How long have you known the candidate- Since June 2013

Overall Recommendation- I enthusiastically recommend the candidate to the Tepper School

If you were to coach this candidate with respect to how s/he works within a team, what would you
advise that s/he does well? What would you advise the candidate to do differently? Provide specific
examples that support your advice. (300 word max)

I have known Himanshu since his very early days in Ernst and Young. In one of his first projects in
Ernst and Young, Himanshu worked as an Information Technology Transformation Consultant for an
engagement in the Real Estate industry. The inherent interdependency between various departments
of the client meant that the consultants of each department worked as a closely knitted team. Apart
from his Key responsibility areas, he took initiative to singlehandedly implement one of the latest
technologies (SAP Persona) in the engagement by maintaining healthy professional relationships with
client and peers alike, and understood the fact that the success of the engagement was dependent
on the combined success of the team. He sometimes has a tendency to get bogged down when not
able to prioritize all the bottlenecks which stem due to multiple levels of interdependency between
key stakeholders. He has shown significant improvements in removing his hesitancy to ask for
knowledge transfer and constructive feedback from his peers. He is a great project manager already. I
can rely on him for ensuring execution of various tasks in the teams project portfolio. With constant
guidance and with his own conscious efforts he has been able to inculcate qualities such as clarity of
communication, strong boundaries, proactive yet structured approach and personal branding in him.
Although, like any young consultant he was inhibited in asking for and accepting a feedback from a
team member but over years that inhibition has paved its way for realization, acceptance and then
persistent efforts to improve. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and over time he, with an
open and accepting mind, would be able to imbibe such qualitative and behavioural virtues in him.

If you were to coach this candidate on his/her professional development, in what areas would you
suggest s/he focus? What areas are strengths on which s/he can build? Provide specific examples
that support your advice. (300 word max)

Himanshu has been fortunate enough to get involved in IT Strategy engagements across various
industries which have contributed to his knowledge immensely. However, having built a solid
foundation of the industry, over the next few years he would do extremely well if he is able to carve
out a niche for himself. In light of his ambitions to pursue a career in Strategy consulting post his
MBA I would suggest him to focus on a particular industry and garner a subject matter expert level
understanding rather than just focus on the breadth of knowledge across various industries. His
ability to handle client meetings and structuring the thoughts of the client across industries for which
he has no previous knowledge is something unique. In the couple of engagements I worked with him
he showed tremendous energy but I believe he has to improve on his time management,
prioritization and the art of delegation skills in order to keep up with harsh deadlines of the
consulting world. He has proven his analytic skills by coming up with creative solutions to complex
business problems. He has very good communication skills and he should put them to use in
increasing his visibility and in creating a personal brand. He has always put in discretionary effort and
is available to help out even when the task is out of his purview; he values professional relationships
and shows a strong desire to measure the impact created by his work.

If you had the opportunity to work with this candidate in the future, would you? Why or why not?
(300 word max)

I would definitely want to work with Himanshu in future.

Compared to his peers, Himanshu quickly adapted himself into the role of a consultant. Within one
month of joining he was handling client meetings one on one for one of India's largest public sector
undertaking project. He also showed a zest for Project Management quite early during his time in EY.
He was chosen for an International Advisory project within his very first year. Besides, his
involvement in creation and presentation of business proposals for a Media company and Steel
company proved to be a success and has equipped him with know-how of Sales Pitch and Deal
closure. He is a proverbial self-starter and is capable of picking up intricate IT skills on his own.
Besides, he is actively involved in Learning & Development department of EY in which he conducted
several workshops for his team as a part of Knowledge Transfer Initiative with regards to new
technologies

His natural analytical skills combined with his structured way of approaching and breaking down
problems are his some of his great assets. In Master Data Management cycle for an SAP
Implementation project for a Real estate project, he was able to develop an optimization strategy
using excel tools which processed client data in less than 33 percent of the expected time. With a
unique blend of Industry knowledge, IT skills and Sales experience he comes with a complete
package. He has been involved in Business process transformation of large Indian companies which
has done wonders to his ability to lay down foundation for his learning in any new industry he might
work in future.

Lastly, Himanshu is someone who is passionate, humble yet very competitive, intellectually sound
and has a sense of humour to keep the work environment cheerful.