Ishita Bhandari — MBA Candidate, Class of 2027
Bengaluru, Karnataka
Second-year PGP student at IIM Bangalore with four years running an inverter assembly line before business school. Took line rework from 6.1% to 1.8%, and last summer sized a ready-to-cook category from 1,400 household interviews into a launch plan the board approved.
Experience
Summer Intern, Strategy, Suvarna Consumer Brands · April 2026 – June 2026
Eight weeks with the category team on a ready-to-cook entry.
- Sized the ready-to-cook category across six metros from 1,400 household interviews; the brief became the basis of a Rs 40 crore launch plan approved in July 2026.
- Found that 31% of modern-trade shelf space still carried expired planograms, and a corrected audit routine lifted compliance to 88% in eight weeks.
- Built the pricing model the brand team now runs monthly, replacing a quarterly external engagement.
Assistant Manager, Operations, Varsha Energy Systems · July 2021 – May 2025
Solar inverter assembly, 240 units a day across two shifts.
- Cut rework from 6.1% to 1.8% by re-sequencing the torque stations and adding a single fixed-order checklist.
- Negotiated three component contracts worth Rs 11 crore a year, holding landed prices flat through a 14% rise in copper.
- Trained 34 line operators on a revised quality gate; first-pass yield rose nine points over two quarters.
Education
- MBA Post Graduate Programme in Management · Indian Institute of Management Bangalore · June 2025 – March 2027
- B.E. Mechanical Engineering · R.V. College of Engineering · August 2017 – June 2021
Skills
- Business: Market sizing, Pricing strategy, Financial modelling, Competitive analysis, Supplier negotiation
- Analysis: Excel, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, Survey design
- Operations: Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Vendor management, Sales and operations planning
Certifications
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt — American Society for Quality