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Alumni profile - Saurabh Kumar

(Tax Law MSc, 2008)

At Queen Mary University of London we are very proud to recognise the amazing achievements of our South Asian students, alumni, staff, donors and partners. To celebrate South Asian Heritage Month we reached out to some of our amazing alumni.

Published:
An image of Saurabh Kumar, who studied at Queen Mary University of London

Saurabh Kumar is Managing Partner at SK Attorneys. He came to Queen Mary in 2007 to study an LLM in International Tax and Regulation of Financial Market. It was his first time out of India.

“When I arrived at Heathrow, someone from Queen Mary was there to pick me up and take me to the campus. Although there were a lot of hiccups and mishaps involved in coming to a new country, Queen Mary helped make that smoother.”

How the LLM in International Tax helped Saurabh’s career

“Before coming to Queen Mary to study my LLM in International Tax, I was working with a leading tax firm in India. International Tax was a very unique course offered by Queen Mary and the professors teaching tax at Queen Mary were world renowned which helped me in making my decision to study tax.”

After completing his LLM, Saurabh went to work with an Indian based law firm, Singhania & Co with their London Office. After that he joined KPMG India with their tax and regulatory team. He then shifted to working on East Africa, where he worked with a leading tier-one law firm in Tanzania as Head of Tax and Global Business. In 2015 he moved back to India and started his own law firm, SK Attorneys, in New Delhi. They now have offices in Mumbai, Pune and Chandigarh.

“My LLM in International Tax has really helped me in shaping my career and where I am today. It has helped me in shaping a global perspective to any given transaction, and has also opened a wide range of alumni networks across the globe where we exchange different works and ideas on a need basis.”

He believes that living in London also had a huge influence on his future career.

“I got to know the different cultures – staying with people, cooking with them. London is a multicultural city and it helped shaped my career and my vision of people. No other global city would have given me such wide exposure and especially London being one of the global financial centres of the world gave me an extra edge."

Saurabh’s work with our Alumni Chapters

Saurabh has been actively supporting us to set up our Alumni Chapter in New Delhi for North and East India as a Lead. Our Alumni Chapters develop links between alumni, students and staff of Queen Mary. They host a series of events and activities to bring people closer together.

“We have seen a very positive response. This will eventually help in providing local students who have studied at Queen Mary with a wide base to look for a range of things – from internships to guidance to any other support that may be required. Queen Mary has been a great support with such an initiative.”

Advice to Indian students coming to Queen Mary

As a student who came to Queen Mary from India, Saurabh was keen to share his advice with other students. We’ve listed a few of them below:

  1. Cultural awareness and adaptation
    The UK has its own customs and social norms that might be different from what you’re used to. Engage with local and international students to build a diverse social circle and gain exposure to different perspectives.
  2. Prepare for the weather
    The weather in the UK can be unpredictable and quite different from that of South Asia. Be prepared for colder and wetter conditions, especially during the autumn and winter months.
  3. Language and communication
    While English is the primary language, regional accents and slang might be challenging at first. Don't hesitate to ask for clarification if you're unsure about something.
  4. Cuisine
    While you'll find a variety of cuisines in the UK, you might miss some home-cooked dishes. Consider bringing or sourcing ingredients from local South Asian grocery stores.
  5. Cultural and religious needs
    If you have specific cultural or religious needs, research places of worship, community groups, and stores that cater to those needs in the UK.
  6. Homesickness
    Homesickness is natural, especially during the initial months. Stay connected with friends and family back home through calls and video chats, and explore local cultural events to help you feel more connected. Communication has become so easy in comparison to when I was at university, where we had limited means of communication including Skype.
  7. Carry your confidence.
    You get one chance to be a student in London so make most of it and try to get as much exposure as possible. This will certainly help you in shaping your future.

  If you would like to get in touch with Saurabh or engage him in your work, please contact the Alumni Engagement team at alumni@qmul.ac.uk. 

 

      

 

 

 

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