Mohit Malhotra is self-driven and results orientated, which bodes well for his professional goals. For the past three years, he’s been based out of Singapore with Accenture as part of the leadership for growth markets. (Prior to Accenture he worked with industry leaders such as SAP, Oracle, and Cap Gemini across a variety of geographic regions from the United States to Australia to India). Delivering successful client solutions that are complex in nature across industries is a delicate balancing act – one that he’s managed to hone. However, Mohit believes there’s always room for improvement.
Time to reflect and refocus
When the world slowed down in 2020 due to the start of the pandemic, Mohit was able to step back and take a pause as well to reflect on his goals and opportunities for growth. Learning is something he’s passionate about, but there wasn’t always the luxury of time to pursue additional education. He had taken some executive education programs elsewhere in 2012, but so much had evolved in those eight years that he felt now was an opportune time to refresh some frameworks and learn about new tools.
“I really was compelled to enhance my skills and identify gaps in my knowledge. Especially around the emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, blockchain, and Internet of Things that were coming out. Not everyone can keep up. I really wanted to use this time to learn. And who is better in this space than MIT? Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The name says it all!”
Flexible learning formats
That first year, Mohit took six online courses many of them back-to-back. (So much for taking things easy!) The new live online format suited his schedule at the time. With everyone working from home, he now had the flexibility to attend courses, despite the 12-hour time zone difference. He naturally gravitated towards the Strategy and Innovation Executive Certificate, but realized that for real growth, he’d have to break out of his comfort zone. Soon after, he earned his Management and Leadership Executive Certificate.
"I really was compelled to enhance my skills and identify gaps in my knowledge. Especially around the emerging technologies... And who is better in this space than MIT?"
As the world starting to open up, and folks were heading back into the office, he took a pause in his journey, but never stopped thinking about next steps. He realized he could earn his Advanced Certificate for Executives in Management, Innovation, and Technology (ACE) with a few more courses and decided to dive back in. This time his courses were exclusively in the self-paced live online format. “We started hybrid work at the office, so live online courses didn’t really work for my schedule anymore. So, learning had to be at my pace.”
Favorite courses
Mohit lists Mastering Design Thinking as one of the most impactful and enjoyable courses. “Design thinking is one of the key aspects of delivery in the tech world.” While he has access to robust training programs at work, he wanted to get a perspective of these frameworks outside of this industry. “The connections made in that course are still there too. We have a Whatsapp group and interact and share knowledge.”
Another top pick was Cybersecurity for Managers: A Playbook. “It was one of the best designed programs I have probably ever attended. The kind of questions and the frameworks they make you think about and that informs the guidebook they give you were really, really good.” Other standouts that were relevant to his role and challenges were Data Monetization Strategy: Creating Value Through Data and Implementing Enterprise-Wide Transformation.
Advice to others
Mohit advises to just take the plunge and expand your knowledge. “I encourage you to never stop learning. I think that is one aspect of our life that is dependent on us to be proactive. I believe education is the key to unlocking the endless opportunities that are that are out there today and tomorrow.”
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Contributed by Elaine Santoyo Goldman