Lifelong Learning and Career Strategies with Professor Reetika Gupta S3 I Ep6

 In this enlightening episode, we sit down with Professor Reetika Gupta to explore the dynamic and ever-evolving world of career growth and lifelong learning. 

Professor Gupta shares her invaluable insights on embracing change, navigating global opportunities, and the crucial role of continuous learning in advancing your career. She offers practical advice on how to adapt to shifting job markets, the benefits of international experience, and strategies for maintaining a competitive edge in today's fast-paced professional landscape. 

Whether you're an aspiring professional just starting out or a seasoned expert looking to stay ahead, this conversation provides a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for every stage of your career journey. Tune in and discover how you can take your career to new heights!

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Vanessa Iloste (Host)

· Vanessa Teo (Host)

· Aaron Wu (Producer)

Transcript

[00:00:00] Vanessa I: Welcome to our next episode of the Career Transition Podcast and ESSEC Business School collaboration. This week, we are very excited to have Professor Reetika Gupta, Deputy Dean of the ESSEC Business School, Asia Pacific, on our show. 

[00:00:19] Vanessa T: We were curious about how Professor Reetika herself thrived through her own diverse career transitions across countries and roles.

[00:00:28] And we found the advice that she provided to our listeners to be very relevant in our ever evolving world, how to stay attuned to the future through lifelong learning, how to look out for opportunities across borders and the importance of never being afraid to fail. We hope you enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed putting it together for you.

[00:00:56] Vanessa I: Hi everyone. Welcome to the next episode of the Career Transition Podcast. The podcast where we explore what it takes to successfully navigate through career transition. No matter which stage of life or career you are at, we are your hosts, Vanessa Iloste and Vanessa Teo. Today on the Career Transition ESSEC Collaboration episode, we're very happy and lucky to speak with Professor Reetika Gupta, Deputy Dean, ESSEC Business School of the Asia Pacific Campus.

[00:01:27] Welcome to the show, Professor Reetika. 

[00:01:31] Reetika G: Thank you very much, Vanessa. It's really exciting to be here and look forward to the podcast. 

[00:01:36] Vanessa T: It's so great to have Professor Reetika here with us today. Let me just do a quick introduction of the ESSEC Business School. ESSEC Business School was established in 1907 in France and expanded to Asia Pacific in 2005 when you established a campus right here in Singapore.

[00:01:52] Vanessa I: As Dean of the ESSEC Business School APAC Campus, Professor Reetika is dedicated to strengthening ties with the industry, government, agencies, and academic institutions in Singapore and the region. She champions SOC leadership in sustainability, digitalization, and entrepreneurship, and she stays committed to enhancing the student and participant experiences across the programs.

[00:02:17] Vanessa T: Professor Reetika joined ESSEC Business School in 2013 as Associate Professor for Marketing at the ESSEC ESSEC APAC campus. And before joining us at business school, she was an associate professor of marketing at Lehigh University in the U. S. Welcome to our show, Professor Reetika. We're so excited that you're here with us.

[00:02:36] Vanessa I: Thank you very much, Vanessa. Professor Reetika, I was very, very lucky to meet you a couple of years ago, but you have had quite an illustrious career spanning different countries and academic institutions. And since we are focused on career transition, I'd love to start out by asking you about your own career transition.

[00:02:57] Can you share with us what led you here to the job you have today at ESSEC? 

[00:03:02] Reetika G: Right. Thank you, Vanessa. And indeed, when I look back, I do realize that, you know, it's been long. It's been very, very diverse. Taking me to different parts of the world, but I'd be happy to speak about, you know, where I began and how I landed where I am today, I think if I was to summarize at every big milestone of my career, what I did the, and what I did evaluate were three factors.

[00:03:29] One is the growth factor. You know, how much a personal growth that the transition would bring me. The diversity, I mean, is it something new that I'm doing and exciting challenges, you know, that's always kept me upbeat. So I started my career back in 1994 once I graduated from my master's degree. This was when I was in India and it was a master's degree in communication.

[00:03:54] And I started my career in marketing research. So I was with a market research firm. Very exciting. The first days that, you know, you're in the corporate world, worked very long hours and was very excited and passionate about what I did, but it also led me to why questions as to, you know, why are consumers behaving in a certain way?

[00:04:14] What are the underlying motivations, why they buy and so on. So I wanted to go deeper and that led me to thinking about a PhD in marketing, which would help me uncover some of these why questions. So that led me to this appetite for academic research. And I went on to get a PhD in business where I specialized in marketing from the United States.

[00:04:40] So that was five long years, which made me the consumer psychologist that I am today, where I dance mostly in consumer behavior issues. So that was five plus years of doing a PhD. And then I became an assistant professor in marketing at Lehigh University. Well, not very far from where I got my PhD. My PhD was from Baruch College, City University of New York.

[00:05:05] And then an hour away was Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where I started my career. So that is a very natural progression for people who get a PhD in business. They typically do, do start out their careers as a faculty member at a university. So after seven to eight years, I decided to move to a very different part of the world, which is here where I am today in Singapore.

[00:05:31] We did move as a family at that point in that time, but it was a very conscious decision to be wanting to do something new. So now the one good thing was that that move from the US to Singapore was also brought me closer to where I was getting a lot of my data for my research, which was mostly in India, because I was working with, and I still do work with low income consumers, that's where my research lies.

[00:05:57] But there was also a positive challenge in terms of working with a very different business school, which is, ESSEC is a business school out of France, which is again, not in France, but in a different part of the world. The campus was in a very nascent stage at that point in time. So there was an opportunity to contribute to the growth of the campus.

[00:06:18] And make a difference really. And I was also attracted to the learning style that ESSEC offers and the way of the French way of, of studying or the way of learning. So that attracted me as well. So we've been in Singapore and I've been a professor of marketing and associate professor of marketing here at ESSEC.

[00:06:37] But for about five years, I moved on to sort of a semi administrative role when I provided academic leadership to our BBA program. And I was the associate academic director managing the program out of Singapore. And that was a very exciting part of my life because it grew the program from 37 students to about 90 plus students.

[00:07:01] We have students from. about 10 plus different nationalities and brought a lot of pedagogical innovation to the program. So that's what's very rewarding in the sense I was actually giving back to the school as well as growing myself as an individual. And then about two years ago, I transitioned to a broader administrative role where I am now leading the campus as the deputy dean of APAC.

[00:07:28] Of course, here I am managing many programs, managing the administrative, the operational, the financial side of things, keeping the campus buoyant and, you know, taking it forward. 

[00:07:40] Vanessa I: Wow, Reetika, this is really an exciting career progression you had so far. Congratulations. So, when I look at everything you have done, I can see, uh, really three big careers is actually, you had the career as a corporate employee when you were doing the research. And then you had a career as a professor, which is really a full time job. And some people, they start as a professor and they, they do a professor all their lives. And now today you are doing the administrative role, which is also a very, very different, uh sort of skill sets you need to apply.

[00:08:14] Which of these transitions did you feel the most difficult or which one did you feel required the most application? 

[00:08:22] Reetika G: Right. That's a great question, Vanessa. I would have to say that where I am right now is really. Exciting and rewarding because literally on an everyday basis, I'm learning something new about myself and I've also have that sense of achievement or satisfaction that I'm giving back.

[00:08:41] Like, and I'm making a difference to whether it's developing the campus. Influencing minds, because these are people who go out there and make a difference in the world tomorrow and, you know, to ESSEC as a whole, right? And the campus in Singapore is obviously a very important part of the development of ESSEC and the internationalization of ESSEC.

[00:08:59] So being able to make a difference to that is truly rewarding. 

[00:09:02] Vanessa I: That's great. And every time I met you, Reetika, I actually felt that very strongly because you always shared with me not only, you know, your knowledge as a marketing professor, but also all the good things you wanted to do for the students.

[00:09:15] And you're really, really sincere when it comes to the wellbeing and the future of the students who are at ESSEC. So that's most probably what the universe wanted for you. And that's great that it happened. 

[00:09:26] Reetika G: Thank you so much, Vanessa. 

[00:09:28] Vanessa I: I know from my own experience that ESSEC has a very pragmatic approach when it comes to its pedagogy.

[00:09:34] Can you share more about this philosophy and what makes ESSEC programs very unique? 

[00:09:40] Reetika G: Thanks Vanessa. I think truly ESSEC is very innovative in terms of its pedagogical philosophy. So let me begin by talking about the most important one, which is learning by doing. Now, in learning by doing, when we are imbibing this philosophy in all our programs, what we imply by that is that students apply what they have learned to solve real challenges for businesses.

[00:10:04] And they do this via their academic projects. With our corporate clients, which is offered across programs. We have the digital marketing challenge. We have the junior consulting experience and so on. Now, this dovetails very nicely with ESSEC's visionary approach in spearheading industry, academic partnerships.

[00:10:24] Since 1996, and we are really the first French business school to partner with large companies. So it's a testament to that. Students also apply what they learn in the classrooms by doing at least one internship to gain practical work experience before they graduate. The BBA students, for example, go through at least 10 months of internship, including a field experience in year two that is tied to the social mission of nurturing responsible leadership. 

[00:10:54] So we begin that early in the program. Now, another important pedagogical philosophy is giving students the flexibility in charting their own academic path. And so all the programs provide a very high degree of flexibility that allows students to do different modules of the program at different parts in time, whether it being doing the exchange.

[00:11:18] Modules in year three or year four for the BPA, doing the internships at different points in time. So it's truly customized to what their needs are for the program. And finally, as ESSEC is very well known as a top tier university, which partners with several top business schools across the world. So we have 222 top tier partner universities in 49 countries.

[00:11:45] And just to name a few, we have King's College, we have Peking University, University of Michigan. And our programs also have a very noble outlook, specifically for the programs in Singapore. You know, they provide a global perspective and they also weave in the Asian focus. So it's sort of complementing the global with the local insights and outlook.

[00:12:08] And this, what it does is that it actually prepares our students with increasingly interconnected and complex world. How do you tackle the problems of that world? How do you appreciate cultural diversity? And then also being able to learn and work in multicultural teams. 

[00:12:27] Vanessa I: That's very interesting and earlier, you had said that it was quite a surprise for you when you started working for, I mean, I don't know if you said in that way, but it felt like it was due and different for you to work for a French business school.

[00:12:41] Can you share with us about the difference for you? I mean, when you started being a professor for ESSEC? 

[00:12:46] Reetika G: Thanks, Vanessa, I think that's a great question and indeed, you know, there is a difference between the French style of learning and the learning that I was used to in a U. S. system. And of course, I have to say I have a lot of respect and regard for how U. S. schools function and operate. And I think all schools across the world are trying to optimize the experience that the students have, but what is different in ESSEC, and I think, I think that's true for other French, uh, schools as well, is that the ability to customize from the word get go. So I've seen students in year one, making decisions in terms of specific tracks.

[00:13:28] Whereas in the internationals, we have an international business education track in our BBA program, and they have the ability to choose that track or to study on a different campus of ESSEC right from the very early days. So that then leads to them being in charge and being in control of their learning journey and also empowering them to some extent.

[00:13:51] So, which is great because I can see that very naturally translates to them. When they join the workforce and they are in the corporate field that they get on the ground running. And I hear that from a lot of employers who recruit students from ESSEC. And the other bit is about the continuously trying to bring that international experience to students.

[00:14:15] That's truly what ESSEC is known for being for students to have the ability to choose from so many different partner universities across the world to pick where they want to do their exchange program is truly remarkable. And it's a mandatory part of our program. So you must have that international experience before you graduate. So I think those are truly unique aspects of, of ESSEC's learning style. 

[00:14:40] Vanessa T: Professor Reetika, I really love how you talk about this flexibility that you, you give to students in terms of crafting what their path is going to look like, because in this new world that we live in and the rapidly evolving times of digitization and artificial intelligence, which are now entering almost every aspect of our lives.

[00:15:02] The ability to be flexible and adaptable and resilient in times like these are super important and I, I love what you talked about how your school really helps students to learn by doing and your visionary pedagogy in terms of working with businesses as well as helping students to craft what that future would look like.

[00:15:24] I think all of these things are so important especially in this world that we now live in that's constantly evolving. And as HR professionals, we also see the impact that these changes have on our own organizations as well as employees. I'm just really wondering about your views about continuing education and how this impacts us in the world that we live in.

[00:15:46] And what are some of your advice to get prepared for these changes? 

[00:15:50] Reetika G: I think that's a very relevant question for today's world, both for companies as well as education institutions. And I think we need to be both aligned in many ways to really tackle the problems and the challenges of the future. So let me circle back to the point that you made about, you know, learning by doing pedagogy, which is very important for us, is that it really imparts critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills.

[00:16:18] And I think those are very important soft skills that enable students, participants, and individuals to solve very complex problems. And really navigate the uncertain world that we are looking at. So I think two important domains or concepts, if I may use the term, are digitization and sustainability. And I think we hear that around us all the time on an everyday basis.

[00:16:45] And we at ESSEC are really committed to ensuring that students develop the competence, the skill sets, and the abilities around them. And therefore, they form our two key pillars. ESSEC actually incorporates education in these areas into our curriculum. So students are taught notions, have a better understanding on social responsibility, ethical business practices, managing businesses with AI, as well as how really to leverage technology responsibly and ethically.

[00:17:17] So, alongside having an understanding of these two important domains, it also prepares students to work with AI systems, harnessing the power of AI and leverage technology, whether it is to drive innovation or to make responsible business decisions, and so on. And I think, Given both the understanding and the toolkits and capabilities around sustainability and around digitization, we are therefore preparing leaders who are able to then make a positive change and contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world.

[00:17:52] Vanessa T: I think that is so important, Professor Reetika, and particularly these two topics on digitization and sustainability. These are topics that I think are near and dear to almost every organization today, and such important skills that I think as people transitioning careers and take on new skills and learn new things, these are absolutely skills that every professional today has got to have in their toolkit. So I'm really glad to hear that this is top priority for ESSEC because it is top priority for many organizations. 

[00:18:24] On the topic of digitization and sustainability. Because these were also relatively new topics for, for me as a professional and HR professional just recently, I've also started to expand my knowledge base as well as my network, getting to know more people who are in this space of digitization and AI and sustainability.

[00:18:45] And I've learned a great deal from my own network as well. We've in previous shows talked a lot about networks, whether it's networks through your peer group, your alumni group, your industry groups. Share a little bit more with us about the importance of people and networking in order to have this holistic success as a professional.

[00:19:06] What are some of your thoughts about networks? 

[00:19:09] Reetika G: Thank you, Vanessa. I can't agree more with what you just said, right? That these spinners or these domains are super important, but then how do students go about deepening their understanding or getting a better knowledge base around these topics? And I think while students are at ESSEC or any academic institution.

[00:19:31] I think it is important to leverage the alumni base that already exists, right? So I said, for example, as right now, an alumni base of 71, 000 and growing. And in Singapore itself, you have about 300 to 400 alumni members. Um, and then many of them are, you know, very actively involved in a lot of our activities, our campus, take a lot of interest, attend our events, mentor students and so on, and a number of them are in top companies across the world and in the region.

[00:20:03] So for example, we have CEOs of very well known companies like Danone, L'Oreal, you know, which is on the forefront of these two topics. So, you know, taking these two topics forward. For example, we have Vanessa right now with us, who is the HR of Sephora in Asia, and very proud to have her as an alumni, and she's been giving back to the community of students very actively.

[00:20:26] But students themselves need to leverage the alumni networks, which is organized by our career services and alumni team on campus, which actually develops and conceptualizes a lot of programs, whether it's thought leadership. Whether it's social events, which is just networking, where they bring these two communities together so that students can learn more, can interact, and also sustain these relationships, right?

[00:20:53] I think it's very helpful because that possibly could land them a job or an internship in the future. 

[00:20:59] Vanessa T: That's really important. I know how important networks have been throughout my career and It's really impressive to hear about the impact of such a strong alumni association, not just here in Singapore, but it also extends across the world.

[00:21:14] It's really great, the amount of rigor that you put into this alumni group, but also ensuring that the learning experiences of your students continue to be relevant, continue to be rich, and continuing to promote lifelong learning. So, Professor Reetika, I have a question. There are many students out there and many people who might be wondering about career transitions and transitioning, particularly in the area of education and fueling the knowledge base in order to transition into that next stage in careers, and so maybe thinking about a postgraduate or even a continuous education.

[00:21:50] And if I was a student who was thinking about that, why would I consider the ESSEC Business School? 

[00:21:56] Reetika G: Thank you, Vanessa. Indeed. So as I would specifically speak for our campus in Singapore, and we call that an impact campus because, you know, we have an outreach beyond Singapore, it has a regional outreach, is that the programs that we offer are really the very best in what we do.

[00:22:13] So on our specialized master's programs, and you know, we have several of them, of our ranked number one in Asia, and top flight globally. Which not only attests to ESSEC's reputation as one of the top business schools in the world, but also the rich opportunities that one could interact with and learn from the brightest minds from different parts of the world.

[00:22:34] So given that we have a very, very diverse student base. In addition, of course, like we just discussed, that we have a very strong alumni base that students can interact with and continue relationships with. And we have a very strong career services team, which supports the students in their academic journey.

[00:22:53] And finally, we have 21 full time faculty across the very different disciplines who again, bring a lot of diversity because they come from very diverse backgrounds. They're all trained in the United States and Europe, in Asia, and a lot of the pedagogy that they bring to the classroom. Is led by research, right?

[00:23:13] A lot of that is not in the textbooks, but they are bringing cutting edge knowledge and thinking in the classroom. So those are some of the few things that ought to be considered. And, and, uh, you know, when students are considering when they're looking at the postgraduate education. In addition, since you mentioned lifelong learning, we have a very strong and robust executive education programs.

[00:23:39] That is geared and targeted towards a slightly older population. Usually people who are in mid career and all the way up to C suite. So we have an executive MBA program that we also, and then again, which is ranked one of the top six programs in Asia, as well as we have customized and open enrollment shorter executive education program, which has specific specializations around luxury, so we have the Academy of Luxury, which offers certificate programs in luxury.

[00:24:11] We also have Institute of Continuing Education, which again offers skills future programs, which are about to start in the coming months. So absolutely, so these are the many reasons why ESSEC should be considered in this part of the world. 

[00:24:26] Vanessa I: Thank you, Professor Reetika. So after, uh, your introduction, I, I can see you have had such a great experience.

[00:24:34] I was wondering, when it comes to the students you are advising and, uh, also it can apply to the people who listen to us on this podcast, now that you know what you know, what would be the three pieces of advice you would like to share with us today?

[00:24:49] Reetika G: If I look back, I have to say three pieces of advice, which is based on an understanding of where the world is going tomorrow and how uncertain the world is.

[00:25:00] One would be that regardless of which program you're in or what you're studying, always stay attuned to the future and be more perceptive, be more anticipatory in terms of what the future trends are, and try to deepen your skills, your abilities and competences in that direction. So, you know, we were just talking about digitization.

[00:25:22] Is it AI? Is it robotics? Is it tech in general, I think that is very, very important for the world and as it's progressing and as businesses are harnessing and leveraging AI to take their businesses forward. I think that's important. Number two is look out for opportunities across geographical regions.

[00:25:43] So do not be restrictive to one part of the world, but if you have a role in a different part of the world, do take on that challenge because that just enriches your learning in many ways. And finally, you know, I think this may sound cliched and I've always used this at different points of my career is never be afraid to fail because really the greatest learnings come from when you fail and what your takeaways and learning are from it.

[00:26:09] So there's no better way to learn than to fail. So never be fearful of failing. 

[00:26:15] Vanessa T: I love what you just said about staying attuned to the future, looking out for opportunities across geographies and never being afraid to fail. What great nuggets for making great career transitions. Thank you, Professor Reetika.

[00:26:30] We really want to take the opportunity to thank you for supporting this collaboration with ESSEC Business School. The moment we had that idea to do this third season, you were certainly one of our strongest cheerleaders. And someone we knew we absolutely had to get on this show. We've thoroughly enjoyed having you on the show today, and we wish you all of the best in your continuation with ESSEC Business School.

[00:26:51] Reetika G: Thank you, Vanessa. I think that was indeed a very enjoyable experience for me as well, being able to share about ESSEC and our Asia Pacific campus in Singapore. Thank you.