The Alumni Directorate, Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM), organised its annual alumni meet on its campus recently. The two-day event saw several alumni across batches and programmes gathering to renew friendships and relive their college years.
Addressing the alumni community via tele-call, Bala V Balachandran, Founder, Dean and Chairman, GLIM, said, "I am extremely proud of you all. We are moving from good to great and this transition is only because of the contribution from the alumni. I really appreciate and thank all of you for always extending your support towards your alma mater. Best wishes and look forward to seeing you all soon.”
Vaidy Jayaraman, Associate Dean, GLIM, in his inaugural address, said "Great Lakes has now become one of the top 10 schools in the country, apart from being the youngest B-School in Asia to receive AMBA accreditation. The alumni have made important contributions and played a major role in all of this." He thanked the alumni for assisting in student placements through referrals and pointers. He urged them to keep coming back to the campus.
Welcoming the alumni back to campus, TN Swaminathan, Director - Alumni Relations, GLIM, said, "Great Lakes now has over 5,000 alumni, and every year it has been growing rapidly with all of you establishing successful careers in the industry."
The inauguration kick-started with a special presentation by office bearers of GL Alumni Chapters across cities, who shared important achievements since the last alumni meet.
One of the key highlights of the ceremony was the award distribution ceremony. Abhay Bohra (PGPM 2012), Karthik Kannan (PGPM 2008), Bharath Repaka (PGPM 2015), Malhar Lakdawala (PGDM 2015), Bharath Kumar and Sangeetha Bharath (PGPM 2010), Siddharth Mehta (PGDM 2015) and Malhar Lakdawala (PGDM 2015) were awarded with 'Awesome Active Alumni Award'.
The ceremony was followed by a special interactive session between the alumni and present students. Most of the students raised queries related to jobs, changing career paths, how to fine-tune their career goals, and run a successful start-up. When asked about changing industry/functional area, the alumni community advised the students that while studying in a B-school is the best time to change the industry or area.
The alumni meet also consisted of fun games and matches such as cricket, tennis, tug-o-war and treasure hunt between the alumni community and present students. Overall, the reunion was an amazing experience, filled with fun, food, friends, and nostalgia; it provided a platform to network and engage with alumni as well as faculty and students.