Prior to IE, Dhruv worked in Consulting and Sales & Marketing roles with IBM and Nokia Siemens Networks. Currently, he is trying his luck as an entrepreneur with his own consulting firm in the UK.
Failing team morale, Russian border patrol problems, and a broken radiator – a combination of dilemmas IE students don’t have to face on a regular basis – usually. For two alumni of the Master in Management class of 2009 however, it was the nature of this particular combination that resembled the extraordinary adventure upon which they embarked. Bound together by one of their favorite quotes “No excuses, play like a champion!” and to benefit the GO HELP NGO in Mongolia, Estevam and Dhruv embarked on a trip of a lifetime from Madrid to Mongolia … in an ambulance van.
Prior to IE, Estevam worked in Sales and Marketing positions at different companies and later worked at IE Business School. Currently, he is doing his Portfolio program at Miami Ad School Madrid.
“The most memorable moment was when we were at the drawing competition for the underprivileged children of Ulan Bator. We organized it in partnership with GO HELP and Nokia. The children’s happiness and our own happiness in being with them was something that we did not expect and touched us deeply.”
Understanding that “adventure” means not knowing the end that lies ahead, both protagonists learned that time is precious, and to make the most of it, priorities have to be set right.
“If you cling to “ifs” you are just an excuse maker as “ifs” are infinite. What counts is what “is” and how you work with it. Just because two Russian borders tell you “go home” and you break your radiator, which eliminates 5 days of your journey time, it does not mean you give up. It means, “what now?”, “how can we make this work?”. When our Ambulance was denied entry to Russia and Dhruv could not come back to Ukraine since his single entry visa expired on crossing into Russia, he had to cross the Russian border on foot, find accommodation and food in a Russian village without speaking Russian and not knowing where he was. This was totally thrown out of the blue and Dhruv had to improvise and make the best of his opportunity.”
At the end of this year, Dhruv and Estevam would like to attempt a larger scale rally: Cartagena to Ushuaia 2013. To expect the unexpected will again be the center of their adventure to help others while testing their own limits. If you are interested in helping them to make this happen do email them at: dhruv@madridtomongolia.com
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