IIM Kozhikode hosted a masterclass on mindful leadership in a 4.0 world in Dubai (UAE) recently. Around 100 participant leaders from the corporate world — CEOs, CXOs, educational leaders, and healthcare professionals from the GCC countries, were part of this exclusive workshop, a statement from the institute said. 

At the event, in an interview with Gulf-based news and media publication house Khaleej Times, Prof Debashis Chatterjee, the two-time Director of the institute, said that the B-school is currently in talks with various stakeholders in the UAE to internationalise the premium management brand with the Indian influence growing on the world stage. 

‘A place of innovation’

“We see Dubai as a place for experimentation and business innovations. So, if you embed a school here our faculty will also get exposed to the global stage. Therefore, it makes sense for IIM to be here. On many counts, one of which is Dubai is a cosmopolitan place from all over. We recognise that the number one foundation for innovation is diversity. Uniformity is a killer,” said Prof. Chatterjee.

Various representatives of IIM Kozhikode believe that for an institute with a global footprint of alumni, it is important to have a physical presence beyond the national borders. Although this may involve practical challenges that require governments’ support, Prof Chatterjee was optimistic that with most of the hybrid technologies coming into play, digital can be the perfect launchpad for IIMs global foray into Dubai, a statement from the institute, said. 

“IIMs are a bunch of schools that compete with the best in the world. So, we want our executive education to take root here. We are already present here in some way. We want the schools of Dubai to engage with Indian schools to see how the education system of India has altered the fortunes of India, limited not just to higher education, he said.