About the Author:
Annamalai Palaniappan (Head of Operations at Royal Brothers, IIM Visakhapatnam 2016-18)
MA: How did this journey begin? Were you always inclined towards Operations?
Annamalai: I started my career with Ford Motor Company where I worked as a Bailment Inventory Analyst. It was exciting to be part of projects which had a direct impact on profits for the company. I am fortunate to have got the opportunity in Fordi to work with people from different cultures and geographies. The experiences and learnings from Ford, my interest to work on impactful projects combined with a disciplined approach helped me incline towards Strategy & Operations as a career.
MA: From choosing the subjects in college to now working in the field, how does this transition feel?
Annamalai: I spent close to a year in Ford on the transition from College to Corporate program. It helped me a lot as I did not have to spend more time on the transition period. Post-MBA, I joined the consulting industry as a Strategy & Operations Consultant. In Consulting, there is no such transition period. If there is any, it is learning “on the job”. Moving from college to corporate was not an easy transition. In college, there was a constant support system in place through friends, faculty. In Corporate, we have to develop a support system that we can depend on.
MA: Can you tell us about your job role?
Annamalai: I am currently heading operations for Royal Brothers, a bike rental startup. I am managing a team of 50+ employees across 40+ cities in India. The bike rental industry is very rewarding as every day you get to interact with customers who travel and explore various locations. Customers share their journey, experience with different bikes, unexplored paths, locations, feedbacks. Startups give the opportunity for drafting and setting up things that will be followed by the team for the future (kind of legacy). My experience in IIM Visakhapatnam as a Placement representative came in handy here. My responsibility is to ensure the quality of bikes served to customers, standardizing the process across all locations, documenting the procedure, managing daily cashflow, ensuring TAT for service and customer experience, bike documentation, and legal activities. Hiring the right set of employees and most importantly keeping my team (spread across the country) to be motivated and deliver excellent results.
MA: What do you think are the qualities that are needed for someone who wants to excel in this field?
Annamalai: For anyone to excel, there is always trial and error method of implementing things. But in order to excel at a faster pace while using knowledge and experience, the candidate has to have the ability to adapt quickly, fail faster approach, time management, analytical skills, networking, leadership skills.
MA: What skills should these people develop to grab their dream roles/jobs?
Annamalai: To grab their dream roles/jobs, it is important to be technically sound and have the basics right. For aspirants who are looking out for a career in Strategy & Operations, I would recommend them to have basic knowledge of finance and management accounting. Also, all aspirants are expected to work independently, so entrepreneurship experience or live projects during MBA would be an added advantage.
MA: What message would you like to give to the Operation enthusiast?
Annamalai: MBA aspirants are looked up to for the way they present any topic. So it is essential for all aspirants to familiarize themselves with presentation frameworks, knowledge on business, and legal terms. Operations enthusiasts must have knowledge and experience with at least one analytical, simulation software. They are expected to work closely with a large set of people with no time restrictions. Emotional stability is a must which all companies would look for in a candidate. College is where we can try, experiment, fail, and taste success without any major impact on one’s career. I would encourage aspirants to enjoy college life by learning a new language, networking, travel and visit places, participating in college competitions, participating in extra-curricular activities, learn cooking, painting (or whatever keeps them occupied), and improve oneself.
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