Alumni Success Story: Nimesh Parikh, ZLOG 2009, Supply Chain Network Design at Schneider Electric

Alumni Success Story: Nimesh Parikh, ZLOG 2009, Supply Chain Network Design Manager at Schneider Electric.  See profile on Linkedin

 

Back in 2008, you were working as Supply Chain Process Innovation in IBM in Mumbai. Then you decided to have a break enrolling as a ZLOG student moving from India to Spain. Why did you choose ZLC?

At that point in my career, I had been wanting to gain formal education in supply chain management through a top-rated program offering international exposure. And ZLC offered a great mix of a reputed global Master program with a unique cultural exposure. The choice was simple! 😊

 

ZLOG Alumni often describe ZLC experience as transformative. Looking back over the past eleven years, how has this experience been transformative for you? What else stands out from your Master experience? Did you take any fond memories away with you?

Before my ZLOG days, I would sometimes feel de-energized having to deal with people-issues at work, and corporate life can be full of those. My big takeaway from the program was that sometimes people *appear* ‘difficult to deal with’, but if you maintain a positive outlook towards them, remain objective about the task at hand, work hard to know the subject well yourself, and learn to appreciate the other’s point of view, then life becomes a lot easier – whether its group assignments, discussions over case studies, working together on the thesis, or deciding at 4am in the streets of Zaragoza which pub the group should go to next!

I had an amazing time at Zaragoza, thanks to the most diverse, funny and brilliant bunch of fellow students from more than 20 countries, the very knowledgeable and experienced faculty, and the program staff that was totally invested in us succeeding in our journey.

Beautiful Zaragoza, the nightlife and all the parties, the hikes, introducing the class to Holi (the Indian festival of colors), and the bonds formed with the classmates – it was all well worth it.

 

You have beaten a steady career path in the Supply Chain Consulting since joining Chainalytics in 2010. What do you like the most and the least about Logistics and SCM Consulting?

Completing my ZLOG Masters opened the opportunity for me to start working in one of the most interesting and strategic aspects of SCM – network design. Consulting years with Chainalytics provided me with exceptional opportunities to work on a variety of questions with diverse and talented client teams from large and small companies across geographies and industries. All this meant a lot of learning and being constantly challenged. And the experience has been more than rewarding. If there was one downside, it was that one rarely got to see the outcome/implementation of our ideas/recommendations, and any challenges the client faced in the process. Joining Schneider Electric has meant completing this circle within a global corporation to see the idea through to its implementation.

 

You are currently based in Australia as Supply Chain Network Design Manager at Schneider Electric, a French multinational leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation. What have been the most significant achievements in this stage of your career?

As I mentioned earlier, working with SE (Schneider Electric) in Australia has been a very enriching experience, because it has allowed me to see the whole lifecycle of network modelling projects – from the time I explore ideas for cost efficiency and service improvement, to the challenging phases of network modelling, to sharing proposals and building consensus with senior global leadership, to finally validating the outcome after implementation. As part of the Global Supply Chain Strategy organization, our team has been able to drive significant improvements for the company, both in terms of cost and service across all regions. And it feels good to see SE moving up the Gartner Top 25 Supply Chains ranking from #50+ five years ago to #4 for the last two years. I suppose, I can take a tiny bit of credit for that on behalf of our team. 😊

 

What is your best advice to an applicant hoping to get into ZLOG Master program? Would you want to share any tips or advice with students interested in applying?

Have specific goals about what you want to achieve out of the Master program, and where/which space you want to be in after graduation. Also, think of a backup plan – two weeks into our Master program, Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, and the GFC unfolded upon us over the following months, affecting our prospects, types of jobs we could apply for, and the geographies we could apply in. The current pandemic poses its own challenges.

Once you start the program, remember to work hard, play harder, and party hardest – Zaragoza rocks! And so does the ZLOG Class! Live the dream!

 

Thank you so much Nimesh, we are looking forward to seeing you again!