Professor-of-Practice
Rajesh Iyer is a seasoned professional possessing 28 years of comprehensive experience, including 14 years in diverse sales leadership roles within esteemed organizations across the FMCG, Consumer Durables, and Financial Services sectors. He further complemented this with 14 years of entrepreneurial experience, having operated his own HR firm primarily focused on placements. His core strengths lie in effective communication, coupled with proven sales and management acumen.
Rajesh Iyer earned an MBA in Marketing (with Honors) from VNSGU, following his Bachelor’s degree in Electronics also from VNSGU. This strong academic foundation in marketing propelled him into a dynamic sales career, where he gained invaluable frontline selling expertise before advancing to lead and develop high-performing sales teams.
#Saffron Consultancy Services | Self Employed (Sept 2009 – Mar 2025). Helmed a HR Consultancy firm wherein I dealt predominantly with placements of experienced candidates in various sectors by tying up either with the companies or with aggregators and sourcing apt candidates for them
#Reliance Capital | Territory Manager (Aug 2008- Jan 2009).Was responsible for setting up a new branch in Surat and recruiting and training a team of Sales Managers for selling Life Insurance products of Reliance
# Birla Sunlife Insurance Company Ltd | Branch Head (Mar 2002- July 2008)..Joined Birla Sunlife as a Agency Manager and got promoted to Marketing Manager and subsequently to Branch Head on the back of proven and consistent sales performance. Worked in Surat as well as Mumbai branch. Excelled in a producer’s role of leading agent teams as well as management role in leading the branch of sales managers through constant recruitment, training and motivation of team for selling life insurance products
# Dewan Housing Finance Limited | Branch Manager (May 2000 to Mar 2002). Headed the Surat branch and was responsible for sourcing prospective home loan customers and ensuring their sanction as well as disbursement. DHFL being a corporate agent for Birla Sunlife Insurance products, gave me exposure to cross selling of life insurance
# Philips India Limited | Sales Officer(May 1999 to April 2000)..Was responsible for managing distributor as well as dealer network and attain sales targets for the range of Consumer Durable products of Philips India.
# PepsiCo India Marketing Company | Customer Sales Executive (May 1997 to April 1999). Had hands on experience of aggressive frontline FMCG selling for the entire soft drink range of Pepsi-Cola through development of retail network
Rajesh Iyer currently instructs courses in Sales Management and Introduction to General Insurance. He is dedicated to leveraging his extensive corporate background and practical industry exposure to enrich the curriculum. His aim is to integrate real-world insights and practical applications, equipping students with the essential skills to thrive and excel in today’s competitive professional landscape.
