Ishna Sachar, IU Kelley School of Business MBA Class of 2025
Ishna Sachar, IU Kelley School of Business MBA Class of 2025Age: 28 years
Hometown: Mumbai, India
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Bachelors’ Hons in Luxury Brand Management from Nottingham Trent University (facilitated by local school, Pearl Academy)
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): For the last 5 years, I have worked at Indian conglomerate Reliance Brands, being a part of its key joint ventures with global luxury brands, helping them enter India and shaping their growth in the country. I am a Luxury Brand Marketer for the international brands Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Tumi, Pottery Barn & West Elm, in the Indian subcontinent. I was responsible for omnichannel marketing, go-to-market strategies, campaign execution, public relations, and event planning for these brands over my tenure. In my role, I managed offline and online presence for 21 retail stores across seven different cities, and five multi-brand e-commerce platforms.
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Last year, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to orchestrate Pottery Barn’s entry in the Indian market. Alongside marketing, I undertook a passion project collaboration with the Pottery Barn Product Team to launch the business – and in that, I supported with in-market customer trend analysis, competitor pricing analysis, demand prediction, and price indexing, working alongside Head of Product, Williams Sonoma India. I owe my moment of epiphany to this project, as it sparked what today has resulted in my decision to pursue an MBA. I realized how all the different levers in retail work seamlessly to create effortless product discovery, value and retention among customers. Marketing has given me the understanding of how to communicate brand values, but to create brand value, I realized that it was imperative to understand how to improve internal control mechanisms. I wanted to understand business through it’s length and width, and create subconscious linkages of the entire ecosystem. MBA provided me with that platform – and Kelley resonated with me the best.
Why did you choose Kelley School of Business? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Kelley’s program was tailored towards each student’s career goals, right from the get-go, by providing an interesting platform of Academies from year one. I gravitated towards the Consulting Academy, led by Director Scott Laughner, who has great student reviews and a profound career background. Another avenue that stood out for me was the 1Kelley Consulting Program, which gave me the opportunity to work on local businesses and consult for a smaller-scale project before jumping into larger firms. As I aspire to engage with and add value to competent management teams through consulting, I believed that participating in consulting case competitions and taking on a leadership role in the Kelley Club would help me to develop the skills and thought patterns necessary to establish a strong foundation in the industry.
When deciding on which school fits me best, first, I considered the financial implications of each choice. Kelley gave me a 100 percent Merit Scholarship, easing all my financial burden. Second, I considered the quality of the program, faculty and university. Kelley’s long-standing reputation as a top B-school and it’s large, wide-spanned Alumni network were both winners for me. The choice was simple and unequivocal.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2025?
I bring profound experience in an industry with which very few MBAs’ have associated. As a luxury brand marketer for global brands in the growing Indian market, my ability to act as a bridge between global and local stakeholders has seasoned me to be a masterful negotiator, mediator and communicator. I hope to share my experiences and learn from my classmates with vast backgrounds, spanning engineering to military.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included on your application:
I am a burger enthusiast and make it a point to try burgers at every place I visit. So far, I have tried 80 different burgers and 34 locations in the world.
Post-MBA career interests:
My short-term goal is to assume the role of a Management Consultant, preferably in the Retail and Consumer practice areas. Through such a role, I aim to collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business trends and loopholes, and make strategic recommendations to deliver solutions for sustainable business viability. In the long run, I aspire to work my way up to head global Retail Operations for an environmentally conscious brand.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
Detailed and well-informed research. I would personally identify my career goals, research to find programs that align with those goals, and then have my research validated by an MBA consultant for their expert advice.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
Apply sporadically under the influence of arbitrary suggestions.
What is your initial impression of the Kelley students/culture/community?
Kelley’s students, alumni, faculty – everyone vibrated at the same wavelength. My first impression was simply said – cohesive, concurrent conviviality. I could see the common thread that linked through – and felt their slogan of “students with talent to succeed, the humility to grow and the tenacity to persevere.” I wanted to be a Kelley.
What is one thing you have learned about Kelley that has surprised you?
How many activities there are for students – I almost feel like we’re living three days in one.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Managing my time effectively to achieve my goals – as a job seeker, a student, and an MBA classmate.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
Case competitions!
