Jayant Roy is an enthusiastic, ambitious, professional individual who has a proven track record of achieving results in highly competitive environments. He has more than 20 years of diverse experience in Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Business Operations, Product Management, and Business Strategy. He is currently heading the India Business for Lindstrom Services India Pvt. Ltd as the Managing Director .
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayantroy/
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. My career journey spanning almost 19 years post IIFM has been extremely enriching, exciting, and fulfilling. Starting as a Development Professional in the first organization – HLFPPT. After this, I worked for global brands like LG, IFB. Thereafter, I joined Lindstrom, where I have completed almost 12 years. At Lindstrom, it has been a steep learning curve. I have been blessed to have great mentors, coaches, and colleagues who have helped me unlock my professional potential and fast-track my career development.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. Some key milestones that I can fondly look back to were, to begin with…
- My first job as a Development Professional at HLFPPT where I traveled and stayed at 4 different cities in the first year and led a team of 12 students for one of the biggest surveys ever carried out in Bihar .
- Taking up the role as a Branch Manager at IFB when I was just 1 year old in my career. It was a huge leap for me at the age of 25, handling a team of people from diverse functions like Sales, Service, and Finance without having too much practical knowledge of any of these functions .
- Joining Lindstrom in 2011. This is where I learned about running a business as an entrepreneur, setting up Business Units, ensuring the livelihood of my blue-collar colleagues and building an organization which is one of the most admired companies in the service industry in India.
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. The most satisfying part of my current role is to be able to give back to society in terms of generating employment opportunities for our young workforce, contributing to a greener planet, and helping customers achieve their vision and goals.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. Some of the things that I mentioned above that I learned at IIFM like keeping sustainability at the forefront of my decision-making, empowerment of my team, and creating a culture of trust, respect, and care.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to fresher and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles?
A. The biggest drivers/influencers have been my parents and my family who imbibed a strong set of values in me. Apart from that, there has been a clear sense of purpose that I realized at midway in my career and what keeps making me get up and look at every day with positivity and passion
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. I reminisce about our Field Trips and Ots that helped me build a great bond with lifelong friends. The Cricket matches that we used to play every evening, the Cold coffee that we used to crave from India Coffee House, the breakfast in the sun during winters of piping hot Poha and Jalebi, representing IIFM in the Forest Sports meet and celebrating Holi on campus are some memories which are very close to my heart
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, and alumni. Anything else!!) or takeaway from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. I feel the biggest takeaway from IIFM which still plays a critical role in my life would be how we treat people, the environment and oneself with CARE, empathy, and understanding to lead a more fulfilling life .
Q. The best friends/seniors/faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share.
A. My best friends at the campus were Ankur Dave, Dharmendra Pandey, and Pankaj Lal. We used to enjoy playing cricket and listening to stories from Amitabh Pandey Sir and Dr. CSR.
One of the most interesting was seeing man-eater Leopards at Van Vihar from a distance of 5 Feet and numerous tiger sightings that I had during the field trips and OT .
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. The best way to enjoy yourself is to make sure you keep your mind open and appreciate the beauty of nature around you. Look forward to the field trips and Ots as they are the best learning ground. Make a lot of friends and always keep your dancing shoes ready.
Q. What is your typical day at the office?
A. I am lucky that I get to travel a lot as we have 12 Units in India covering the length and breadth of the country. So not only do I get to see new places but also meet a lot of people. I am usually on the road from Tuesday to Thursday. Mondays and Fridays are reserved for internal meetings and having one-to-one conversations with my reports and brainstorming on our Vision
Q. And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family, and anything else you want to add
A. I have two dogs so on weekends I love spending time with them, playing ball, going for walks, etc. I avidly hit the gym daily and during summers I would be found lazing in the pool on weekends. From time to time I play soccer with friends and reading while I travel is another hobby that I indulge.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors.
A. I like reading fiction and one of my favorite writers is Lee Child. I also enjoy books by GGM and Dan Brown.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitment toward its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, and students?
A.
I would like to contribute my time in interacting with students and helping them set their expectations of the corporate world so we can plan it.
We would also be keen to recruit students in customer interface roles at Lindstrom .
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. I feel that the networking between Alumni and students has increased. We have also started covering topics like sustainability which is becoming more and more relevant today .
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. I would recommend Dharmendra Pandey and Ankur Dave .