Despite being an EEE engineer, what led you to pursue a career in finance? Was it  always part of your plan, or did your interest in finance develop later during your career?

I have been surrounded by engineers back home ever since I was a child, my dad, and my grandfather, and that environment influenced my decision to pursue EEE at BITS. Would I say that pursuing engineering was always my dream? No, not really, but the best thing about BITS is that it allows you to explore interests other than your traditional engineering course, and a lot of extracurricular activities. My interest in finance wasn’t planned from the start, but developed organically. One influence was a course in accounting, which led me to explore this field and eventually pursue an MBA in finance from IIM Bangalore.

How did your time at BITS contribute to your journey into finance? Were there any  Specific experiences, courses, or people that had a lasting impact?

Back when I first joined BITS, I was part of the third-ever batch from the Goa campus. The campus was still being built up, and while we had all the traditional engineering streams, we didn’t yet have structured minors in finance. However, some electives allowed me to explore the subject. We also had a club that was called the Wall Street Club that helped. (Now we have a new club called the Society of Finance and Investment.)

In what ways has your knowledge of Python, R, and machine learning shaped your work  in finance? Can you share an example where these skills made a tangible difference?

Back during my BITS days, the curriculum included basic programming like C, C++, and Java. During my MBA, I moved away from coding entirely. Just before COVID hit, I started developing an interest in building my understanding of technical analysis and investment strategies- not for work, but more out of personal interest. I wanted to manage my  investments better, so I began learning Python and exploring how machine learning could be applied in this space myself. During my one-year break from work, I decided to take formal training in programming and technology. That gave me more structure and depth, and I’ve continued using these skills even in my current role. That said, I see my use of Python and ML more as a personal passion that occasionally overlaps with my professional work. I do believe they add value.

You hold both CFA and CMT certifications - what motivated you to pursue both, and  How have they complemented each other in your professional journey?

An MBA is good, but I felt like there was probably something more to gain out of it. It was also a resource for learning, where you get continuous learning from being a CFA, and you can use it for networking because you have all these events where you meet other charter holders. With the CMT, it was predominantly a matter of interest. I was very interested in technical analysis and felt like I wanted to learn a lot about it, so that’s when I started exploring it. Both CFA and CMT are complementary. The CFA is more about accounting, which is the basis of a lot of what you do in finance. The CMT covers another interest area, behavioral finance, which plays a very important role if you’re in financial markets, and I think if you like that aspect of the markets, it’s very interesting.

Having worked across India, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands, how have global exposure influenced your career and perspective on finance?

I never worked in India in a full-time job, it was just my PS1 and PS2. When I took up my first real job, it was in Hong Kong, and it was a shock. As soon as you move out of the country for the first time, especially to a place as alien as Hong Kong, there is a lot of adjustment. All these places, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Amsterdam, are very different. For me, I love working in settings that are a bit more diverse. You can have interesting conversations and learn from people who’ve gone through a lot. I think it makes you a bit more liberal in your thinking. It helps you open up new possibilities. Opportunities to go somewhere outside just help you see the world differently. I think that helps you deal with a lot of things in life as well. Because in life, it’s never a straight line, you’ll always have ups and downs. The more you can deal with different things and understand how the world works, the more I think it helps you.

Speaking of internships, it was very interesting to see how you initially started with an internship at ISRO, then went to IIRS, and later to Merrill Lynch. What led to such a significant shift from a purely scientific background to a career in finance?

Yeah, it was a different setting. For PS1, I wanted to do something technical since I was still in engineering, which didn’t interest me much. The work turned out to be mostly website building. IIRS itself is a nice place, but it wasn’t as exciting for me as I had hoped. During my MBA, I was clear about wanting to go into financial markets, so I looked for trading floor internships. Merrill Lynch, the biggest foreign broker in India at the time, offered a lot of exposure. I got to see some really exciting things, learned a lot, and had great mentors, some of whom I’m still in touch with. When I went to Cisco for PS2, I was already thinking about an MBA and wanted to be in Bangalore to make interviews easier. Cisco made sense, but unfortunately, the project was in Java, which I never really enjoyed. I guess I was a bit unlucky with my PS projects overall.