Abhinandan Singh

Tell us a little bit about your background and why you chose to pursue an Executive MBA.

I have over nineteen years of rich international experience of IT delivery, pre-sales, sales, account management and solutions experience. A core techie at heart, at least before the MBA; I have developed and managed strong multicultural technology teams, delivering projects in the USA, Mexico, Australia and Asia Pacific; from small-sized flat-structured product based organizations (1000+) to large-scale hierarchical service organizations (300,000+).

While I had exposure to multiple domains, from banking (specializing in wealth management & customer origination), insurance, automotives, aeronautics, publishing, and recently clinical trials & R&D; my roles have always revolved around technology.

I chose an Executive MBA, since it would give me the opportunity to understand the holistic view of business and markets, that would help me pivot to a more matured leadership role than being limited to technology. More importantly, it would provide me the opportunity to learn from people with different perspectives, not limited to technology (which most of my previous peer network looked like).

Why did you choose to study at SSE?

Growing up as a child, my family would move frequently due to the nature of my father’s job. That became a part of my DNA and in my professional life I found myself changing projects, companies, cities, countries, every four years or so. But after a great 3,5 years in Singapore, when I discussed another relocation with my wife in 2021, she asked me to reconsider my pattern and zero down on a geography that would not only give me great career opportunity, but a better work-life balance, and an avenue to spend more time with our, then, 4-year-old son. We ended up choosing Sweden, since it ticked off the right boxes.

Since we were looking to call Sweden home, studying at SSE provided me an opportunity to building a strong local network. The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), renowned as the leading institution in the Nordics and among Europe's elite business schools, was the obvious choice to apply. I was especially impressed by the diversity of the previous cohorts and the international nature of the program. Naturally, I was very happy to be accepted!

How did the SSE MBA affect your career and personal development?

The Executive MBA was instrumental in my career growth in my previous organization, even while I was still in the program. The MBALive® helped me implement a crucial strategy project that provided me with organizational high visibility and create a meaningful impact to my organization.

The program challenged me to explore and better understand every element of how organizations work,  and aided me with the necessary lingo and working understanding of theory to navigate areas from financial planning to legal to strategy to operations; that I earlier stayed away from, focusing on my deliverables. I ended up understanding and respecting why leaders of various functions took the decisions they took. It helped me evolve from a subject matter expert to someone who understands the rationale behind all functions and can meaningfully contribute to them.

By the end of the program, the network that we built during the program ended up giving me the necessary introduction that helped me land my present job.

In April 2024, I joined Catella, which is a pan-European Investment Management and Corporate Finance firm, in the real estate business with 14B€ asset under management.

The program had a more profound effect on my personal growth. I find myself at peace and in balance. Though it sounds strange, the one-on-one coaching sessions that I had as a part of the LeadershipLive Program actually helped me find what is meaningful to me and align my career goals with my personal goals. I am working at the kind of place that best suits my personality, and that brings a swing to my step when I head out to the office.

The entrepreneurial spirit of the school has rubbed on me as well, and I have invested in two startups back in India and am on the Board for one of them.

What impressed you the most about the SSE MBA Executive Format?

Our Academic Director, Angelika, told us on day one – there are three most important aspects of the MBA program – network, network and network.

And while the course structure, faculty and academic program delivery was top notch; the peer-prompted learning was par-excellence; the MBALive® was practically and immediately; the quality of network we built during the program with the cohort and the extended one due to it, was the most important part for me.

Tell us about your classmates, and how they have contributed to your learning and broadening of perspectives?

I would say that 40% of the learning in the program came from listening to my classmates patiently and enthusiastically. The diversity in terms of years of experience, type of industry, nature of role, complexity of problem statemen, geography of business represented was beyond parallel. I don’t think there is a relevant business problem that we could not solve with our collective wisdom in the classroom. Sitting next to Founders, CEOs, Consultants, Lawyers, Doctors, Military Personnel; and calling them your classmates and peers was an experience unlike any other.

Listening to their perspectives helped me reframe my thought process and now I often find myself thinking ‘How would Peter respond to this?’ or ‘What would Hilde do in such a situation?’.

Of course, I have made some friends for life.

Any advice to others interested in studying an Executive MBA at SSE?

The program is intense, so be prepared for it. It is not like an online certification program – and I do not mean any disrespect to them – I have done quite a few.

It will take the center stage in your life for 18 months; but it will also change your life – both professionally and personally. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. I can assure you it will be a part of your DNA. All the best!