by MDAE | Sep 18, 2019 | Life at MDAE
Dr. Pillai spoke to the students of MDAE on the 13th of September 2019. Dr. Priam Pillai graduated with a PhD in mechanical engineering from MIT in 2011. He is currently an Associate Professor at PCE (Pillai college) in Mumbai, India and is the founding partner of UXO (Urban Expansion Observatory). Pillai gave a brief overview of GIS, the variety of useful applications especially in urban planning and the way machine learning is changing the field. Dr. Pillai explained the historical expansions of cities through handy graphics and how geographical boundaries of cities exploded recently. The first ‘explosion’ in size happened when cars became commonplace, the second when a metro or urban rail transport system is developed. Dr. Pillai then went on to speak about the major challenges Mumbai faces and will continue to face in the coming years. Namely i.e. water shortages, lack of good public transport, haphazard development, lack of open areas and bad building codes. He then spoke shortly about the work UXO undertakes along with NYU helping various different governments across the globe plan for and develop cities and urban spaces. UXO is also involved with the 100 resilient cities project that helps cities develop as efficient and sustainable urban centers. The session concluded with Dr. Pillai touching upon Machine Learning and how it’s being employed to produce maps, analyse datasets, employ Photogrammetry to overhaul the GIS & Urban Planning field. The talk was extremely informative and introduced students to a host of new concepts namely Geographic Information Systems and technology usage in Urban... by MDAE | Sep 11, 2019 | Life at MDAE
Mr.Sengupta spoke to the students of MDAE on the 7 th of September 2019. Currently the Co Head and Economist, India research at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Mr Sengupta has also worked at the RBI for ten years as a staff economist and has severed as co convenor of the RBI’s Advisory Group on Insurance. Through the talk the students were provided with an insight into the role economists play in large banks while touching upon recent economic events both domestic and international. In the first half of the talk Mr.Sengupta provided the class with a description of the various financial markets banks trade in, ranging from equity, fixed income, currency to commodities. He went on to elaborate on the two components of fixed income i.e the buy and sell side. For students aspiring to become economists the speaker went on to talk about the various types of research banks are involved in namely macro, equity and credit research. While elaborating on the aspects of macro research, which beyond report writing, Mr. Sengupta touched on the importance of ideation while emphasizing that a major part of research involves sales, i.e. pitching research reports and subscriptions to clients. Through this the students were provided with a clear picture of what to expect if they were to take up a role as an economic analyst in a bank, the speaker also touched upon the changing revenue models for sell side research, while adding that there has been no change in sales as a result of this. The second half of the talk was a candid discussion about the current... by MDAE | Sep 7, 2019 | Life at MDAE
The speaker series for the academic year was inaugurated by Mr. Vijay Karnani, Co-CEO of Goldman Sachs, India. His agenda was to introduce us to the “Fundamentals of Investment Banking”. To start with he broke down the institutional structure that generally investment banks have, which includes Investment Research, Securities, Asset management, Operations and Tech and Alternative Assets. Apart from this, bankers role in the industry is divided into Advisory and Investing role as per demand. He highlighted the skills and competencies that each role requires. One very interesting insight that he propounded on, was that, understanding the structure and workings of the world of Banking was not an arduous or a herculean challenge. The challenge, however lay in staying in constant awareness and evolving as bankers in the dynamic and ever changing world of Finance and Economics . He also emphasized the importance of personality traits that the industry demands, from risk taking and decision making at one end to having a sharp intellect and analytical abilities at the other end. When asked about his personal journey of growing in this industry, he highlighted the highly demanding nature of the job, but at the same time emphasizing on the fact that bankers, even as freshers are given high degree of autonomy and freedom in handling positions of high responsibility. He narrated an anecdote where he had almost come close to clocking 168 hours at work, that is the total number of hours there is in a week. We were left fascinated by his motivation and dedication towards his profession. In the end, when asked about his views regarding the... by MDAE | Sep 3, 2019 | Life at MDAE
Mr. Chakrabarti – AVP DBS Bank, spoke to the students about Landscape of Financial Services on the 27 of August 2019. With over 10 years of experience in the BFS sector and 6+ years in coverage banking, Mr Chakrabarti has worked with large corporates such as Aditya Birla and Vedanta to name a few. The talk was deeply insightful, giving the students a clear understanding of the opportunities the finance and banking sector has to offer, as well as changing trends and the future of the sector. Mr. Chakrabarti explained the role bankers play in the financial system, while elaborating on the different types of bankers in the industry. He used granular examples, to which the students could easily relate, e.g the role consumer bankers play in accepting fixed deposits and giving loans. Building on these examples the speaker went on to explain the functions of the treasury and markets department in liquidity management, investment, capital management and risk management amongst others. Mr. Chakrabarti then went on to explain the importance of corporate banking, particularly for the raising of funds for companies, while elaborating on the various ways this debt may be raised i.e through debentures, company papers, ECBs and working capital loans to name a few. Mr. Chakrabarti also talked about the skill set the BFS sector demands at various stages of the corporate ladder. He provided the students with much more than just “a day in the life of a banker”, taking them through each role they will play in the years to come, from that of an analyst, an associate, a senior associate to ultimately an assistant vice president and vice president. Touching upon the role played... by MDAE | Jun 23, 2019 | Life at MDAE
Understanding the 2008 Global Financial Crisis is essential for anyone interested in Economics and Finance, but there are a plethora of books available, which can get overwhelming. Dr. Indradeep Ghosh, who completed his PhD in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has curated a list of top 10 books pertinent to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and to the general topic of economic/financial crises. 1. Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed (Non- fiction, Published, 2009) Lords of Finance discusses the histories of the leaders of the Central Banks in 4 countries; Benjamin Strong Jr. of the New York Federal Reserve, Montagu Norman of the Bank of England, Emile Moreau of the Banque de France and Hjalmar Schacht of the Reichsbank in Germany. The book talks about their efforts to steer the world economy from the First World War until the Great Depression. The book won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for History. 2. How Markets Fail by John Cassidy (Non-Fiction, Published, 2009) Written by renowned economist and journalist, John Cassidy, this book examines the history of economic theory and attempts to diagnose the recent rise and fall of markets, especially the housing bubble and the credit crisis from 2007 till 2009. John Cassidy argues against unfettered free-market ideology and supports government regulation in the financial industry 3. Hubris by Meghnad Desai (Non – Fiction, Published, 2013) Written by our very own Chairman of Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics, Lord Meghnad Desai investigates the evolution of economics and connects it to the occurrence of major political events. While understanding the timeline,... 
by MDAE | Jun 23, 2019 | Life at MDAE
The Placement Process Placements are an integral part of an academic institution in India. Most students, when deciding which college to attend, look at the placement record and evaluate how beneficial the institution will be for them. That is why we are proud to say that 95% of our students have been placed with an average salary of 7 lacs p.a. Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics recognises this and prioritises it too. From the moment a student is offered a place in the academy, our Placement Committee begins to identify the students preference. From there, together with the student, we work on building a CV. These one-on-one sessions coupled with interview preps are aimed to instil confidence in the student and to help them understand their strengths and weaknesses. Following this, we find companies that offer roles that the student would be interested in. Companies that have come on campus include Deloitte, J.P. Morgan, ANZ, IDFC Institute, Fractal Analytics, HSBC and many... 
