My story so far.

I come from Central India — born in a small village into a family with agricultural roots, and raised in the city of Indore.

I went on to study at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore — the five-year Integrated Program in Management, where ours was the first batch. It did far more than classroom learning. From linear programming and economics to French and ceramics, the breadth shaped how I think more than what I remember. Living in hostels and being surrounded by such driven and ambitious minds added a lot to the learning.

That breadth continued into my work. I've spent a decade across very different roles, industries, and geographies — Market Risk at Nomura, Corporate Treasury at JSW Steel, a brief stretch at Deutsche Bank, and then consulting at Deloitte. Working in industry laid the foundation; consulting accelerated it. The pace, the complexity, the exposure.

Looking back, what stayed with me is a comfort with the unknown: messy stakeholder landscapes, competing priorities, and the need to keep very different people aligned. I'm drawn to structuring problems before looking for solutions, and finding the right story to tell. I've found myself equally comfortable working alone, in teams, or leading them.

I'm now based in Dubai, building an independent practice. Something about starting over is energising.

Beyond work, there is a lot I'm exploring:

1. I write. Writing serves me in ways I never imagined. I wasn't born a writer, but I'm slowly learning to call myself one.
2. I read. It is also my preferred way of learning. A never-ending list of bookmarked essays and a couple of books on my bedside table. The three that have stayed with me most are listed below.
3. I am also exploring technology with curiosity, particularly what AI is changing about how we work and think. My Substack AI AI YO documents most of that.
4. Career identity, life transitions, the in-betweens, and the non-linear path — these are subjects I could talk about for hours, probably because I'm living them.
5. Health matters. I've done running and yoga in the past, but right now I'm focused on building strength. The long-pending goal is a pull-up.