“Indians have it in their DNA to build the next WhatsApp for the world,” said Neeraj Arora, the Business Guy at the world’s most successful mobile messenger service WhatsApp which was recently acquired by Facebook at a whopping valuation of $19 billion.

Neeraj, an ISB alumnus of the Class of 2006, was interacting with his juniors and peers at the ISB campus earlier today. While Indians, thanks to their propensity for hard work and great ideas, have this DNA in them naturally, what is missing is the ecosystem to leverage it, he felt

ISB is a great place to experience this ecosystem at home, he added recounting his experience at the School. The biggest thing for him was the world class faculty at ISB, which is absolutely cutting edge, and the diverse quality of the class – both provided him a global perspective with a mix of emerging markets approach. “So much so, when I went on to join Google, I never felt like I had to start from scratch. I fitted in naturally with those from the Ivy League,” he added.

Talking about his M&A negotiation experience at Google and at WhatsApp, Neeraj said he could implement what he had picked up at ISB. “At Google, I was able to use what I learnt in the Negotiation Analysis course at ISB”, he added.

And then, the best thing is that you continue to be connected to the School and peers through the network you develop over the years. For instance we are bunch of 25 people from the Class of 2006 who are in the Bay Area and catch up every now-and-then keeping ourselves abreast of developments, he said.

Neeraj Arora, has been closely connected with the School over the years working actively as part of the Alumni Network, advising and mentoring current and potential students of ISB.

He played a key role in closing the $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook earlier this year. After finishing the Postgraduate Programme in Management (PGP) at the ISB, Neeraj worked at IndiaTimes and Google before he moved to WhatsApp in 2011.