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Saumya Chaki

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Saumya Chaki

Managing Consultant BAO CoC, IBM

CTS

Saumya Chaki is a member of:

Could you tell us briefly about your family background?

I come from a family of professionals. My father was a Electrical Engineer by profession and my mother was a teacher. I was born in Kolkata, live in Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai. Did my schooling at AG Church, Kolkata. Graduated from Presidency College, Kolkata and then from ISM, Dhanbad.

The Decisions That Matter

I have always looked at differentiating myself from my peers. Differentiation would mean learning new skills, challenging myself with difficult assignments and always looking at new roles to develop my skills, build new relationships at work. Transition from delivery to Consulting was a key move.

Growth Strategy:

To grow one must look at new opportunities and roles that would challenge one's current skills and capability. You need to continously assess what attributes a leader must possess and work on them. I look at enhanching my skills and job role every year. I guess i am restless by nature !

Job Profile:

I work as an Information Management consultant. I work with the Business Analytics and Optimization Center of Competency at IBM Global Business Services and currently lead the Data Warehouse team. I work on pre-sales, Phase 0 consulting engagements, Solution design and White papers.

Advice For New Professionals:

Be creative, hardworking and learn new skills every year. You'll be amazed where and how these skills would help you later in your career. Look at differentiating yourself at each step of your journey.

Working Life Management:

Well its always a balancing act. I travel a fair bit and make sure to read on flights or listen to music to relax. Taking a break every 6 months is essential to recharge your batteries. I like to blog occassionally.

Done Differently:

Well i don't believe in regrets. However, if given a chance to start again i would have probably done things pretty differently like worked in the Oil & Gas industry and prbably have become an industry consultant. I also would have dabbled with entreprenuerial opportunities.

Role Model:

Its difficult to mention a single role model as you have role models in every stage of your life. In my growing years it was my father and my uncle for their values and strength of character, later it was peers and seniors at the workplace. There are many roles models in every walk of life.

Plans For The Future:

I don't plan too much in the future as the market is very dynamic and one needs to keep a pulse of the trends to be ahead of the curve. I see myself in more strategic decision making roles in the next 3-4 years leading a larger consulting practice.

Degrees That Matter:

For middle level professionals CBIP from TDWI and technology certifications from Vendors. TOGAF for aspiring architects and domain certifications for industry knowledge. Some MBA school's are having Business Analytics courses but one needs to continously follow market trends to keep up.