Alum of the Month

Kavya Shree

March 2012

London Program

March 2010 Intake

What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
I graduated from Bangalore University, India with Bachelor in Commerce, majoring in Finance and Accountancy

What made you apply for the Mountbatten programme?
Besides the excitement of travel, an experience in education and practical training abroad sounded right. Studying abroad wasn’t just a luxury, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity I couldn’t afford to miss.

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.
My sponsor company Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank with a strong and profitable private client franchise. A leader in Germany and Europe, the bank is powerful and growing in North America, Asia and key emerging markets.
My role within the MAPS (MIS, Analysis, Planning & Strategy) team was that of an Equity Business Analyst.

What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
A stint with my sponsor company helped ignite an interest in the career direction I am pursuing now and that remains the highlight of my working experience on the programme. Overall, I learnt a lot more about myself in that one year than I did in the three years with my home school because of the unique space in which I learnt, experienced and spent exploring another culture.
Shortly into the programme, the positive impact to my job had already emerged; I quickly developed a more critical, strategic and analytical approach to decision making, as well as a methodical approach to address uncertainty inherent in data analysis. The project and assessment work was directly relevant to my company's immediate and long term challenges.

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
I have so many! It is hard to pick one. Live street music, fun costumes and tons of people are a recipe for a fun time and all this during the more-or-less 3 week affair in Europe along with 4 other MB interns, from the beautiful Scotland to the busy little London Camden markets! The whole trip experience is a memorabilia that I will cherish for the rest of my life. And I can’t sideline the long-lasting friendships with other U.S interns, the experience continues to influence the decisions I make in my personal life. The shared experience of living fully engrossed in another culture made these friendships particularly poignant and enduring.

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship
Leave yesterday!
While on the programme I realized there is a good balance of required course work and practical training that can be tailored to our specific needs. And it's not a cliché to say that you will learn as much from your classmates as you do from the course itself. Everyone will be so collegiate and helpful and the programme fosters a unique sense of teamwork. We will have enough competition in our professional life and what we should value is learning in the round, not just from the university but from the community of students who sure will remain in close contact, professionally and personally, for years to come.

If you could change anything about your internship, what would it be?
If I could do it over I would...not change a thing.

What happened after completing the year - what did you do next?
I returned home like other interns and joined back my sponsor company Deutsche Bank in Bangalore but soon suffered the sophomore slump and took the first job offer outside my hometown. After having lived abroad I found the transition of living in a new city to be a breeze — moving (to Pune) 500 miles from home didn't seem particularly daunting after having lived thousands of miles away.

Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
A wide range of professional opportunities opened up to me in recent months, partly due to the skills and internship experiences I gained. I work with an IT major Cognizant Technology Solutions headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey United States as a Business Analyst/Quality Engineer.

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
On the personal front I have met my man who listens to me rant and rave and he keeps me sane, we are engaged to be married and I look forward to my new home and career half way across the globe!