Interview with Mr. Adiki Madhu Babu - part of series 'Know a Member'

For this week's interview as part of the series 'Know a Member' we have Mr. Adiki Madhu Babu. Please continue reading below to know what he has to say.

1.  What was your biggest take-away from the training at IIT? 
Ans.  I was always confident of my abilities but IIT taught me to believe in the people around me. They implicitly end up influencing me so much that I was eventually moulded by their thoughts and actions. So I feel we need to surround ourselves with the right kind of people and I was definitely lucky to have found my set of friends back then at IIT.

2. What is your dream? What do you want to be in 15-20 years from now? 
Ans. I don't have a dream as of now. My dream is to have a dream. 

3. In your nearly a year stay here in Korea, what has been your most memorable experience? Why? 
Ans. The whole Korean experience in itself has been quite memorable for me. But their work ethic and the drive to march forward resonated quite a bit with my conscience as well. In short, they tend to make me believe that it's not only about your skill, but more about your will. I would definitely try to assimilate that mindset during my stay in Korea.

4. How was your MBA experience in Korea?   
Ans. Met a lot of wonderful people (Foreigners and Koreans) and got a better perspective of not only Korea but also other Asian countries such as Japan, China, Singapore etc.. Although not as challenging as I was accustomed to but still there was a great deal to learn both from the faculties and the classmates who came from a lot of different backgrounds.

5. How is working in a Korean company like? 
Ans. This is my first job ever (Hyundai Motors), so I have no reference to compare with but I think it is a bit challenging. The initial few months could be a bit frustrating but once you prove your strengths and skills ,then you can set out to contribute more and more. Being the only foreigner in my team, I had to find my way to assimilate and accommodate myself into the team. And gradually you could devise your own solutions and work creatively. But there are always a few cultural elements which might affect your productivity such as "nunchi" and of course the language issue is quite pervasive. 

6. What are your expectations from this alumni association? 
Ans. I think every association has a great potential to influence people and change things. So I hope the group stays active both internally (by sharing and learning from each other), externally (by influencing the society around us) and of course, continues to grow.

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Adiki Madhu Babu is a Product Manager with the Hyundai Motors Company HQ in Seoul where he is currently managing two new upcoming products (automobiles) for international markets. He finished his B.Tech (ME) from IIT Madras in 2012, and was selected for the “Global Blue Wave Program” by Hyundai, as part of which he pursued his MBA from Yonsei University in Seoul. In his free time he likes to read non-fiction books and workout or play basketball.

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