously and also sometime after banking hours. In some cases I have to also go for field inspection.
There is no fix pattern for every day which makes it interesting as well as challenging for me.
Q.And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family and anything else you want to add
A. I am a sports enthusiast which keeps me happily engaged during most of the weekends between Premier League, Formula 1, Tennis grand slam, IPL in the season, or any Indian cricket bilateral series, so basically any sports that are on TV gets my attention 🙂
I also try and spend maximum time with my family if I am with them at home or any family functions and if with friends mostly partying!!
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors (should add OTTs also)
A.I’m not much into books. There are several movies that I like Schindler’s list, The Departed, Faceoff, Argo, The Big Short, A beautiful mind, The Godfather 1 &2, 2001 A Space Odessey, The Shawshank redemption, The sixth sense.
Amitabh’s Sholay, Don, Sharabi, Black, and then others like Dil Chahta hai, 3 Idiots, Andhadhun, Queen, and Gulal to name a few.
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.I am happy to help in whichever way it is possible as per my capability so feel free to engage with me for opportunities and guidance in financial sector.
Q.Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. Every Alumni has a unique experience and a memorable career path so you all have been covering very well starting from PFM 1st Batch to recent batches. Keep up the good work as people wait for the Sunday issue now.