SP JAIN GLOBAL BLOGS

Arvind Thilak Pillutla, EMBA 2025
Pursuing further education is a bold step, especially when you already have a thriving career. Here's a look into Arvind’s SP Jain Global EMBA journey.

When you work in e-commerce, every day feels like a sprint. Add to that the full-time role of being a mom to a 5-year-old, a wife, and a daughter, and you’ve got a life scheduled down to the minute. That was my world at Noon.com, where I worked as a planner, managing complex operations in a fast-moving industry. But somewhere between work emails and bedtime stories, a question kept returning: “Is there more I can do to understand the bigger picture of business?”

As Chief Operating Officer at Oilfield & Technical Supplies Centre (OTSC) and Managing Partner at KV & Sons, our family’s diversified investment office, I’ve led initiatives spanning industrial equipment, oil & gas, FMCG, and retail. My focus has always been the intersection of strategy and execution.

Today’s executive leaders face a convergence of challenges: industry disruption, technological acceleration, and volatile economic environments. From AI-powered innovation to geopolitical tensions and shifting trade regimes, leadership now demands more than intuition and experience. 

I‘m a proud mother of two, and my younger child is just a month old. Balancing family, career, and personal growth has been a journey of resilience and determination, which I embrace wholeheartedly. My career has been rooted in technology and business, where I implement creative and innovative solutions. Currently, I’m affiliated with e& UAE, where I integrate emerging technologies to drive growth, particularly in the EdTech space. At e&, I manage the ‘GoLearning’ project, which won the Middle East Technology Excellence Award in Education.

Investing is more than just numbers, charts, and market analysis—it’s also deeply psychological. Many investors, both beginners and seasoned professionals, fall prey to emotional biases that lead to costly mistakes. Understanding and overcoming these biases is the key to making rational, informed decisions that lead to long-term financial success.

Two years ago, I made a life-changing decision—not just to advance my career but also to fulfil a dream I had nurtured for over a decade. I decided to pursue an Executive MBA at SP Jain Global, a choice that tested me mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Over the past decade, my career has been deeply rooted in the railway industry. I started with hands-on engineering work, making sure trains ran smoothly, and maintenance processes were efficient. Leading teams, finding ways to cut costs, and handling high-pressure projects became routine. As I gained experience, I started thinking beyond just the technical side. I wanted to understand how businesses make strategic decisions and how I could contribute beyond engineering. 

I remember feeling both excited and apprehensive about the future when I completed my engineering in 2014. Although I had secured a good job, my heart always yearned for more.