“I like to talk,” said Jeetendra Shukla, laughing. “And doing my master’s at KLU helped me put the talk into perspective and rediscover myself.”
Previously, the 30-year-old from Nepalgunj in Nepal had studied and worked as a chemical engineer in Gwalior in India. He moved to Hamburg in 2009 to work with ADM, the American global food-processing firm.
“That was the funny thing,” he said. “One of my projects for ADM involved building a warehouse; it wasn’t even related to chemical engineering.” To help him come to grips with his work, he sought the advice of friends studying at KLU’s predecessor, the Kühne School of Logistics and Management at Hamburg’s Technical University. “I thought they could help, and I found that what they were studying was better than good.”
He became increasingly interested in supply chain management. “It has a connection to process engineering; for example, sourcing rapeseed oil from Australia,” he explained. “As an engineer you have to stay in the factory, but supply chain management is moving and dynamic. As a result, it was interesting to me.” So interesting, in fact, that he decided to change tack and start a master’s degree in global logistics at KLU in 2011. “It helped me to put my studies and work into perspective, and gave me direction,” he explained.
That direction led to an internship at engineering and electronics giant Bosch and then to a job as a specialist in lead supply chain logistics at Dow Chemicals in Stade, a town an hour west of Hamburg. It’s a company and position, he says, that allow him to utilize his various skills: “I’m now working for a chemical company in supply chain management, which is perfect for me.” The job is also ideal, he says, because it’s close to Hamburg, where he continues to live. “Hamburg has everything – lots of cafés, restaurants, bars,” Jeetendra said. “And the people here are nice. You don’t need to call them every day to know they’re there.”
He maintains regular contact with KLU alumni and professors. “The professors have been more than professors to me – they are mentors,” he said. “You can reach out to them after you have graduated and develop relationships, something harder to do at bigger institutions. It’s one of the best achievements from my time at KLU.”
By Jeff Kavanagh