From the lands of ‘kemcho and kemonacho’, Shashank Pal has seen it all, in a career spanning over 19 years. His career graph has always been in sync with the Sensex as he had a lot of unexpected ups and downs. But, Shashank always came up stronger with every setback in his career.
A passionate and a dedicated person at heart, he had his first job at HCL with assistance provided from IIPM, from where he passed out in 1994. However, he soon learnt that HCL was not his cup of tea and he moved out in precisely 15 days, and got an opportunity with Doogar & Associates. He has still not forgotten the help extended by his friend-cumprofessor, Mr. Ramachandran, the Dean at Bangalore at the time. It was a very small set up, an extension to a CA firm, but Shashank was too keen to be in financial services and merchant banking; Doogar & Associates was a turning point in his career. Here, he slogged up to even 2 am in the morning, even as he has vivid memories of his bosses. He says that his two bosses, Mr. Rajiv Goyal and Mr. I.C Singri, really grilled him, inside and out! To describe them, he frankly says, “They were amongst the toughest bosses to have in terms of aggression, knowledge and demands, but also the best bosses to start one’s career with.” He said no to nothing and did every small thing that he was asked to. This struggle has enabled him to become what he is today. After completing his learning stint at Doogar, Mr. Pal moved on in his career and joined KM Capital Ltd. for a stint that lasted more than two years. It is his belief that there are no shortcuts to success and following this diktat, it was a new beginning for him at Standard Capital Management Ltd. as AVP in 1999, where he was to handle a large portfolio.
It was then that his career was gathering pace, but unfortunately his beloved father met with a fatal road accident. This made him leave his job and he took a sabbatical for almost oneand- a-half years. As the only son in the family, he had to take this tough decision. Having sacrificed his career, he truly exhibited the duties of a son while taking care of his father. Shashank, an emotional person at heart, misses his late father. He feels that his father was his best friend, and says that ‘work is worship’ was the biggest gift that he gave to him. Having been away from the industry for a significant time, Mr. Pal believes that a lot of companies have a negative outlook towards those taking sabbaticals. On one of his visits to Delhi for a guest lecture at IIPM, he ran into his previous boss, Mr. Rajiv Goyal, who was instrumental in introducing him to Mr. Sandeep Parwal, Director at SPA Capital Services Ltd., wherein he was offered the position of Senior Manager. Shashank’s focus has always been on core domain knowledge and he feels that one has to deliver what the employer expects. One should not hesitate in moving to new geographical locations for better career prospects. After his tenure at SPA, Mr. Pal joined Birla Sun life as Sales Head for Delhi and Gujarat. He ensured that this location remained amongst the top performers, and in recognition of his hard work, he went on to receive many accolades in his career, such as Best Leader, Best Manager, Best Regional Head, Best Employee, and so on. He stands by the philosophy: ‘If you have self-belief, then you can turn around even the worst team and make it the best team.’ Another tough decision in his career, apart from the sabbatical he took initially, was his move to Sahara Group’s Asset Management Company as Regional Head-East. He came with a lot of apprehensions as this setup’s national presence was limited, compared to Birla Sun Life.
He believes that leaders today are only efficient at the macro level, and do not act as mentors. There are very few leaders who people can genuinely look up to, and that perhaps contemporary leadership styles are only for marketing. As Vice President at SBI Funds Management Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Pal ensures that his team is groomed and nurtured according to the needs of organisation. He has understood the secret of managing people over time. A leader, according to him, should know how to harness the potential of a person and how the mix of a personal and professional relationship boosts output. He makes sure to spare five minutes even for the office boy, to know what is happening in his life. He tries to keep himself grounded so that everyone can connect to him. He does not single out his best performances as there is no benchmark; he tries to be better each day.
If you have self-belief, then you can turn around even the worst team and make it the best team: thats the philosophy he stood by
When not working, Mr. Pal loves spending time with his son and also contributes towards the underprivileged segments of society by associating with a lot of NGOs. He is also inclined towards oil painting. His first painting was ready in 1987, and to date, he has developed a collection of more than 25 paintings. Alongside, he has the desire to have an exhibition once he touches 50. Amongst his many achievements, he has also qualified for the PABT examination for NDA, a once-ina- lifetime opportunity. His life has been an eventful journey all through, and he fondly recollects his college days – from having rajma chawal at the dhaba next to the campus to the lectures of Dr. M.K. Chaudhuri, which he feels were a turning point in generating his interest towards Finance.
Mr. Pal has learned from every ‘down’ in life, and with every ‘up’, he has welcomed new opportunities and new dreams. Yet, he has crossed all the milestones that have come during the journey, managing to stand tall against all the odds. He has kept all his principles and the learnings from his dad and mentors flying high.
A leader in the true sense and a successful name in the industry, Mr. Pal has reached here despite not having any industry godfathers, and he is sure that he has miles to go. He is happy the way that he is, and promises to stay the same
