IIMB honours Distinguished Alumni at PGP & PGPBA reorientation ceremony
DAA 2026 celebrated five graduates whose contributions have created impact in industry, entrepreneurship, and public life
14 June, 2026, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore hosted its reorientation ceremony on 14th June 2026, bringing together the incoming Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) and Post Graduate Programme in Business Analytics (PGPBA), batch of 2026-28, and the returning PGP and PGPBA batch of 2025-27 for an evening of recognition and reflection. The ceremony featured the felicitation of five distinguished alumni with the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) 2026, the presentation of the Director's Merit List (DML), Director's Honours List (DHL), Section Topper awards, and Admission Scholarships
Address by the Director-in-charge
Prof. U Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIM Bangalore, set the tone for the evening by underscoring the Institute's purpose. "At IIMB, we exist to transform society," he said, noting that each of the five DAA awardees had done exactly that, making a significant impact not just in their chosen fields but in the lives of those around them. He extended his congratulations to the current students being recognised for academic excellence and reminded the gathering that the alumni on stage were the standard to aspire to.
Distinguished Alumni Awards 2026
The Distinguished Alumni Awards, instituted in 2007, recognise achievements of exceptional merit, outstanding contribution, and excellence in alumni's chosen fields. Each awardee receives a citation, and their name is engraved on the IIMB Wall of Fame. This year marks the 19th edition of the awards. Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan, Dean, Alumni Relations & Development, and faculty of the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, introduced each of the five awardees for 2026.
Arun Pai (PGP 1993) — Civic Leader and Urban Innovation Practitioner
Arun Pai, widely known as the 'footpath mayor of Bangalore,' founded Bangalore Walks in 2005 and the India Rising Trust in 2014, and is closely associated with The Ugly Indian, a citizen-led movement that demonstrated how communities could own and solve their own civic problems. In his acceptance speech, he traced his journey to a single decision: spending 24 hours at one of Church Street's most notorious garbage spots, diagnosing a problem that had gone unsolved for 20 years, and fixing it.
"A simple idea, when you see a societal problem, you will own it, you will solve it, you will not blame anybody," he said, describing what drove the movement to a national scale.
He challenged the students to carry that spirit forward. "If you want to change the world, start with your own street. If every one of us asks, what impact have I made on my street, we will have a better society."
Rashmi Mohanty (PGP 1995) — Chief Financial Officer, SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited
Rashmi Mohanty, CFO of SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited and one of India's early women ultramarathon runners. Drawing on her experience as an ultramarathon runner, she offered the students one enduring lesson: "You cannot run anybody else's race. You can only run your own race." She spoke of charting her own path, leaving banking at its peak, choosing the city that worked for her family, and navigating a career that took her from a billion-dollar balance sheet to twenty billion.
Her closing message was simple: careers are ultramarathons, not sprints. "Be kind to yourself. Be easy on yourself."
Dipesh Shah (PGSEM 2002) — Executive President & Chief Technology Officer, Havells India Limited
Dipesh Shah credited IIMB not with changing what he did, but with changing the lens through which he saw it. "The job was the same when I went out. But the frame with which you looked at it, your perspective suddenly changed."
He left the students with three words: ambition, to aim beyond their current circumstances, as he saw an entire nation do in South Korea; humility, to accept curveballs without losing sight of the larger goal; and gratitude, to shift the internal narrative from what do I deserve to what will I offer.
Manish Tiwary (PGP 1995) — Chairman & Managing Director, Nestlé India Limited & Market Head, Nestlé South Asia Region
Manish Tiwary, who, prior to Nestlé, spent nine years at Amazon including four as Country Head for Amazon India, and two decades at Unilever across sales, marketing, and technology leadership, addressed the ceremony virtually. His batchmate and fellow awardee, Rashmi Mohanty, accepted the award on his behalf. In his video message, he reflected on what three decades since graduating had taught him: "What I learnt on campus 30 years back has made me not only a better professional but a better person."
Karthik Reddy (PGP 1996) — Co-founder and Managing Partner, Blume Ventures
Karthik Reddy, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India's leading early-stage venture funds, also addressed the ceremony via video from the Bharat Innovate Summit in Nice, France, where he was attending alongside the Prime Minister and the Indian delegation. He spoke on receiving the DAA exactly 30 years after graduating. Describing venture capital as a privilege, he said, "Entrepreneurs create companies, generate employment, solve problems, improve lives: having the ringside view and the ability to support them on that journey is both a great responsibility and a privilege."
He closed on a personal note, "This award may bear my name, but it truly belongs to every one of them," his family, friends, classmates, and partners who made the journey possible.
Academic Honours: DML, DHL, Section Toppers, and Admission Scholarships
A total of 58 students were honoured across the Director's Merit List and Director's Honours List, recognising those in the top 5% of their batch in academic performance. Section Toppers for Terms 1, 2, and 3 were also felicitated. The IIMB Sustainability Challenge 2025 Grand Section Prize went to Section A, with Section B receiving the First Runner-Up Prize. Fourteen scholarships were presented to 20 students during the ceremony in recognition of academic merit and other criteria.
The ceremony was closed by the President of the Student Affairs Council, Shreyaunsh Ajit Patil, who extended congratulations to all award winners and welcomed the newest members of the IIMB family. "These awards not only recognise the hard work, discipline and perseverance behind every achievement, but also set a wonderful example for the incoming batch of what is possible over the next two years," the SAC President said.
Click here for photo gallery
IIMB honours Distinguished Alumni at PGP & PGPBA reorientation ceremony
DAA 2026 celebrated five graduates whose contributions have created impact in industry, entrepreneurship, and public life
14 June, 2026, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore hosted its reorientation ceremony on 14th June 2026, bringing together the incoming Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) and Post Graduate Programme in Business Analytics (PGPBA), batch of 2026-28, and the returning PGP and PGPBA batch of 2025-27 for an evening of recognition and reflection. The ceremony featured the felicitation of five distinguished alumni with the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) 2026, the presentation of the Director's Merit List (DML), Director's Honours List (DHL), Section Topper awards, and Admission Scholarships
Address by the Director-in-charge
Prof. U Dinesh Kumar, Director-in-charge, IIM Bangalore, set the tone for the evening by underscoring the Institute's purpose. "At IIMB, we exist to transform society," he said, noting that each of the five DAA awardees had done exactly that, making a significant impact not just in their chosen fields but in the lives of those around them. He extended his congratulations to the current students being recognised for academic excellence and reminded the gathering that the alumni on stage were the standard to aspire to.
Distinguished Alumni Awards 2026
The Distinguished Alumni Awards, instituted in 2007, recognise achievements of exceptional merit, outstanding contribution, and excellence in alumni's chosen fields. Each awardee receives a citation, and their name is engraved on the IIMB Wall of Fame. This year marks the 19th edition of the awards. Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan, Dean, Alumni Relations & Development, and faculty of the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, introduced each of the five awardees for 2026.
Arun Pai (PGP 1993) — Civic Leader and Urban Innovation Practitioner
Arun Pai, widely known as the 'footpath mayor of Bangalore,' founded Bangalore Walks in 2005 and the India Rising Trust in 2014, and is closely associated with The Ugly Indian, a citizen-led movement that demonstrated how communities could own and solve their own civic problems. In his acceptance speech, he traced his journey to a single decision: spending 24 hours at one of Church Street's most notorious garbage spots, diagnosing a problem that had gone unsolved for 20 years, and fixing it.
"A simple idea, when you see a societal problem, you will own it, you will solve it, you will not blame anybody," he said, describing what drove the movement to a national scale.
He challenged the students to carry that spirit forward. "If you want to change the world, start with your own street. If every one of us asks, what impact have I made on my street, we will have a better society."
Rashmi Mohanty (PGP 1995) — Chief Financial Officer, SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited
Rashmi Mohanty, CFO of SBI Cards and Payment Services Limited and one of India's early women ultramarathon runners. Drawing on her experience as an ultramarathon runner, she offered the students one enduring lesson: "You cannot run anybody else's race. You can only run your own race." She spoke of charting her own path, leaving banking at its peak, choosing the city that worked for her family, and navigating a career that took her from a billion-dollar balance sheet to twenty billion.
Her closing message was simple: careers are ultramarathons, not sprints. "Be kind to yourself. Be easy on yourself."
Dipesh Shah (PGSEM 2002) — Executive President & Chief Technology Officer, Havells India Limited
Dipesh Shah credited IIMB not with changing what he did, but with changing the lens through which he saw it. "The job was the same when I went out. But the frame with which you looked at it, your perspective suddenly changed."
He left the students with three words: ambition, to aim beyond their current circumstances, as he saw an entire nation do in South Korea; humility, to accept curveballs without losing sight of the larger goal; and gratitude, to shift the internal narrative from what do I deserve to what will I offer.
Manish Tiwary (PGP 1995) — Chairman & Managing Director, Nestlé India Limited & Market Head, Nestlé South Asia Region
Manish Tiwary, who, prior to Nestlé, spent nine years at Amazon including four as Country Head for Amazon India, and two decades at Unilever across sales, marketing, and technology leadership, addressed the ceremony virtually. His batchmate and fellow awardee, Rashmi Mohanty, accepted the award on his behalf. In his video message, he reflected on what three decades since graduating had taught him: "What I learnt on campus 30 years back has made me not only a better professional but a better person."
Karthik Reddy (PGP 1996) — Co-founder and Managing Partner, Blume Ventures
Karthik Reddy, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures, one of India's leading early-stage venture funds, also addressed the ceremony via video from the Bharat Innovate Summit in Nice, France, where he was attending alongside the Prime Minister and the Indian delegation. He spoke on receiving the DAA exactly 30 years after graduating. Describing venture capital as a privilege, he said, "Entrepreneurs create companies, generate employment, solve problems, improve lives: having the ringside view and the ability to support them on that journey is both a great responsibility and a privilege."
He closed on a personal note, "This award may bear my name, but it truly belongs to every one of them," his family, friends, classmates, and partners who made the journey possible.
Academic Honours: DML, DHL, Section Toppers, and Admission Scholarships
A total of 58 students were honoured across the Director's Merit List and Director's Honours List, recognising those in the top 5% of their batch in academic performance. Section Toppers for Terms 1, 2, and 3 were also felicitated. The IIMB Sustainability Challenge 2025 Grand Section Prize went to Section A, with Section B receiving the First Runner-Up Prize. Fourteen scholarships were presented to 20 students during the ceremony in recognition of academic merit and other criteria.
The ceremony was closed by the President of the Student Affairs Council, Shreyaunsh Ajit Patil, who extended congratulations to all award winners and welcomed the newest members of the IIMB family. "These awards not only recognise the hard work, discipline and perseverance behind every achievement, but also set a wonderful example for the incoming batch of what is possible over the next two years," the SAC President said.
Click here for photo gallery