“SCMS helped me compete with the best, nationally and internationally” says alumnus Avinash Singh Bhambra

He has conducted training sessions in 21 states of India and he attributes this ability to deal with cultural diversity to his alma mater, SCMS Cochin School of Business. “The diversity in SCMS helped me a lot in developing and practicing good interpersonal behavioral skills. As a result, I have been able to train across the length and breadth of India”, says Avinash Singh Bhambra, who is working as Manager HR with Zuari Agro Chemicals, based at Goa. He belongs to one the earliest batches of SCMS and has made a successful, although challenging, journey working with several industries.

Avinash joined Pidilite Industries in the Sales division through Campus placement. He has also worked with an NGO in Andaman & Nicobar Islands post the devastating 2005 tsunami. He was in charge of the education improvement programme for the team. Then he moved to New Delhi and was heading the training wing of an organisation called Globarena Technologies. In 2007, he shifted base to Goa, heading an education project for the Government of Goa through the NGO, BJS. He was part of a five-member committee to improve education across Goa through quality training at all levels of the education machinery. Next, he joined Andrew Telecom (now CommScope), a fortune 1000 company, as theirTraining & Development manager for India and the APAC region. His next assignment was with Vodafone, based at Ranchi, as their Learning Lead, until he joined Zuari Agro Chemicals as Plant HR.

He credits SCMS for shaping his professional life and says, “I was blessed to have some great teachers, along with the visiting faculty, who played a very important role in helping us understand the practical situations in industries. Professor Balasubramaniam and Professor Ignatius, especially, were very inspiring.” Avinash believes that industry and academics should have cohesiveness to complement each other; industry should help institutes design the curriculum and also help with training. On their part, institutes should incorporate the changing trends in industry in their syllabus. This synergy, he thinks, always created the quality management education that SCMS stands for.

In the face of the volatile economic conditions today, Avinash advises the aspiring management students to build a strong skill base and not chase after money alone. He says, “Today, the most important thing to do is grow personally and professionally and keep learning new things. The 21st century is the era of Data and Information -the more you know, the stronger the professional edge you have.” Avinash has kept in touch with his batch-mates through social media as well as his college, and feels glad about his decision to join SCMS all those years ago.