BSc Management Sciences, 2009
Partner, Lalani & Co
After LSE, I worked at Aurobindo Pharma, a global pharmaceutical company. I worked as an Executive in European Finance and later as an executive in Business Development (Europe). Through these positions, I looked after the Finance and later BD for six European subsidiaries. In June 2011, I undertook a course in International Trade in association with the London School for Shipping and Transport. This gave me an understanding of the basics of International Trade, in preparation for the move I was to make.
I made the jump to my own company (which I set up with a long-standing friend during my time at LSE). I now look after all the Finance, Logistics and Compliance matters for the business. The company imports boutique, single-estate teas from family run gardens all over the world. We trade to the very top-end of the market in the UK, Europe, and as far reaching as Australia. You have to be a self-starter and very hard-working but it is fulfilling because we endeavour to provide some of the poorest people in the world (tea pickers) with the opportunity to be rewarded for cultivating, picking and producing excellent teas.
Nothing comes close to running your own business, waking up in the morning and knowing how you act on that day directly affects your company and how well it operates. However it can be very stressful at times.
LSE gives you an immeasurable number of skills through the teaching. Although no university can prepare you for “life’s ups and downs”, LSE is probably the best for “life-preparation”. The career events are the best around. Every recruiter (if in search for the best), goes to LSE. Being a student in London puts the world at your fingertips – unlike other places you are not in a bubble; it is realistic and the transition from university to work is seamless with an LSE education.
My advice to LSE students would be to work hard – it’s a fantastic institution and you will be acclaimed wherever you go, so you must live up to it. You must be worthy of the ‘LSE’ brand and it, in turn must be worthy of you. Graduating from the LSE gives you a huge sense of belief and confidence. That’s not to say that it will be an easy road to success after that, but it will equip you with the skills and work ethic to achieve success.