“I received great support [...] that help me polish my positioning for Product Management roles”

Preyash Shah, Product Manager at Inova and graduated from the Global MBA - Strategy and Management track., shares his learning experience at ESSEC Executive Education.

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

Preyash Shah: Hello, I am Preyash. I was born and brought up in Mumbai, India – where I finished my engineering and began my professional journey. I started as a consultant in the Innovation Management Advisory field and later moved to the product side of the business. With over 8 years of professional experience, I moved to France in 2021 to pursue my MBA. Currently, I am based in Lyon, France and working as a Product Manager focusing on building partnering solutions for the biopharma industry.

Before planning for my MBA, I was working as a Business Analyst for the product organisation in my company. I was primarily responsible for analysing business, product, and user data to test hypotheses to support technology teams with product development and improving user experience. During the latter half of my time as a Business Analyst, I focused on bringing API and Data feed products to the market.

Why did you choose the GMBA at ESSEC?

Preyash S.: Well, there were quite a few reasons for me to choose GMBA at ESSEC, the primary one being its boutique class size that was still quite diverse. Personally, I preferred knowing a few people well to barely knowing many. Besides the class size, ESSEC’s alumni network was also a major attraction. I was able to find ESSEC alumni in almost all the companies I was targeting for my post-MBA career!

What was your project when you entered the program?

Preyash S.: My primary goal in the program was to create a comprehensive understanding of the various aspects of a business, including marketing, finance, strategy, and operations, and how they are interconnected. My objective after completing my MBA was to pursue a career as a product manager with a strong focus on the business side of things – that is, I wanted to understand how a product feature would impact both the user experience and the company's financials. Additionally, I was interested in expanding my professional network within the European region, specifically within the Product Management, Technology, and Start-up communities. Prior to my MBA, my network was mainly concentrated in India, with some presence in Europe.

I think learning to leverage diverse experiences of my teammates during projects was a major shift in my perspective. I believe I also improved my networking skills: as we progressed with the course, I felt more comfortable speaking with people from different backgrounds on a variety of topics.

What is your current job position and how did the GMBA help you reach it?

Preyash S.: Currently, I am working as a Product Manager at Inova. Inova is a tech company that provides B2B partnering solutions to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. I joined Inova as a GMBA Intern and later on moved to a full-time role. I received great support from the talent center team through various workshops that help me polish my positioning for Product Management roles.

What is your best memory of the program?

Preyash S.: Picking one memory is very tough, however, I think I really enjoyed the field trips in London, Luxembourg, and Amsterdam. Visiting offices of some of the biggest European tech companies and meeting their leadership teams was a great personal experience for me. It gave me a good insight into the European market, its challenges and work culture as I was preparing for my post-MBA career.

Your advice to future applicants?

Preyash S.: For the future applicants, I would recommend to approach the program with an open mindset and try to nail down your career plan as early into the program as possible, this will help you get more time to network and prepare for the role.

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