73% WOMEN IN THE NEW MBA BATCH AT IIM ROHTAK

Indian Institute of Management Rohtak (IIM Rohtak) inducted the 15th batch of its flagship Post-Graduate Programme (MBA program). The new batch represents the geographic diversity of India and reflects IIM Rohtak’s continued commitment to woman empowerment. The batch has representation from 24 states and union territories, with 73 percent female candidates.

The candidates admitted to the batch also present an excellent blend of graduates from varied disciplines like engineering, science, commerce, management, arts, law, design, architecture, pharmacy, and journalism. A significant number of candidates admitted to the batch possess valuable work experience while working at various levels for prestigious corporate organizations like Accenture, Bank of America, Capgemini, Cognizant, Deloitte Consulting, Ernst & Young LLP, HCL Technologies, Infosys, KPMG, NatWest Group, Oracle Financial Services Software, PwC, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Samsung, TATA Steel Ltd., TCS, Wipro among others The batch consists of multiple high achievers, including several state-level participants in badminton, throwball and basketball, among other sports.

To welcome and sensitize the new batch, IIM Rohtak conducted its induction ceremony on the 29^th and 30^th June 2024. Multiple eminent personalities graced the event, including Shri. Shatrujeet Kapur, DGP, Haryana; Shri Smt. Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India; Gen. A. K. Singh (PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM) (Retd.), Former Governor Andaman Nicobar Islands & Puducherry. The ceremony was chaired by Prof. Dheeraj Sharma, who welcomed the dignitaries and students.

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The first keynote speaker, Shri Shatrujeet Kapur (IPS), DGP of Haryana, highlighted the transformative power of education from prestigious institutions and the value of relationships and network building during this time. He advised students to set clear expectations for themselves and their institutions, focus on achieving excellence in their chosen subjects, and embrace diversity by interacting with classmates from various backgrounds. He shared management lessons from the police force, noting that 90% of leadership is rooted in professional competence, with empathy and personal integrity being crucial qualities of a leader. His insights on time management, leadership, excellence, and balance provided valuable guidance for the audience.

IIM Rohtak welcome new batch consisting 73 % Women

The second keynote speaker, Smt. Nidhi Khare (IAS), Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, commended IIM Rohtak as a beacon of leadership and growth with a strong legacy of academic excellence and research capabilities. She stressed leadership’s actual test in unforeseen challenges and urged students to embrace responsibility and innovate for sustainable growth. She emphasized a mindset beyond profitability, stressing the importance of using knowledge for innovation and transformative change. Smt. Khare also underscored the importance of consumer rights in an era of short-lived products and high after-sales costs, prompting future business leaders to prioritize sustainability in their decisions.

The honourable guest of honour, Gen. A.K. Singh (PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM) (Retd.), Former Governor of Andaman Nicobar Islands and Puducherry urged the batch to understand the purpose of life and suggested contributing to and helping the less fortunate. He emphasized the concepts of gravitas, expediency, trust, and grit. Contrasting gravitas with expediency, he advised choosing the morally upright path over shortcuts. He stressed that trust is foundational and must be earned through effort, noting that even the Indian military operates on this principle. He defined grit as the courage and determination to overcome challenges, quoting Swami Vivekananda’s idea that life is a series of obstacles to be surmounted. This blend of purpose, moral integrity, trust, and resilience, he argued, is essential for navigating life and achieving true success.

In his inaugural speech, Prof. Sharma, Director IIM Rohtak, congratulated and welcomed the incoming students as they embarked on a new journey and pursued a path towards becoming future leaders. He began with a thought-provoking question about the relative importance of the destination and the journey, concluding that the company we keep matters most. He highlighted IIM Rohtak’s peer-to-peer engagement and extensive interaction. Prof. Sharma urged students to reflect on their daily learnings, maximize available resources, and seize fleeting time and opportunities to become better individuals.

In the first panel, multiple corporate world luminaries discussed “Unlocking the potential for young leaders: strategies for personal and professional development”. The panellists included coveted professionals of the corporate world, including Mr. Navneet Bansal, CEO, JSW Global Business, Ms. Rucchika Garg, Head HR, Sharp India, Ms. Poonam Barman, CHRO, Godrej Industries Ltd., Mr. Ritesh Agarwal, CFO, Hero Motors, and Mr. Manish Sharma, APAC Industry Principal, Google. The panel discussed the importance of continuous self-leadership and skill development beyond formal education, emphasizing teamwork, empathy, adaptability, and resilience, especially in crisis management. They highlighted the distinction between leadership and management, stressing the significance of setting clear objectives and learning from setbacks. Their insights provided a comprehensive guide for excelling in the evolving corporate landscape.

The second panel included multiple high-ranking retired generals who expounded on “Leadership lessons from Military.” The panelists included Lt. Gen. Sanjeev Anand, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd.), Lt. Gen. Balbir Singh Sandhu, A VSM, VSM (Retd.), and Maj. Gen. Anil Kumar Shukla, VSM (Retd.). The panel described the significance of strategic leadership, which entails articulating a vision and motivating and persuading others to support and achieve that vision. Furthermore, the panel identified commonalities between military and corporate leadership, underscoring the necessity of performance, team spirit, and long-term vision. The panel also emphasized the military’s culture of loyalty, integrity, and resilience, urging future leaders to adopt these values to ensure success in their corporate endeavours.

IIM Rohtak, a premier institute of national importance with over 1500 students enrolled in various programs, recently received the AMBA accreditation, making it to the top 2% of management institutes worldwide. As one of the most prominent names in academia presently, the institute is known for producing high-quality research output in all functional management areas, ranking amongst the top 3 to 5 IIMs in per capita research output. The institute offers eight one-of-a-kind programs to students from various academic and socio-economic backgrounds, imparting knowledge with multi-disciplinary outlooks to prepare future business leaders.