“This is the era of sustainability, responsibility, and how we give back to society. It is time we shift from a traditional form of learning to innovative learning. We should be adaptive to change, share knowledge, and be courageous to fight the odds,” said Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, India, and chief guest at the virtual inauguration of IIM Bangalore’s one-year full-time Executive Post Graduate Programme (EPGP) batch of 2020-21, on May 6. The inaugural event was held online given the restrictions in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing the new batch and sharing insightful lessons, Preetha Reddy said one had to be courageous and ready to face all odds. “Organisations have to be passionate and pioneering. Given the tough times due to the widespread epidemic, continuous change will be the new normal from now on. We must be resilient, be able to see opportunities in crisis and reinvent ourselves. As participants of the world of business, we must equip ourselves to deal with its VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) characteristics.”
Differentiating skills
Rajat Mathur, Principal at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and EPGP alumnus, in his special address to the batch, shared his experience as a former student and explained how the programme would help them turn into future leaders. “As you transition from a professional to a student, you may have to unlearn and innovatively relearn some lessons with an open mind. Create competitive advantage for yourself by identifying your differentiating skills and play on them to step up. Leverage your strengths and skills and collaborate with your classmates to solve organisational problems. Do not let biases from your past affect your learning. As a leader, you will be projected as an epitome of ethics. You not only represent yourself, but the brand too,” he explained.
The inauguration of the Class of EPGP 2020-21 took place in the presence of Prof G. Raghuram, Director, IIMB, Prof Abhoy K Ojha, Dean of Academic Programmes, Prof R Narayanaswamy, Chair, EPGP, Prof Ashis Mishra, Chair, Admissions & Financial Aid, Prof K Kumar, Dean, Alumni Relations & Development, and a few other faculty members.
Prof Narayanaswamy welcomed the incoming batch and gave an overview of the programme. Prof Ojha briefed the students about the administrative set-up of the programme and discussed the nature of engagement required from the students.
Prof Raghuram congratulated the new batch and said that EPGP is a transformational programme as it will prepare them to become future leaders. He pointed out, “Your approach to problems, proposing solutions and recommendations, and ability to think critically will change through this course. IIMB prepares students to take on uncertainties as they acquire greater clarity with opportunity cost.”
Diverse backgrounds
A total of 73 students joined IIM Bangalore’s EPGP this year from various educational and professional backgrounds, hence forming a cohort with diversity. Prof. Ashis Mishra, Chair, Admissions, IIMB, noted:
· Women students constitute 10 per cent of the batch
· The average work experience of the cohort is 7 years, with minimum experience of 5 years and a maximum of 11 years
· 85 per cent come from engineering background.
· Majority of the professionals come from the private sector followed by public sector, government, and NGOs.
· The manufacturing sector (14 students) dominates the current cohort. The rest are from Engineering (12), Energy (12), IT Products/Services (11), Banking/Finance (4), Defence/Embedded Systems (2), Chemicals/Fertilisers (1), and other industries (17).
IIMB’s EPGP is an intensive one-year programme MBA programme for mid-career professional designed to enhance skills and capabilities essential for responsible positions at senior management levels. Challenging and globally-oriented, the objective of this programme is to produce leaders who can handle the dynamic corporate environment. IIM Bangalore’s EPGP has been ranked 27 in the FT global ranking of MBA programmes and is the highest ranked programme in India.