To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Sungkyunkwan University SKK GSB organized a series of "Where are you now?" interviews with alumni to find out how they are doing in their careers and what life has been like since graduation.

SKK GSB Full-Time MBA 4th Graduate: Sidharth Jayant

Sidharth Jayant, who graduated from Sungkyunkwan University SKK GSB in 2009, is spending busy days as the Chief Product Officer of Rakuten TV.

Sidharth started at Samsung Electronics headquarter post graduating from MBA program. He assisted with building Samsung Smart TV APP store in Europe.

Then he moved to European headquarter of Samsung Electronics to help set up Europe-wide operations for Smart TV Apps, helping to build and expand the first set of owned and operated video services from Samsung across Smart TVs, Tablets, and Smart phones.

In 2014, Sidharth, who moved to Rakuten TV, explained the reason for transitioning into the broadcasting industry: “It was important for me to learn not just the TV manufacturers' part of the business but also the other parts of the video streaming value chain. The need to learn and grow in the process was a key area of focus for me.”

Rakuten TV, one of the leading streaming platforms in Europe, offering FAST (free ad supported streaming tv) channels, popular movies and TV shows for free supported with advertisements and new release movies to rent or buy.

His role requires him to build product features that solve user problems and create moments of delight be it by making content discovery easier or helping users with the most localized (language, currency, payment method etc.) experience when using Rakuten TV service across Europe. He is also tasked with building strategic alliances with industry partners that enables Rakuten TV to expose its service on the most popular devices in use.

The lessons learned at SKK GSB have helped Sidharth transition from Content Service Manager at Samsung Electronics to Chief Product Officer at Rakuten TV.

He explained, “The lessons to build strategic alliances learned at SKK GSB have been very handy for me. At Rakuten TV and Samsung Electronics, one of the key activities I engaged in was forming strategic alliances to drive business success. Additionally, in the MBA program, the strategy simulation activity taught me the importance of continuously improving the product by solving users' problems and providing services that delight them, which has led to significant business growth"

In addition, the lessons from MBA program-such as investing in product before expanding too quickly and leveraging the strength of multicultural environment-have greatly helped Sidharth’s career.

 To current students at SKK GSB and future prospects, Sidharth said, “In the early stages of one’s career and even when one is in a senior leadership role, constant learning is necessary. Technology is evolving fast and so is the business across industries. The focus on learning organically brings growth and the associated benefits in and outside work.