It’s about creating self-managed teams and pushing boundaries a little at a time.
Sandeep Singh hails from Delhi, India, with a robust 17 years of professional experience, 15 of which have been in management roles across industries such as manufacturing, telecom, life insurance, and banking. Currently, he leads the digital lending business at Aditya Birla Capital Ltd, managing a $1.5 billion asset portfolio and driving a $70 million profit. With his team of 70, he oversees digital loan acquisition and service for individuals and small-to-medium enterprises, using technology to reach customers across length and breadth of India.
His career began in the CEO’s office of a manufacturing setup, where he quickly became the youngest in the role and gained invaluable insight. Even today, Sandeep continues to seek guidance from his first CEO, who serves as a sounding board on leadership, offering fatherly advice and perspective. Over time, Sandeep has expanded his network, finding value in discussions with peers from various functions and industries, exchanging ideas and learning from their leadership journeys.
Describing himself as execution and result-oriented, Sandeep emphasises an open-minded leadership style that balances a drive for outcomes with a conscious effort to avoid micromanagement. His focus on delivering results has kept him in P&L roles for the recent years, where the direct involvement in business outcomes energises him and aligns with his hands-on approach to leadership.
Sandeep’s consistent high performance earned him an organisation-level award, which allowed them to choose an executive education programme from any business school. After considering several options, he was particularly drawn to INSEAD’s Collaborative Leadership.
How do you collaborate effectively to emerge as a better organisation, a better unit, and a better individual? That was the key push during my application.
Sandeep’s experience at INSEAD far exceeded his expectations, particularly due to the incredible diversity of the cohort. Having attended several executive education programmes in India, he was used to interacting with peers from similar backgrounds. However, at INSEAD, the participants came from all over the world, representing a wide range of industries and cultures. This diversity enriched the discussions, with insights from professionals in countries like China, Japan, the Nordics, and across Europe. “It was phenomenal to listen to others’ thought processes, shaped by their cultures and experiences,” he recalled.
Sandeep also noted the contrast between the hierarchical work cultures in some parts of Asia and more flexible structures in other regions. “Of course, I wouldn’t deny that our company has a hierarchical structure,” he said, acknowledging that his industry—financial services—tends to be more forward-looking and fast-paced compared to traditional sectors like manufacturing. However, Sandeep highlighted that within the guardrails of hierarchy, the organisation encourages experimentation.
What stood out most for Sandeep was the freedom to express himself fully in this diverse setting. Unlike in typical work environments where there might be a fear of being judged, INSEAD’s programme offered an open and safe space to share ideas and perspectives. This openness led to immense learning, and Sandeep particularly valued how the programme encouraged this, making it a standout experience compared to his previous programmes.
It’s about creating self-managed teams and pushing boundaries a little at a time.
It was this concept that resonated deeply, especially as his business landscape has evolved significantly in the months leading up to the programme, with Sandeep transitioning from co-heading his team to fully managing the digital lending vertical.
Returning to his workplace post-programme, Sandeep faced several challenges such as managing large teams as part of enhanced role and thereby, managing redundant structures and ensuring the right people are placed in the right roles, where the INSEAD programme proved invaluable. It equipped Sandeep with skills to balance the team's expectations, organisational demands, and anxieties while fostering a cohesive, effective unit.
“I took a conscious step back,” he reflected. “Rather than jumping in with what I thought should happen, I spent more time with the incoming team. I had one-on-one discussions to understand them better, what they were doing, and what they really wanted to contribute.” Sandeep was transparent with his team about the overlaps in roles between the two groups, working collaboratively to find solutions that aligned with the organisation’s goals. “The mandate to synergise the teams was clear, but how we could do it without role overlap was the challenge.” He added that there was no job loss in the process. “I made it clear from the start that no one would be moved out of the business unit. It was about synergising, not downsizing.”
Worth every penny.
Now an active advocate of INSEAD and the Collaborative Leadership programme, Sandeep laughed, stating “I’ve shared my positive experience extensively within my organisation. In fact, our CHRO was so intrigued by the programme’s impact that he invited me to present my learnings to the larger team.”
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