Palak Jain

Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the UK in 2014, I moved to Singapore to start working with KPMG’s Management Consulting practice. As part of the Business Transformation team, I built a strong foundation in consulting and was groomed into a generalist consultant. Working across a breadth of projects across various industries gave me perspective on tackling different business challenges and taught me to appreciate creative problem solving. After three successful years with KPMG, the next move in my career was to the consulting arm (Iris Concise) of Iris Worldwide, a Marketing & Advertising Agency. This experience at Iris Concise was very different to that at KPMG and the transition was thoroughly rewarding. As a Manager in the Strategy practice, I had the opportunity to learn the way of workings of a boutique consulting firm, lead teams, drive accounts, coach junior consultants, deliver projects for inspirational clients, integrate with a variety of working styles, and shape our offerings.

After approximately two fruitful years, I realized that along with being a global citizen, I needed to diversify my business knowledge and business network to continue to grow. The MBA was going to add immense value in enriching my technical knowledge, enhancing my soft skills, and building a reliable network of brilliant individuals. After attending elementary school in India, middle school in Singapore, high school in the Philippines, and obtaining my undergraduate degree from the UK, pursuing the MBA in Canada, a completely new geography for me, was the natural next step.

We are done with the first quarter of the program and it has been rigorous but rewarding. Reflecting on the amount of information that has been absorbed and the types of skills that have been polished in such a short time leaves me speechless. If I were to put it in a couple of words, even though only a few months into the program, I am subconsciously more curious and more aware about the world around me. I see the world differently and it is fascinating because when you are in class, day-to-day, you do not realize how much of a difference that environment is making. That is why I believe that the case-study method is truly, a differentiating factor for the program.

My advice to anyone considering the program would be to know that you can make this program as rewarding as you choose to. My takeaways so far? Firstly, navigate through ambiguity. You will never have complete information and everything “will depend”, but there is merit in knowing how to work through the unknowns to make informed decisions. Secondly, understand the importance of being thoughtfully action-oriented to maximize achievements. As aspirational individuals, we all want to soar to greater heights, but tag actions to dreams to make them goals. Thirdly, embrace the concept of fall seven times but stand up eight. Be introspective, be intentional, and be resilient.