One of my biggest concerns during my days at SP Jain was that I needed a profile that would test my skills both as a CA and an MBA and I guess my role at Marico in the International Business Group (IBG) – Finance couldn't have addressed my concerns more comprehensively..

The role encompasses finance, MIS, accounts, SAP, just about everything.. And even my audit experience (pre MBA) comes in handy at times. I have been exposed to almost every aspect in Finance… Some of the great things about this role are that I get to do things which I love doing, I get to work on assignments which are significant from the organization point of view. Since the business is growing fast the opportunities to learn, experience and contribute are immense.
In fact, I wonder at times, where else does a Management Trainee get to contribute in a nascent & new business group, like the IBG, take decisions independently in such kind of a setup?

One can definitely plan and shape one's career at Marico. Another great thing about this place is the flexibility in the system. Since I had some experience post CA and pre MBA, I had just a one month stint (plant and sales included) before I entrusted with the IBG role !!

One performs best in an atmosphere where one's external surroundings are in line with one's internal beliefs. I started experiencing Marico as a Company when I was a Summer Intern with Marico in 2004. The kind of freedom and responsibility that I experienced at work and the kind of openness and relevance of discussions that I had with the persons I interacted with (irrespective of their vast industry experience, persons were humble enough to take out time) made me identify myself more with the Company.

Joining Marico as a Management Trainee (MT) was a sort of homecoming. With whatever little understanding I had developed of Marico's strong systems and IT infrastructure during my Summers, I started appreciating the Company all the more as all those systems were designed to bring in more transparency and hence more robustness in the system.

The MT programme at Marico is designed to give ample exposure to MTs in the roles that they would be taking up in future. The MT programme also provides a platform for a very healthy level of interaction between various MTs for experience and idea sharing. Since the Company's efforts and seriousness in the MT program is amply visible, MTs too take the whole exercise very seriously. The type of freedom that is given in terms of experimentation is unmatched. There is complete liberty to express one’s ideas and suggestions at all levels. This entire attitude of the Company towards work elevates work from drudgery to a yearning to give one’s best.

I was recruited by Marico as an Operations MT. Marico’s Operations MT training schedule included a brief Sales stint. After my Sales stint presentation, I was given an option of moving to Sales & Marketing. Given the fact that I had no background of Sales whatsoever – I had opted for the subjects of SCM in my MBA and my Summer Project with the Company was also in SCM – and still the Company thought of me in that role speaks volumes about the Company's resolve to openness and experimentation.

One very wonderful thing that I liked about the MT induction program was an activity that we were supposed to undertake during our Corporate Induction. Each one of us was supposed to go individually to a designated place at a designated time. We were supposed to be there for a particular duration and observe and note down things that one found to be important. Though I have always believed in the power of thinking, what I liked about the whole exercise was that here was a Company which encourages individual thought and values new ideas which are supported by a sound base of logic and foresight. One other very evident thing that came up in the exercise was that the same impulse can bring in different responses from different persons. The learning of the whole exercise was that it is one’s attitude that matters towards a situation rather than the situation itself.

The working style and culture of the Company is such that I find myself very natural and free flowing. Since it is the natural way which is the most efficient there is no doubt that the Company culture is designed to bring out one's best and encourages individual thought.

MBA - Operations - NITIE 2005.
BE - REC, Jaipur, 2002

I am having a great experience working with Marico. It’s a combination of both work and fun.
As an MT, I went through different stints that spanned across various functions of the organization. It gave me an in-depth view of my functional domain and also helped me understand the role different functions play in running a business. It helped me understand different facets of a business.
The most amazing fact about Marico is the responsibility and trust they place in their new hires.
The level of projects an individual gets to do is amazing. Even at the start one is responsible for an end-to-end implementation of the project. The amount of responsibility I have been given as an MT is phenomenal. My work was "real", made up of projects linked to Organization needs. The satisfaction one gets to see ones effort delivering results is huge. This is an opportunity only a few gain.
What I also love is the people and the culture. What all the people here have in common is that they love what they do. This’s one place where everyone looks forward to a Monday !!