Subhadip passed out of IIFM in 2012 majoring in Environment Management and currently works in TCS, Sydney as an Innovation Evangelist. Prior to it, he pursued engineering in IT from Jadavpur University, Kolkata in 2007.
Subhadip is described by his friends/classmates as a typical Bengali which means extreme foodie, lover of adda with friends, love to travel wide and long, love to read books and of course highly interested in politics 😊. YouTube has become his favorite past times now a days and he watches all kinds of videos from every topic possible under the sun!
Social Media:
Twitter: @TruelyCashless
FB: https://www.facebook.com/subhadip.mahalanabish
Mail: [email protected]
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. Currently I am working in TCS, Sydney, Australia. My job is to identify business improvement opportunities with my client and help them achieve it by leveraging the combined power of digital technologies (AI/ML, Gen AI IoT, Cloud, Analytics etc). I lead a technical team of SMEs to do Proof of Concept/Proof of Technology studies in the identified areas and thus demonstrate TCS capability in those solution areas.
After passing out in 2012, I got placed in a social sector research company where I did all activities pertaining to project Monitoring and Evaluation. That included research design, statistical data analysis, writing research reports, responding to RFPs etc. It was a good learning experience. I also had to travel a lot to different parts of India and manage field activities, which I enjoyed a lot. Towards the end of 2013 I suddenly got an opportunity in the Business Research company named Evalueserve, Gurgaon. It was a tough decision because taking that opportunity meant saying goodbye to the development sector which is close to the heart of every IIFM’ite. But somehow the
situations at that point played out in a way that I had to take the tough decision of leaving the development sector. Meanwhile I should mention here that after completing my engineering from Jadavpur University in 2007, I worked as a software engineer in Verizon, Chennai for 2.5 years, so corporate sector was not new to me. Anyways, I joined Evalueserve in 2013 worked there as a Senior Business Analyst, solving complex business problems of some of the giants in the software and communication industry. It was a good exposure where I got the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of greatest minds in the IT and Telecom industry. Then in 2014 my kid was born, and I needed to return to my hometown Kolkata. So, I started looking for opportunities and
that’s how TCS happened, and I joined TCS Kolkata in Jan 2015. For last 9 years I have worked in multiple roles in TCS with multiple clients from several industry verticals and finally landed in Sydney now, working with a utilities client. So that’s my journey post IIFM to where I stand now, I really like this city and wish to stay here for long with my wife who is also a TCSer from Jadavpur University (my engineering college)😊 .
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. The first thing that comes in mind is the exploration that I had to do in the job post IIFM. I had to travel the length and breadth of the country going to the remotest corner and meeting the most downtrodden people. Talking with them personally, experiencing their lives and understanding their difficulties in first person had made a life changing impact on me. I owe this to IIFM, other than that this kind of job profile may not have ever come my way. That being the psychological learning. On the technical front I can say that I learnt to manage huge teams, working on all aspect of the research value chain like questionnaire design, research methodology design, training the field guys, managing the field, statistical data analysis, report writing and presentation. Exposure to so many different tasks helped to bring out the true professional in me and trained me to perform under any circumstances. That learning will stay forever. Then came that shift in industry in the end of 2013 that I already mentioned which was quite challenging, and I had to adjust to a completely new set of environmental factors. From distant villages, my environment now changed overnight to plush corporate office. I had to adjust quickly and deliver. That was another learning experience I cherish.
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. That will be getting the opportunity to work in the fountainhead of current human innovations. AI/ML, Gen AI coupled with high-speed connectivity is going to change the face of humanity very soon, with unprecedented interventions which are still beyond our comprehension. I feel lucky and satisfied that I got the opportunity to identify business pain areas which can be solved by such revolutionary interventions. I have a team of highly motivated and qualified professionals and together we are part of the large industry group of professionals who are collectively working towards opening new horizons for humanity. That 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. Yes of course. We all know how ESG (Environmental, social, and governance) has taken the center stage of every corporate policy. In every discourse there will be some sort of reference to some aspects of ESG. So as an environment management major from IIFM I feel more empowered and knowledgeable than others in putting my points through the discussions. Other than these, there had been assignments where we needed to identify ESG opportunities for clients which can be solved digitally, there I had to directly put to practice my learnings from IIFM. Besides all these I get additional attention whenever I say that I passed out of IIFM, simply because of the novelty of the course which no other institute offered earlier.
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. Some of the professors in IIFM had been truly inspirational for me. Like Prof AK Dharni, Prof Ashutosh Verma, Prof Advait Edgaonkar, Prof Patil, Prof Bhaskar Sinha, Prof Omprakash Madguni, Prof Yogesh Dubey are some of the names I must mention who had been truly motivational for students. I will provide more detail in the later section. I am naturally a curious person and love to raise the difficult questions. That quest has resulted in many ups and downs and thus many learnings. Each learning has enriched me as a person and created a strong foundation. So, my advice to freshers and IIFM Graduates will be that never be afraid of asking the right questions, stay curious, stay hungry, be kind and friendly and always keep an open mind. Enjoy the journey, it is what you do now is what that matters not what you are going to do in future 😊.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. Innumerable, difficult to make a list. From the day we stepped in, to the day we stepped
out, every moment was memorable so I am just penning down chosen few memories:
● I used to do drama regularly in the cultural events. I enjoyed the long night rehearsals, the arguments, the actual drama on stage and finally the clap of the audience. It was fun and fulfilling.
● The field trips were like excursion with friends, where we can experiment with lots of things😉, those were memorable and will always cherish. We got the chance to explore many uncharted places which may not be possible to visit otherwise.
● I used to play table tennis every night, that was a good stress buster after the days hard work. Vipin, Chayan, Malani, Arnab Dey, Preksha etc were some of my co players. I and Chayan won the runners up trophy in doubles TT in the annual sports event. There we defeated the terrific duo of Biswas Sir and Nakul Dogra in the semifinals when we had started as underdogs in the beginning!! That match will remain memorable forever😊.
● The intellectual discourse in the classes where emotions used to run high with logic
counter logic, all those arguments will remain memorable!
● I have mentioned the name of a few faculties, but I must mention that above all I really loved the classes of Prof AK Dharni. The aura he exuberated was magical. I learnt a lot from his personality and the way he carried himself through thick and thin.
● And finally, I must mention the time I spent with my close friends in IIFM namely Chayan, Pradip, Jitesh, Mradul, S Deepak Kumar, Arnab Dey etc was magical. Hanging out with them in Bhopal, in the field trips, having intelligent discourses in the hostel rooms, having parties everything was so enjoyable that the two years flew in the blink of an eye.
● The best chicken curry I ever cooked was done in an IIFM hostel room! In a cold Bhopal night, me, Chayan and Pradip used the room heater to cook chicken curry. Pradip says that I had alone eaten a full Kg😊, it was so tasty!!
● Exploring the beautiful campus, going to the caves, playing cricket in the IIFM ground in tournaments…. everything still has stayed with me after more than a decade.
● As I finished this section, I remembered one presentation that we did and needs special mention. That year the environment and ecology course was taken by Prof Bhaskar Sinha, and our first assignment went very poorly, Bhaskar Sir inspired us to think for some innovative topic in the second assignment. Me, S Deepak Kumar, Pradip and the other group members decided that we will play the devil’s advocate. Our topic will be “Climate change is a hoax”. Yeah, as unbelievable it sounds, we went with it, and too our surprise we got lots of materials debunking climate change. We organized everything logically into a rich deck with Pradip making some graphical slides (don’t know how we did it). After we gave the presentation, there was pin drop silence, and then Bhaskar Sir clapped. Sir told everyone “this is how a presentation should be
prepared and given, try to maintain these standards”. Everyone was impressed with the depth of research we did and how we presented it. The best complement probably came from dear friend Gyan Prakash “Sala standard bara deta ha, maro saleko :)! ” See I have done many presentations in my career but the sheer sense of fulfillment that we received that day will remain unmatched forever. I am sure some of the guys who were present on that day in the classroom will read this, and they will remember 😊.
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. I think the esteemed faculty of IIFM are the highest contributor to the students. All faculties were good and motivated us to excellence. In addition, the management knowledge in the niche field of environment that IIFM has given us is something unique that is not available elsewhere, which makes it valuable. It gives an aura of exclusivity to my academics and that will stay with me forever. I cherish the decision of joining IIFM and thus got access to such exclusive learning. That helped me to stand out of the crowd with unique credentials and played a crucial role in my professional journey.
Q. The best friends / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share.
A. I have already mentioned the names of by best buddies and memorable experiences with them and the professors whom I liked the most. All the faculty members were good and always tried hard to impart positive learning to students. Still, we have our personal choices which makes us like someone more than others. So, in that regard I would like to write a few lines on a few faculty members of IIFM who had taught me:
Prof AK Dharni: He radiated energy at the same time had an extremely relaxed calm cool approach towards everything. It appeared as if he was in total control at the same time not dominating but rather inviting participation. He taught us to look at the bigger perspective. He was the first to introduce an open book examination, which was a unique experience in itself. Students really loved it when he became the hostel warden. Finally, I must say that he was obviously brilliant in the academic subjects he taught us but what rises above that is the larger picture he painted for us that helped us broaden our minds.
Prof Asutosh Verma: A highly knowledgeable academician who made the complex subject of management accounting look easy. He was always approachable had a smiling face and made a positive impact on every student.
Prof Patil: Very knowledgeable, he accompanied us in one of our field trips and struck a chord with the students. His lectures in the field were brilliant and we learnt new perspective. In the end of the trip in our field trip submissions after I made my presentation, he commented “Subhadip you can be a very good public speaker but please don’t make that sound when you give a pause”. I remember that till day and thus helped me in improving my public speaking.
Prof Yogesh Dubey: He made learning fun with his exciting stories of the forest. He was the key person who taught all the concepts of environment management, that are useful for me even today.
Prof Advait Edgaonkar: He promoted intelligent debates in the classroom. We discussed a wide array of topics with heated debates. That’s what makes his class memorable. He also taught to keep an open mind and think from a broad perspective.
Prof Omprakash Madguni : He taught us GIS, and it is one of the rare occasions that I got a full 4.33 😊. Those concepts are useful for me till now.
Prof Bhaskar Sinha: He promoted innovative thought process and as I said my best presentation in IIFM was given to him hence Bhaskar Sir will always remain special for me.
Q. As an alumnus, what is your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. Remember that you got the opportunity to learn something which is very niche and unique. Make the most by learning hard the key concepts and constantly improvising to add more value. You will have all the credentials of a good manager that students from other MBA colleges have but will have the additional knowledge of the environment and the development sector. Make the most of it. But that being said don’t forget to enjoy with your friends, do whatever you love and make memories that will accompany you forever.
Q. What is your typical day at the office?
A. That would be checking mails, quick catchup with the team to chalk our day’s plans, do the customer workshops, then focus on the work assigned to me and connect with offshore team at night.
Q. And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family and anything else you want to add.
A. As I said earlier am a true Bengali, so weekends are full of good food, meeting friends and doing adda, spending time with my wife and kid, going out with them and do whatever makes me and my family happy and relax.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors.
A. I am an avid reader of Bengali and English books. Narayan Gangopadhyay, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay, Saradindu Bandopadhyay, Rabindranath are some of the classic authors that I like. Among new age Bengali authors, I like the works of Pritam Basu (especially Chouthupir Charjapad), Suchitra Bhattacharya, Srijata etc.
Among English I am fan of short stories, I love Jeffrey Archer, O Henry, Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekov and many more. My wife is also an author and writes English short stories, I love to read her stories as well. One book I once read decades back named “A Thousand Suns” by Alex Scarow had made an impression on me, loved it.
Among movies also the choice is far and wide, I watch all kinds of movies that are of good content. Some of the latest Hindi actors that I love are: Rajkumar Rao, SanjayMishra, Ayushman Khurana, Saurabh Shukla, Boman Irani, Huma Qureshi, Sanya Malhotra and many more. I love to watch the films and OTT content by these artists.
In Bengali I love: Ritwick Chakraborty, Anirban, Rajotava Dutta, Saswata Chatterji, Parambrata Chatterji, Swastika, Paoli Dam etc and many more.
Some of favorite English movies are those directed by Clint Eastwood like Million dollar Baby, Gran Torino etc, those by James Camerron, By Christopher Nolan (till Interstellar only 😉) etc.
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. We can think of innovative summer internship opportunities in the ESG space in TCS for IIFM students. Then we can take it forward from there.
We can participate in the Conclaves, Seminars and Forums organized by IIFM and thus build a relationship between TCS and IIFM.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. You may profile Chayan Bandopadhyay, Arnab Dey, S Deepak Kumar.