From Ops to Growth: The Unconventional Path

Most growth roles go to MBAs or ex-consultants. But some of the sharpest growth operators come from ops — they understand unit economics, they've run P&Ls, and they know what actually breaks at scale.

I made this pivot twice — from ITC (₹350 Cr manufacturing ops) to growth at two funded startups — without an MBA. I know what the transition actually looks like: what to say in interviews, how to frame ops work as growth thinking, and what skills transfer vs. what you need to build from scratch.

In this session, we'll cover:

• How to reframe your ops experience for growth JDs
• What interviewers at growth-stage startups actually test for
• Which roles to target first and which to avoid early
• How to build the missing pieces (data, product sense, marketing) fast