Aniket Singh, MSCM '23

Aniket Singh, MSCM '23, came to the Michigan Ross Master of Supply Chain Management Program with more than eight years of professional experience. He had advanced in technical and project management roles at a number of companies, ranging from startups to multinationals. Even so, Aniket wanted to further elevate his skill set and career opportunities — and he saw a master's degree in supply chain management as the best way to do so.

Gaining Experience in the Field

Aniket grew up in the northern part of India, in the state home to a great deal of manufacturing. "I was always curious about how factories were set up and how operations were executed," he said. Aniket's interest in manufacturing and operations led him to the Siddaganga Institute of Technology in Tumkur, India. While pursuing his degree in mechanical engineering, Aniket also explored projects focused on sustainability. As a student, Aniket designed a sustainable alternative to a traditional bicycle. His Bamboo Bicycle was made of heat-treated, strengthened bamboo and used 90% less metal than a conventional bike. He also built an award-winning Electromagnetic engine prototype way back in 2014, when hybrid vehicles were not the norm.

After graduating, Aniket took on a role as a mechanical engineer with Quest Global in Bangalore. There he was responsible for designing and handling the production of an industrial water treatment system that served GE and its major clients. This experience gave Aniket the opportunity to not only contribute to sustainable solutions but to transition to working for GE directly as a sales and marketing expert who focused on competitive analysis benchmarking and determining price. From there, Aniket followed his inclination for clean energy and took on a role with Ather Energy, an electric scooter startup in India that focused on battery technology. Aniket says that this company is "where I learned the most." The year prior to joining Michigan Ross, Aniket worked as a senior project manager at TE Connectivity, where he oversaw product development along with advising process improvement at manufacturing plants.

It was around this time Aniket seriously committed to broadening his skill set further, and with the support of his employer, began applying for master of supply chain management programs in the U.S. During this time Aniket was also involved with SKRAP, a nonprofit focused on improving waste segregation. "My inclination toward sustainability had a lot to do with where I wanted to go in the future," Aniket said.

Choosing the Michigan Ross MSCM Program

Aniket said his decision to attend Michigan Ross came down to three things: the Michigan Ross network, program duration, and the opportunity for action-based learning.

As Aniket shared, "I was talking to an alum and he said, 'If you're from Ross and you call someone from Google or another top company, you get a different level of respect and treatment — that's the kind of brand image that Ross has.' I was really fascinated by that."

Aniket also considered the length of the MSCM program when making his decision. The program, which is just 10 months, begins in June and concludes at the end of April. Aniket had wanted to minimize time away from his professional career and time away from his wife; a program that could be completed in less than a year felt like the right fit to him.

The Michigan Ross focus on action-based learning became clear in Aniket's conversations with students and alums. His first few months of the program confirmed what others had shared; his summer coursework was filled with in-class simulations and group exercises, including a case competition to create a five-year business plan for Tesla.

After presenting their long and short-term strategies, Aniket’s team was voted the winner of the competition by their MSCM peers.

“We pulled an all-nighter to win that competition, and I learned so much not just about the material, but about presentation skills, too,” Aniket said.

First Impressions

Since starting the program, Aniket said he has been impressed by its organization and practicality. According to Aniket, "It's a really well-planned program; I like the structure of the subjects and everything comes together nicely as a system." Even with his on-the-job experience, Aniket said he's still learning a great deal, particularly from his highly-diverse classmates. "We have people from across the world — China, Taiwan, Peru, U.S., India, and different industries — it's been interesting to try to understand their experiences, and these differing experiences really do positively contribute to class sessions," Aniket said.

Aniket has also been able to branch out and make connections outside of his MSCM cohort, including members of the broader Ann Arbor community. Within his first few months in town, he continued his commitment to sustainability as a volunteer at a community waste segregation and recycling event in Ann Arbor. Aniket added that like the Ann Arborites he's met, he too is excited to put his season tickets to use watching football games this fall at The Big House.

I love living in Ann Arbor — it's got that college town feel, and that's exactly what I was looking for.

Getting into the Action

This fall, Aniket is enrolled in the Action Learning Projects in Operations, Procurement, and Supply Chain Management course, taught by Ross professors Roman Kapuscinski and Izak Deunyas. Aniket is one of 35 students across all Ross programs who applied to and was selected for participation in the unique course, sponsored by consulting firm AT Kearney. Students in the course consult with AT Kearney clients for 14 weeks and present their project results to company leaders. The course includes guest lectures from AT Kearney leaders and other Fortune 500 executives.

Aniket will take on another action-based learning project in the winter: the Supply Chain Consulting Studio course. This capstone course is taken by all MSCM students, who work in teams to solve a pressing supply chain issue for a sponsor company. Previous projects have included work with Dow, GM, Google, and Deloitte.

Though Aniket hasn't yet decided where his career may take him after the program concludes, he is interested in exploring opportunities that will allow him to combine his previous work experience in the automotive and appliance industries with his passion to create more sustainable manufacturing practices.

Interested in learning more about the Michigan Ross MSCM Program? Attend an upcoming admissions event.