Sadrush Chilukuri (Dubai, ’08) is the Customer Success Manager at FuseSport. He started his career as a Sales Engineer before pursuing a  MBA and making a shift to the sports industry. Here he talks about his passion for sports and the switch from one industry to the other. 

What motivated you to pursue some professional degree in sports? How has the journey been so far?

They say dreams keep you awake at night and do not let you sleep. This happened to me literally. While I was at BITS, the thought of doing something in sports did not let me sleep. So, one night -I picked up my laptop and started searching for degrees in sports that I could pursue. BITS already provided programs related to management which helped me to narrow down the programs and I decided to pursue MBA in Sports Management. I learned soft skills through my curriculum and involvement in tech fests and sports fests.

After working with a firm for 1.5 years, I decided to pursue MBA in sports management from Sydney. It brought me where I am right now.

The journey so far has been great. Although there were lots of late nights and hard work involved, but it has all been worth it. Since the end goal was to be a part of the sports industry so I just went through the grinding process and am where I am now. How would you define success? What is success for you?

Success varies for people. Its different thing for different people, it’s money for some, fame for others. Success for me is when you are able to put a smile on the face of the other person next to you. Making things better for the people, society and just world in general is what success is for me.

Every BITS campus is a different world in itself. What is the one place in the Dubai campus that you miss the most after graduating? What’s that one thing you’d like to do if and when you return to campus?

There are many places at BITS where I have so many fond memories. If I were to choose one, it would be the sports complex- a bit biased because I love sports and I have also heard that the sports ground has become much better now. Another place would be my hostel block where we had lots of fun. So these two places would be my go-to ones.

If I go back, I wouldn’t mind playing a game of cricket and badminton as well, sit in the library, catch up with the professors and sip some tea. That would be great.

Were there some challenging times for you? If yes, how did you overcome those times?

When I moved to Australia, I faced many challenges but BITS prepared me to overcome those challenges. I did not know anyone and had to make a name for myself in the sports industry. For overcoming such challenges, I had to organise myself and had to be proactive. A friend and an alumnus helped me settle down during the initial days of being in Sydney. To say that BITS helped me get out of very gruesome days will not be wrong.

At the end of the day you can overcome any challenge as long as you believe in yourself.

What role has BITS played in your career journey so far?

If somebody looked at my profile, they would see the drastic change I made in my career. However, the fact is that the things I learned at BITS and even the degree I pursued there helped me land the role I have in the sports industry. For this, BITS was a stepping-stone both in regards to career and growth as an individual. I learned a lot, got leadership opportunities and worked on my communication skills along with people management- these are important skills in every profession.

I feel blessed to have come across amazing people at campus and through the alumni network, some of whom have guided me in my professional journey.