BY SOPHIE WANG
Sophie Wang is a second-year International Development student who interned with Athena Infonomics during the summer of 2019.
The IDEV Summer Internship Series highlights the experiences of IDEV students participating in internships this past summer. Each year, IDEV students intern with various development organizations around the world. These internships are generously funded by SAIS donors, and offer valuable opportunities for students to gain real-world experience between their first and second years at SAIS.
Perspectives: Where did you intern this summer?
SW: I interned in Chennai with Athena Infonomics, a development consultancy serving development finance institutions and public sector clients in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Perspectives: How did you find this internship, and what was the hiring process?
SW: It was an IDEV program-identified internship, so we received the TOR and application instructions from the program in early spring. The hiring process consisted of two rounds. First, we had to complete a quantitative and a research design case study within a two-day time frame. Then, the HR department scheduled a Skype call in which we mainly discussed logistical details. I received the offer letter about a week before the funding application deadline. Before the start of the internship, I also had a Skype chat with the project manager to whom I was assigned in order to discuss my interests and project preferences.
Perspectives: What were your primary responsibilities? Describe the projects you worked on.
SW: I worked on the Africa Business Development (AfBD) team, a tight-knit community with a flat hierarchy and lots of opportunities for exchange. This means that I was able to share insights and learnings with senior members of the BD team directly and get a 360-degree view of how new businesses are identified and won. I liked the fact that interns are given access to conversations going on at the management level, as this was key to helping me understand the bottlenecks encountered in BD from a strategic perspective. In a large organization, this would rarely be possible.
Working on the Approach & Methodology section of one of the technical proposals for an AfDB project, I had an opportunity to see how research methods are applied in fieldwork. This gave me invaluable insights regarding the research skills I would like to acquire for my ‘toolbox’. My work this summer has also informed me of the eco-system surrounding development aid projects, especially the structure of accountability between organizations contracted at different stages. This knowledge will definitely help with my potential employer research in the future since I have more clarity on the missions of various organizations.
Perspectives: Was there previous coursework or work experience that you found especially useful during the internship or the application process?
SW: I had no prior experience in business development or Sub-Saharan Africa. However, I did find the market research and knowledge management skills I gained from my previous work experience useful in helping me and the team come up with a systematic approach to BD. Typical consulting case skills would also apply in the case studies round of the application process.
Perspectives: What were some of your key takeaways from this internship for your academic and professional interests?
SW: My stay in Chennai coincided with the height of the worst water crisis the city has seen in decades. This unanticipated episode confronted me vis-à-vis with the consequences of public service delivery failure on a level which I had never experienced before. I have since been able to explore the deep-seated public administration problems behind this failure in one of my second-year development classes focused on service delivery.
My internship at Athena has thus helped shape my view of the development sector. Working with governments is certainly different from advising corporate executives, but the challenges involved are strikingly similar. Development is very much a think-and-do business and not just policy work; I was amazed at how many projects fail to meet their defined targets because of flawed financing structure, misinformed ideas about demand gaps, and other microeconomic inefficiencies. These are problems we need to solve not only with policy but improved management, implementation, and technology capabilities, which is exactly the innovative ethos of Athena's work in the sector.
Perspectives: What should future SAIS students interested in this internship know?
SW: Coming from a primarily private-sector consulting background, Athena was my first professional experience focused on development consulting. This is a niche sector in the consulting space where the largest firms do not always have the strongest expertise, which is why I decided to apply right upon spotting the internship opportunity. Although rooted in India, Athena has a truly global practice and offers a vivid environment for exchange. Although three months of immersion is certainly not enough to soak up the rich culture of India, it is a start for gaining a first-hand understanding of the complexity of contemporary Indian society and politics. After a steep acclimatization curve at the start, juggling between adapting to a South Indian diet and the impossibility of getting allergy relief supplies through Indian Customs, I can genuinely say at the end of my stay that this was an experience I will live to cherish.
PHOTO CREDIT: Sophie Wang
BANNER PHOTO CREDIT: Licensed under the Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0. Author: Vineeshkoomulli. Original HERE.
