Ravindra Rachakonda is the Operations Support and Excellence Manager at NESR in Saudi Arabia.
In September 2026, he completed the postgraduate certificate programme for Strategic Chief Operations Officer at IIM Visakhapatnam, in collaboration with Kent Business School, University of Kent. We asked Ravindra to share his thoughts on the programme and it’s impact on current his role.
Career journey
“My career began in plant maintenance in India. Over more than 25 years, I’ve worked across manufacturing and energy services, including 18 years with Schlumberger, before moving to NESR.
In my current role, I am the KSA Operations Support and Excellence Manager at National Energy Services Reunited Corp. (NESR), based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. NESR operates in all the major oil and gas basins in the region. I have held this role since July 2023, leading centralised support across transportation, facilities, maintenance and operational excellence, including digital transformation.”
Postgraduate Certificate Programme for Strategic Chief Operations Officer
“I joined the programme because I wanted to connect my operational experience with a broader understanding of strategy and leadership. Now, I use that perspective to assess improvements across logistics, maintenance and facilities, and to explain why they matter to the business. Completing the programme alongside a demanding job was a meaningful milestone. It reminded me that experience and continued learning belong together.
My advice to future participants is simple: bring a real workplace challenge, stay open to new ideas, and apply what you learn. That is how learning becomes useful.”
What is the most important thing Kent Business School gave you?
“A broader strategic perspective. After more than 25 years in manufacturing and energy services, the programme helped me connect operational decisions more clearly with business strategy, financial performance and organisational change. It strengthened my confidence to contribute beyond day-to-day execution.
I am grateful to Prof. Preetam Basu at Kent Business School, and Prof. Vicky Knight (Dean, Kent Business School) and Prof. Milan Kumar, Prof. Neena Pandey and Prof. M.V. Anuradha at IIM Visakhapatnam, and the other participating faculty for connecting academic frameworks with the practical challenges of operations leadership.”
What are the skills from your programme that you use most in your role today?
“Strategic, data-driven decision-making. I use operational and financial information together to prioritise improvements across logistics, maintenance and facilities. The programme strengthened my ability to evaluate trade-offs, align proposals with business objectives and explain the rationale clearly to colleagues and senior leaders.”
What advice you would give to prospective students considering this course
“Bring a real operational challenge into your learning. Test the frameworks against your own workplace, ask questions and learn from your peers. For experienced professionals, the value comes from being willing to reconsider familiar approaches and turn new insights into practical improvements.”
What are the things in your life today that make you feel happy and proud
“I am proud of growing from a plant maintenance role into broader operations leadership, while continuing to learn throughout my career. Completing this programme alongside a demanding role in Saudi Arabia is a meaningful milestone. My family’s support, my teams’ progress and opportunities to mentor others give me particular happiness.”
What do you think are the most crucial business skills needed right now
“Strategic judgement, financial understanding and the ability to use data and AI responsibly are essential. Equally valuable is leading change: communicating clearly, building trust and helping people adopt new ways of working. Leaders also need to balance efficiency with resilience, safety and long-term sustainability.”
Are there any other KBS Alumni that you are in touch with or whose work you admire
“I have recently joined the Kent Business School LinkedIn alumni group and am beginning to build connections within the wider community. I look forward to exchanging experiences with fellow executive alumni, particularly those working in operations, supply chains and digital transformation.”
Find out more about the Strategic Chief Operations Officer programme run jointly with Kent Business School and the Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam.