IIM Amritsar inaugurated the EMBA-02 batch on 4nd June 2022 at the College Auditorium IIM Amritsar
The Second batch of the EMBA program was inaugurated at IIM Amritsar campus on June 4, 2022, in the presence of Shri (Dr) Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Director (HR), IOCL, Gautam Kapoor, MD, Black Jack India Private Ltd, Prof. Nagarajan Ramamoorthy, Director IIM Amritsar, Prof. Mahima Gupta, Dean Academics; Prof. Mukesh Kumar, Chairperson EMBA. The faculty and staff of the Institute, along with other dignitaries were also present in the audience.
The Second batch of the EMBA comprises 50 working professionals with experience ranging from 3-20 years. The batch comes from prominent organizations in various sectors like BFSI, IT, Consulting, Digital Marketing, Retailing, Power, etc. The EMBA program of IIM Amritsar is an attractive opportunity for executives to complete their 2-year program in a non-residential hybrid mode. Some students of the program felt the biggest advantage of doing the EMBA programme at IIM Amritsar is the availability of class discussions as recordings for reviewing the key points later. The participants also responded that a rigorous, cutting-edge curriculum vetted by industry professionals and regular interactions with industry experts will make them more beneficial for their current organization.
Commenting on the fact that there are candidates ranging from 3 years to decades of experience. Dr. Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Director (HR) IOCL said in his captivating and jovial style that it would mostly be the Institute which would gain from this mutual learning experience. He added that learning was a lifelong experience, and said that as a person in the industry for decades altogether, the primary objective of an organization should be to become a learning organization. He encouraged the newly embarking batch to take every day as a learning experience irrespective of the environment. Quoting IIM Amritsar’s Vision Statement “To Enable Society to Sustain Effectively by Developing Leaders with Wisdom and Integrity”, he instilled confidence in the candidates that the college is equipped to guide them in their journey towards excellence. Urging everybody to see some silver lining in the cloud called pandemic, he said that it hastened the adaptation of a lot of technological and organizational developments. He extensively discussed the major changes which happened in industry, citing examples from IOCL and around the world; Hybrid work model, the trend of upskilling, and attention towards diversity. He concluded the address by citing the 3 A’s which helped him and his organization in tiding over uncertainties- Agility, Adaptability, and Alignment- and urged the candidates to remember them.
Shri Gautam Kapoor, MD, Black Jack India Pvt. Ltd., started off his address by expressing his happiness seeing the enthusiastic and eager faces sitting in front of him. He reiterated that there was no substitute to hard work, and given the nature and rewards of the course, that this was the time the students work the hardest. He also advised the students to not take this program as just a degree they do, but should ask themselves as to why they are doing this, until a clear target was found. Quoting the adage ‘Slow and steady wins the race’, he emphasized on values such as persistence, perseverance, and patience. Blaming others for one’s failures was another common problem faced by a lot of aspirational people according to him, and urged the enthusiastic minds to never resort to that. Telling his life-story briefly, he concluded his address by wishing the students that the fire in them to learn and grow never gets put out.
Prof. Nagarajan Ramamoorthy, Director IIM Amritsar commenced his address by thanking the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honor for gracing the function. Narrating instances from the early stages of his career, he emphasized on the point that accessibility to learn something one really loves to pursue is of absolute necessity when it comes to a person’s self actualization, and that is exactly what programs like EMBA from prestigious institutes like IIM Amritsar accomplishes. He also explained the 2 year nature of the EMBA program of IIM Amritsar; that it helps the students in gaining the balance of work, education, and personal time. The key in succeeding the program, according to him, is continuous focus and active time management, and concluded his address by reassuring the students that the fruits of their toils would be seen after the two years when they walk the ramp to receive their EMBA degree.
Earlier, welcoming the students, Prof. Mukesh Kumar, Chairperson, EMBA Program, said that he was delighted to witness the beginning of a new expedition on which the participants were embarking. He added that apart from gaining the skills, tools, and frameworks attuned to the industry, the students will also embark on a journey of self-understanding. Emphasizing on the importance of peer learning in an engaging program like EMBA, he talked about the diversity of experience in the batch. He concluded his address by wishing the candidates the best and welcoming the eminent dignitaries of the event.