Konversations Cafe is going global, and our first stop is Dubai. Our third speaker in Konversations Cafe Dubai is Gautam Gurnani, Senior Vice President at Dubai Holding.

An Investment Banker at heart and by profession, drawn to the world of finance by the promise of making headlines through his work, Gautam’s journey is a lesson in conviction.

Gautam had massive FOMO as a student, and that led to him participating in any and every competition that he could, and ended up winning quite a few of them. That’s where the kick for winning developed, which would continue to guide his career decisions way into the future. He knew that he’d want to choose a career that gave him the same high as competition, winning and numbers did, and a career in finance seemed like the perfect match.

But finance is an ocean in itself, so the decision to dock on one particular island would’ve again been a herculean task in analysis. Fortunately, for Gautam, his brain convinced him to investment banking while he was reading about a merger deal headline in The Economic Times.

It was now time to set out on a new journey, and time to try to ‘Bell the CAT’. His first attempt at CAT left a little to be desired, but nonetheless, he only got a call from SP Jain Insitute of Management & Research. Gautam was quick enough to leave CAT behind for a newer pursuit, CFA, when a friend of his convinced him to buy the CAT form, and her mom pushed her reluctant son to give the exam.

As luck would have it, he got interview calls from all the top 6 IIMs, barring Ahmedabad, a turn of events, Gautam considers fortunate. Completing his education at IIM Bangalore, Gautam started working with Goldman Sachs after converting his Summer Internship into a PPO. Joining an investment back right when all hell was about to break loose, Gautam found himself in the midst of the infamous, “Global Financial Crisis of ‘08”. What happened then, is a story for another video, but here are the highlights of this conversation.

I chose to pursue Finance as it was the only way to quench my need for competition, numbers, and winning at the same time.
In a world that rewards largely the first past the finish line, even small deltas of extra effort can give you multiple times the reward.
In M&A Investment Banking, you work on deals that become headlines the next day. Such is the impact of your role
To get ahead of the curve you need to C.O.P., Compartmentalize, Organize and Prioritize.
The first term at a BSchool is one of the most taxing times in an MBA student’s life.”

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