2. How has your career developed since leaving Kent Business School?<\/h2>\n
I had an internship with P&G<\/a> in Surrey after my MBA<\/a>\u00a0studies, after which I returned to India. After an attempt at the Indian Civil Services, I became a part of a Social Enterprise, DesiCrew<\/a>, that works towards creating IT-based jobs in rural India. DesiCrew was incubated at the IIT-Madras<\/a> and has won over 15 awards.\u00a0I am also a member of the Association of British Scholars (ABS)<\/a> in India.<\/p>\n Kent Business School<\/a> at the University of Kent<\/a> played a major role in shaping my career. The diversity in the class was phenomenal. Coming from different countries and cultures, we were able to have multiple viewpoints on the same issue. This came out very well during our plenary sessions. We learnt to acknowledge differences when working as a team.<\/p>\n I understood that I had to work around the cultural differences to achieve common goals. This learning has served me well in the my career so far. From a management perspective, I was encouraged to think of business models that can solve real world problems. It was this way of thinking\u00a0that pushed me towards forming DesiCrew<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also, Kent Business School<\/a> allowed me to pursue different interests. I was a part of the Student Staff Representative committee, I founded the Kent Debating Society<\/a>. Also, the School was kind enough to alter my academic dates, to accommodate my Internship with Procter & Gamble<\/a>.\u00a0I am now a triathlete, participate in half-marathons, volunteer with environment protection groups on a regular basis. My stint at Kent <\/a>encouraged me to follow my areas of passion.<\/p>\n I have very fond memories of my MBA<\/a> classes with Professors Pamela Yeow, Fred Thompson, Richard Scase and the late Mike Murphy. And of course, great friends with whom I am still in touch.<\/p>\n I got an email from The British Council India<\/a> team last year, suggesting I apply. \u00a0I had gone ahead and completed the application, there was an Interview earlier this year. The winner will be announced on the 24th of March at Alumni Awards event in New Delhi.<\/p>\n Many thanks to Ashwanth for sharing his views, we wish him good luck in the finals of the British Council Alumni Awards India<\/a>. Find out more about The Kent MBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My name is Ashwanth Gnanavelu, I studied at Kent Business School<\/a> at the Canterbury Campus<\/a>\u00a0thirteen years ago graduating with an MBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since leaving Kent Business School<\/a> I set up a social enterprise DesiCrew<\/a>\u00a0which works towards creating IT-based jobs in rural India, where I am from.<\/p>\n View Ashwanth on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n Check our new\u00a0Guide for students from India coming to study at Kent Business School<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"3. How has what you learned at Kent Business school helped you in your career?<\/h2>\n
4. When will the winner of the Social Impact Award be announced?<\/h2>\n
Alumni Blogger:<\/h2>\n
Ashwanth Gnanavelu<\/h3>\n
![\"ashwanth\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kent-business-matters\/files\/2017\/03\/ashwanth-200x300.jpg\")
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