The new batch has 483 students joining the PGP and 45 students joining the PGP-BA
27 June, 2021, Bengaluru: “At IIM Bangalore, we attach utmost importance to ethics and integrity - be it regarding performance in examinations, quizzes or group work or be it in dealings with faculty, staff or other students,” said Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, while welcoming students to the two-year fulltime MBA programmes: Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) and the Post Graduate Programme (Business Analytics) of IIM Bangalore, on June 27 (Sunday), 2021.
The Director, Professor Rishikesha Krishnan, shared that he has had interactions with a lot of business leaders and IIMB alumni in the last few days and would like to share some of their thoughts with the incoming batch. “By the time you graduate, you need to imbibe certain skills to have successful and meaningful careers. First, you need to understand digital technology. Once you have digital fluency, see how it relates to businesses. Moreover, understand the associated ethical issues. Second, learn the significance of data and use of data in business decisions – how to collect, clean, curate and analyse data.”
Highlighting how environmental, social and governance issues have become an important part of businesses, he advised the students to be sensitive of ESG issues. “The recently announced decision of Reliance Industries to enter the Renewable Energy Space is a clear indicator of the importance of ESG,” he pointed out.
The Director discussed the need to develop some traditional MBA skills as well, like written and oral communication, leadership skills, etc. “You may learn these partly from coursework and partly through other activities, the clubs, etc.”
Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan pointed out the importance of diversity and inclusion at the institute. “We do not tolerate any discrimination. Take the diversity here as an opportunity to extend your horizon,” he advised.
He also discussed the pandemic and its challenges with the students. “It may be disappointing for some of you to be joining online and being restricted to online learning. Be assured that your health and safety are the primary focus of all our decisions. We are watching the situation closely; once the situation improves, once it is safe again and the government lifts sanctions, we will try to get you to the campus with hybrid learning and then physical classes, and give you the full MBA experience. You are on the verge of what may be the most memorable years of your careers. Once you are in campus, I would connect with you in person,” he said.
‘Build networks while at IIMB”: Bhavana Bindra
The inauguration ceremony featured an inspiring speech by Chief Guest Bhavana Bindra, PGP alumna of the 2001 batch. Bhavana Bindra is the Managing Director of REHAU, South Asia, a polymer solutions company. She also serves as an Independent Director on the Boards of several public/listed companies. In a career spanning two decades, Bhavana has worked across industries, starting with Boston Consulting Group. An Economics Honours graduate from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, Bhavana was recognized by The Economic Times as among ‘ET 40 Under 40’, besides being among Corporate Dossier’s ‘India Inc’s Rising Women Leaders’. She has a Six Sigma green belt and is a professional diploma holder in the Indian classical dance - Kathak. Bhavana engages in writing for several publications including Business World, about her learnings and observations from life within and outside the corporate world.
Bhavana Bindra described her journey at IIMB leading to her being a management graduate as well as her learning journey, post her graduation. She also told the students what they could take back from their years at IIMB, through her motivational speech.
She advised the students to make the best use of their two years at IIMB – learning, building networks, pushing their limits, and imbibing the skills to make a mark in the corporate world. “Learn and build on that learning. My IIMB journey was the beginning of the realization of all that I could do, and what I could cultivate. The course and the experience helped me build an innate ability to take on challenges and deal with them. My career journey has been one of establishing credibility - and doing that with humility. You have to learn to add value to your organization while adding value to yourself.” She shared that she chose to work in India although she had more options, because she feels one can make a lot happen in the country despite the various challenges.
“I have followed the path less taken. It is not about maintaining the business only but doing better than that. You need to help the business attain greater heights and set global benchmarks. Midway through my career I have also worked in a start-up in the KPO space, which allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and test waters. My journey has been a combination of taking people along and not hesitating to ask questions. I would advise you people too, to not be deterred to do something just because it has not been done before.”
“In all this, remember that values are of paramount importance – they stay with us. Hard work and dedication are what will help you become role models. Take these two years as a journey with stations of learning. Once you embark on your careers, take ownership. Unearth your own potential and leave no stone unturned in solving problems. Share thoughts, ask questions, understand issues and make a difference,” she said.
Batch profile
A total of 483 students joined the 2021-23 batch of the two-year fulltime MBA programme – Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), and 45 students joined the two-year fulltime Master of Business Administration (Business Analytics) (MBA(BA)).
Professor Ashis Mishra, Chairperson, Admissions & Financial Aid, and faculty in the Marketing area of IIMB, discussed the batch details: for PGP, he said out of the 483 students, 347 are from engineering background (71.84%); 32.56% of the engineers are from IITs and 31.12% of the engineers are from NITs; GMAT median score is 730; there are 144 women and 339 men; the average work experience is about 23.47 months, and the average age is 23.93 years. Altogether 13 candidates have professional qualification (CA/CS/ICWA). The PGP batch has five overseas candidates (including one South Korean) and the rest 478 have gained admission through the Common Admission Test (CAT).
For PGP-BA: out of the batch of 45, there are 51.11% men and 48.89% women; the average age is 23 years; the maximum number of students are from Engineering background, followed by students from Arts, Science and Management. The average work experience is 31 months.
Professor Rupa Chanda, Dean, Academic Programmes, and Professor R Srinivasan, Chairperson of the two-year fulltime MBA - Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), and Chairperson of the Master of Business Administration (Business Analytics), were also part of the event.
SAC welcomes students
The day’s events also included an address by the Students' Affairs Council (SAC) President Saurabh Sachan on Life at IIM Bangalore. Announcements of the Director’s Merit List, Director’s Honours List and other scholarships were also made. The inauguration ceremony ended with a cultural program titled, ‘In tune with inspiration: A musical presentation’, by Manasi Prasad, an IIMB alumna.
The orientation program from June 28 (Monday) to June 30 (Wednesday) will cover interaction of the new students with faculty members and other senior officials (Deans, Chairpersons) of the school regarding introduction to the programmes, learning online, administrative matters, IIMB’s other programmes, activities, centres, committees and facilities, and more. Interaction with alumni groups has been scheduled, too.