Gautham Nallavari transformed his career and his outlook on life after an MBA at HEC Paris
Before he embarked on an MBA at France’s HEC Paris, Gautham Nallavari was happy residing in a land of familiarity.He was a consultant at Tata Consultancy Services, working between India and the US, before becoming a project manager for the firm in Boston—the reason for this move, he says, is that his brother and friends lived nearby.
“Comfort zone was my main thing,” Gautham admits, “but that comfort zone didn’t exist for me once I was at HEC Paris. My MBA experience taught me to travel and to understand the world better, like my classmates.”
Indeed, the experiences Gautham had during his MBA added to a love of history that had been ignited by the stories his father used to tell him in his native India. This prompted a desire to travel after graduation.
Gautham spent the six months after the HEC Paris MBA travelling the Silk Road from Greece, into Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kurdistan, and China, before finishing in Hong Kong—he was even presumed to be a spy and arrested in Turkmenistan!
He used his experiences to transform his consulting career after his journey—he speaks fluent Turkish, and now works as a consultant for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Istanbul.
“If you had asked me before my MBA, I would have had no idea how to do that,” he says.
The adventurous, daring spirit enacted by Gautham may have been brewing for a while, but it was truly released when he was immersed in the global MBA classroom at HEC Paris.
The HEC Paris MBA intake is 92% international, giving students the opportunity to develop their understanding of myriad personalities, industries and cultures. For Gautham, that was the catalyst he needed to pursue his life-long dream.
“I didn’t have to go to Uruguay to understand Latin America, and I didn’t have to go to Japan to understand the cultural differences,” he says, “I learned them all here [at HEC Paris]."
For Gautham, the history of the Silk Road is not too unlike the experience of an MBA. “It was a highway of information exchange,” he explains.
“The HEC Paris MBA taught me how people think, and what the economic and cultural differences are that affect people’s lives. It gave me a lot of tools to assess how countries operate; how businesses operate.”
Alongside the core MBA curriculum, MBA students at HEC Paris study problem solving and communication—developing the soft skills applicable to everyday scenarios—as well as ethics and sustainability, providing deep insights into how to develop business strategies with a conscience.
It was this vast development of people skills and worldly understanding that encouraged Gautham to explore the Silk Route. He caught the MBA bug and wanted to gain a true understanding of the people and perspectives that make up the world we live in.
He stayed with MBA friends and friends of friends throughout his journey, which led to an authentic experience in each country. In fact, he wrote a book about his travels. Entitled Seyyah, a Turkish word meaning ‘a traveler who travels to seek knowledge’, it recounts the conversations he had with individuals along the way.
“I have the confidence to travel the world,” he now admits, “and I now understand that every part of the world is not too different from where you come from. I can only argue that after the MBA.”
Student Reviews
Cultural experience
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
Cultural experience
I have met the most competent and diverse batch in this school. These people not only thrive on their own but also makes sure that you are doing it with them. The professors will take your had and walk you through all milestones and make sure you are not left behind. I have found their extracurriculars extremely engaging. There was always a room to have social life after academic life. The only hindrance is the location of the school, it is slightly outside city and living in city is expensive.
Internationality and diversity of opportunities
About my programme I would say it is very international and flexible: we have the opportunity to choose exactly the courses we want. But at the same time, the frame of the campus is crucial in students' life and enable us to create friendships.
Great selection of people
While HEC's MBA is highly selective, I really enjoy the type of people HEC's selects to make sure everybody gets the best out of their MBA experience and networking opportunities. Not only it's an incredibly diverse pool of people (~60 nationalities) but most importantly they make sure to let in friendly empathic and curious people.
Best in France for Grande ecole
A prestigious business school. Languages are important. It is better to have a scientific baccalaureate with excellent grades in high school and good assessments.
The courses are well designed as per the latest trends and practicality of learning in stressed upon. Overall, a very good experience.
Diversity and quality of fellow students
Very international and interesting place to be and opens a lot of opportunities, however the administration is very french and facilities are subpar (gym, classrooms) meaning the academic affairs is pretty much useless and lastly we are graded on a curve which can create a toxic environment because of the competition. With that being said the pros outweighs the cons by far.
The quality of the teachers, the campus, the clubs
The school is very international indeed, we have courses with international students and share things with them within the extra academic life (in the social clubs especially). We have great career prospects if we prepare ourselves well - however, the global curriculum is still very finance-oriented, which is a pity for other interesting domains of the company world, which does not rely on finance only. The social clubs are good practice for the management and for now, are quite independent.
HEC Paris awaits you
HEC Paris is really a nice place to do a master's in business. Many classes are useful and interesting (corporate finance, financial accounting, contract law…), some are less - but the curriculum is to be reviewed in the year to come. Regarding the student life, it is incredible, with about 130 clubs, lots of great parties with even greater people. The Jouy campus offers a lot of opportunities to do sports, and you can breathe fresh air every day. HEC also helps a great deal to find an internship or a job.
A dream institute
Enrolling in the HEC MBA was by far the best decision I made for myself. The people and faculty are great, with lots of opportunities to meet people and expand your horizons. Very nice campus where I have had some good running sessions.
The alumni network is superb and very helpful. It also has a good support system for entrepreneurs. Would definitely recommend it!
Good choice for a career boost
The classes were extremely practical and relevant to the current challenges that businesses are facing. You have access to a wide range of professionals and good career prospects once you leave the university.
