Rohit Singh is a Public Policy professional with over 13 years of experience at the intersection of technology, governance, and economic development. He currently leads Public Policy for E-commerce, Digital Payments, Seller Engagement, and Tax at Amazon India. His work has delivered several key outcomes, including forging strategic government partnerships, driving critical tax reforms, and successfully mitigating proposed regulations that could have disrupted business continuity
Previously, Rohit spent four years at Meta ,where he led policy programs across privacy, digital content, payments, and public health in India and South Asia. He headed Meta’s COVID-19 response in the region, launched the flagship CSR initiative Pragati, and played a pivotal role in shaping data governance and digital safety legislation.
Earlier in his career, Rohit worked with think tanks, academia, corporates, and regulators, building expertise in the digital economy, e-commerce, financial inclusion, and development economics. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a PGDFM in Environment & Development Management from IIFM.
Rohit is also an active member of several sectoral policy committees, including FICCI, CII, NASSCOM, USIBC, and USISPF.
Location: Gurgaon, Haryana
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rsingh87
Q. Tell us about your School and College before you came to IIFM. How was your experience there? And how did IIFM happen?
A. Like most Indian kids, I pursued engineering and graduated as a Computer Science Engineer. I tried my hand at coding but soon realized it wasn’t something I wanted to do. So, I decided to go for an MBA (surprising, isn’t it?). Still lacking a clear direction, I was unsure which college to aim for. I hadn’t really planned on IIFM, but one of my relatives, Ashish Gautam (PFM 2002), had studied there and was doing well in his career. The RoI (fees vs. potential package) seemed reasonable, so I took the plunge.
Looking back now, I feel good about the choice I made. A B-school is meant to give you direction and a jumpstart, but your career path ultimately depends on how you shape it afterwards. IIFM gave me everything I needed: quality education, lifelong friends, rich learning experiences, and greater self-awareness.
Take my batch, for example. Everyone is successful, yet each has carved out their own unique path. Some hold leadership positions in banks, others have excelled in research, and some continue to work at the grassroots level, serving the sector. I couldn’t be prouder of my batchmates and of being part of IIFM.
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM so far?
A. Well, it has been a great ride since then. I started my career with a bank, working on priority sector lending. Then took a U-turn and became a researcher at IIFM, which paved the way for me to enter the public policy domain. From there, I became policy analyst at a think tank, primarily working on digital economy. The nature of the issues I was working on eventually led me to collaborate with corporates, and since then, I’ve been working in the technology sector. First Facebook (now Meta) and now at Amazon.
People often assume that I have moved away from the public policy space, but that’s not true. Public policy is ultimately about advocating for favorable policies and regulations for a particular sector. Policymakers will only entertain such proposals when a sector or organization can clearly demonstrate its positive socio-economic impact and show how it contributes to national growth, whether in terms of jobs/entrepreneurship opportunities,investments,manufacturing, etc.
I believe that it’s not mandatory to work with an NGO or in CSR after graduating from IIFM. While those are excellent career options, there are many other meaningful ways to contribute to society. It could be through research, strengthening a sector to generate more employment, working with a development organization to promote entrepreneurship, and much more.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. Dream big
I’ll be blunt, even if it might irk some people!
Back at IIFM, and for a few years afterward, I noticed students and fresh graduates flocking around a handful of seniors who were working at the Big Four firms. The hope, perhaps, was that these seniors would notice them and help them land consulting jobs. I had similar hopes myself (minus the “flocking around” part).
Looking back, I now realize I was dreaming too small. With no disrespect to the consulting sector, I don’t believe it represents the pinnacle of a career. Take Munish Sir, for example, couldn’t that be a target for some of us? Why can’t we aspire to something bigger and more impactful?
Why do we so often seek the easy way out? I have no shame in admitting that I once dreamed of consulting, but today I feel that was a limiting approach. Instead, try to figure out your dream company or a role, and work backward from there. Identify the skills and connections you need to get there.
Trust me, this way you may end up achieving something far greater than you originally imagined. Keep dreaming. Dreams are never bad; they always take you somewhere because, in some way, you are manifesting them.
Q. How has been your experience in your current Organization? What all areas have you been working here?
A. Amazon is a great company to work for and is much more than what meets the eye. Most people think of Amazon as one of the biggest e-commerce giants, which is correct but only partially true. If you look deeper, Amazon is also involved in satellite communications, AI, technology, cloud services, devices, and much more. In India alone, it employs close to 150,000 people, making it larger than many companies you might know.
I am part of the Public Policy team, where I lead advocacy on e-commerce and tax policy issues, while also working to strengthen corporate reputation and seller engagement. This involves creating evidence-based campaigns to build a compelling narrative among policy stakeholders on how policies and regulations should evolve to catalyze India’s growth. A typical campaign includes conducting research, landing strategic partnerships with the government and key institutions, engaging with policymakers at both the union and state levels, and driving discourse around critical issues.
Q. What is the most satisfying part in your career?
A. The Change!
For example, in the last two years, our work has contributed to several reforms in the GST regime. These reforms have lowered barriers for sellers to market and sell their products online, not just on Amazon, but also through their own D2C operations.
When you realize that you have been a part of such change, positively impacting people on the ground, that is where I draw my deepest satisfaction.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. It has. It gave me all the tools I needed to find success. The realization came late, but I eventually understood that I already had those tools and skills to build my career, find direction, and carve out a path for myself where I could grow.
Mind you, I even had an extra year at IIFM, during which I was doing research and that also contributed massively to my growth. I had some good mentors around, which helped in in finding that direction I needed.
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. A lot of people have contributed to my journey so far. I am especially grateful to my parents, who allowed me to make my own choices and provided the resources to help me reach where I am today. During my student life at IIFM, my professors and batchmates played a big role, particularly Nandita, who helped me with academics.
In terms of shaping my career, I received invaluable guidance from Madhu Ma’am, Chandan Sir, and Dhawal Sir during my time at IIFM. After that, I found something to learn from everyone, my business partners, colleagues, managers, and many others. For me, the idea is simple. If I see a quality in someone that is making me awestruck or envious, I try to learn it. Not always I succeed but at least, I try.
My only advice is to keep experimenting. It’s okay if you don’t figure out your career path at an early age. Yes, it’s great if you do, but it’s certainly not a requirement. If you look at my career progression, from banking to research, to big tech, I had no idea it would take this shape. But by continuing to experiment, I learned along the way how I could refine and build my career.
Q. Did you think about going for higher studies post IIFM?
A. Well, at IIFM, I realized I had studied enough. I wasn’t the brightest student, nevertheless, so why take up another seat at a good institute and deny it to someone else?
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. Lots. Lots. Two years at IIFM were far too short. My wingmates, Ravi, Nishant, S. Deepak, Shubham ,Shashi, Sampath, Sandeep, and Sumit, were perhaps the biggest troublemakers, yet also some of the kindest people at heart.
First Field Trip
They contributed massively to various committees: mess, sports, culture, literature, internship, and placement. They were sincere in their work, yet also the mischief-makers of our batch.
There are so many memories that would be hard to pen down here… maybe I’ll share them all someday at an alumni interaction.
What I take pride in is introducing professional gaming to my batch, as well as to the senior and junior batches. While everyone enjoyed computer gaming (for people who know about Counterstrike 1.6), none had experienced what professional tournaments actually feels like. Since I had that exposure of playing the game professionally for a few years, I was able to recreate that experience for everyone in 119 and I like to believe that everyone really enjoyed 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. My batchmates. My friends. Period
At a friend’s wedding in Kerala
They were there then, and they are here still. IIFM felt like home because of them and today, they are family.
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. My wingmates, of course, and then there were Mradul, Darshan, Ashish, Ajay,Deepak and many more. Honestly, it would be easier to just attach the complete list of my batchmates here. I have wonderful memories with all of them. Birthdays and cricket brought us all together (whether it was the World Cup, test matches, or any big game), while football divided us (well in a fun way). The banter after an EPL weekend was unmatched, and Monday mornings were never kind to the fans of the club that had lost over the weekend.
Whether it was asking our female batchmates to cook Maggi and gathering at the neem tree at midnight, or those late-night games of badminton, table tennis, or tennis. Evening football sessions and those quick five-minute sprints between lectures to grab samosas and chai, everything felt special.
I’d love to relive those moments all over again. What fun!
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. Study, have fun, and don’t forget to read. My roommate was the brightest student I’ve ever seen, not because he was naturally gifted academically, but because he read relentlessly. Whether it was at 5 AM or 10 PM, he was always immersed in reading, books or online. He stayed aware of global happenings, and that knowledge helped him discover his strengths, interests, and the path he wanted to build for himself.
Q. What would be your advise for recent graduates who look for changing their sector after working for couple of years?
A. It’s totally fine to make a change, but make sure you have a solid reason for it. Without a strong reason, you might find yourself at a dead end sooner than expected. While packages are important, they shouldn’t be the top priority, trust me on this. If I had stayed stuck in banking, a job I didn’t enjoy, I would have been miserable. I was even ready to take a lower-paying role at one of the best NGOs just to leave something I disliked.
At a NGO event in Ahmedabad
That decision gave me the motivation to move forward and find something I truly wanted to do. I didn’t end up joining that NGO and instead found a more relevant opportunity while still on my notice period. But the key takeaway is having the courage to quit. It’s scary, it feels like a few years lost among other fears. I get it. But it’s much better to decide early rather than hitting a dead end years down the line.
At Universal Studios in Singapore
Keep experimenting until you find that one area you absolutely love and want to build your career on. It takes a little courage, but it’s not as difficult as it seems.
Q. What was your typical day at the work? And how does it look like while you are on a break?
A. typical workday usually starts with some reading, followed by writing down my tasks, and then tackling them one by one. This helps me stay organized and, more importantly, prioritize effectively.
At Seattle Kraken Stadium
At a temple in Kyoto’s Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
At Yasaka Pagoda, Kyoto
I don’t travel much because I dislike solo trips, I tend to overpack, and planning travel isn’t really my strength. So, if someone is accompanying me, I’m all in. Otherwise, my breaks usually include catching up with friends, a short visit to my parents, meeting friends there, and spending some time on my motorcycle.
At Chitkul, Himachal Pradesh, known as the last inhabited village before the Indo-Tibetan border
I enjoy going fast, so I often spend time at the Buddha International Circuit, trying to beat my own lap times.
At Buddh International Circuit
Q. And how about weekends, hobbies, family and anything else you want to add?
A. Well, my weekends mostly start with morning breakfast rides, followed by catching up on books, spending time with my close ones, hitting the gym, and enjoying some computer games. I also like watching cricket and football matches, F1 and MotoGP races, and a bit of OTT entertainment. That pretty much sums up my weekends. I guess you could say I’m rather boring that way.
Usual Track Days
My passion and hobby
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. Well, honestly, I’ve been a bit behind on this, and that’s on me. I’m not the best mentor, but I’m always happy to guide people based on my own experiences. I’ve tried hiring from IIFM in the past, which unfortunately didn’t turn out to be the best fit for my organization.
That said, I’m glad to interact with students and see how I can contribute. So, guys, feel free to reach out to me, I’ll do my best to add value.
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? When was the last time you visited IIFM?
A. IIFM today is quite different from when I was there, and I’d rather not be critical since I’m not fully aware of all the changes. The last time I visited the campus was in 2020, and it’s been five years already. It’s definitely time for a visit again. I’m hoping to make that trip soon.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. Reach out to Ashish Gautam; PFM 2002.
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