IIMB welcomes 75 students to PGPEM Class of 2021-23 on April 3

Bangalore: The inauguration of the Class of 2021-23 of the Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management (PGPEM), at Indian Institute Management Bangalore, was held this morning.  Dipesh Shah,  Managing Director at Samsung Research India Bengaluru, and Vinod Nair, Co-Founder & Director, Enzen Global, were the chief  guests. The batch comprises 75 individuals, including nine women, from diverse professional backgrounds with an average work experience of 12 years.
 
IIMB Director Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, Dean Programmes Professor Abhoy K Ojha, Chairperson Admissions and Financial Aid Professor Ashis Mishra, Chairperson of PGPEM Professor Gopal Mohapatra and Dean Administration Professor Rajendra K Bandi addressed the students. 

In his welcome address, Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan said this was a good time for professionals to upgrade their skills and reposition themselves for changes and transition. “Periods of lull and disruption are usually followed by periods of rapid growth. Having the right skills, education and exposure will position you quite well to take advantage of the opportunities that will open up post pandemic,” he pointed out. Spending a few minutes on the model of online education adopted currently, he urged the participants to prepare well for class, especially with regard to cases, and contribute to class discussions. “Faculty who teach this programme are experienced and globally reputed. They can give you insights that will complement your own experience,” he added.

Offering an overview of the batch and the selection process, Prof. Ashis Mishra drew attention to the increase in the number of participants from the banking and financial sector and engineering when compared to the previous year.

Congratulating the participants for choosing the PGPEM – the most highly ranked weekend MBA programme in Asia, Prof. Abhoy Ojha, who played a big role in the launch of the PGPEM, had special words of praise for the chief guests and alumni Dipesh Shah and Vinod Nair. “IIMB keeps in touch with industry needs and tailors its programmes to suit the needs of working professionals. The PGPEM is an example of this effort,” he said, adding that he, as a faculty member, drew from the diversity and experience of the PGPEM cohort. Urging the participants to reprogramme their minds and become students rather than customers of IIMB, Prof. Ojha called upon them to be proactive and engage with the community. On the subject of ethics and etiquette, he emphasized that academic integrity and behaviour of the highest standard are expected of everyone.

Quoting a study of PGPEM alumni, Prof. Gopal Mohapatra said they had listed high RoI, great learning for growth and development within and outside the organization, and personal brand building and networking as the key features of the programme at IIMB.