Siddhartha Suryadevara

By Alejandro Rebolledo (IE Master in Management February 2018 intake).

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US WHEN YOU STARTED WORKING AT THE COMPANY AND IN WHICH CITY ARE YOU BASED?

Started working for Averda on October 1^st, 2017 in Dubai. However, I did an internship with them in Johannesburg for two months between March-April 2017 (During the lab period of IMBA). I was later given two job opportunities by Averda, one in South Africa and the other one in Dubai, and I was asked to choose one between these two locations. I chose to work in Dubai.

WHAT ARE THE KEY ROLES AT YOUR JOB AND HOW WOULD BE A DAY AT THE COMPANY?

My key mandate is to achieve digital transformation of our global operations. The project aims at reducing usage of paper, reducing manual intervention by putting right systems in place to achieve the transformation. The goal is to generate the data through digital transformation, analyze the operations and improve the efficiency.

A typical day for me would be to do market research to find the right systems, enhance the project architecture based on requirements from global operations, and to work with potential suppliers for crafting the solution.

HAS YOUR PERSONAL CAREER STRATEGY ALWAYS BEEN FOCUSED ON THIS JOB? DO YOU EVER IMAGINE WORKING IN THIS COMPANY AND INDUSTRY?

My career interest has always been to work in industries that have direct impact on environment and focused on sustainability. Clean energy is one of the industries that I have always looked at.

I have never imagined to work for waste management or Averda, but when I first heard about Averda, I was impressed by the services they offer and the direct impact they have on environment. Recycling, diverting waste away from landfills and maintaining clean cities has a very direct impact on the lives of people and that’s what Averda does everyday! I am glad, I found a perfect match to my interests.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US, BRIEFLY, WHAT YOUR PREVIOUS JOB WAS ABOUT: YOUR FUNCTIONS, THE NAME OF THE COMPANY, THE INDUSTRY AND THE LOCATION YOU WHERE AT?

I have worked for five years in the Automotive industry. My first job was with Bosch, where I worked as System Designer and was part of the engine development for Citroen DS5 (Diesel Euro 6 Engine). Then I worked for Mercedes-Benz on the engine development and testing of their trucks (Mercedes-Benz Actros). The five years was an equal split between Bosch & Mercedes. During these years, I have also worked in Germany for nearly a year.

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THIS JOB OPPORTUNITY IN AVERDA?

I saw the notification about Averda’s company presentation on the IE Career Portal and attended the presentation. Then I applied to an offer they posted on the Career Portal.

HOW DID TALENT & CAREERS AND YOUR IE EXPERIENCE HELP YOU DURING THE RECRUITING PROCESS? DID YOU USE SPECIFIC CAREER RESOURCES OR DID YOU COME ACROSS USEFUL INFORMATION VIA AN ADVISOR OR ALUMNI?

The interview as such did not require any prior knowledge or preparation. The process was pretty straight forward with direct interaction with the company and I did not need any specific help from the department. However, Talent & Careers had proactively called for sessions to give all participants tips about the interview procedure. The follow-up from the department during the process was also very good.

CAN YOU TELL US HOW WERE THE RECRUITING PROCESS STAGES THAT YOU GO THROUGH BEFORE BEING HIRED?

Following the applications, all applicants were asked to take up an aptitude test. Candidates who succeeded in that, were asked to participate in a Skype interview with the HR representative to know about our interests and motivations. The last stage was a half day assessment center, held in Madrid. The assessment center had 3 rounds, all of them are case based and the process was quite engaging and interesting. None of the interview steps needed any kind of preparation. Following the assessment center, was the last round of interview where we were asked for salary expectations and preferences about work location. This is when I proposed to do an internship and Averda has happily accepted for it.

WOULD YOU WANT TO SHARE ANY TIPS OR ADVICE WITH STUDENTS INTERESTED IN APPLYING TO AVERDA? TO YOUR JOB POSITION IN PARTICULAR?

Averda looks at a candidate from a holistic perspective. They only look for a match between the candidate and the company and would not assess any technical skills. Leadership skills are highly appreciated and the organization likes proactive and energetic candidates. While there is nothing specific to prepare, I would recommend anyone interested in applying for jobs at Averda to be very candid and to express themselves without hesitation.