MBA as a Career Option for Chemical Engineers - S.P.N. Prasad Rao

What is Chemical Engineering?

What is Chemical Engineering? Which of these products do you use in your daily life - plastics, metals, textiles, paper, food and beverages, toiletries, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals? Well,each of these has been created under the eyes of a chemical engineer. Converting raw (and sometimes recycled) materials into finished products that you can use is a complex process, which involves research and development, design, construction, daily plant operation and m a n a g e m e n t . Chemical engineers not only design and operate cost-effective processes; they also ensure that these are accomplished in the most environmentally friendly way. Old processes need to be adapted to meet the ever-stringent environmental standards of today. Whilst environmental scientists indicate the likely impact of a process on the environment, chemical engineers play the definitive role within their capability to design processes so as to meet these specifications.

Now who is a Chemical Engineer?
a) An engineer who manufactures chemicals,
b) A chemist who works in a factory, or
c) A glorified Plumber?
d) None of the above
This is actually a trick question as the correct answer is d) “None of the above.”

The first two incorrect answers make sense,based upon the narrow sounding title; “chemical engineer.” Surely such a person must be either a “chemist who builds things”, or an “engineer who makes chemicals”. Yet, the English language has never really made much sense and the name “chemical engineer” is a case in point. While it is true that chemical engineers tend to be comfortable with chemistry, they do much more with this knowledge than just making chemicals. In fact, the term “chemical engineer” is meant more to reveal what makes the field different from other branches of engineering than describe the type of work a chemical engineer performs.

All engineers employ mathematics, physics, and the art of engineering to overcome technical problems in a safe and economical fashion. Yet, it is the chemical engineer alone who draws upon the vast and powerful science of chemistry to solve a wide range of problems. The strong technical and social ties that bind chemistry and chemical engineering are unique in the fields of science and technology. This marriage between chemists and chemical engineers has been beneficial to both sides and has rightfully gathered the envy of other engineering disciplines.

The breadth of scientific and technical knowledge inherent in the profession has caused some to describe the chemical engineer as the “universal engineer”. Surprising but true; despite a title suggesting a profession composed of narrow specialists, chemical engineers are actually extremely versatile and able to handle a wide range of technical problems. Mr. Sujesh Govindan, BE (Chemical), MBA. COO, Mane India Pvt Ltd. says, “Chemical engineering today has moved on to assume a degree of responsibility unheard of a few years ago, spanning a value chain that is getting ever complex. The chemical engineer now has to understand various intricacies of a) equipment, b) processing and c) stakeholders in the value chain. If all these appear simple there is the channel relationship between various stakeholding groups that have to be managed. Thus, the chemical engineer has to put into place systems, statistical and process tools, and develop a leadership model that promotes integrity and dynamism within the value chain. Going a step further, all these require channelling of energies in the direction of a core ideology - customer orientation - necessitating the need to understand marketing and distribution trends etc. In a nutshell - the chemical engineer will benefit enormously from an in-depth understanding of basic management and leadership principles.”

The “Big Four” engineering fields are - civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineers. Of these, chemical engineers are numerically the smallest group. Inspite of being a relatively small group, chemical engineers hold prominent positions in many industries, and are on an average, the highest paid of the “Big Four”. Additionally, many chemical engineers have found their way into upper management. Digest this: a chemical engineer is either currently, or has previously, occupied the CEO position for: 3M, Du Pont, General Electric, Union Carbide, Dow Chemical, Exxon, BASF, Gulf Oil, Texaco, and B.F. Goodrich. Even a former director of the CIA, John M. Deutch, was a chemical engineer by training.

Why MBA?
The problem-solving techniques and generalist nature of chemical engineering open up a plethora of opportunities for employment for chemical engineers outside the chemical industry. A Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) is a popular choice for chemical engineers to add in-depth business knowledge to a technical background. According to Senior Analysts at a leading multinational Energy Services company, “as chemical engineers, we have a strong background in process economics, which gives us the big picture of a business process. The added benefit with the MBA is a focus on outside-of-the-fence market opportunities. There are significant benefits to engineers who can align the internal capabilities of their process with external market opportunities”. Capping sound technical education with an MBA provides a wide perspective on industry, especially as chemical engineers can apply their training to diverse business functions.

Consulting is a significant function within the chemical engineering professional community wherein they can provide key inputs through environmental analysis and improvements for private industry, the government, as well as process plant design and installation. According to a senior project manager at a leading Indian engineering consulting company, “consulting engineers play a critical role in all phases of a capital project”. A consulting engineers’ responsibilities include:

• Checking that equipment arrives and is installed properly
• Commissioning new equipment
• Training new operators
• Process optimisation
• Sourcing and integration of new technology

Whilst an MBA can be useful to chemical engineers who are looking at careers in either Marketing or Production, it is also useful to those who seek to recast their career path on a non-technical path. An MBA can help you develop key skills and knowledge required to manage diverse and multifaceted resources in companies. It gives you an understanding of the structure and operation of a business, thereby building capabilities to undertake leadership roles throughout your career. It can also help you accelerate your career path in industry and hence break corporate growth barriers.

Industry Sectors Opportunities for Chemical Engineer Managers

The industry sectors wherein Chemical engineers can find management career opportunities are Processed Food, Textiles, Confectionary, Fine Chemicals, Organic Chemicals, Petrochemicals, Textiles, Leather, Biotechnology, Health Care, Cement, Flavours and Fragrances.

Some of the prominent companies in India that hire Chemical Engineers are Reliance, Biocon, Novo Nordisk, HLL, Nestle, Hoechst, NOCIL, SPIC, HPCL, etc., The list is endless and surprisingly on completing the list you would have covered every conceivable product and industry sector.

S.P.N. Prasad Rao is a BE (Chem) RVCE (R.V. College of Engg), Bangalore Univ; MBA (International Business) UWS (University of Western Sydney), Australia; AIMM Australia)