FAQ’s!

Who are you?

Nikhil Chalakkal
Class of ‘18, MSBA, Goizueta Business School, Emory University
Class of ‘08, MBA, IIM Ahmedabad
Resume | LinkedIn

What’s this Git about?

I am currently pursuing a Masters degree: MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) from Goizueta Business School, Emory University. My course covers topics in Data Analytics (Machine Learning, Managing Big Data, Social Networks, Data Visualization and others), teaching us various Analytics Techniques (Classification, Regression and more) using multiple Programming Languages (R, Python, SQL and others) and Analytics Tools (Tableau, RapidMiner, and more).

This GitHub is just a collection of my random (and not so random) attempts to create something meaningful - through coding and other stuff that I’m learning - out of nothing :)

That’s… somewhat interesting, I guess. But why Analytics? What’s your background?

I’m a business manager with 9 years of post MBA experience in Supply Chain Management. I have done Supply Chain Consulting, and also have experience in Planning, Strategy & Operations Management in the Retail industry (both Brick & Mortar and Online Retail).

Apart from the Retail industry, I have also worked on projects in FMCG, Beverages, Pharma, Auto Spare Parts, Commodities and 3PL industries as a Consultant. These projects involved Process Design, Service Recovery Management, Warehouse Strategy and Design, KPI Definition, Inventory Planning and other aspects of SCM.

That’s a lot! Where all have you worked?

I have working with with Flipkart, India’s first and biggest online marketplace, and one of the world’s most valuable startups, according to WSJ; with Arvind Limited, the fourth largest producer and exporter of denim in the world; with Miebach Consulting, a German Supply Chain Consulting Firm; and with the Aditya Birla Group, an Indian Multinational Conglomerate with operations in 40 countries.

Why would you want to do a second Masters Degree?

Looking for more efficient ways to do something has been a constant driver in my life, be it at home (my wife does get bugged at times!), in school, or at work. As I have grown in my career, I have learnt the value of having hard data to make judgments and inferences, and realized that I needed to add data management and manipulation skills to my portfolio to figure out better, more efficient ways of getting insights. And studying further is always good :smile:

“Studying is good”? Are you that much of a nerd?

Well, I guess I am a little bit of a geek (:grinning:), but only a little. I am also a quick learner who tries to imbibe best practices from all the organizations I interact with, high functioning and capable of delivering consistently accurate results over long periods under pressure. In my spare time, I like to read - I spend a lot of time reading online. The geeky parts of me - I have a head for really irrelevant trivia, and love making (bad) puns and playing word games.

Get in touch with me at nchalakkal@gmail.com.