33% Female Students among 1196 Students Awarded Degrees at IIM Kozhikode’s 26th Annual Convocation 

 Kozhikode: The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK), one of India’s premier institutions held its 26th Annual Convocation, here in the campus today. The Convocation which was conducted in two sessions conferred titles and degrees to a total of 1196 students. 401 Female students make for 33% of the graduating batch from 8 different programmes underlining the Institute’s commitment to Academic as well as Gender Diversity.This time 04 top corporate leaders from Private as well as Public conglomerates graced the annual convocation of the No. 3^rd Ranked Premium Business School in India. For a second consecutive time, IIM Kozhikode shunned the traditional gowns, that are usually associated with IIM Convocations and chose to go ethnic. 

The traditional Convocation Session conducted in evening-half conferred degrees to the regular full-time students from the DPM (PhD), flagship PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-Finance and PGP-LSM. Ms. Geetika Mehta, Managing Director, Nivea India presided over the function with Mr. Amarendu Prakash, Chairman, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL)gracing the occasion as the Guest of Honour.

Earlier, the morning session witnessed students from IIM Kozhikode’s Doctoral Programme in Management for Working Executives (PhD – Practise Track), Executive Post Graduate Programme – Interactive Leaning Mode (Kozhikode Campus) and Executive Post Graduate Programme Kochi Campus being conferred with their degrees. Mr. Hari Menon Co-Founder & CEO, BigBasket was the Chief Guest for the function, joined by Mr. Debashis Chatterjee CEO & Managing Director, LTIMindtree, as Guest of Honour. This was the first time that 03 students from IIM Kozhikode’s PhD for Working Executives PhD-Practise Track, were conferred Doctoral Degrees, after IIM initiated this unique PhD programme in 2019.

The dignitaries were joined by Shri A Vellayan, Chairman IIMK Board of Governors (BoG), Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director IIMK, Members of IIMK BoG, faculty, staff, students and their families on this solemn occasion.

Ms Geetika Mehta, Managing Director, Nivea India, herself an IIM alumnus, recounted her Convocation day and how special the occasion is with proud family members watching the solemn occasion. While addressing the students, she added “This is the beginning of an absolutely exciting opportunity that waits ahead of you. The Degree you received is also a public acknowledgement of the responsibility that you have towards the society.” She inspired the graduating students to never to be afraid of unlearning and re-learning. Adding further, she encouraged students to have fun while working and never to compromise on the value system they have inherited from their parent, teachers and life lessons.

Mr. Amarendu Prakash, Chairman, Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) congratulated IIM Kozhikode for its stellar journey and growing national and international reputation. Sharing golden lessons from his long career at SAIL, he emphasized the importance of ‘team work’ and ‘resilience’ in the corporate world and how it is an important ingredient in the success of an organisation.  He encouraged graduating students to commit to make the world a better place than it is today.

Mr A Vellayan, Chairperson IIMK Board of Governors, added that educational sector is undergoing significant transformation both domestically and internationally, driven by various forces of change. He further observed, “Managing this growth presents a twofold challenge: not only do we need to demonstrate creativity and proficiency in handling the expansion of educational institutions, but we also need to reaffirm our dedication to delivering exceptional education.   IIMs are not merely academic establishments; they represent national pride and serve as benchmarks that attract admiration from neighbouring nations.”

Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, in his Address to the Graduating Batch deemed that the Convocation was a dress rehearsal for the life ahead. He thanked all the Guests on behalf of IIM Kozhikode and shared the Director’s report for the growth and milestones IIMK had achieved over this past year, adding that it has been a natural by-product of “IIMK’s commitment to excellence and innovation in management education.” Adding further he said “IIMK will continue in its mission to ‘Globalize Indian Thought’ and nurturing future leaders to drive positive change in the world of management and business.”

Earlier, in the morning session, in his message to graduating students, Mr Hari Menon, Co-founder & CEO Big Basket and the Chief Guest for forenoon session emphasized on ‘creativity’ and ‘Innovation’ and ‘team work’, as crucial to achieving success. He encouraged the graduates to strive for excellence whilst also maintaining a work-life balance and nurturing hobbies that will only inspire them to work better.

 Mr Debashis Chatterjee, CEO & Managing Director, LTIMindtree, the Guest of Honour congratulated the graduating students and made them aware of the various trends in the industry and what the future holds for them in a volatile, uncertain and complex world. He added that ‘Change is the only constant’ and that continuous innovations holds key to the shape the business of the future. He identified ‘Simplicity’ and ‘Differentiation’ as the other key factors that along with ‘Change’ are integral for continuous innovation.

Appended below is the student break-up of the graduating batch with the list of Gold Medal winners: