The Harbus chatted with Naren Shaam (OF), who split his summer between two very different internships. He called his job before HBS – engine design in the automotive industry- “one hundred percent manufacturing and really enjoyable” but decided to challenge himself this summer.
He started in Los Angeles working for media investment fund, his first foray into finance. “It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I was five minutes from the beach, got to see movie stars like Keanu Reaves, and learned a lot about finance.” Halfway through the summer, he flew from the U.S. entertainment capital to India’s capital, Delhi, where he worked on a turnaround project for a $500 million diversified manufacturing company that was on a downward trend. He worked with the CEO to rewrite the business model of the firm but was disappointed by the corporate bureaucracy he had to work through. Asked how the RC had influenced his summer, he replied, “I think a lot of what I learned in the first year really helped me in both of these jobs. I don’t think I could have done what I did without what I learned in strategy or finance.” Thinking of lessons to pass on to other students, Naren shared, “My biggest learning for the summer is that, when I was in LA, I reached out to a lot of alumni.in finance and entertainment. I was amazed by how willing they were to meet with me because I was a student. I think it’s important to take full advantage before you lose the privilege of being a student.”
