Pourush Prakash
I was born in the city of Bombay, India, which is now recognized as Mumbai, and spent my early years in Bangalore, India. I completed a Bachelor in Business Administration and a Master in Business Administration, with a focus on the finance industry. Just after recovering from COVID-19, I got accepted into IE University, and later on, I received the news that I was going to be a dad. Now that many months have passed since then, I can say I’m blessed with my wife, our baby boy, and the opportunity to join IE University.
“My time at IE University has been one of the most life-changing experiences I have been through, and a big credit goes to my diverse cohort who have always been extremely accepting.”
Creating memories and relationships to last a lifetime
Hailing from Mumbai, India, Pourush Prakash spent most of his adolescence playing cricket, a sport he’s passionate about. Despite loving the team sport, Pourush’s parents found him to be a mysterious child who preferred to be alone reading books over playing with other kids. Even the day Pourush got his first job in Mumbai, he still considered himself the same shy, uncertain kid who always relied on his parents for support.
As a young adult, Pourush completed a Bachelor in Business Administration and a Master in Business Administration, with a specialization in the finance industry. He then went on to dedicate a short period of his diverse professional career to business and wholesale banking, followed by financial reporting. From there, Pourush managed to earn a scholarship to study financial economics in Boston, Massachusetts.
His study plans changed after the sudden news of his father’s passing—a life event that turned his life upside down. It not only changed Pourush as a person, but the dynamic and role he had within his family. The responsibility of being the “rock” for his mom fell on him as an only child. And that’s when his perspective about his life ultimately shifted. He grew to know himself better, becoming more assertive and speaking his mind.
In order to take care of his family, Pourush stayed in India and worked for Deutsche Bank in their investment banking area. A larger part of his career involved working with BDO India LLP in their shared services department for nearly a decade. During his time at BDO, he learned about project migration; project liaising and management; resource allocation; and business development. From his time as an undergraduate to being a professional, Pourush completed internships at an orphanage, an asset management firm, a talent acquisition firm, and a private equity arm of an investment bank. He believes the combination of these experiences helped him grow as a person.
“I find that there is a lot of acceptance for who you are at IE University.”
After spending eight years in the financial services industry, Pourush felt that he wasn’t contributing enough. Pourush now longs to build a career to help businesses become more sustainable in their product life cycles. He explained, “I hope to do enough in my life to leave something positive behind for the next generation.”
For the sake of the future, Pourush searched for a program that could assist him in leveling up his skills in influencing public or private policy. He chose the Master in International Relations because it could lead him to a career in multilateral organizations as well as private companies in the social impact sector. He felt the program would give him an added advantage, since most business graduates are not very adept in the consequences of geopolitics. Pourush was also looking for a program that wasn’t longer than one year, to avoid being away from his family for that long. A path with IE University seemed to be perfect in scope, exposure and duration.
There were a few concerns Pourush had regarding if he would fit in with the culture and younger crowd when he joined IE University at 33 years old. However, he soon realized how easy it was to fit in, feeling a strong sense of acceptance and diversity. The experience has allowed Pourush to interact with so many different perspectives, making learning a true pleasure.
As for the future, Pourush plans to work in sustainability consulting or sustainable finance and business process re-engineering. He hopes to run a business of his own one day, providing consulting to those wanting to build sustainable companies from the ground up. Alongside that, Pourush imagines having his own farm somewhere remote so that his son can grow up somewhere green. For Pourush, IE University allowed him to rediscover who he is and what he would like to do with his life. He believes he shall carry the memories and relationships built at IE University for a lifetime.
