NAIMAS, through its Chairman and President, Mssrs. Renny Yeo, MM 81, and Vivek Goyal, MBM 86, respectively, played an outsized role in the recent alumni homecoming week by taking part in several alumni and student activities, including meeting AIM’s Board of Governors and Trustees during the welcome cocktails on March 1, 2024.
One of the highly anticipated events was the Alumni Hour, where Renny and Vivek shared their career lessons and experiences with the International Master in Business Administration (iMBA), Master in Development Management (MDM), and Master in Innovation and Business (MIB) students. Alumni who have reached the pinnacle of their careers are invited as speakers in Alumni Hour, giving students invaluable career and life lessons to help jumpstart their professions and put them on the fast lane to success.
Vivek opened the talk by impressing upon the students the importance of communication and networking skills, drawing on his long years of international C-suite experience to share with his audience the skills and character traits companies look for among candidates. To catch the students’ attention and show them an example to prove his point, he played a video of an investment banker giving tips on how to ace a very competitive interview, how to keep the job, and how to excel in it.
Preparation, confidence, collaboration, humility, empathy, and non-aggression go a long way toward impressing employers and ensuring career longevity. Vivek recalled his student days at AIM when everyone in the class was very competitive and aggressive, trying to outdo each other for higher grades. He carried that ultra-competitive mindset to his career, and now, looking back, he wishes he was more collaborative and less demanding of his staff.
As he gained more wisdom, he told his rapt audience that his reinvented interview process included asking the frontline staff how they were treated by a job applicant the moment he entered the company’s premises. Vivek wanted to emphasize that the character of a person is more important than skillset because an employee can be taught and trained to develop new skills, but the character is what is ingrained in a person’s being and is often set.
As a final parting shot, he told the students that the value of face-to-face interaction can never be replaced by technology. He implored the students to ensure that they don’t hide behind a computer screen and that they shouldn’t simply send a Viber or Whatsapp message and think it will do. He reminded them to always strive for an in-person meeting because the things they will learn from seeing and talking to someone in the flesh will go a long way toward learning more about that person from a personal and business perspective. A final piece of advice is to stay in touch with another, not only for camaraderie but also for networking and career opportunities.
Renny further emphasized the importance of networking and keeping in touch with classmates and fellow alumni. He cited his experience when Singapore’s economy took a downturn, badly affecting his business. A fellow alumnus gave him business in Malaysia, thus keeping his company afloat and providing him the impetus to expand to other countries.
Renny also entreated the students to have passion for their work for without it, success will be very hard to come by, and, as he underscored, there is no substitute for hard work. As many of them belong to Gen Z, he understood their inclination for global mobility, necessitating a unique managerial skill to retain talent and keep them happy and fulfilled.
Lastly, Renny talked about the importance of understanding the culture within the company and the society it operates in. Renny shared his experience running companies in different countries. His important takeaway is that a leader can influence the internal culture of a company but must learn to adapt to the external culture as dictated by society.
ARO is grateful to Renny and Vivek for taking time off their busy schedules to share their wisdom and life lessons with our students. The Alumni Hour was a most productive learning event the students truly enjoyed.
