I was born and raised in Chandigarh, India – the cleanest and greenest city of the country, located right at the foothills of the Himalayas. I received my Bachelor of Technology Degree in Electrical engineering from I.E.T. Ropar. There I spent one semester helping Airtel, India’s largest telecommunication company, expand its cellular sites (used for communication) in seven rural towns, increasing its network coverage. I then moved to the U.S. to pursue a Masters in Electrical engineering from San Jose State University, California where I was also a Teaching Associate for a Digital Design course. Upon graduation, I joined an emerging semiconductor startup, Pyramid Semiconductor Corporation, as a Test Engineer. Starting as a programmer to test multiple products, I discovered the hundreds of steps in an integrated-chips life cycle and my career vision became clearer. I was ultimately given the freedom to lead the operations departments, and I was fascinated by how each of the hurdles I faced was unique, and required a different perspective and creativity to solve. I relished coming up with strategies to tackle the multitude of complex operational challenges that arise because of this industry’s intertwined and fragmented nature.
In the last three years, I have led various team to add internal design capability, expanding the breadth of product offerings. This not only increased the company’s revenue, but also honed my overall knowledge of business as I got to integrate strategic operations and new product design and development. The next step for my career path is to move to a larger company and collaborate with larger teams to identify and resolve problems in global environments. To achieve my goal of acquiring critical business and leadership skills at an accelerated pace, I decided to join Kenan Flagler Business School, not only because of the MBA program culture, but also because of its student culture, which fulfills my personal need. I am honored and excited to participate in the Kenan Scholars Program, and through it I plan to further hone my skillset by applying course concepts to real world situations.
I love spending time outside with friends and family. My travel goal is to visit a new country every year. I am passionate about yoga and meditation, and they are an integral part of my health regimen along with weight training. I also love music, especially live performances. Ringo is my favorite Beatle. Just kidding, it’s Paul McCartney!