Two IIM-B grads on RIL team to assist Mukesh 170 Applied For 2 Posts To Work Out Of Mumbai

Bangalore: Ever since the placement season began this year, the one post that grew into a talking point on campuses was that of executive assistant to Mukesh Ambani. The plummy post was finally grabbed by two 23-year-olds from the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B), Pranay Jain and Surbhi Garg.      Of 170 students who applied for the posts, 35 were shortlisted for the first round. The final interview round held on Day Zero, March 5, saw seven candidates walking in.      The two who made the final cut will work out of the Mumbai office in close association with Mukesh, chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, along with 13 other members. The team will work in an advisory capacity to the chairman on all strategic decisions, like extending business in a particular sector.      Pranay Jain and Surbhi Garg were batchmates at BITS-Pilani and joined IIM-B soon after their graduation. After a gruelling two years at the premier institute, the two are now excited about working with a panel of experts who've been heading various consulting teams, and with the big boss himself. "They are people with great vision, all from diversified backgrounds. It would be an experience to work with them," Surbhi told TOI.      The interview panel had two members from this core team. "In the final round, I was tested on how fit I would be for the role. They asked me why I wanted to join Reliance. I said it's a company that represents India, and the one that impacts most lives here. They asked what business Reliance should move on to. I suggested alternative forms of energy and to work more on education and healthcare," said Pranay, about his interview.      Pranay's father, Mahendra Jain, is a businessman settled in Mumbai. His mother, Kalawati, is a homemaker. "I want to take one thing at a time. In the foreseeable future, I see myself growing within the team and the organization and taking up larger roles," he said.      Surbhi, daughter of Ashwini Garg, a physics professor, and Mamta, a homemaker, has concrete career dreams, and also one of growing into a professional painter. "I love painting and pursued it only as a hobby. I want to take it up seriously. I want to learn a lot. I want to grow, be a leader. I love the way people at Ambani's level take up real time issues and try to solve them," she said.