Kiranbir Kaur is a military veteran who joined Deloitte US-India Offices (USI) in August 2020 after serving in the Indian Air Force for ten years. She is currently the Chief of Staff (CoS) for the Mergers & Acquisitions and Restructuring (M&A/R) team in Consulting at USI. In her current role, she has been driving and facilitating various strategic planning operations and activities while coordinating with the Finance, Resource Management, Talent, and Recruitment teams.
In this blog, Kiranbir talks about her inspirational career journey of transitioning from the military to her first corporate role at Deloitte USI. She switched her career as a 32-year-old mother of a one-and-half-year-old child and believes that an inquisitive mind drives one toward continual growth.
Life in the Armed Forces
 | I served as an officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) for ten years as part of the technical branch. I had been posted to all four directions of the country quite literally during the ten years of my service. In the military, one’s role is segregated into primary and secondary duties. My primary duty was as a surface-to-air missile trained officer, while my secondary duty was as an adjutant, where I worked closely with the commanding officer of the unit. It was a technical- plus operations-oriented role where I was responsible for the planning and administration of the squadron for almost six years of my tenure. I was also the Joint Secretary of AFWWA (Air Force Wives Welfare Association) for six years, supporting the war widows, their children, and other welfare programs. |
Transitioning to corporate
I earned my B. Tech degree in computer sciences and post-graduation in aeronautical engineering by the time I completed two years in IAF. Since I knew I would serve in the military for ten years and subsequently transition to corporate, I proactively started preparing myself for life after the military. I completed my MBA in operations from IMT Ghaziabad via correspondence while serving in the Forces and subsequently got my MBA from IIM Indore.
My exposure to working with senior officers in IAF in my role as an adjutant was like my Chief of Staff role at Deloitte, where I worked closely with senior leadership. I was posted as the staff officer of a four-star Air Marshal, who was responsible for the functioning of 18 units under him. As the staff officer, I supported the leader with confidential strategic and operational aspects of the planning. The experience I gained in those one-and-a-half years helped me transition to corporate, and I made the obvious choice of applying for a Chief of Staff role at Deloitte more than three years ago.
The past and the present
Despite the similarities in responsibilities, working in a military environment and working in corporate are different. Even something as basic as taking time off is easier for me in corporate than it was in the military.
If one feels the need to get help from others, one should first feel comfortable to ask. When I moved to my role at Deloitte as the Chief of Staff to our Mergers & Acquisitions and Restructuring (M&A/R) leader, I always felt that comfort. I was lucky to have wonderful people who supported me from day one. Even when I asked the most basic queries, my leaders and peers would happily explain and address them.
The patience that the leadership invested in me led to a lot of upskilling. From someone more used to marching drills than sending emails, I transitioned to someone who got to see the business closely and know the ins and outs of how it functions, from forecasting and planning to execution.
Balancing motherhood and hybrid
My son was one-and-a-half years of age when I joined Deloitte, and ever since, I have been encouraged to maintain work/life balance by spending time with my son. Making small changes to my daily routine helped me navigate my duties of bringing up now a five-year-old while the support from the leadership made me believe I could handle both my personal and work responsibilities.
In today’s world of hybrid work, I am a people person who loves coming to the office every day. Working from the office allows me to have more impactful meetings with the people I work with, efficiently manage my work, and share the joy of connecting with various teams. The exchange of information that takes place every time I interact with my colleagues or talk to the practice informally helps me gain knowledge that comes for free. Connecting with my team members in person also helps me develop a relationship that allows me to collaborate better virtually.
During my free time, I am into fitness, reading, and painting. I love reading fiction and biographies.
Touching the sky with glory
| For those of you who wish to follow my advice, I suggest always keeping your mind and heart open. Listen to people to grasp knowledge – be a sponge and absorb the good as much as you can from those around you. There will be things you would never have heard of, but eventually, you may attain them as skills. Once you know where your interest lies, trust Deloitte to have the right resources to support your upskilling. Be inquisitive and connect with people outside your core circle – you can learn at any point in your life. I switched my career when I was 32 and the mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old child. Even after joining Deloitte, I have been learning continuously and reading up on new things every day. If I can do it, you can too. |  |
The views expressed here are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of her current, former, or future employers or any organization with which she is associated.