Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a Mangalorean & was born and brought up in Doha-Qatar, where I completed all of my schooling. I came to Bangalore to complete my graduation and then joined Goldman Sachs via the Campus Placements. My first department was Foreign Exchange Derivatives where I was an Analyst in the Confirmations process. I’m crazy about football and follow Bengaluru FC and Manchester United a lot. I’m also a big foodie!
What do you teach at Imarticus?
I train students on Certified Investment Banking Operations Professional (CIBOP) Program, which makes them Investment Banking (IB) Ops ready.
I have also conducted few sessions for Business Analysis Certified Program (BACP). Over the past year or so, I have also started conducting a lot of corporate trainings at leading IB’s, Custodians and Third Party service providers.
What made you want to become a teacher? Has it always been a dream?
Well….It honestly wasn’t a dream per se but throughout my career in GS I liked mentoring the new joiners in improving their product and process knowledge, and gradually started setting up FX related training programs. This was my first step into the training world. Simplifying complicated IB products/processes was my goal.
Tell us about some memorable instances?
The memorable instances are by far the times when students have come back to say a BIG ‘thank you’ and share the fact that all the trainings, advice and words of encouragement we gave them throughout the course was extremely helpful in them getting their dream job.
I had also trained a batch from the start to the finish for one of the leading IB’s in Bangalore and as a gift of appreciation; they had given me a large painting. It still hangs over my desk in the office.
What’s your favorite part of the course?
My favorite part of the course is training students on my beloved FX. FX is the first product I learnt, and every single time I train my students, I cannot stop thinking of my fun filled days in FX! And secondly, I love options – because it’s extremely confusing to understand, but I like simplifying it to the student level and make it interesting.
Tell us a little bit about what is special about Imarticus?
At Imarticus, everything we do is inspired by our vision and philosophy. Our vision is to provide opportunities and fulfill individual aspirations through skill based education. These courses include business analyst certification, financial modeling course, and equity research analyst programs. There are various certification courses in finance, however, at Imarticus, we believe in offering industry relevant programs which helps fresher’s to bloom as professional, and professionals to get the fundamental skills brushed up.
What do you think is ailing the current education system in India?
I think there are a couple of issues. Firstly, the content being taught isn’t updated to the recent times. I have read few textbooks recently and the information there is the same one I learnt in college – and that was many years ago!
Secondly, and more importantly, there is a lack of a theory-practicality link. The theoretical knowledge isn’t linked to what’s happening in the real world, and there isn’t an expectation to do that as well – which is plain wrong. This gives the students a culture shock when they start working at an organization, which belies whatever they have learnt earlier.
What would you like to tell a student who wanted to join your course?
I would say that they have joined an excellent course :D. On a serious note, I know that the training on products, trade life cycle, operations, risk management (to name a few) is something that they will not get anywhere else. The biggest advantage we have is that we have lived the IB role, and can immediately link our experience to the products/processes to make the learning even more interesting and realistic for the student
What do you do in your free time?
I enjoy football (more watching than playing – but would like to reverse that very soon!), reading novels (just finished reading ‘The truth about the Harry Quebert affair’) and watching TV series (I love House M.D. Game of thrones is next...).
What is the best part about living in Bangalore?
Bangalore is a fantastic city, and I love it for what it is. It isn’t perfect, but the people and the vibe in the city are unmatched. It already has terrific breweries/clubs and due to the influx of a lot of non-bangaloreans, it’s more like a one-stop-shop for a variety of cultures. It is home to Bengaluru FC and has more than enough eat-outs places, which keeps me and my stomach more than busy :-D.
