IIM Amritsar inaugurated its first EMBA program to address learning needs of executives working from home

Amritsar: The first batch of the EMBA program was inaugurated today (June 5, 2021), in the presence of Shri Suresh Kumar, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, BoG of IIM Amritsar, Prof. Nagarajan Ramamoorthy, Director IIM Amritsar and Prof. Mahima Gupta, Chairperson MBA.

The first batch of the EMBA comprises 40 working professionals with experience ranging from 3-20 plus years. The first EMBA batch comes from prominent organizations in various sectors like BFSI, IT, Consulting, Hospitality, Retailing, Media & Entertainment, 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 responded that besides safety, another big advantage of doing the EMBA programme at IIM Amritsar is the availability of class discussions as recordings for reviewing the key points later. A rigorous, cutting-edge curriculum vetted by industry professionals and regular interactions with industry experts will make executives more beneficial for their current organization. In a virtual handshake for faculty and the participants, the students exuded confidence that they would be ready to advance their careers in leadership roles by gaining from their faculty and rich experience of the first EMBA batch.

Shri. Suresh Kumar, Chief Principal Secretary, Govt. of Punjab, graced the inaugural ceremony as the Chief Guest. Shri. Kumar reminisced about being associated with IIM Amritsar since its inception and how its growth trajectory makes him elated.  Talking about the experienced professionals, he added that service professionals have a different outlook, and them seeking a path of learning is encouraging. Juxtaposing the times back when he was in the nascent stages of his career and now, Shri. Kumar described how the world had changed altogether. With the high-speed communication, high-speed data transfers, surveillance capitalism, etc., overtaking us day in and day out., he believed it essential for the working professionals to upgrade their skills to stay abreast with the pace of changing landscape. Shri. Kumar highlighted how the skills imparted by IIMs are unique in the sense that they impart out-of-box learning and help think beyond the usual. He advised all the students to keep learning without hesitation and sharpen their managerial, leadership, and strategic thinking skills with the pandemic teaching everyone new ways of governance and resilience in the face of uncertain times, Shri. Kumar wished all the students the best and urged them to learn some valuable skills that would give greater thrust to nation-building. Concluding his address, Shri. Kumar told the students of the EMBA batch to enjoy their lives through honest means by working hard and learning more.

Shri. Sanjay Gupta, Chairman – BoG, IIM Amritsar greeted the first inaugural program for the EMBA batch and wished for everyone's safety and well-being. Shri. Gupta reiterated how learning is a continuous process, and gaining knowledge gives one wisdom. With the students coming from various industries and different job roles, he felt that it would bring an enriching experience to this program. Shri. Gupta threw light on the other aspects of life that can be learned through this program to help these professionals transition into different career paths and scale newer heights. The program was regarded as daunting since it would take up the weekends and the regular weekdays, which would be spent working for their respective organizations. Shri. Gupta thus urged the students to balance their work and academic lives with their personal lives to spend ample time with their families.  He appended that the students learn from each other's experiences to gain a holistic understanding of different real-life scenarios. Shri. Gupta concluded his address by wishing everyone luck and hoping to have an enriching learning experience through the two years.

Prof. Nagarajan Ramamoorthy, Director – IIM Amritsar, congratulated each student for securing a seat in the program as the selection criteria have been rigorous, factoring in holistic accomplishments from academics and work life. Prof. Ramamoorthy supplemented that it is an excellent achievement for all the students and that they should be confident of success in the program. "Past is never a perfect predictor of the future," Thus, he urged the students not to be complacent and strive towards continuous learning. Prof. Ramamoorthy emphasized the importance of constant learning, knowledge, and pursuit of truth. He added that learning matters the most as "What we know is of the size of a drop and what we don't know is of the size of the ocean." Several professionals face the dilemma of choosing educational opportunities over stable jobs. However, with this program, the working professionals would get the best of both worlds. Professor Ramamoorthy asserted that the program rigor would be the same as a regular MBA program. Thus, only with hard work, dedication, sincerity, good work ethics, and proper time management will the students ace the program. He closed his address by wishing all students great success in their journeys.

Prof. Mahima Gupta, Chairperson – MBA, extended her heartfelt welcome to the inaugural EMBA batch of IIM Amritsar. She explicated how the first batch of EMBA has students with 3-5 years of work experience in multifarious domains such as IT, BFSI, Consulting, Media, etc. which are to perpetuate shaping the business landscape in the coming years. Prof. Gupta stressed that with such an enterprising batch of experienced professionals, IIM Amritsar should be able to create an ecosystem of continuous learning and mutual enrichment. Given the experience these professionals have had in dealing with business dilemmas, it was deemed that the batch already has a head start in the program. Prof Gupta enumerated that with the continuous synergistic efforts of the batch, the program would help build new competencies and enhance the knowledge base together with giving a lift to the qualities of leadership and teamwork. She emphasized the opportunities extended by the program in terms of networking with peers, alumni, and business leaders overall. Professor Gupta concluded her address by stating how IIM Amritsar looks forward to participation and contribution from the EMBA batch in making IIM Amritsar an even greater institution and wished for the students of the inaugural batch to find new directions in their respective careers.

Prof. Vartika Dutta, Chairperson EMBA Program (in absentia) conveyed her best wishes to the participants and sent a message for them that this program would offer an exciting opportunity to participants and equip them with the requisite skillset and knowledge to accelerate their careers and transition into leadership roles without a break in their careers. The inaugural program was hosted by Staffy Rana and the Vote of Thanks was delivered by Anshul Mathur, Program Coordinator.

Indian Institute of Management Amritsar is a premier business school with a mission to impart quality management education. The Institute is consciously expanding its programs to cater to the diverse needs of the community, state and nation. All the programs of the Institute are focused on learner-centric pedagogy to groom socially conscious leaders for tomorrow.