Nipun Abbi (MSc in Strategy & Consulting, 2023) – When Strategy is on the Mind
The case of Nipun is a perfect illustration of the emphasis placed upon strategic thinking in the emlyon MSc in Strategy & Consulting. Following previous studies in Engineering and professional industry experience, he felt the need to add that all-important decision-making element to a career that needed an extra something to become truly fulfilling. He recounts the important shift in mindset that the program instils and the opportunities that await future graduates upon completion.
What experience had you acquired prior to studying at emlyon?
“I left my native India for France back in 2015, firstly to take a Masters in Project Management for Environmental and Energy Engineering. I then worked, still in France, as a Project Manager in the field of railway systems for the next three years before embarking on the MSc in Strategy & Consulting at emlyon. The position I occupied before resuming studies at emlyon involved working on a variety of different projects but ultimately in the same kind of role each time, so I came to the realization that what I was doing was of little strategic importance. It was for this reason, above all, that I looked for the program that would help me incorporate this element into the next stage of my career.”
What swayed you to choose the MSc at emlyon?
“The school already enjoyed a very good reputation in France, helped in no small part by just how many people in senior management positions directing companies are emlyon alumni. As for the program itself, it was the perfect fit for me as it offered the ideal preparation to work with decision-makers on business strategy. I was soon recruited by KPMG, even before graduation, where I work in Deal Operations and Execution as a Senior Analyst. I know for a fact that taking the MSc in Strategy & Consulting carried significant weight in my being hired for this position, so my feelings about the program when applying proved to be right!”
What highlights of the program contributed to being recruited?
“The program truly builds up a certain mindset within students, one that hinges on not just an understanding of strategy but also how to devise and deploy it, known as ‘strategizing’. The international environment in which you’re studying, alongside classmates with varying degrees of prior professional experience from different industries is another defining characteristic of the learning experience. Some had worked in law, others finance or more technical fields. Couple this with the blend of academic theory and in-the-field practice that the MSc offers and all the opportunities there are to develop the strategic mindset needed in industry.”
Were there particular parts of the curriculum that you found especially useful?
“I distinctly remember the course on Due Diligence, which I took in the first year of the MSc. The way this area was examined gave you real insight into how strategy is designed and rolled out in industry, meaning real-life application within business. This has proven especially useful in my career since graduating from emlyon, where I work with a lot of CFOs for whom I am asked to strategically review, organize and optimize their financial operations. To this day I’m using many of the skills and knowledge acquired over the course of the Due Diligence Consulting Project I was tasked with during the MSc. By being taught how to solve complex business problems by submitting detailed proposals to decision-makers, I’m now much better equipped to take those kinds of decisions myself now that I’m back in industry.”
What other skills did you develop during the program that you use today?
“In addition to learning how to think as well as act strategically, project management was one of the key takeaways, along with hard skills relating to the use of financial data to then take data-driven decisions, plus soft skills such as communication and diplomacy. This combination of hard and soft skills is crucial to acquiring the strategic mindset required of the job I’m currently doing at KPMG. I work in what we call a deal cycle, from the pre-deal phase onwards and which requires us to perform a significant amount of due diligence before then managing the deal from the point of signing to that of closing, be it for a merger or an acquisition. As part of this process, we have to identify ways in which operations, cash and stock can be better managed and make recommendations to the C-suite executives with whom we are collaborating. All of this calls upon the blend of soft and hard skills plus the appropriate strategic way of thinking that was first developed and then honed during the two years of the MSc in Strategy & Consulting.”
What recommendations would you make to students considering a similar path to yours?
“I’d strongly recommend getting your professional project clear in your mind before embarking on the program that I took at emlyon. Establish what you want to do and where after your studies – it’s not because a program like the MSc in Strategy & Consulting opens a lot of doors that you shouldn’t identify in advance which doors you want to go through. You can potentially end up within a large corporation, a consulting firm, or a governmental organization, working with CFOs, CEOs or, like in my case, strategic advisors. But try to trace out the path you want to take in advance to maximize the career opportunities that the program will create for you.”