Questionnaire

Why MBA? Why now? Why supply chain

During my 3 years of maritime career I have led team of professionals, worked as a team member and worked in a multicultural environment.
With an MBA I will be enhancing my long-term potential by honing my leadership and teamwork skills and adding some new skills.( such as
HR recruiting , Project implementation skills) and also I would be able to market myself in a better way to business world.
This is a good time for me to embark on management education because I have gathered the experience of working in the industry and have
used that time to strengthen my technical and analytical skills. During my career I have interest in environmental problem, whether it was ship
based pollutions regulations or company policies for environment protection.
With a MBA, I expect to make a mark on green supply chain industry and continue my interest in environmental issues.

Supply chain managers have engineering approach to the business problems. With my engineering back ground I would use my strong
analytical and quantative skills to deal with supply chain challenges. In my shipping career I have experiences in inventory management, ship
operations, Project management. So I got interested in operational aspect of my organisation. Also during college in subjects such as marine
cost engineering and Ship Operation management I got insight into shipping logistics and operation management. So this is also one of the
reasons that I am interested in supply chain.
A business leader you admire?
I admire Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata group the most among all business leaders. His innovative approach towards business impresses me
the most. He came up with path-breaking concepts like the Nano, a 2000 $ car, . Apart form that I also admire his ability to provide strategic
leadership, direction and inputs on multiple businesses, which is hugely challenging.
Why Kellogg?
Broad caught my attention while I was going through US news supply chain ranking. It’s 2nd rank in supply chain led me to explore further
about college. I visited Broad website and talked to some of my friends in USA about reputation of the college. I was quite impressed with
curriculum, supply chain research facility and placement stats. Also IBM’s collabration with Broad to establish on Demand Supply Chain
Centre laboratory proves its high expertise and research in the field of supply chain managemnet. Also Its location in Michigan and diverse
recruiters will ensure a very good start for me in the supply chain industry. After completing my MBA, I expect to join an automobile supply
chain industry as a supply chain analyst. Broad’s proximity to Detroit, World’s automobile centre, will help me to achive my short term goals.
What do you like to do on projects, either professionally or personally?
Professionally or personally I always prefer leading role in projects. But an effective team leader should be a good team man also so I like to
take ideas and inputs from my mate which is necessary for efficient teamwork.
Strength and Weakness:
My passion for my work, leadership abilities, and strong analytical skills has driven me throughout my career. I believe in teamwork and
collective Responsibility. Due to my small-town values and work ethics, I can stand my ground in tough situations.

I'm a bit forgetful at times, but since I am very organized that sort of counter acts my weakness. I prefer to write down my all-required jobs and
future engagements to avoid any mess.
Difficult team situations:
Sometimes, passion at work can leads to friction. On one of my ships, two crew members and I were overhauling the Fuel Oil purifier and had
thus worked late into the evening. While our job was largely done, the only thing remaining was a trial run of the system. Reluctant to spend
an extra one and half hours at work, my colleagues decided to call it a day while I remained and ensured that the job was seen through to its
end. The next day I discovered that my colleagues, instead of acknowledging my initiative had complained about my working overtime. What
led to this hostility was a difference in perspective.

What is your leadership style:

I always try to lead by example. I think this is the most effective way to establish and sustain a positive influence on your team. I never had
any problem jumping right in and taking over if I think the pace of progress is too slow. Also, I prefer decision-making after consulting the
group and taking their views and inputs.
Short term and long term career goals:

In a short term after completing my MBA, I expect to join an automobile supply chain industry as a supply chain analyst in companies like GM
and Ford. There I would be focusing on using analytical and quantitative methods to understand, predict, and enhance supply chain
processes.

In long term, I see myself leading a big company’s supply chain strategy. I will be promoting green technologies and green product and
focusing on Green supply chain management. I would bring the innovations of the industry to the doorsteps of the business especially in
countries like India where technology and innovation factor is missing from tradition business.

Responsibility I handled that was completely different with what I was used to. What did I learn from that?  

S:In Jan 2010 While were in Manaus (Amazon port), my Company arranged for an Oil major vetting inspection and an Annual ship survey,
which were overdue by a month. The British Petroleum vetting inspection and Ship’s annual survey are both important in determining a ship’s
environmental safety and sea-worthiness respectively. Both inspections were to take place on the same day. This was a tense time for the
ship’s crew, as the inspections demand adherence to the strictest measures and high crew awareness.
T:The Chief Engineer decided that he and 1st Engineer would assist in the Annual survey, while I, along with my Electrical Officer would
facilitate the vetting inspection. Till that time I had only held responsibility to manage shipboard operations and maintenance projects. I had no
experience in facilitating vetting inspection as it was the job of Senior officers. I was very nervous knowing that a single deficiency in the
vetting inspection could cause the ship to go off hire and cost the Company thousands of Dollars.
A: I discussed the situation with my seniors and asked for their experiences from their previous inspections. I went through last one year
vetting inspection report and saw what types of question I may face. They told me all vetting inspectors stick to a specific format and and I
should have a look at it before the inspection. Taking their advice I went through the inspection reports of that particular surveyor who was
coming for inspection. When the surveyor came, after formal greeting I offered him coffee and after some casual conversation, he started the
inspection. I took Vetting Inspector round the engine room. While checking the various parameters and documentations, the inspector asked
me several questions regarding safe shipboard operations and working practices. Having previously done my home work on all areas of a
inspection I answered most of the question correctly and handled a few tactfully . He also checked some alarms and security arrangement of
some systems for which I was prepared beforehand.
R: The vetting inspector left the engine room with a positive impression. He also mention a special remark in his report for the engine room
team for their extreme support. We passed the vetting inspection with zero deficiency and this incident gained me the confidence to perform
under intense scrutiny and I leaned how to handle auditors and inspectors. I also thanked my seniors for believing in me and handing me
such a big responsibility.
What is unique about you?/ Tell me some thing about you
My background is marked by a strong focus on discipline. I grew up in the small city of Lucknow, and thanks to my father, an Indian Army
Personnel, my upbringing was done in a disciplined environment. Later, I joined a Maritime college where daily life was tougher due to early
morning conditioning sessions, cross country races and very strict college hours. I have natural ability to lead people and resouces and I find
myself quite comfortable while working in a team. I love to take intiative and always try to give my 100% to the job.
Working in a multicultural and multilingual environment, facing life threatening situations and encountering complex engineering problems
have been the highlights of my three years maritime career.
As a marine engineer, working in one of the most challenging workplaces, I have gained incredible knowledge of critical engineering
operations and challenges across various verticals. I have led teams of professionals while doing onboard projects.
Coordinating with colleagues from different nationalities required me to communicate in an effective and streamlined manner. I have handled
such diversity well and learnt from it while also contributing to the learning process. Working in teams has imbibed in me a confidence to lead,
inspire and communicate.
I believe these values and experience of mine will add a different perspective to the Broad community.
Unique
I have a unique quality of bringing fun to the workplace, while remaining task focused. I don’t like dull atmosphere nearby me , so I share
jokes with my mate but I never leave focus from the job. This quality of mine makes me a desired member in a team.
In three years of my shipping career, my experiences of Attack by Somalian Pirates and Gas leak incident in Baltic Sea have given me
valuable insights into life. Once, when we were passing through the Gulf of Aden, our ship was attacked by pirates. All of us were scared to
the bone and praying for our lives. It was only after several hours that we were able to connect with a French naval ship sailing in the vicinity
that managed to hold the pirate boat back. That was the day I truly realized how valuable each moment of our lives is; no matter how difficult
things are, one should never leave hope. This is not the only incidence where I found my life at stake, a gas leak incidence in the Baltic Sea
too tested my accumen and strength. These experiences in my life have shaped me uniquely.

What did you learn from working in a team with many diverse individuals? Behavior, etc.
While working in a team with diverse individuals, I learnt how different ways of working could be combined to produce best
results and how the language barrier can be transcended. I initially found it challenging at Torm to handle the various members
of a multi-cultural, multi-lingual team. However, that experience brought my people skills forward which were latent till then. It
also taught me the finer art of diplomacy and communication.

Give examples of how you have demonstrated leadership inside and outside the work environment.

On ship there are two teams to counter emergencies such as Fire onboard, Abandon ship, Man overboard. One is Emergency Response
team and other Emergency support team. On my last ship I was made in charge of emergency support team. My duty was tp prepare and
lead the team in case of any emergency onboard.Once during a USCG inspection onboard ,we were asked to complete a mock fire drill. As
a team lead I had to layout the plan and prepare my team for the drill. I explained the situation to my team and asked for their inputs. I
outlined the fire fighting plan to my team members, and as time is a critical factor in emergency situations so I set a time frame for the
operation. When instructed by the USCG team we started the drill. My team successfully completed the task.

In April 2010, on one of my ship, we faced problems with ship's alarm monitoring system. Due to that, ship's ability to perform engine room
and cargo operations simultaneously was hampered. Ship’s senior management asked the company for an automation technician. System's
makers quoted a big amount for services as they had to connect their technicians from Europe to our ship, which was in Brazil. Therefore, Our
Shore Management asked us to manage till we get out of South America. But I took the initiative to solve the problem myself.
I requested the Captain to authorize me to solve the problem at our end. I reminded him about a network problem, which I had sucessfully
solved on his PC. I asked him to give me the responsibility of the task. I realized that this issued could not be resolved in due time by working
alone, so I formed a team with a trainee engineer and a electrical officer.
To be more effective in pursuit of the problem I started to learn more about networking. I downloaded networking manuals and thoroughly
read the makers manual. I took a step back and tried to identify the key issues related to the problem. I had various communications with
system makers through mail and over phone. I also contacted one of my friend, who is a network specialist and sought his advice on the
matter. After one week of rigorous reading, tryouts and analysis, I drew conclusion that the problem was in one of the Server Repeater's
adapter card. As spare adapter card was not available onboard, we managed by independently running the Main and Back-up servers to get
system back online. On the next port, company send us the required spares and issue was solved successfully. My initiative saved company
$20,000 which was used for another part of our ship's budget. I got appreciated by my seniors and mates for the job.

When I was in 11th standard, I was selected with 2 of my collegues to participate in IIT kanpur technical festival. My seniors were presenting a
project as Schools official entry, and we were given the responsibility to assit them. But some how I did like the idea to let go the oportunity to
present a project in such a big event. I asked my Pricipal to let us also present a project along with my seniors, but she told me only one
official school entry was allowed however I can present my project in general project exibition.Then as a teamleader I choose a topic on
Electricity production and distribution. I took help of electrical jouranal to understand the concepts. I also took help of my cousin who was
doing his engineering in electrical. With further help of my mates and teachers we made a very well functioning project. It was really
appriciated at the exibition.

Team Player:

On board ship 95 % of the jobs require team work. I am very much a team man. In fact, I've had opportunities in both academics and
professional life to develop my skills as a team player. I've worked on several team projects, serving as both a member and team leader I was
involved in onboard drills and surveys, which require combined effort of ship’s crew to succeed. I always try to help others achieve their best, I
would like to narrate a incident in which a team work onboard saved our lives. I was on board Mt Garrone. I along with my fitter was doing
some maintenance job Centralized AC room. While opening a flange on the Boiler water line, I noticed some gas leaking form the flange, so I
stopped the fitted from opening that. But it was too late and as he loosened the nut, A large amount of gas stated coming out of the flanged.
We just left the job and run away from there. I raise the general emergency alarm and told fitter to inform the engine room and Bridge about
the incident. I shut down the ventilation system of the accommodation and locked the AC room so that gas doen’t spread in other areas..
Everyone was mustered on bridge, That time One of my senior engineer and deck officer, wore the compressed air breathing set and entered
the accommodation to close the valve on the line. They successfully did the job. Accommodation was then ventilated with all doors open. I
was appreciated by the captain of the ship for my prompt action and communication with bridge and engine room, which is quite necessary in
case of emergency. That gas was tested afterward and identified as CO , which is quite dangerous. Although we always work as a team
onboard but this exp was certainly unique.

Describe an ethical dilemma faced at work?

After getting promoted as 3rd Assistant Engineer, I joined MT TORM Platte in January 2009 from Lagos, Nigeria. Our ship had been drifting
there for three months and simply carrying out partial loading and discharging in the area. As the food commodities available there were
expensive, despite of the special budget allocated to ships in that area, we were running short of food. Many other ships in that area were
trading food items for the ship's used spares and lube oils to compensate for the shortage. My ship mates began doing the same -
exchanging the ship's unusable items for supplies. During refueling of my ship, I was offered bribe to put the short supply issue under the
carpet. As I have never tried to influence or gain favor by indulging in such activities, this was a culture shock for me.

While conducting a refueling operation, I received some 20 tones of fuel short in our total supply of 600 tones. Since I was the officer
responsible for the quantity and operation, the person on the fuel supplying barge offered me $3000 to stay quiet about the quantity issue. I
was taken aback by this indecent and unethical proposal. Needless to say, I strictly refused it and informed my Chief Engineer about the
situation. Subsequently, I issued a Letter of Protest as per company policy and gave the correct fuel figures to Chief Engineer. I also lodged
an official complain with the company regarding the issue.
This was the first time I was exposed to harsh realities of business as such unethical things were common in that area. But in standing my
ground I learned that there is no hurdle big enough for one to give up on one's morals and integrity.

Conflict in a group:

Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never major ones, but certainly there have been situations where there was a disagreement that needed
to be resolved. I've found that when conflict occurs, it's because of a failure to see both sides of the situation.

As an intern on my first ship, I had the opportunity to see the dry-docking of my ship. We were in Santander (Spain), and while I was still trying
to find my way in my first ever engine room, my 1st Engineer gave me the responsibility to assist a group of Spanish technicians who were
about to replace an existing Main engine lubricating system with a more advanced Alpha Lubricating system to reduce the lube oil
consumption of the engine.
I had to try and figure out the process myself. While all this was happening, I saw one of the technicians lighting a cigarette near the engine’s
crankcase door. Now, to some people this may seem like a harmless enough act but to a marine engineer who understands the potential
safety hazards in an engine room, this was sacrilege.
I politely asked the technician to stop smoking, but for some reason he ignored me. When I persisted with my request, he began shouting!
The fact that we did not understand each other’s language – the technician spoke only in Spanish – made it difficult for me to drive home my
concerns to him. And most likely, he perceived this as useless needling on my part. With the angry outburst, the others stopped working in the
engine room. I found myself losing control in retaliation too. However, better sense prevailed and I went looking for my dry-dock’s
safety manager who was also Spanish but well-versed in English.
The safety manager presented my concerns to the technicians present in the engine room and with his help I told them about
the designated smoking zone onboard. We even showed them our company manual regarding the ‘no smoking’ policy in the
engine room, which the safety manager had to translate for me. With the issue resolved, we finally resumed the work.
The incident, rather than create rifts, bonded me better with the technicians there as we saw the humour in the language
problem. I realised that the key to communicating with anyone is patience. It was solely my patience that prevented the situation
from getting uglier and facilitated a solution.

As a marine engineer, I have worked with many such diverse groups across foreign shores and each experience has taught me
that despite being different, we are all human. And that with enough patience and honesty in our dealings, we can connect with
anyone we want to. It is this deep understanding of various cultures – their commonalities and differences – that I bring to the
Broad community.

If I were to ask your colleagues to describe you, what would they say?
I believe they would say I'm a very energetic person, that I put my mind to the task at hand and see to it that it's accomplished. They would
say that if they ever had something that needed to be done, I was the person who they could always depend on to see that it was
accomplished. They would say that I always took initiative to solve the problems and always sought ways to apply the knowledge in real world
settings.
Walk through you resume:
I have completed my undergraduate degree in Marine Engineering from University of BITS Pilani. I passed out with 1st class degree and cgpa
of 7.43 on 10 point scale. During my undergraduate college I received merit based scholarship in first year of college, participate in various
college activities and games and also got appointed as Division cadet captain. In my final year I completed my internship on a Merchant
Tanker Ohio, where first time I got exposed to multicultural environment. I got opportunity to work with Spanish people during my ships dry-
dock.

I always thought to join the shipping company which would promote safety culture, environment awareness and workplace ethics. and Torm
shipping was just right choice for me for its leadership in safety and environment issues. I joined Torm in sep 2007 in position of 4th Asst
Engineer. In this position I worked as support level engineer with the responsibility of assisting in ship board operations and maintenance
projects.

In dec 2008 I cleared my professional MEO Class 4 Certificate of competency and got promoted to rank of 3rd Asst engineer. In this position I
managed a team of resources across different systems such as Main Propulsion System, Power Management System, Cargo Pumping
Systems, Boilers, Inert Gas Generation System and Hydraulic Oil Systems. While Coordinating with various technicians of different
nationalities in machinery maintenance projects, I realized the essence of cross cultural team work.
As an in charge of emergency shipboard team I trained the ship’s crew on various emergencies like fire, abandon ship and man overboard,
which strengthen my leadership skills further.
My job responsibility also includes Spare parts management & Inventory control of spares and stores worth USD 15 million. I was Involved in
Planning & Procurement of shipboard inventory and consumables through shipboard ERP system
I implemented lean inventory management , which was the part of company’s Greater efficiency project to counter recession in shipping
industry.
I also Facilitated Quality Audits and inspections by US Coast Guard , ABS Class surveyors, Clients/Charterers and other International
regulatory bodies,
To full fill my family responsibility ,During my vacation I also assisted my Brother in managing the family owned Petroleum retail outlet.