“My experience as a mentor during the Synpulse Aiducation programme has inspired me to initiate the development of a similar programme for younger children in Western Uganda.” Find out what’s new with Synpulse Alumnus Aalok Lalvani, who was an integral part of Synpulse Hong Kong’s pioneer team.
Enjoyable, professional, memorable. These are the three words that come to Synpulse Alumnus Aalok Lalvani’s mind when he thinks back on his time at Synpulse. In his chat with us, he shared what he has been up to and the new addition to his family who has made life much more interesting.
Life after Synpulse
After a three-year career at Synpulse as a Senior Consultant, Aalok embarked on a new career journey with UBS Global Wealth Management. As part of the UBS Global Wealth Management Risk Team, he was given the opportunity to experience multiple roles.
He likens his professional responsibility to a consultant’s work, although instead of having multiple clients, he focuses on just one client, the APAC client advisors at UBS who look after their pool of wealthy clients. At UBS, Aalok works with people across various APAC locations. His job as a Director of Business Risk has taken him on interesting onsite assignments in China and Japan.
While the nature of his work at UBS differs from his time at Synpulse, Aalok appreciates what he had learned during his tenure as a Synpulse Management Consultant. His experience at Synpulse has helped him manage his time better and complete tasks efficiently and effectively. Additionally, he remembers the professional spirit and culture that now serves him well as he manages his own internal stakeholders at UBS.
Finding a new passion: Supporting the underprivileged in Uganda
In 2019, Aalok went on a solo holiday in Uganda. During the trip, he kayaked across Lake Bunyonyi, the third deepest lake in the world, and stumbled upon a remote school, which had no walls, let alone technology. While he originally intended to spend a day teaching the students, he found himself extending his time there to four days.
It brought back memories of his time as a mentor in Synpulse’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Aiducation. “The students’ zest for life and thirst for knowledge, coupled with the experience of helping underprivileged kids find a path to lift themselves out of poverty, inspired me to initiate the development of a programme similar to Aiducation,” he said.
Aalok and his wife have since started a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help the school build walls. They are three-quarters of the way to achieving their goal, having built three out of four walls, and hope to further establish the programme to bring technology to better educate and reduce the exploitation of the students.
My experience as a mentor during the Synpulse Aiducation programme has inspired me to initiate the development of a similar programme for younger children in Western Uganda.
Fond memories
When asked what his favourite memory at Synpulse was, Aalok singled out his participation in multiple Synpulse offsite programmes. He participated in several offsite annual events in locations such as Lucerne, Munich, and Phuket. In these offsites and academies were intensive learning experiences, such as skill and knowledge sharing, which helped accelerate his personal and professional development.
However, the one that left the deepest impression was the 2015 APAC annual event in Ho Chi Minh. It seemed like a week’s worth of content and experiences crammed into 36 to 48 hours.
He recalled, “We participated in team building activities, attended sessions that enhanced our company knowledge and took part in some local sightseeing – all on barely any sleep. Today, years later, I appreciate how holistically educational these experiences were.”
These offsite activities also provided a chance for him to connect with colleagues from other locations, many of whom he still maintains strong relationships with, even five years on.
The Synpulse offsites and academies were intensive learning experiences that accelerated my personal and professional growth. Today, years later, I appreciate how holistically educational these experiences were.
Life as a father
Aalok has also started on a new journey, which is fatherhood. He recently welcomed the birth of his baby daughter, Lana, who was born on 13 May 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic had made things challenging during the early doctor visits. And, to make the situation more worrisome, they were told that there were COVID-19 cases in the same hospital building. Due to the restrictions, he wasn’t allowed to see his daughter during the first three days of her life. “I sat outside the hospital parking lot and had my first conversation with my daughter over FaceTime,” he revealed.
While Aalok is still new to fatherhood, he shared that he has become more patient and understanding as a person. With Lana now playing a big role in his life, he realised that his world no longer works on his schedule, but rather, this little baby’s.
“Fatherhood is humbling, often tiring, and sometimes stressful,” he shared. But, for him, it is an extremely rewarding experience that he embraces with full passion.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Synpulse APAC congratulates Aalok on the joyous addition to his family and sincerely thanks him for sharing his wonderful news with us. He was a key member in developing the Synpulse Hong Kong office during its early days, is a Synpulse Hong Kong Alumni Ambassador, and a close friend to many of us.
Aalok is also currently developing his programme to support the underprivileged children in Uganda. Do watch this space, as we’ll be sharing more updates along the way.
We wish him the best in his new journey as a father and we hope to meet baby Lana soon!
If you would like to send your well wishes or connect with Aalok, you can reach out to him via his LinkedIn profile, or email him at aaloklalvani@gmail.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have a query? Reach out to the Synpulse APAC Alumni Team here.