How My Internship Provided Insights into India
Archish Mittal, MBA ‘25 and Andrew Karolyi, Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, visiting the UN.
This past summer I had the opportunity to work at Insights International, an advisory firm based in India and Washington D.C., that focuses on geopolitical risk assessment, market entry, advisory for Fortune 500 companies, small and mid-sized enterprises, financial services institutions, and public organizations looking for strategic advice as they explore the Indian market. When I was accepted for an internship at Insights International, which was founded by a former Cornell alum, I was ecstatic. With the support of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management and the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise’s Social Impact Internship Fund, I was able to follow my passion and witness India’s economic growth firsthand.
Combining Policy with India’s Emerging Markets
While working at Insights International, I was involved in various projects at the intersection of business and geopolitics and was exposed to the overall strategy of the company. By working on various projects for large international companies that needed guidance on market entry in India and geopolitical risk analysis, I saw the growth potential and dynamism in India’s emerging economy.
As I immersed myself in news, current affairs, and policies of the Indian government relating to foreign direct investment, I was able to understand how the public sector is enacting policies and initiatives to promote investments from global funds and corporations. I advised clients on several policies I focused on including:
- Made in India: This policy is aimed to position India as a global manufacturing hub by encouraging companies to manufacture their products in India. It has significantly improved the ease of doing business and has opened various sectors to 100% foreign direct investment (FDI), including defense, railways, and insurance, which were previously restricted.
- Production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes: PLI schemes are designed to boost domestic manufacturing in key sectors by providing incentives for incremental production. The Indian government has implemented various policies in the pharmaceutical, electronics, and textile sectors to attract FDI.
- Liberalization of FDI policy: A big change in India’s policy has eased regulation of foreign ownership in India, including brand retail trading, e-commerce, and construction development.
Indian Election Responses
One of the most exciting parts of working with Insights International was the client work that followed the Indian elections in early June. I analyzed the appointment of the new cabinet ministers, government policies, and analysis of the election results for think tanks and other global investors who were taking keen interest in the newly formed government in India. As I analyzed the election results and interacted with policymakers, commentators, and experts, I was able to see how India is rapidly changing. A country that had been run by a major party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), since 2014 suddenly had a coalition government that made politicians accountable for their decision making, bringing the dynamism of a healthy democracy back to India.
The experience at Insights International, coupled with an Ivy League education at Cornell University, will give me a solid foundation as I continue in the world of geopolitical advisory.
About Archish Mittal, MBA ‘25
Archish Mittal is a second-year MBA student, an Emerging Markets Institute fellow, and a beneficiary of the Social Impact Internship Fund. He has experience working on public-private partnerships at McLarty Associates, the International Solar Alliance, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jameel World Education Lab. He serves on the board of advisors of LEO1, a fast-growing fintech company in India focused on education, and Global Dignity, a nonprofit founded by Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. He is a member of the Heidelberg International Club; a Next-Gen Scholar at the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania; a councilor at the Atlantic Council; and a member of the Young Leaders Circle at the Milken Institute (2022-23). He has a bachelor’s in investment and financial risk management from City, University of London, and a master’s in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He writes regularly for the news outlets Al Arabiya and Fair Observer and other global publications.