Students today are exposed to huge volumes of information, but they lack the adequate skills to process the facts and figures to arrive at the right conclusions, says Ambarish Datta, Managing Director and CEO of BSE Institute, Mumbai. The Institute, situated on two floors of the iconic Bombay Stock Exchange building, is the only one of its kind in the country, offering students the opportunity to acquire real problem-solving skills using statistical analysis and other data-driven methods.
Ambarish Datta
As the only institute in India offering an MBA in Financial Markets, what are the features of your curriculum? How is it different from other MBA programmes?
Our programme’s focus is financial markets, with the specialisation commencing from the first semester, unlike in other MBAs, where the finance segment starts from the third semester. Except for a few modules in the first semester, all the other modules of the BSE course are focused on the financial market. Not only is the academic programme completely industry focused, a majority of the faculty are industry practitioners themselves. Our curriculum too, is reviewed and updated on a continuous basis to be better aligned to the current needs of the industry.
How successful are your twinning programmes with universities in other countries? What are the benefits for students from such experiences?
Our twinning programmes with countries such as Germany and Australia are doing very well. The main advantage of such programmes is the multi-continent exposure they give students, as they learn about the markets and regulations in India and the partner nation, be it Germany or Australia. In an increasingly globalised economy, the ability to understand and deal with cross-border transactions and issues is a great advantage.
Does the Institute have an active campus placement and recruitment process? What kind of companies are your graduates placed in?
Yes, we do. A number of leading companies from the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector recruit our students. These include FIIs, broking houses, intermediaries and banks.
The BSE Institute is involved in training and consultancy for stock exchanges and regulators in other countries. Tell us more about this activity.
We regularly conduct programmes for exchange professionals and regulators of Asian and African countries on topics like stock market operations, risk management, surveillance and compliance. The participants learn about the best practices in India from market experts who conduct the sessions, as well as from fellow participants from various other countries.
Could you describe your tie-up with Ryerson Futures, Toronto, and what the Zone Start-ups programme is all about?
Zone Start-ups/India is a collaborative venture between BSE Institute, Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone (incubator), Ryerson Futures Inc and Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada. Zone Start-ups is located in the Bombay Stock Exchange tower in Mumbai, and currently accommodates over 63 start-ups.
It offers state-of-the-art workspace, mentorship, a functional business experts and industry panel, market development and business development support, networking and branding opportunities, funding opportunities, access to the North American market and peer-to-peer mentoring.
The Zone Start-ups Programme is operated in a similar manner to the Digital Media Zone at Ryerson, Canada’s largest incubator.
Does the MBA in its present form need to be redefined? What are the major changes needed in the MBA course content?
Most MBAs have not changed significantly over the last few years. This is a cause for concern, since the course content needs to keep up with the world around us, which is changing at a rapid pace.
Your advice for MBA students?
You need to carefully evaluate what you want in life, and consider if MBA can achieve this, before taking the plunge. Once you are in B-school, use it as an opportunity to connect with the industry and to gear up for the real world.