Having graduated this summer, Kamal now works as a product manager for Amadeus, an IT solutions company for the tourism and travel industry. He tells us how his new role differs from the one he had at Nokia Siemens.
Kamal, 29, joined Siemens right after completing his undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University. He joined the giant multinational in Bangalore as a software engineer but his responsibilities soon evolved to include more management and co-ordination.
After two years the company merged with Nokia to form Nokia Siemens Networks and Kamal began interacting with more clients and overseeing projects both at home and at the firm’s international offices.
During Kamal’s time at Nokia Siemens, he was sent to Munich to run projects including introducing new network management systems and providing an interface between customers and the company's research and development team.
These experiences made Kamal realize that he was moving away from the purely technical side to the managerial side so he decided to go for an MBA to enhance his skill-set. The EMLYON MBA appealed to him because its entrepreneurial focus fit with his ambitions of running a consultancy in India one day.
Kamal had three job offers by the time he graduated from the MBA programme and his tactic was to apply for project management roles in smaller telecoms and IT firms. He sent out applications to companies in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and France, keeping his options open in terms of location because he wanted an international career. As well as Amadeus, he was offered jobs by a telecoms firm in the Netherlands and a telecoms software and services provider in Belgium.
Kamal decided to remain in France and work with Amadeus. Amadeus provides transaction processors to travel providers including full service and low-cost airlines, hotels, rail operators, cruise and ferry operators, car rental companies and tour operators and travel agencies. They also provide IT solutions to automate processes such as reservations, inventory and operations management.
He is based in Nice and works as a Product Manager. He helps the company manage its systems, come up with new and innovative features to reduce costs for customers and to make processes smoother. Some perks of the job include working in an open and international environment and living in a beautiful house on the Cote d'Azur!
Kamal has successfully combined his experience at a multinational with his MBA. Working with a huge multinational taught him how to follow strict rules and guidelines for getting things done: the telecoms division of Nokia Siemens alone employs about 65,000 people while Amadeus has around 5,000 employees in total!
Kamal is now adjusting to processes that are not so tightly wound or are even entirely different. He told us that he spent the first few weeks learning about the company's products and the different levels of interaction involved.
His EMLYON MBA has been useful in learning how to present technical topics, strategic analysis, improving client - customer interactions, and entering new markets.
Kamal is still set on returning to India at some stage to start his own consulting firm, aimed at improving strategy for businesses in India. Thanks to this new chapter in his career he'll be able to advise start-ups as well as big corporations!
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