Career Canvas (#7)

Our conversation with Shivani Singh, MBA candidate at Wharton, ex - slice, ITC and an IIT Roorkee alum.

In our sixth Career Canvas conversation, we explore the inspiring journey of Shivani Singh, an IIT Roorkee alumna who has seamlessly navigated the realms of engineering, FMCG and fintech fields. With impactful stints at ITC and Slice, Shivani embraced the dynamic tech world, carving her path in fintech and user-centric innovation. Now an MBA candidate at Wharton, she is leveraging this transformative phase to deepen her expertise and broaden her horizons.

In this conversation, Shivani reflects on how her upbringing fostered resilience and ambition, how her time at IIT Roorkee and ITC built her foundation for driving large-scale impact, and how her pivotal experience at Slice cemented her love for the tech industry. She shares her philosophy of optimizing for freedom—whether it’s time, intellect, or creativity—and the importance of staying true to one’s values in all roles. Shivani’s journey will help getting insights on aligning passion with purpose, and her story should resonate with anyone seeking a meaningful and fulfilling career.

Tell us about your time at IIT Roorkee and how did it influence your career decisions?

My time at IIT Roorkee was transformative and laid the foundation for many of my career decisions. Initially, like many fresh undergrads, I was exploring interests and figuring out what path excited me. Being part of the Entrepreneurship Cell (E-Cell) was a turning point—it introduced me to the world of startups, innovation, and problem-solving.

The exposure I got there was amazing—it introduced me to people doing all kinds of interesting things. I got to learn about the business world, how problems are tackled, and what people are building. It opened my eyes to the diversity of problem statements in the world. I started gravitating more towards business, and I give credit to E-Cell and the people there for shaping that realization.

You went to ITC in a techno managerial role, how did that happen? And how was the experience there?

In my third year at IIT Roorkee, I was eager to pursue a business role and was drawn to ITC for its strong brand presence and alignment with my chemical engineering background. The internship was challenging but rewarding, exposing me to real business problems, manufacturing operations, and the freedom to make an impact. It solidified my interest in business and led to a full-time role in ITC’s cigarette manufacturing division.

However, the role made me question its alignment with my long-term goals. The skills I was developing felt limiting, and the lifestyle of working in remote manufacturing plants wasn’t for me. Most importantly, I lacked passion for the work itself, which began affecting my mental health.

That’s when my E-Cell background and startup exposure kicked in. I started exploring opportunities in the startup ecosystem. Slice was a small but growing company at that time, entering the payments space. It felt like the right move to join a high-paced environment where I could learn and grow faster. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. The speed and stakes of decision-making in a startup taught me so much, and I truly believe that the faster you make decisions, the faster you grow. That’s what shaped my journey up to Slice."

Can you share your experience transitioning from ITC to Slice? The cultures must have been entirely different, right? What were some challenges you faced during that transition?

Absolutely! The transition was a significant shift, and I would say the differences primarily came down to three areas: the kind of people, the projects, and the culture.

People:
At ITC, I interacted with two distinct sets of stakeholders:

Management veterans, who had decades of experience. They guided me on large-scale projects like setting up a solar power plant, something I had no prior knowledge of. Their mentorship was invaluable in handling such high-stakes initiatives.

Shop-floor workers, who required a completely different approach. They weren’t interested in strategy but in actionable steps they could execute. This taught me to break down complex plans into simple, understandable actions for effective communication.

At Slice, the team was young, dynamic, and collaborative, fostering a level playing field focused on execution.

Projects:
ITC projects, like setting up a solar power plant, were traditional and process-driven, emphasizing execution and optimization. Slice demanded creativity, like entering the UPI payment space for Gen Z, which required out-of-the-box thinking and innovation.

Culture:
ITC’s hierarchical, slow-moving culture prioritized caution due to high stakes. Slice’s lean, fast-paced environment encouraged experimentation, quick decision-making, and learning through iterations, offering the freedom to innovate.

This move aligned perfectly with my desire for a creative, high-paced environment, making it an easy and fulfilling decision.

What does a typical day used to look like for you at Slice?

At Slice, I was part of the COO’s office in the Strategy and Operations team, a small, agile group handling projects across functions. These ranged from operations to product development and go-to-market strategies, prioritized based on company needs and my interests.

I owned projects end-to-end, from execution and approvals to marketing coordination and strategy.

To give you an example, when I was working on developing the bill payments product for Slice, my day would typically look like this:

Morning Standups: Checked progress, assessed risks, and resolved blockers with engineering and design teams.

Problem Solving: After the standup, I’d follow up with stakeholders responsible for any blockers and work to resolve issues quickly.

Brainstorming Sessions: A significant chunk of the day would involve brainstorming sessions with the engineering and design teams. For example, they might share insights or suggest ideas, and I’d evaluate whether they align with the product’s vision.

Collaboration with Marketing: On other days, I’d collaborate with the marketing team to identify the product’s USPs and determine the best way to position it in the market.

While the tasks varied daily depending on the project’s stage, one thing remained constant: the focus on getting things done. At a startup like Slice, your job is to make things happen. You have to be resourceful, persistent, and solutions-driven to ensure success.

This sounds really interesting. What motivated you to pursue an MBA at Wharton at this stage in your career?

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do an MBA. I was living a very happy life, very satisfied with what I was doing, having fun, and had a good community back in Bangalore. What I wanted was some international exposure, which I could have gotten by taking a job outside or through an MBA or something similar.

When I applied for my MBA, I spoke to a lot of people—literally over 50 people after I got my admit, who were either doing their MBAs or were already pursuing their jobs without an MBA. What I realized is that nobody really knows the right answer to whether an MBA will help them get the opportunities they want. But one thing was clear: it gives you a window to a world you would never have seen.

My perspective of what an MBA could be before coming here and after experiencing it is very different. Specifically, in the U.S., the scale of operations and the geography here are unlike anything you'd experience in India. It’s a scale that the entire world looks up to. Moreover, you're interacting with people from 50+ countries with diverse backgrounds.

Materially, I could have gotten a job that compensates for the time and money spent on this MBA. But for me, the personal growth from an MBA is incredibly accelerated. I wouldn’t say it’s the only way to get growth—there are multiple ways—but it’s an accelerated way of doing it.

At that point, I evaluated the opportunity cost and felt that spending a year doing an MBA would open up more opportunities than not doing it. I value experiences in life over material things. While packages and jobs are important, they enable good experiences, and for me, experiences are the foremost thing I value.

How has the Wharton experience been so far, and how does it compare to your expectations?

I didn’t have many expectations coming in, but I was hoping to meet interesting people, and that definitely happened. The diversity in backgrounds and perspectives has been eye-opening, making me think about life more holistically.

One key takeaway is that the focus of the school is very MBA-oriented. People often think the MBA will help them discover themselves, but it's more of a tool to accelerate your career. You need to be clear about your goals and choose a school based on the resources and focus areas that align with those goals, whether it’s tech or finance.

How do you think your past experiences have had a due to shape your post MBA aspirations?

I believe everything contributes to shaping who we are—like neural networks, we learn from all the experiences we consume. My family has been instrumental in this. They’ve always been supportive, instilled a strong emphasis on education, and encouraged me to pursue my aspirations without restrictions.

My time at IIT was transformative. The ecosystem, the resources, and the people there gave me a broad perspective and instilled confidence that I could achieve anything. Working at ITC provided insights into how large organizations operate and taught me how to drive big impacts. It gave me the confidence to handle large-scale projects.

The pivotal point was my experience at Slice, where I delved into tech and product management. Working closely with tech to influence customer behavior and build user experiences solidified my interest in the field. That’s when I knew tech was where I wanted to be. In the long run, you’ll definitely find me contributing to the tech industry in some capacity.

Blitz Questions

What advice would you give someone starting a role like yours at Slice?

Start with first principles. Before taking the role, reflect on what you truly value in life. For me, it’s friends, family, and freedom, and I make decisions based on these priorities. If a high-stakes role doesn’t align with your values, it might not be the right fit, and that’s okay.

Once in the role, focus on doing the right thing for the business and align your efforts with its mission and goals. Clear communication with stakeholders, combined with good execution, will ensure success. Remember, you want to bring your unique personality to the role, not just be a machine.

What’s something interesting you’ve read recently?

I read a research paper stating that 85% of innovation in tech has already been achieved, and the speed of new innovation is declining rapidly. I found that to be a fascinating perspective.

Best thing you’ve watched recently?

I watched Kumar Mangalam Birla’s conversation with Nikhil Kamath. I’m a big fan of that podcast—“WTF.” It was incredibly insightful.

Shoutout to Shivani, for this insightful and candid chat. Do share your thoughts in the comments.

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