Maninder Kohli

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Maninder is currently an entrepreneur and is on the Board of three companies including InternshipDesk. In terms of interests, Maninder is an outdoor lover and was drawn to the mountains at an early age inspired by his father, Captain MS Kohli, who led India's path breaking climb of Everest in 1965. Over the years, his travels have taken him across the Himalaya and to several locations around the world, climbing, trekking, skiing, rafting and mountain biking. Maninder has found that outdoor adventure is a great way to unwind from the stress of modern corporate life.

What position do you hold at InternshipDesk? What has your career path been?

In 1988 I completed my Master's in International Management at The American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) located in Glendale Arizona. Subsequently I joined Citibank's Consumer Bank in India where I served for a period of 20 years. In 2005 I was elevated as Senior Vice President and invited to serve on the Management Committee of the Consumer Bank. In 2010 I left Citibank to become an entrepreneur. At that time I joined the team which was working on building InternshipDesk, and currently serve as a Board Member and Executive Director of the India Program.

What are the core principles InternshipDesk strives to achieve?

At InternshipDesk, our focus is to encourage participation in International Internship Programs. We feel programs of this nature are a genuine value add for participants preparing for a corporate career. While an international internship on a resume certainly catches the eye of recruiters, it should not be looked upon as the sole reason to participate. In my mind, the key is to get an opportunity to work abroad at a relatively young age, which exposes participants to international markets and cultures, and shows how both aspects are connected in a diverse fashion. Thus, my recommendation to students is that over their university career, one of the internships they chose should be an international one.

What separates InternshipDesk from other internship providers?

While we take great care in offering a "personalized internship" to each participant in an industry of their choice, we feel the sole focus on the internship itself does not give full value to participants. We have thus added several "program pillars" that work together in creating the outcomes we desire. Apart from the internship, one of the pillars is the academic component provided by Jindal Global University. Other pillars include a weekly lecture series and cultural series. Also part of the program is a Himalayan trek and lots of travel. Additionally, the fact that participants are part of a group also supports the learning process. We thus value the contribution of each of these pillars and feel that this format sets InternshipDesk apart from other internship providers.

What does the future hold for InternshipDesk?

At InternshipDesk, the focus, year after year, continues to be the enhancement in the delivery of all of our program. In 2013 we will be offering our International Internship Programs in four locations around the world and the intention is to add an additional location every year. Feedback from our programs has been extremely positive from all stakeholders, participants, parents, educators and companies, which has encouraged us to further, build on what has been achieved.