IIMB 44th Annual Convocation: 625 students graduate with 8 bagging gold medals

Bengaluru: “Today, 625 students have graduated: 24 students from the Fellow Programme in Management, 40 from the Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management, 85 from the Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management, 73 from the Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management, and 403 from the Post Graduate Programme in Management,” announced Professor G. Raghuram, Director, IIM Bangalore, at the institute’s grand 44th Annual Convocation ceremony, held on March 22, 2019.

The students graduated from the prestigious institution this year in the presence of chief guest Arundhati Bhattacharya, former Chair, State Bank of India, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chair, Board of Governors, IIMB, Professor G. Raghuram, Director, IIMB, eminent Board members as well as members of the faculty of the country’s premier business school. The proud families of the graduating students, having made the trip to Bengaluru to capture the happy moment, kept cheering the students.

The Director went on to say that IIMB’s doctoral programme has set a record by graduating the maximum number of 24 this year. “Out of 279 graduated doctoral scholars over a nearly 40-year period, over 100 have graduated in the last five years,” he added.

“We embarked on a journey of converting our diploma-granting programmes into degree-granting programmes last year after the IIM Act came into place. In 2018, IIM Bangalore was the first IIM to award an MBA to the Post Graduate Programme. For the 2019 convocation, we have managed to bring in our doctoral programme, the Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management and the Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management into the degree granting fold. We are now working through the modalities of converting the Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management into a degree granting programme.”

Listing some of the achievements of the students, Professor Raghuram made special mention of the first batch of seven students who recently completed the Professor N. S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Programme, which is a one-year apprenticeship programme with a focus on inclusion, launched last year.

Sharing IIMB’s success story in the sphere of Executive Education, he said, “Our Executive Education portfolio continues to be on the rise and making significant impact. During 2018-2019, the number of programmes have crossed the 200 mark, going up to 218. The total number of participants has crossed the 6000 mark, a 17% increase over the previous year.”

The Director also highlighted achievements of faculty and alumni, institute events, IIMB’s social initiatives, and its future plans. “We are launching a two-year MBA programme in Analytics from 2020. There is expansion of our existing programmes. Our Committee for Future Directions will soon bring their ongoing deliberations to the faculty with a focus on a 10-year vision, including how to leverage our second campus. The ongoing focus to improve the ecosystem for research and the Centres continues.”

He thanked all stakeholders associated with the institute for working towards accomplishing the vision and mission that IIMB has set for itself and helping build the great institution.

Wishing the students success, he said, “Work hard and achieve all that you set out for. Be focussed on making a value adding difference. Embrace integrity in thought, word and deed. Discover your ‘ikigai’, your ‘maksad’ (मकसद), or sense of purpose that is individually meaningful, socially relevant and sustainable. I wish you the ability to dream big, take risks, fail occasionally, learn continuously and be happy.”

Among the graduating students this year, there are 12 students with disability, students who have displayed outstanding grit during the gruelling two years of study.

A total of eight students across different programmes have been awarded gold medals this year. Out of the eight gold medallists, two are women.

In PGP (Batch 2017-19), Ayush Gupta, Arjun Singh and Vaibhav Singh received the gold medals for first rank, second rank and best all round performance, respectively.

In PGPPM (Batch 2018-19), Kushagra Mittal has won the gold medal for best academic performance.

From PGPEM (Batch 2017-19), the gold medal for first rank and for best all round performance went to Sukanya P and Hariram Thirukarugavur Ramesh, respectively.

In EPGP (2018-19), Indranil Paul has won the gold medal for first rank, while Xelene Aguiar has won it for best all round performance.

Earlier in the evening, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chair, Board of Governors, IIMB, in his address, highlighted the institute’s milestones during the academic year 2018-19. “Over the years, IIM Bangalore has grown to become India’s leading management institute that attracts the best and brightest students from across the country. The alumni of this institution are sought after by leading companies from across the world, including my own,” he shared.

He also pointed out that the companies of the future will invest more and more in digital assets and their managers will have to supervise bots, not humans. “So, the management curriculum must evolve to cope with a rapidly evolving digital landscape. And I am happy to say that IIM Bangalore is moving in the right direction to build such business leaders for tomorrow.”

His speech focussed on the global rankings that IIMB has achieved recently, its partnerships with other leading global organizations such as Mphasis, Ford Foundation, Infineon, Commercial Taxes Department, Government of Karnataka, and more to enhance the value of the school as a leading hub for management studies and research, how IIMB continues to be a preferred destination for recruiters looking for fresh talent, the school’s expansion drive, etc.

Congratulating the graduating students, he said: “I am sure there are great takeaways from your time here. Make us proud of your achievements, but also give back to society. And continue your association with your alma mater.”

In her inspiring address, Arundhati Bhattacharya, who was the chief guest at IIMB’s 44th annual convocation, recollected incidents from her own life and career, while she addressed the students on ‘Setting up for Success’.

She pointed out that to be happy, one needs a modicum of success in whatever they do. She listed the attributes that help in bringing about the success. “You must keep challenging yourself; have a proper estimation of your capabilities; keep learning; have not only depth of knowledge but breadth of coverage as well. Most of all, in this quest for success, do not forget to be kind and passionate,” she advised the graduating students.

On the eve of the convocation ceremony, on March 21 (Thursday), the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) 2019 were presented to three very deserving candidates, by Professor G Raghuram, Director, IIMB and Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, Former Revenue Secretary, Govt. of India, who is a Distinguished Alumnus of IIMB himself. The Distinguished Alumni Award winners this year are Lakshmi Kaul (PGP ’80-’82), Hitesh Oberoi (PGP ’94-’96) and Rajkumar D (PGP ’82-’84).

Lakshmi is a social entrepreneur in the field of education having set up schools for children with special needs; Hitesh is Co-Promoter, Managing Director and CEO of Info Edge, and has been instrumental in launching new products and services at naukri.com, while Rajkumar D is Chairman and Managing Director of BPCL.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards, instituted in 2007 at IIMB, are given to alumni in recognition of their achievements of exceptional merit and excellence in their chosen field of endeavour – be it industry, management, entrepreneurship, research, academia or social service. Each recipient of the prestigious award receives a citation and his/her name is engraved on the wall of fame at IIMB.

Graduation marks both an ending and a beginning; for the IIMB graduating students it marked an end to a year or two of rigor and hard work, and opened the doors to new hopes and possibilities. The entire student community was an excited lot, as they got a step closer to their dreams. The campus was witness to emotional moments full of farewells, group photos, selfies and other celebrations.