Are you a Fresher ?

Louis Chakkalakal

What did you do before you joined SIB?

I am a German national and completed my Bachelor Studies in Business Management & Leadership from Heilbronn University (Germany) and got my MBA from the leading German Business School, European School of Business - Reutlingen University.

How did you decide to join SIB's full time investment banking & equity research course?

I had three individual reasons for joining the school. First of all, I aimed to learn everything about Investment Banking technicals and in addition to this to concretely apply and practice the subjects within a training. Secondly, I intended to gain practical knowledge about different sectors, industry drivers and market particularities in India and other parts of the world. Thirdly, I knew about the extensive network and relevant contacts of the tutors including a distinguished reputation of the institute and about the quality of its graduates. Thus, depending on my own merit, I had the aspiration to get the best help possible to immediately start my career.

Do you feel you took the right decision by joining SIB?

All the expectations that I had before joining the course were definitely met. The intensive training made me adept in all relevant disciplines such as accounting, creation of profiles & comparables, DCF valuation, M&A considerations etc. I gained deep insights about sector peculiarities and I was ideally prepared for challenging finance interviews. I am now without any doubt ready to succeed in this highly competitive field of Investment Banking with one of the World’s most reputable banks.

What was the best part of training at SIB?

Apart from the high expectations that I had before, the school could even exceed these expectations by far. The experienced and dynamic lecturer team could continuously spark me and keep up a high level of excitement and motivation throughout the course. We were encouraged to question independently and to think out of the box. The tutors clearly put an emphasis on general knowledge, macro-economic factors and recent occurrences. Overall I would say: the approach of the school represents and conveys lived street smartness.

Shalin Gaikwad

What did you do before you joined SIB?

Before joining SIB, I completed my Bachelors in Commerce from Jai Hind College.

How did you decide to join SIB's full time Investment Banking course?

I had always wanted to get into the Investment Banking/ Equity Research field and once my graduation was complete, I did my research and found out that SIB was a gateway for entry into the field.

Do you feel you took the right decision by joining SIB?

Unequivocally Yes! SIB provided me with the knowledge I would need to excel in the field and as promised, many opportunities for employment in various Investment Banks.

Chintan Sampat

What did you do before you joined SIB?

I completed Bachelor of Commerce from HR College, Mumbai University and Master of Financial Analysis from La Trobe University, Australia. I also cleared CFA Level 1 (US) in June 2009.

How did you decide to join SIB's full time investment banking course?

Before joining SIB, I did not even know what investment banking meant. Just like any other naïve person, investment banking for me was another subset of finance/research. But it was the team at SIB who explained to me what investment banking actually means and what investment bankers actually do. As I was looking for a job prior to joining SIB, I decided to train myself in financial modelling and valuations before actually appearing for any interviews. I had heard of SIB from a friend and decide to visit them to get a better sense of what they offer.  At the time I was also considering joining another institute, but  I was very much impressed with SIB and its team and decided to go for it.

Do you feel you took the right decision by joining SIB?

Absolutely, Undoubtedly, Undisputedly YES!!! I am now a part of this highly reputed multinational firm in their investment banking team and this has been possible entirely due to SIB. This is way more than what a certificate can do for me!

Varun Thakkar

What did you do before you joined SIB?

Before I joined SIB, I completed my Bachelors in Management Studies (BMS) from R.A. Podar College, Mumbai.

How did you decide to join SIB's full time investment banking course?

I have always had a keen interest in finance and had done a few short courses in the field. One of these courses was on mergers and acquisitions and I instantly knew that I wanted a career in Investment Banking. A friend recommended SIB to me and I found the course content really interesting. The fact that I as a fresher had the opportunity of breaking into mainstream investment banking was very appealing. It was exactly what I was looking for and so I enrolled myself for the full time batch.

Do you feel you took the right decision by joining SIB?

Yes, even though I was scared and hesitant at first. But now that I’m working in a boutique investment bank with the profile that I’ve  always wanted to work in, I think this decision was the best ever. The training provided at SIB is awesome and the faculty is brilliant. I’m really happy I took up this course.

Tanvi Patki

What did you do before you joined SIB?

I completed my B.Com from Podar College and a  MBA from IES Management College before joining SIB.

How did you decide to join SIB's full time investment banking course?

After completing my MBA the placements offered at college did not interest me much. The profiles offered were mostly sales oriented and not hard core finance ones. Therefore, I decided to pursue the full time IB course at SIB as I thought it would give me better career opportunities.

Do you feel you took the right decision by joining SIB?

Yes. I definitely feel I took the right decision by joining SIB as the learning was great and the window of opportunities it provided was awesome. I'm truly happy I did the course.

Nitesh Punjabi

What did you do before you joined SIB?

I had just completed my BBA (Bachelors in Business Administration) from Symbiosis. I was a fresh graduate, out of college and was looking for a good start to my career.

How did you decide to join SIB's full time investment banking course?

I am very ambitious and I knew I wanted a job in the financial sector; I wanted to be an investment banker. I knew that being an investment banker will be a great profile to start with and will give me global exposure. But I also knew that I needed extra help to get where I wanted to, because it was impossible to even get an interview in the bulge bracket firms only after my BBA. Once I came across SIB, I knew that this was the only way I could have the best start to my career.

Do you feel you took the right decision by joining SIB?

The training at SIB backed my strengths, confidence and ambition. It pushed me in the right direction and gave me my dream shot of being an investment banker. I am a banker with a bulge bracket bank and I made a great start to my career. I work at par with CA’s and MBA’s. The training I received at SIB helped me to achieve this.

Varun Jain

What did you do before you joined SIB?

I had just finished my undergraduate degree at HR College and like everyone else was evaluating different careers and opportunities. I weighed them all out and decided that I wanted to be in Private Equity (PE). After receiving grim replies from most PE firms, I decided to do what most PE firms suggested - get banking experience as a precursor to a PE career. After spending a couple of months in London meeting with banking and PE professionals, I decided that working with a bulge bracket investment bank was my best bet.

How did you decide to join SIB's full time investment banking course?

I was keen on getting into investment banking full time and serious about doing so. The so-called 'banking' offers being offered to graduates in India are more of an accountancy or finance related nature as opposed to mainstream investment banking. SIB offered the chance to break into what I always wanted to: an opportunity to interview with at least a couple of bulge bracket banks and other premier institutions and the knowledge and skill set to thrive and make a mark once inside the firm.

Do you feel you took the right decision by joining SIB?

Undoubtedly. With the top finance firms in India hiring from only a few hand picked schools, it seemed almost impossible to break into this circle. But with the program at SIB this was made possible. The level of instruction combined with the hands on approach were top notch. Moreover the background and experience of the team was also a major motivating factor in convincing me to take up the program. Everything I gained over the 3 months at SIB, both personally and professionally gave me a substantial leg-up over the competition from day one.

Sarfraz Sohani

What did you do before you joined SIB?

I did my bachelors in management (BMS) from Bhavan’s College, Mumbai University and was a fresher before joining SIB

How did you decide to join SIB's full time investment banking course?

The field of investment banking always interested me since  college and I  was eventually planning to pursue it after my MBA. After completing my graduation, I came across SIB which I thought would help me achieve my career goals. So I did some research on SIB, clarified my doubts and took at the time what seemed to be a small amount of risk. But now when I look back it clearly paid off.

Do you feel you took the right decision by joining SIB?

I am working in a bulge bracket US Investment Bank doing the same investment banking work that is done by MBAs, and this has been possible only because of the course at SIB.