Chief Guests Madhuvanthi Ananth and Girish Ramachandra, both alumni of IIMB’s PGSEM, deliver keynote addresses advising participants to evolve as leaders during their time at IIMB
1 April, 2023, Bengaluru: “This is a challenging and rigorous programme in various ways and all of you need to come prepared to class. Do participate a lot because management education is all about discussing, analyzing and sharing your ideas to get the maximum benefit from the diverse cohort. This way, the faculty also feel motivated when you bring your own perspective to class and make it more meaningful. I am happy to note that this year several women have enrolled for the programme, and we, at IIMB, encourage diversity and inclusion”, said Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, during his welcome address at the inauguration of IIMB’s two-year MBA for Working Professionals: Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management (PGPEM), batch of 2023-25, held on 1st April 2023 (Saturday). IIMB welcomed 80 students during the inauguration of the PGP in Enterprise Management.
The PGPEM is specially designed for high-performing professionals from across industries to develop holistic management competencies as they continue working. The course is scheduled on weekends over two years.
What PGPEM is all about
Prof. R T Krishnan started his address by giving an overview of PGPEM and a brief historical background, saying that although the programme was started in 1998 to enhance managerial skills of IT professionals, now a wide variety of industries are represented in this programme.
He went on to discuss the expectations from the PGPEM students. “How you see the programme should not be only about how it will help boost your careers. You need to do a little more than building your careers. India is poised to grow as a significant country, so you need to seize this moment and make that happen. As qualified management professionals from a premier institute, you have a special responsibility to accelerate growth and building capacities. So, think of what contribution you can make in taking India forward – in making greater impact, contributing economically, technologically, socially, and more.”
“In doing all this you may need role models and trust me, we have plenty of them who have graduated from this programme and are doing great work. They will surely tell you that this programme had something to do with their achievements.”
Pointing out that academic integrity is of utmost importance at IIMB, a school that maintains a zero-tolerance policy with those who compromise with it, he said, “We also do not appreciate harassment, bullying or discrimination of any kind.”
He further advised the new students: “You are about to embark on an exciting learning journey. Do interact with participants from other programmes. You have access to a wide range of Electives. Participate in events, fests, etc., whenever you can. Also, you need to orient your families in a realistic way about how your schedule is going to be during the next two years.”
Wishing the new cohort a wonderful educational experience at IIMB, he said, “We expect you to make significant contribution to the country going forward. You are joining as we are celebrating our Golden Jubilee. Moreover, it is the 25th year of PGPEM (formerly PGSEM) too. So, you are at the right place at the right time, do make the most of your time here.”
Special talks by Chief Guests
The two Chief Guests for the event, Girish Ramachandra, PGSEM 2004 batch, Founder & CEO of Shopalyst, and Madhuvanthi Ananth, PGSEM 2012 batch, Senior Director – Head of Marketing, Growth & Customer Experience of Shopsy, welcomed the PGPEM 2025 batch and congratulated the participants for choosing one of the highly ranked programmes.
Madhuvanthi Ananth shared her career journey, saying how, as Sr. Brand Manager of United Spirits Limited, as Founder and CEO of SlamdunQ to her current profile, her learnings from PGPEM have always played a crucial role. She also mentioned how she was benefitted from NSRCEL in her entrepreneurial journey. “From IIMB and PGPEM I gained the guts to switch careers and learnt how to set up a start-up as well as deal with failure. Today, due to those learnings, after joining Flipkart, I am running various successful campaigns and brands. I am sure that your learnings from this programme will prove to be as effective.”
Girish Ramachandra in his address told the students that it was important to create value and impact in whatever they do. “It is not only enough to just solve problems, but also to understand what you have done. You need to develop a mental model that goes beyond the problem that you are solving. That is where PGPEM will help you with its experiential mode of learning, pedagogy comprising case studies, access to diverse experiences, and more.”
He cited few case studies from his course that helped him build his skills, which were later implemented in the organization that he worked for. “Rather than selling skills as a service, focus on problem solving. Try to implement your learnings while undergoing the course and go beyond the basic ask of assignments. Something that is happening as an academic activity here may go on to have great impact. That is how I dared to take a plunge into entrepreneurship and had confidence when I started Shopalyst. I will attribute a lot of my success to the learnings from IIMB. Dear students, as you go along your academic journey here, I urge you to think free, unlearn what you do not need, make friends and have fun.”
Batch profile
Earlier in the morning, Prof. Ashis Mishra, Chairperson, Admissions & Financial Aid, and faculty in the Marketing area of IIMB, discussed the batch profile of the new cohort of PGPEM, terming it a unique management programme which equips students with cutting-edge skills for job development in the future. “While the average age of the cohort this year is 34.24 years, average experience is for 11.85 years. The maximum number of students have come from Engineering background, this year too. However, the number of students from Science background, as well as female students, have shot up. I see there is a good mix of industries and organizations also, with IT products and IT services leading.”
To make best use of PGPEM and IIMB facilities
In his welcome address, Prof. Allen P Ugargol, Chairperson, Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management and faculty of the Public Policy area, said that the rigorous course requires multitasking on the part of the participants. “You as students will get a lot of support from all of us. The class offers a lot of diversity…the best start-up ideations have also begun here in this class. So, engage with faculty and other experts as much as possible and make the best use of resources on campus like the library, IT infrastructure, etc.”
Application of knowledge is crucial
Prof. Debolina Dutta, Chairperson, Career Development Services and faculty in the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area of IIMB, who is a PGSEM alumna, also addressed the students, talking briefly about elements of the programme and about her own learning journey. “As I observed some gaps in my career at the mid-management level, I took up PGSEM which indeed propelled my career. I applied all my learnings from here at my workplace, without waiting to receive my degree. It is not so much the degree, but the application of knowledge, that is important. Also, do not be demotivated even if you score low sometimes, be rest assured that you have made a good choice in investing in your career by joining this programme.”
These sessions were followed by an address by the PGPEM second year Student Affairs Council President/Secretary on how to make the most of the programme, managing work-life-programme commitments, and more. After course material distribution, Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Alumni Relations & Development and faculty of the OBHRM area of IIMB, conducted a session on ‘Case method for learning in business’.
A session on ‘Ethics @ IIMB - An Overview’ was held by Prof. Rejie George Pallathitta of the Strategy area, while the session on ‘Library at a glance’ was led by Dr. Rama Patnaik, Librarian at IIMB. A session on Computer Centre facilities was led by the IT Helpdesk. Prof. Hema Swaminathan, Chairperson, Internal Committee, and faculty from the Public Policy area, also addressed the students. The participants of the new cohort were also taken through PGPEM Office procedures. Some of these sessions were also joined by the new cohort of the one-year full-time residential programme for experienced professionals – Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP).