I am a banker by chance, joined ICICI from campus and then have worked across ICICI, YES, IDFC FIRST & now DBS so close to two decades now. I have worked mostly in the product space for Liabilities, Payments & Digital banking. Currently work with DBS where I manage Liabilities & Payments Product & Digital business .
Location: Mumbai, India
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/alok-kashyap-28704a8/
Twitter: @akashyapmumbai
Q. Tell us about your School and College before you came to IIFM. How was your experience there? And how did IIFM happen?
A. I did my schooling from Patna at Loyola. When I wrote CAT, i got the option to join GIM, LIBA & IIFM.
IIFM happened more by elimination as my mother though no one can Study at Goa (regret have)! I did not get a good feel at LIBA in my GD & PI so IIFM happened and happened for good.
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM so far?
A. When I look back at the last 2 decades, it feels like quite a journey full of tremendous opportunities, challenges and rewards. The journey of personal growth is not always easy, but it is always rewarding.
I was placed in ICICI Bank from campus and worked with them as a product manager for Liabilities. Thereafter, I spent 4.5 years at YES Bank setting up non-individual liabilities business. In 2015, when IDFC got the banking license I joined them and got firsthand experience of setting up a bank, not once but twice – again, when they merged with CAPITAL FIRST and became IDFC FIRST. I was with IDFC for 10 years before moving to DBS in December’24.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. All 20 years have been fun, learning, unlearning and relearning….getting to work with some phenomenal people and being part of the growth story in each organization. Launching new products, learning to swim with the Digital wave & now surviving the GEN AI era; all have been equally enriching and challenging.
The massive challenge in Demonetization and Covid were indeed humbling . All We knew as ‘BAU- Business As Usual’ or normal were rewritten from scratch and we adapted to the new situation.
Q. How has been your experience in your current Organization? What all areas have you been working here?
A. I have been at DBS only for 6 odd months. I am part of the Liabilities, Payments and Digi business team. This is my first MNC experience so immense learning.Working in a organization that works in multiple geographies is a unique experience.
Q. What is the most satisfying part in your career?
A. Ability to pay my EMI & Afford my old Monk …jokes apart, I think have been fortunate to see the banking landscape transform and be a small part of designing the leap too. Opening my first account using a 12-page form to now be filling just 11 fields online down to a 4 minute task equivalent to brushing one’s teeth! (Yes, I am mindful about my dental hygiene). I could not have asked for more.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. A very important part, actually – being a small town boy from Patna, with little exposure, I was scared of public speaking. I still remember clearly how the two of us (Avijit and I) were asked to make a presentation using transparency sheets on a projector. I was trembling and could not find my voice. Avijit, our hero, saved not only the day but also me from throwing in the towel. The two years I spent at campus made me who I am. IIFM teachers, my friends and the campus are the reason I am writing this profile here…
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 attribute the credit partly to the wonderful organizations I worked for, the opportunities that came my way, and more to my mentors– Sanjeev Chandran, Diju Shali, Bhavesh Gupta, Amit Kumar, Sumit Madan, Pradeep Natrajan– each left a remarkable positive influence on me. Each of these engagements made me improve (if I can claim so!) & helped me flourish as a professional.
Financial services as per me is transforming not by years but every month – opportunity to learn and grow are immense .
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. GBM & our outing in weekends with lot of fun has stayed with me even after all these years. The non-stop talks and eating-drinking session at the ‘Dhabas’ was amazing. Though I will say every memory at IIFM was special even though I belonged to the Back benchers club but it helped me have a wide horizon.
Being nested in lush green surrounding overlooking the city was blissful. Happy times come and go, but the memories stay forever. Some of them will never fade and still on top of my mind.
Being one of the last few to go for the famous ‘Psycho brain mapping’ studies done by one of our HR faculties is also a very vivid memory for me !! Also being accused ( falsely for sure ) of proxy attendance signing for my friends when the talk was of CBI handwriting experts being called was so funny!! Strategy management class – we had coined terms like Input strategy, Output strategy and what not for it!! A visiting faculty used to take that class. We had a Presentation and the only role assignmed to me in the team was to be present!! He made the class clap on our new Strategies because they were all ‘our’ made terms and told us – we have 3 slides only to talk while our group had made some 50 + slides for Presentation so I went directly to the most important Slide – Thank You !!( disclaimer we were all placed by then). We had one ‘Marketing Research’ assignment -The ones who know will know so won’t talk about it !!
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. Today when i look back after almost 2 decades of IIFM, I feel privileged to be part of such a gifted cohort – Class of 2004 -2006 – I find each one of them doing very well and highly accomplished in their respective domains. I am sure almost every batch will have similar stories.
Swapan, Jaspal, Akshai, Priyank, Nitu and Mandar shine as successful entrepreneurs. Santy Singh, Amit B, Michelle, Anup, Akhand, Abhishek, Bagla, Param are making a mark in consulting. And of course, Avijit, Pushkar, Mukul, Anil, Patro, Parth, Rahul, Bhaskar are in senior leadership positions in their respective organizations. I am sorry have not named all, just naming the ones that I got to know better in our time.
Just remembering them all, makes me full of gratitude that they were my batchmates at the boot camp before we chose our respective Everests!
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. My go to Gang – Lala , Master , Pushkar, Mandy , Mukul :)! Drinking sessions with Patro, Anup, Deepu Ji , Subhash Sir.
I will like to make a special mention of Rishi(my immediate junior from IIFM) – who did not loose hope and kept on pursuing me for this write up !! Rishi – apologies for the delay !!
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. I guess – Do what you believe in…No one other than you can tell you what you want to do and how you want to do it.
Q. What would be your advise for recent graduates who look for changing their sector after working for couple of years?
A. Completely OK – I will say.
If I speak about myself – graduation in Computers, masters in Forestry and now working with a BANK!
Its okay to explore. I think wherever we go and whatever we chose, the grit and openness to learning is what matters. What path you will finally take is dependent on too many variables. Don’t stress over it! Remember a pupa has to change constantly to become the beautiful butterfly !!
Q. What is your typical day at the work?
A. Hard to say but mostly lost saying in virtual meetings – “Am I audible “or appearing busy in meetings!
I guess I am losing steam with the unending questions here…Oops!
Q. And how about weekends, hobbies, family and anything else you want to add?
A. I have been on and off with my gym routine lately, but trying to keep up with weekend cycling & of course, Doing Nothing, that’s the absolute favorite!
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors?
A. This question makes me sad. Jaane kahan gaye woh din….Reading feels to be a habit in the distant past & how I envy friends like Santy Singh reading a book a day! Uff!. I am an OTT person now and addicted to the absolute bane of channel surfing – watching whatever I land on when exhausted of surfing.
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 would love to be of help, although my 8-yr old daughter has declared that I am of no help whatsoever! and my help mostly results in more work for everybody.
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? When was the last time you visited IIFM?
A. I think my last visit was almost 12 years ago. We should do a reunion. Our batch will also be completing 20 years soon so it will be good to see all :).
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. Each one from my batch and my junior batches – I only have more visibility here. A lot of IIFM’ites I worked with – Rajiv Choudhary, Siva devi, Sanchit, Ankit, Victor… I think each one will have a unique story to tell.
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