Less than a year after completing his MSc in Supply Chain and Logistics Management, Mayank Sharma is already managing international supply chain projects for a number of Fortune 100 companies. We caught up with him to find out how his career is progressing.

Before coming to the UK to study, Mayank had no professional experience of supply chain management, though it was the subject of his bachelors degree course project. “I was studying production engineering at university in India,” he explained. “The whole area of supply chain and logistics was of interest to me. Something I was keen to pursue.”

After gaining his degree, he spent a few months working as a Trainee Programmer Analyst as he weighed up his options. “An MSc was the obvious way to go,” he said. “I was keen to study in the UK and looked at a number of courses. WMG really stood out though. Even before I came over, I had a lot of contact with the academic staff there. So when I arrived, everything was in place.”

During his year here, Mayank worked his way through a programme that he described as “well-structured, hugely challenging but also massively rewarding” before gaining his masters with Distinction. Now came to the time to look for work, but Mayank already had that covered.

“To be honest, I’d started looking for a job when I first joined the course,” he said. “Employment prospects at the time weren’t all that good, so it made sense to see what was out there.”

That approach paid off when Mayank was offered a job as a Supply Chain Consultant with ToolsGroup, a UK based solution provider to international business. It’s a role that has seen him manage projects in the UK, Russia and Nigeria for companies in a range of areas including oil and gas, distribution and FMCG manufacturing.

He uses the company’s SO99+ software to model, run and analyse clients’ supply chains. The goal is to optimise inventory levels while enhancing service provision.

“It was a great job to walk into and I was putting into practice what I had learned straight away. The thing is, at WMG you learn everything from a business perspective rather than academic theory. You understand how the ideas fit in with how organisations operate. So when you get out there into industry, you’re able to apply your knowledge to actual situations and challenges. There’s no bridge between the theoretical and the real. It all fits together.”

As part of his job, Mayank travels to client sites to oversee project development. In fact, he’s been to Nigeria three times already. Here again, he has found that his experience at Warwick has helped him work effectively. “There was a big emphasis on teamworking with fellow students from all parts of the world,” he said. “It teaches you to see things from other people’s perspectives – and to work closely with people from different cultures in a collaborative environment.

So would Mayank recommend WMG to others? “Let’s put it this way, my younger brother’s currently studying for his degree in India and looking to follow it with an MSc. I keep telling him that Warwick’s where he should be aiming for.”