An alumnus of IFIM Business School, Mr Pankaj Purohit is a star in the Financial Scene in New York with a unique success story. He is currently Vice President - Head of Financial Planning & Analysis at American Stock Transfer & Trust Company with work experience of more than 17 years.

Ever since he graduated from the IFIM MBA Finance batch in 1995, he has spent his entire career in Finance and Accounting. He was prepared for the industry right after his MBA degree, but believed as an individual; one must constantly strive to enhance his or her personal skill sets. Thus, he relocated to the U.S, and completed his CPA (Chartered Public Accountant) training which is the US equivalent for the CA course in India.

On completing his MBA course, he started his career as a Management Trainee at Standard Chartered Bank, Bangalore. Then he moved to American Express in Delhi/Gurgaon and did several roles of increasing responsibilities in Finance. At American Express New York, he achieved considerable success and appreciation after he successfully led his team and gained invaluable experience working in the’CFO’s HQ Office during the Great Recession. His success continued as he moved to JP Morgan Chase as Vice President - Information Technology CFO for the Consumer Loans division. He is currently working with a leading Wall Street firm American Stock Transfer & Trust Company with IPO prospects as Head of Planning & Analysis.

When it comes to transitioning from being a student to working in the industry, Mr Pankaj says it is imperative to view your work as a practical application of the concepts that you learn at a business school. More importantly, driving decisions and outcomes at work are based on the theories and concepts you learn in the classroom and during internships. He urges all students to use their internship and project period to get a glimpse into what to expect in the industry, and how to conduct yourself when you are a full time employee at any organisation.

When asked if an MBA degree helps in personal and professional excellence, Mr Pankaj responded saying “Absolutely…! Professionally because I am where I am today in some ways because of what I learnt during the 2 years doing my MBA. At a personal level the bond that I built with some of my batch mates I carry them with me to this date….priceless! The 2 years that I spend on campus is probably the best time that I have had. Just the thought brings a smile….pure nostalgia! Totally, miss being with all my batch mates (now friends forever), the endless discussion on case studies, the friendly banter in the hostel mess while having dinner, energy while launching the first newsletter Face to Face and the Finance forum…and many more.”

Mr Pankaj says that every MBA aspirant needs to focus not only on academics, but on the contrary get involved with many non-academic, industry-relevant and extracurricular activities which are crucial for building confidence, industry relevant knowledge and personality development. He says that the IFIM campus environment fosters healthy interactions at various levels which are important for one’s development and growth. The people skills and soft skills learned during his MBA helps him even today, twenty years into his career. His advice to all the MBA aspirants and graduates are to ‘Work hard and play hard’: Keep the intellectual curiosity going no matter what the circumstances.

Mr Siddhartha Padmapati, IFIM -PGDM Batch 2003 is Regional Account Manager- India - MEA at Avention Inc with work experience of more than 12 years. He is Responsible for managing existing Business for Avention flagship and key accounts within India, Middle East & Africa.

After completion of his PGDM degree, Mr Siddhatha’s work involved him travelling all around the country He joined As Management Trainee in Getit Infomediary through Campus placement from IFIM. He was then promoted to District Sales Manager in Kolkata, and later joined Next-Gen publishing as Key Account Manager in New Delhi Delhi. He then worked in the publishing industry for around 3 years after that switched to Information Services Industry and worked in organisations like Thomson Reuters, Lexis Nexis, Avention in various Key Account Management Role Pan India. He thanks IFIM for keeping the PGDM curriculum relevant to industry needs. He said it was an interesting experience to avoid learning from textbooks, but instead learning during Industry Internship which formed his first practical exposure to the real world.

He also wants to encourage all recent graduates to think about entrepreneurship. He says that once a person completes their MBA or PGDM, you can use your education to start your own business. If you’re interested in starting your own business, but not sure if you have the necessary expertise to launch a start-up in a high-growth industry, an MBA can prepare you to do everything from writing a business plan to acquiring venture capital to launching an IPO. Research has shown that the success rate for businesses started by MBAs is about 50 percent better than average.

Mr Siddhartha Padmapati said “The IFIM PGDM program teaches a new dimension to approach every aspect of life be it professional/ Social or personal. Campus life was fantastic be it Academic and non-Academic. For Academics the best memories were having the privilege of studying under well know faculties and meeting the who’s who of the Industry. You may be wonderfully knowledgeable, but an MBA program relevant to your field of operation will help sharpen your managerial skills & soft skills necessary for real time management. I wish all the MBA and PGDM aspirants the best in life and encourage you to ‘Follow your Dreams.’

Mr Deepak Halan, IFIM Alumnus from the MBA Batch of 1997 has about 20 years of experience across market strategy, consumer & business research, below-the-line activities and online brand consultancy. He was interested in Marketing while pursuing his MBA at IFIM Business School and served in the Marketing Research industry for about 15 years.

Currently, he is also a professor at Apeejay Stya University where he shares his knowledge with students who want to pursue their MBA or PGDM and be successful managers.

Mr Deepak has provided strategic consultancy to clients across diverse sectors such as IT, Telecom, FMCG, Govt., Automotive, Healthcare, Media etc. and conducted and managed quantitative and qualitative market research studies. Since he stresses on the importance of an MBA/PGDM as a necessity to be a holistic and successful manager, Mr Deepak himself teaches Marketing subjects and Management skills to undergraduate and postgraduate students believing in continuous learning and passionate research. Recalling his time at IFIM Business School, Mr Deepak Halan said that the industry works very different compared to what you only learn in classroom sessions. His internship experience initially helped him understand how an organisation works in the real world. The IFIM MBA program has added value to his life, both professional as well as social/personal. Apart from the knowledge of management subjects, MBA teaches students how to work in a team, deal with difficult people and make best use of available resources. “It also gave me some great friends with whom I’m still in touch with - 20 years later” Mr Deepak added.

Back in the day, management education was starting to grow. After completing his Engineering degree, he did not want to be just another engineer in the country with a hard core technical job; hence he decided an MBA was the best way up. On the academic side - getting a chance to listen to some great people from the industry, the marketing and finance club activities etc. were an added bonus.

On being asked about the key benefits of studying a management degree from IFIM, Mr Halan said “I owe my success to my MBA degree. It develops you as a person. One of the really valuable benefits of getting a MBA degree is the networking opportunities. When you are studying, you are interacting with people from all walks of life, all trying to accomplish the same goal. Your classmates are the future leaders in the business world. You can connect with people who may one day lead corporations. These relationships become very valuable for you, as a professional, but also for your future company. The relationships you forge in the MBA classroom will get you into groups and organisations that will certainly benefit your future employer.”

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Domain: Real Estate Investment Consulting
Work Profile: As a Founder of Homz N Space, I look at end-to-end operations of the company and I also take care of sales operations, Builder relations, Technology adaptation, Development of the customer review platform, Customer advisory services, Market Research, Digital Marketing, Public Relations and financial management.

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

The journey began in early 2008, when I started my internship with Indian Express publication as Space Selling executive; I was responsible for generating revenue to the publication. Besides, I was excited, as it was my first corporate exposure. My 6 months internship thought me “ Selling is Living “ .

In the year 2009, As part of Campus Selection, I got through a company called Ajmera Housing Corporation (Mumbai Based Real Estate Developers). It’s a Full time placement as Management Trainee. I was directly reporting to Directors & CXO of the company. I was more excited to learn, but god wish was different, unfortunately, there were no one to teach me about Real Estate in that company, Directors were just passing commands. CXO’s considered me as a kid involved in Management. But, I some how managed to learn by my self. But was just a beginner in the sector. But, unfortunately, all my learning’s and contribution to Ajmera Housing had gone for toss because of recession. Company was going on tuff times and I have been as asked to leave job.

Job Market was down and I was job less for almost 6 months. I started applying in all job portals Mean time, Companies took advantage by not paying salaries. I didn’t let hope down, and my hope gifted me offer letters from top 4 Brands of Real Estate, ( DLF, Sobha, Mantri & Adarash Developers ) Year 2010, I thanked god and restated my career in DLF as Sales Managers . As usually I was excited and was also proud to be the part of India’s No 1 Builder.

During my journey in DLF, i always had a thought running in the back of my mind that I should bring in something new and refreshing to this competitive segment.

I always believed in focusing on consumer behaviour and to then offer a product which suits them basis their needs and i believed that the only solution to this was an Advisory that offers multiple products options that are filtered to the customer need. But was feared to leave the job and to Start a new venture. But , as I have already seen worst time. I was ready to take a risk and I resigned my Job and started ‘Homz N Space’ on 15th July 2011 with zero investment.

As on today, we are considered as Most Power full Real Estate Consultancy from Top 30 Builders of Bangalore. We have generated 220 Crores business for builders and as a company with Zero investment we have touched the revenue of 4.5 Crores and looking forward to expand our business to International level.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

Its 50 – 50, B- Schools are like guide for Corporate world.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

I learnt sales skills during my internship and If you know, How to sell. You can crack any deal.

Q5. How do you think your MBA/PGDM programme has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

Professionally, yes MBA has helped me a lot. Especially subjects like Marketing & Organization behavior. My Favorite subjects are economics & people management, which has helped me in social & personal life too.

Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

Who won’t miss those days… I call it as Golden days. I still remember those last minute presentations, Management fests, Holy celebrations at hostels, Debate on topics, there are lot.

Q7. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

What is my Section Name?

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

Academic – I have enjoyed all the marketing class “ Thanks to Sathish Sir & Madumitha Chaterji Madam” Non
Academic – I have learned to mix up with people who are from different cultures. Thanks to Raju Poojari Sir

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

Personal Involvement from faculties, Infrastructure and like-minded student groups.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

Take initiative, Fight for change and don’t be bookish. Accept Your Faculties as your Gurus and Enjoy your subjects.

Q11. How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

I am too young to think about this now.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

Family : Father was business development manager for Zydus and currently retired

Mother : Home Maker

Elder Brother: Project Manager in Cognizant. U.S.A

Hobbies : Aquascaping , Music, Technology, Reading News dailies.

Mr. Harish Achar Brahmavar
Founder – Homz N Space
Work Experience: 7 Yrs
B-school/Programme/
Batch: 2006 - 2008

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

I joined Nestle on campus handling mainline business of general trade sales for urban and rural markets. I Learnt quickly how the FMCG industry works and learnt it the hard way, being out there in the market every day !

After Nestle , I joined Seagrams , Pernod Ricard , which is the world’s leading alcoholic beverage firm based in Paris. Then I headed their key accounts and marketing operations for Goa state which was filled with immense learning on how to handle marketing operations and key account sales in the action packed state of Goa !

Because of the good work there I was headhunted by United Spirits Limited, the Big daddy of alcoholic beverage industry in India (Globally No 1 in volumes)

I joined them as key account manager, got promoted in the 1st year as senior manager and in the next 2 years as General Manager & Key Account head. Spent 5 glorious years with them building the on-trade business for them with some clutter breaking activations and growths in market shares.
The hardcore FMCG bug didn’t die with all the alcohol and I decided to peruse my hunger for new challenges with Britannia. Joined them handling a national role in channel development and got promoted as Head of customer marketing –channels business in the 1st year.

Channel development, customer marketing roles gave a in depth understanding of the channels business, which is the fastest growing segment for most companies.

Before moving out from Britannia I spent 1.5 years handling the entire business unit as Head- alternate and emerging channels. This role gave a perspective of how to handle an entire business , P&L, Sales, operations, marketing , business development etc.

Nearly 4 years of Britannia got me to look at ID fresh foods, one of Indias most admired fresh foods player who has the most unique distribution model ‘ everyday every store ‘ A company that believes in 100% preservative and chemical free products which are natural without any additives! This young brand has very strong equity among its consumers and will be soon a very large FMCG brand.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

At least 50% of your B-school knowledge can be applied in real. Whoever says ‘what you learn in your MBA is of no use in the corporate world’, doesn’t know how to apply learning into execution! ..so study hard and learn + apply + relate to real life situations.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

Internship is very important. I got my 1st job largely due to my internship which was on the job and real. I did sales, marketing, business development and a bit of customer study. It wasn’t another run of the mill research & filling up of forms.

Q5. How do you think your MBA/PGDM programme has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

Has helped me connect what I have learnt to reality with reasoning

Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

Hostel memories are the best! We had a happy bunch of classmates with juniors &seniors. Brand management classes were the most interesting with the product launch taking the cake.

Q7.What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

Nothing specific. Wanted to learn & get into a good job.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

Academic was fun due to the industry interface. Nonacademic hahaha too much to pen down

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

Loved the open culture to try and learn new things. Industry interface was very good with some top visiting faculty giving us insights which we wouldn’t get otherwise.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

Stay focused on what you want to get ………….. ‘eye of the Tiger ‘

Q11. How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

Would like to teach & educate needy people.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

My daughter Samaara is three years old and is the apple of my eye. My wife runs a customized jewelry firm called Samaarajewellery.com post her corporate career with Oracle & KPMG. I Love listening to Music, playing cricket and watching movies.

Mithun Appaiah
Vice President – Sales and Marketing, India and Global markets, ID Fresh Foods
Work Experience: 12 Years
B-school/Programme/Batch: PGDM 2001-2003

Mr Mithun distributing prizes to the underprivileged children of IFIM’s ShikshaAadhar

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Awards and recognition-

• CCASPL recongnised as most promising SME by Franchisee India -2010.
• Best Financial Performance and corporate excellence Award by Indian Chamber of Commerce 2011.
• Best CEO (Star CEO Award) in SME category by Business Today and Yes Bank 2011.

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

My business started couple of years before I joined IFIM. This was to earn pocket money during my college days. I had to take 2 years break from my business to complete my PGDBM at IFIM. By the time I finished my tenure with IFIM my business which I had left behind was almost dead. Being freshly graduated from Business school and with a great attitude I wanted to step into the corporate world instead of being a business owner. I landed up with a job in Bank of America.

In three months’ time I realized that it is not my cup of tea. Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. But my business was in very bad shape. It had just left with 2 employees and monthly loss of couple of thousand rupees. Today after a gap of 18 years we have couple of thousand employees in our payroll.

As building an organization has many phases .An entrepreneurs career flows according to it. In Initial phases I had to take care of everything. I used to handle operation, accounts; marketing etc. it was like one man show. This initial firefighting changed very fast as we kept growing and able to bring professionals on board. Now I have a team of professional to take care of all business responsibilities. At this point of time I have kept myself away from all day to day activities. My focus areas are developing strategies, R&D and Knowledge management.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

You can always draw a logical reference from what you learn at a B- school and what is happening in our industry. Industry flows on its own way. Management education can help you to understand its consequences. It can help you to predict most of the time. It can help to understand the reason for failure. And most importantly it will guide you to choose between right and wrong.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

My first job lasted for just three months. I don’t want to compare the value of my internship with this. It was like a threshold frequency which actually put me in the real world of corporate / industry. My two and half month long internship with HLL (erstwhile Brook Bond Lipton) was a huge learning and even today its influence my business decision. It taught me the importance of leg work. It helped me how to read between lines. It gave me real life demonstration of using statistics in decision making process.

Q5. How do you think your MBA/PGDM programme has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

PGDBM was a process of transformation which made me confident to take challenges of professional life. The entire process was a sea of information, knowledge and experience. I being middle class conservative “Bong” learned to negotiate with all odds of life. It made huge difference in my decision making process, logical thinking and ability to convincing others. In one side it gave me a sense of courage to face corporate honchos and at the same time enriched me with the ability to understand life of a common man.

Socially I became more tolerant to others as I have the opportunity to mix up people from diverse background. Starting from food to dressing to behavior to ritual to belief it was an amazing phase of experiencing the diversity. Personal life enriched with my friends who made my two years at IFIM a memorable one. We are still in touch and share great time. One of the best thing that happened in terms of my personal life was meeting Aparna (then a junior to me @ IFIM). We got married couple of years after and blessed with two kids Rishik and Mrinmoyee.

Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

There are many. Let me tell you I was the second student reached in IFIM campus at Banshankari 2nd stage with Pankaj ( now at USA) and Prachi ( now at Philippines) . It was fun , excitement and at the same time lot of anxiety. I remember how we used to make instant noodles using kerosene oil lamp in the middle of night with and spice up it with mango achar ( possible our friend Chandrasheker Jain used to get from his home). It used to be very very tasty. I have found memories of celebrating each other’s birthday. Giving birthday bump (a solid course of physical torture) to the birthday boy at the stroke of midnight which followed by a dinner to be hosted by him next evening was a great fun.

I always remember our professors / directors used to take us to dinner (thankfully they were all foodies) at a restaurant at Banshankari 5th stage, the whole menu card was ordered for our table. There were so many amazing things happened with me which I think not many would be willing to believe it. How many of you will believe that my room buddy Mayank and I used to have a same wallet? We used to keep all our money in the same place and never used to count individually. We used to use each other vehicle, clothes and etc. There are many such wonderful memories I shall be carrying rest of my life. Bad memories are also there, some unnecessary fight, back bighting, bad taste of life etc. They also played an important role in my life. It made me stronger and tougher.

Q7.What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

Simple, I wanted to be more equipped. We are from nineties, we saw only govt. job as only way out. At the awaking of nineties, with the advent of MONMOHANAMICS we started to dream. I wanted to take a dip in the world of possibilities and world of learning at the time of joining IFIM.

I knew business study would help me to get in to the league of new generation of corporate league.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

My life in IFIM had many phases. Initially there were lots of anxieties and question marks as our institute were taking shape. Anyway we were in new place alone and didn’t know what is going to happen next. Soon most of the things got regularized in terms of studies and curriculum. Once we got in the regular curriculum home sickness was very high. This phase was over in couple of months when bondages with friends became stronger. A typical day used to start with a quick shower (most of the day without it) a fast breakfast and reaching the institute at 9 am. Between the classes we used to go to the nearby café to cover up shortcomings of our morning breakfast. Someday it is idli with a dash of butter, or ‘bisibarabath’ or ‘kharabath’ and ‘kapi’. Taste and happiness were guaranteed. Back to hostel by 4 pm and all of us used to sleep for an hour. By 5 a cup of coffee used to charge us for the next course of activities. Rest of the available time were used to get consumed by Studies ( not always as you know) or fun ( most of the time) .

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

IFIM was never the same during our days. In those days none of our class mate had the brand equity which student of recent time can enjoy. We all had to prove our metal only by delivering excellence. Thankfully our entire batch had done it with ease. I think here lies the success of IFIM. It had created its first torch bearers quit well. In a nutshell the best part of IFIM to me was the quality of learning that it had produced since its beginning.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

Always read between the lines…. This was my secret and would like to share the same with all the future aspirants

Q11. How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

Through my business I try to create careers for others, I try to make professionals within in my domain. Since my business is not a text book one its sounds very challenging to me. Apart from that I try to spread the concept of health and hygiene among the small children. So at the time they grow up, they can make a better Swatch Bharth. My team takes care of a municipal school in terms of cleanness, hygiene and health.

To the future aspirants my advice is to do your best now when there is time for you, so that you don’t regret later by saying “I could have done better”.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

My father is a retired Insurance professional and mother is a housewife. My wife Aparna, also an alumnus of IFIM is in board of all of my company besides being life support to me and my two kids.

People may not believe it but I have more than 40 hobbies, some of them are travelling, playing cricket, acting, playwriting, kite flying, singing, reading, collecting shoes, collecting cricket bats, farming, swimming

Debtosh Chatterjee
Designation and Organisation: CEO & MD, CCASPL
Work Experience: 20 years +
B-school/ Programme/Batch: IFIM 1st batch

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

I joined as a staff/Analyst in Ernst & Young on 6th May 2013. I have learned new things which helped me to handle a team later and helped organization to get more business like pricing of derivatives products. I made many process changes and created internal EY proprietary tools which help us to reduce manpower without compromising the quality and flow of work.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

I would say NO. In IFIM we learned basics with great understanding whereas in industry we work on applications based on those strong basics which we have already learned. Knowledge of Fixed income securities and Derivatives products helped me to create the EY internal tool which is helping cross domain business to reduce human error plus boosting the work speed.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

During my internship, I got an opportunity to get to know and learn the corporate culture, ethics and governance which ultimately helped me in EY. I was well carved during my internship to show corporate behavior and organized manner. During this time, you are allowed to learn basic things like; basic and Advance MS Excel, Presentations Skills and allowed to make mistake to a certain level but during this time you can be forgiven and allowed to repeat the same mistake.

Q5.How do you think your MBA/PGDM program has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

Absolutely, PGDM program has added value to my professional as well as to my personal life. Now, you can actually read, understand and calculate Indian economy and can make your financial decisions related to the investments in any sectors. You started thinking to divert your money for future cash-flows. You now know the economic times news well and can take care of your investment portfolio without taking any advice from any professional. I would say that this program has actually straightened and designed your life in a good way.

Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

Yes, I miss IFIM like hell. I have spent my best days of my life there. I miss hostel food, late night walks, Sports day, CGPA tension, Attendance issues, all my mess staff friends, Ganesh Pooja, hostel WiFi, Group exam preparations, Tough competitions in class, My room 301, Hostel warden Pujari sir, Special professors; Padmavati Mam, Srinivasan Sir, Goverdhan Sir, Kameswaran Sir and Sridevi Mam. We were 4 friends (Sanjay, Anshul, Ritwik and me) who were always together and are still together. We have spent our life’s bestest days in IFIM. Sometimes, I felt so bad that why did that time flew so fast. I wish I can re-live that time again.

Q7. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

I was DU graduate when I joined IFIM. My first impression was excellent entry to the campus welcomed by green lawn added with good facilities in the college; Computer labs, WiFi facility, Transparency in fees and the world’s best faculty in the campus. I always knew this is the place where I belong.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

I was the topper of PGDM Finance course batch 2011-13. I have a background of Science and whatever I have learned in IFIM was all new to me. Trust me; I had all fun during my classes. I used to teach more than 30 students every day in Hostel and in campus. I used to teach every day during our exam times. I love those days of mine. I had the amazing felling while teach other friends of mine and make sure they score good marks in exam. I been to many fests as well and snatched many medals and positions from many renowned colleges such as Christ College and St. Joseph College. I have witnessed amazing students, who are good the bundle of variety of talents like Finance guru i.e. Achintya Kumar, Marketing champs i.e Wasim Sheikh, Photography champ i.e Jibin and Inderjeet, Team Management i.e. Jibin President, IT guru i.e. Anshul Sharma, Operations leader i.e. Sanjay Sharma, Cultural and Designing boss i.e. Richa Naresh, Heavy food-eater i.e. Ritwik Mohanty and Surya Mohan, Confidence chart toppers i.e. Mahima and Shilpa, Fashion show toppers i.e. Namrata and Preethi and many more. Our batch was the best batch among all the batch which IFIM has witnessed and I miss them all.

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

I would say, the “All time availability of the faculty” was the best from a student perspective. We have our internal cloud where all the faculties are available all time to discuss any issue with the students.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

As such, there is no secret or tip but I would say, go by your professors and try to implement the learning in real life like play dummy trading etc. so that you can actually see the application of your daily learning. I used this and I participated in one of the virtual game happened at that time and I stood 6th all over India till the last day but slipped to 50K rank last day because I couldn’t play last day due to some reasons. So, try to give presentations and upload to YouTube, do virtual trading on real stocks, go to market and talk to local retailer to understand there business and try any B-plan which comes to your mind during college itself.

Q11.How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

I would be joining JP Morgan in next 20 days as Assistant Manager and would be again building a team there. Regarding my future plans, I would be pursuing CFA and FRM in 2016 which would definitely help me in my career. Regarding paying back to society, I have been associated to one of the NGO near IIM-Bangalore from last 2 year now. I got to know about this NGO from my current organization EY and I am going there to teach all subject specially Mathematics during weekends. And I see myself doing this kind of social work for many more NGO in coming future.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

We are 2 brothers. He is Younger. He has just joined Genpact last month. My father is a business man and my mother is the boss of the home. I love Boxing, stock market games, reading love stories and watching comedy movies.

Nishant Yadav
Designation and Organization: Advanced Analyst, Ernst & Young LLP
Work Experience: 2 years and 8 months
IFIM Business School- PGDM (Finance)
Batch 2011-13

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

I’ve been fortunate to be associated with organizations that believed in the power of knowledge to stay ahead in their game. It started with the conglomerate named Reliance, which gave me an opportunity to tap the best knowledge sources in the area of resources. I had an enriching career spanning Reliance Industries, Ernst & Young and Accenture. I have had a very steep learning curve and growth. I began as an Analyst in Reliance and now I lead the Research & Content Mgmt. team.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

Well Practical aspects always have a different flavor and are rooted in the dynamics of the market. However a well-rounded B-School curriculum forms a strong foundation, which enables a fresher just out of B school to apply the learnings in practical situations’.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

I had my internship at a Pharma company and I got first hand experience of primary research right from questionnaire design to analysis and report writing. Synthesis of market data and analysis of the findings was a very good experience. It also involved writing a report with recommendations to the company to enhance its presence. In my view this experience was extremely helpful in business research.

Q5.How do you think your MBA/PGDM program has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

PGDM programme has undoubtedly equipped me to deal with business situations in the corporate world. A combination of theory as well as practice exercises and case studies brought to us the real world business dilemmas. Such a rich foundation, helped professionally especially in the beginning of my career.

Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

Indeed I cherish the time I spent at IFIM. It was extremely rewarding from both an academic perspective as well as from a personal growth dimension. I have very fond memories of some of my professors like Prof VijayaSarathy, Prof Sridhar and Prof Ravi who taught me, Marketing, Accountancy and HR respectively.

The field trips, life in hostel, full blast music from adjacent boys hostel, which made us wonder ‘when will they ever improve!’ were some of the fun parts.

Q7. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

With hopes and dreams to make it big in life, I was super excited to join IFIM. I was determined to give my best during my time in B School and come out with good grades as well as with confidence to face the real world. I could see the management and faculty fully committed to the objective of developing the students. This reaffirmed my belief that I joined a good institute.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

Despite the initial teething problems that are a part of any institution building, I’d say life at IFIM was a good mix of rich academic curriculum and an opportunity to develop oneself personally. Academic life was chock-a-block with classes, case study preparation and project presentations. The little time that we did get outside of studies was spent exploring Brigade Road and MG Road, watching movies once in a while and some field trips to nearby places.

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

A robust curriculum, and excellent teachers that make learning fun!

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

Focus and giving ones best in every aspect of life whether student life or personal or professional life is quite important. While one does that one should also enjoy the journey and not worry about the destination. Stay positive and enjoy every bit of being a MBA student.

Q11.How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

I think giving back to the society can be done while working. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of organizations provide an avenue for people working in the corporate sector to do their bit for the society at large. Even outside of corporate life, being involved with NGOs that promote social causes is another good avenue to contribute to society.

I’d like to be associated with international organizations like United Nations which provide an opportunity to apply one’s experience and skills in promoting Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which range from eradicating extreme poverty, to universal primary education to promoting gender equality and environmental sustainability. Having experience in technology for Education as well as extensive experience in gender research, I find this as a natural extension of the areas that I’m most equipped to contribute to.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

I’m married to Raghavendra, who is heading the Infrastructure group in Honeywell International. I have two children, Aayush (9 yrs.) and Arihant (4 yrs.). I’m fortunate to have very loving and supportive parents and parents-in-law.

Singing, Travelling and playing with kids are my hobbies.

Pallavi Lal
Designation and Organization: Research and Content Management Lead, Accenture
B-school/ Programme/Batch: 1995-97

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

I have had a varied career path and served in various locations including Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Allahabad. In my last posting, I was the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner of Allahabad; and headed an office that looked after the requirements of five districts, served over 150000 subscribers and looked after the compliance of over 5000 establishment. This was a challenging assignment in the sense that it was a newly opened office and I was assigned the task to steady it right in the initial days. Earlier, while working as the branch head of the investment function at the Head Office in New Delhi, I was instrumental in setting up the ‘Investment Monitoring Cell (IMC)’. We also brought in professional fund managers to manage our funds, which was a paradigm shift in how retirement funds of millions of people in the country are managed. Incidentally, Employees’ provident Fund Organization (EPFO) currently has over Rs 850,000 crore of investment corpus with annual accretions touching about Rs 100,000 crores now. I was among the first three officers who were involved in monitoring the overall investment activity at EPFO through the IMC.

Before joining EPFO, I worked as an executive assistant to the CMD of the New India Assurance Company Ltd, which is the largest general insurance company in the country, in the capacity of an administrative officer.

I have also been taking sabbaticals to pursue higher studies in between. In 2005, I went to the Universiteit Maastricht in the Netherlands to pursue masters in ‘Social Protection Financing’. The course was about application of actuarial science and other tools in the domain of social security. I passed the course with the highest CGPA and was only one in the batch to pass with a distinction. In fact, right now, I am again on a 4-year study leave to pursue my doctorate from the Indian Institute of Management, Indore (I joined the FPM program here in 2014 in the area of finance).

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

Even though I have been working as a civil servant for long, the tools that I learnt at IFIM have certainly been suitably helpful in my official assignments. For instance, I first looked at a balance sheet of an organization in our accountancy class at IFIM. In my official job, I have had numerous occasions to go through balance sheets of defaulter establishments before assessing their dues; a task made much easier because of my training at IFIM. But yes, there are so many things you are taught in a B-School; you apply some and tend to forget some. But, it happens in any curriculum, often to a larger extent. In my opinion, an MBA is more about learning subtle things, exposing an individual to so many different dimensions of carrying out a task and simultaneously instilling a sense of confidence. This exposure may get imbibed at the subconscious level and may manifest itself as and when needed.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

For a fresher right out of graduation, as I was at the time of my internship, it provided the first brush with functioning of a corporate. I wanted to have an experience in HRM, so, I did my summer internship in the area of HRM despite my leaning towards finance. Many people, including the then director, thought I was more of an HR person than finance! The experience, however, was a good one. Training in HR is never wasted whatever may be your domain of work. Success anywhere is a big function of how one interacts with people.

Q5.How do you think your MBA/PGDM program has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

As I mentioned earlier, an MBA instills confidence by working on so many levels. You work against deadlines, you work in teams, you find optimal (not necessarily the perfect) solutions, you get exposure to so many disciplines in one shot (I don’t know of any other program where one gets inputs from the myriad fields of sociology, psychology, public administration, economics etc.), and you attain a certain frame of mind that helps in taking up challenges. All this keeps you in good stead, whether in official, or social or even personal life. The same has been the case with me I suppose.

Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

We were the first batch and hence were very few around the old campus. This created a very strong bonding among us. Somehow I have never been able to visit the old campus (or even the new campus) again, but hold very fond memories of those times. The management was trying to make a mark right since the beginning, which meant we had top notch faculty even in the very initial phase. That was the time when many initiatives were taking place such as launching a newsletter, or different area-wise clubs. In fact, I made a little contribution by suggesting the name of the finance club as ‘Arthavritti’ (In fact I suggested ‘arthavriti’, which is money (artha) plus recurrence (avriti), but Prof R P Banerjee, the then finance faculty, thought I said artha plus ‘intention’ (vritti) and hence ‘Arthavritti’). I don’t know whether this name is still in vogue. As regards my batch mates, most of us are now reconnected thanks to ‘Whatsapp’.

Q7. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

I remember reaching the institute the day before our scheduled launch of the program. The director was sitting in the main hall at the ground floor supervising some carpentry work that was going on. There was a pub right adjacent to the entrance of the institute. All of this was not very inspiring, but gradually things turned around after the initial teething problems. Faculties were all very good and very supportive. For an institute that was just starting off, the infrastructure such as library, computer lab, or even conveyance facility (a bus was hired in the initial months to ferry us between the hostel and the institute) were more than adequate even as they were getting scaled up.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

Even in those times, it was a typical MBA program. The syllabus was apparently designed after following the curricula of other top-notch institutes, hence we were either hugely sleep-deprived or were sleeping a bit too much (whenever the schedule permitted). I also had a scooter, so Brigade and MG road were never far-off on weekends. A few of us were movie-buffs, so that was also a big pastime.

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

As I told earlier, the management was always bent on making IFIM a well-recognized B-school and that was very much evident even in that very initial phase. To me there are few things that make or mar the reputation of a business school-the quality of faculty, the quality of students, the quality of curriculum, the quality of the infrastructure, and the quality of industry interaction, which also includes placements. Many of these are obviously inter-related. If you ask me the most remarkable things of my period at IFIM, I would name the faculty and the curriculum. It seems, IFIM is doing much better on all the fronts now making it amongst the top-50 in the country. This makes all of us oldies very proud indeed.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

Perseverance pays. I was a Hindi medium student, and had some difficulty in the initial trimester, especially during the presentations. Unfortunately, much to my chagrin, one of my batch mates once made a sarcastic remark in this respect. Somehow time passed, and I started performing much better. This all is distant past, but I still take inspiration from that episode.

Q11.How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

I am fortunate to be a part of one of the largest social security organization in the world. I always tell myself and my colleagues that if we do our work with sincerity and honesty, we are anyways fulfilling a very basic need of the society. For others also, I would like to say that world will become a better place if we start asking ourselves how we can give back and not the other way round that how society should care for us. Let’s know our fundamental duties before demanding our fundamental rights.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

My wife is a home maker. In past, she has worked as an active stock trader, but she seldom gets time now due to pre-occupation with my younger daughter, who is mildly spastic. She also likes her gym sessions and recently completed the 11 km mini-marathon organized by IIM, Indore successfully. My elder daughter is 10 and younger one is 4. I don’t speak much, but my daughters more than compensate for that. As for my hobbies, I love reading (it can be anything, though I’m biased towards fiction. However, I end up reading non-fiction more often than I wish.), watching movies, and listening predominantly to old Hindi songs while taking my daily walk.

Mr. Brijesh Mishra
Designation: Regional Provident Fund Commissioner
Organization: EPFO, Ministry of Labor
Work Experience: Over 12 years in the present job
B-school/ Programme/Batch: IFIM B School PGDM (1995-97)

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

Considering the short span of my management career, I would still say that the journey has been exciting. A lot of on-the-job learning happens at work place and I have always tried my best to keep pace with it.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

Yes, though the concepts of the subject/s still remains at the core, the work type definitely differs. I would like to add here that soft skills which have been nurtured at B-schools play a major role at the work place.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

Internship has given me a better understanding of work type as well as the industry expectations.

Q5.How do you think your MBA/PGDM program has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

I would say that PGDM programme has been a game changer in my life. Professionally, it has added a lot of value in terms of learning new things and its application. On the personal front also, I have started to look at life different by, started walking ahead with lot of positive attitude and sheer determination.



Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

I really had spent memorable time at IFIM and definitely miss being a part of it, but everything has to go ahead and cannot stop at one moment. There are a lot of sweet memories attached to IFIM – have had the best of friends here, the PEP sessions have always been fun and lot to learn simultaneously. I thoroughly enjoyed the wellness sessions (mind freshener ones), dance programmes, what not, the list would go endless. Most importantly, being a gold medal awardee, which I never thought of in my wildest dream. IFIM means a lot to me.

Q7. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

I came in with an open mind, but I received more than what I expected. The course curriculum has been designed in a way apt for learning and making a person industry ready. The people are so warm and friendly.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

During my PG days, I spent most of my time at campus itself. As I mentioned earlier, I loved everything that happened at IFIM. The best way to put is probably I never got tired of coming to the campus and was eagerly waiting for the weekend to get over to be back to the campus. It says all how much I enjoyed being an IFIMite

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

I would say that this school tries it best to make a person a perfect professional and gives you that opportunity and shows the way. We as students should take complete advantage of it and design our career.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

PEP sessions are integral and should be taken very seriously. Apart from that a little hard work is what everyone should invest upon.

Q11.How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

I would definitely want to give back to the society but as I said earlier, I am still in the initial phase and would take 2-3 years’ time to do something (mostly for the children) by which I can bring an impactful positive change in the society.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

I am married and have a daughter, who is 4 years old. Apart from my parents, my husband and in-laws have been extremely supportive. I would owe a major part of my success to my husband for constantly encouraging me. Last but not the least, I cannot finish without mentioning my daughter who has been so cooperative in every sense and allowed me to do everything I could.

I have been a national level basketball player. I love playing it for hours together. Also, I am a trained classical dancer.



Ms. Suseela Gadi
Designation: Analyst – Customer Insights
Organization: Optimal Strategix Group
Work Experience: 8 months (As on January 2016)
B-school/ Programme/Batch: IFIM B School – Full Time PGDM (2013-15)

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

I joined Asian CERC- formerly religare Technologies for one and half year. Then moved to Accenture as CFM analysts. And now a year back has moved to ventures and acquisition role.

Career path has been a great learning experience with lot of fun.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

Yes, as practically it is always different from what you learned theoretically, but the approach towards any situation you have to understand theoretically and then you can find solutions based on situation.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

I got my first job where I did my internship. So it was really great to learn and get the job at same place.

Q5.How do you think your MBA/PGDM program has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

It has made me dynamic, a lot thoughtful on my action.



Q7. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

When I joined IFIM, I was not sure about the school whether its worth to join the school, but today I feel it was great that I joined.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

It was dynamic, enjoy full, a great learning with the fun involved.

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

Atmosphere which helps you to be yourself.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

Even If I bunk classes I was very serious in studies, either by help of my friends or by self learning I always manage my syllabus.

Q11.How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

I am actively involved in corporate social responsibility. Part of so many NGOs who helps the underprivileged and specially change to grow in society.

Guidance- Nothing is impossible just believe in You. It is rightly said “Even if you lose you get good experience” so better try it.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

I am married to Ram Ghatage (Chartered Accountant) and have 6 year old son.

I Love travelling and watching movies.

Ms. Namrata Ghatage
Designation: Ventuers and acquisition specialist
Organization: Accenture India Pvt. Ltd.
Work Experience: 7 years
B-school/ Programme/Batch: IFIM B School PGDM (2006-08)

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

Prior to this, I was a Brand/Marketing Strategist for Panchantra , Hyderabad, part of the core group which conceived and executed the complete brand strategy for Panchantra's various products and vertifcals. Also had short stints at Pearson Education and Laserwords Inc in Marketing and Project Management respectively.

I hold a master’s degree in Marketing & Global Brand Strategy from IFIM Bangalore, India. My skill set includes User Experience Design, Branding, Marketing Communication, Content writing and Marketing

Outside of work, I am a pianist performing live gigs from time to time. I have also composed music for a short film which got screened in a few film festivals in Chennai.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

As it happens always, in an ever-changing business environment, you will always find the industry doing things differently to what you learn. This applies to the best of B-Schools. What your B School must teach you, is the ability to adapt and learn quickly without resistance. This will help you more than any other syllabus

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

My internship at Panchantra Life, changed my life and perspective about priorities, career, money and what it means to report to a wonderful person rather than merely a skillful manager. It made me reconsider my life principles and made me grateful for opportunities to learn rather than earn.

Q5.How do you think your MBA/PGDM program has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

I would compare an MBA taken with a right attitude as a magnet, which pulls together all your scattered skills and abilities as an individual. It helps us organize our thoughts and actions and helps us make rational decisions. It helped me in gathering all my skills and abilities into one potent punch which helped break many a corporate barrier.

Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

The time at IFIM was a time of introspection and calm for me. More than the academic syllabus, it was the presence of wonderful mentors, the sprawling campus and great friends helped me rediscover myself. Especially, the hostel was our tower of hope and solitude. The place where all our futures were germinating.

Q7. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

I had taken a corporate break to study. Hence, I was very clear on what I wanted to do and ended up doing more than I ever envisioned.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

IFIM reminds me of all the opportunities it provided me to express my creativity, a genuine platform for my ideas and thoughts. It helped me realize the value of education and an opportunity to learn and make myself better. It was wonderful that IFIM had space for both the academic and nonacademic brilliance. Also, meeting my greatest teachers like Prof. Anand Narasimha, Dr. Madhumita Chatterjee, Prof DN Murthy, Prof. Raj Chakraborty, Prof. Manoharan and Prof .Kameshwaran.

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

As I had mentioned, IFIM had place for all kind of talents. Academic, nonacademic, creative etc, all could flourish in their own right. The right space, respect and opportunity was given for all. Also, it helped that it was relatively non judgemental and accommodative about its students.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

Go beyond your syllabus. Most people approach an MBA with a strict regimen and focus on placements. I say, if you are good enough, the company will create a job for you.

I would compare an MBA with a self-discovery trip. It is okay to stick to the map, but sometimes worthy deviations leads to a tremendous exploration. You will become a trail blazer rather than a mere follower.

Q11.How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

a) Be nice in everyday life. Contrary to popular belief, courtesy, discipline, humility and generosity are still in vogue. In fact, more than ever. Integrity and being true to your heart takes you places,

b) Choose your boss. When finding your job, choose your boss first. The designation and the company matters next. Your boss makes or breaks your job satisfaction. Who you report to is more important than which company you work for.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

Am married to my sweetheart Sriimathy after 3 years of courtship. I live in Hyderabad and have a younger brother studying to become an animator. My parents are retired professionals.

Am actively involved in music with composing and playing the piano. I also write blogs for Medium.com among other platforms.

Mr. Aaditya Aravamudhan
Designation: User Experience Designer
Organization: Innominds
Work Experience: 4 + years
B-school/ Programme/Batch: IFIM B School PGDM (2011-13)

Q1. Tell us about your domain and your work profile?

Q2: Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

Now I am a Entrepreneur with Marketing & Admin experience of 4 yrs in various in industries like, Textiles, Cement & Locking systems. My career starts with Marketing Trainee in GER group of companies – Bangalore for 1 year, later I shift myself to Ramco cements – Chennai as Sales Officer for 1 year, later I shifted to Godrej Locks – Chennai as Asst. Manager for 2 years. Now I am Proprietor for Grahalakshmi Enterprises – Trichy, distributor for Ebco & Hafele products.

Q3: Is industry work different from what you learn at B-schools/ IFIM?

Not Exactly, since all the theory statements are experienced in practical method and all the live projects we did in IFIM gave me extended hand support for easy understanding. I thank IFIM for enabling us to experience the industry connect and learn professionalism right from day one.

Q4. From you experience, please share how did your internship experience help you at your first job?

As I said, the live projects and Internship experience tune us to be ready for the corporate world and meet their expectations. In my view the CGPA scores and placements are irrelevant, only the practical internship experience and self-confidence will place you at higher position. IFIM Business School’s internship program truly helped us to get the corporate exposure.

Q5.How do you think your MBA/PGDM program has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

My PGDM Program at IFIM molded me to be a successful businessman. We get chance to learn cross cultural practices, the other side of corporate expectations from industry professionals, smart work in daily routine, stress management & multitasking.

Q6: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

We miss our Raju Poojari sir at Table Tennis Board & at Hostel, we had a very good time at campus with our highly intellectual staff and at free time we played TT a lot with our batch mates, seniors & Mr. Raju Poojari. Since smart phones did not rule us in those days we had a very pleasant stay and memorable time in hostel with friends.

Q7. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

“NEED TO BE A BUSINESS TYCOON” – This is the vision I have shared with my professors & friends, and I get lot of opportunities to interact with them and tell them about my business plans. At IFIM, I ensured that I did my projects related to my areas of interest.

Q8. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

I got a chance to prepare myself for the corporate needs and gain wide knowledge of business activities through various projects and classroom session at IFIM. Also our cross-cultural interaction with our batch mates made our life very simple and enjoyable moments.  We were able to get different perspective and solutions to the same problem.

Q9. You are proud alumni of this top B-school. What is the best part of this B-school from a student perspective?

The best part of being a B-school student is updating oneself for the current corporate requirement, finding the opportunity behind each problem, focusing more on the area of interest rather than regular university syllabus.

Q10. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

Being Punctual to class and focusing on your studies & projects within your personal area of interest is important. Ensure that you interact with all kind of people will make to learn how people view things differently.

Q11.How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

My contribution to the society will be my PROMPT TAX payment on my business profits for better future of the needy people. Also my future plan is doing Export business to various countries to gain global market shares and earn foreign exchange for our government. So, once you become a business person, I suggest you folks to contribute your social responsibility by paying your taxes promptly and construct our Nation for a Developed society.

Q12. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

I am living with my wife at Trichy – Tamilnadu. Hobbies are One hour of Fitness, Ten hours of Business on weekdays. I am around the clock with family on weekends.

Mr. Praveen Thangaraj
Designation: Proprietor – Grahalakshmi Enterprises (Trichy)
Work Experience: 4 years
PGDM – 2007-09

Q1. Can you please briefly tell us about your career path so far?

Q2: How do you think your BBA degree has added value to your life, both professional life and social/personal life?

Professionally, I feel BBA has laid the foundation for me to pursue PGDM now with ease. The course has also allowed me to have all-round development.

Q3: You must have spent memorable time at IFIM. Do you miss being a part of it? Please share a few good memories?

I am still a part of IFIM family as I am doing my PGDM from IFIM B-school.

Q4. What was your initial thought process when you joined IFIM?

Initially, I found it rather weird because all my classmates were much younger than me, but I was able to mix well into the crowd.

Q5. Briefly take us through your life at IFIM campus, both academic and non-academic life?

I surprised myself because I worked for many years before joining IFIM to do my degree. Through IFIM, I have met people who have become friends for life now.

Q6: You are proud alumni of IFIM College - What is the best part of this organization from a student perspective?

The atmosphere is very friendly. The faculty members are very easily approachable. There is also a lot of encouragement to participate in non-curricular activities both inside and outside the college.

Q7. Tell us one of your IFIM student life secrets and tips, which can be shared with the future aspirants?

IFIM has very good human resource in the form of faculty members. It is a loss for the students if they do not get the best out of their faculty members.

Q8. How would you like to give back to society and what are your future plans? Any suggestion/guidance for the future aspirants?

I have chosen the field of finance and my aim is to create wealth for the common man. I would like to do my bit in this regard to bring down poverty in our country.

Q9. Could you share with us a little information about your family and hobbies?

I love reading and eating good food. I sometimes cook just to relax as it is very therapeutic. I do not miss any chance to try out new dishes at home or at restaurants when I am out with friends.

An international MBA is not just about learning business concepts or skills through theory. It tends to be practical and collaborative in nature with an emphasis on teamwork and insights into the real business world. We students at IFIM business school had the opportunity to have our International student exchange program at Grenoble Ecole de management school, France. It was for two weeks the entire trip along with the stay was a wonderful experience.

There are various benefits of international student exchange program. Student exchange program helps us to enlarge our perspective becoming open-minded and get a European thinking the possibility of being in contact with a new way of teaching or the search of a better teaching. In general the university works in different ways in different countries, and there are some things that are taught better in one place than in another. Get to know another culture, develop a network of friends/colleagues, become open- minded, learn new language, get easy credits and learn self-management.

Having had a taste of life at Grenoble Ecole de Management and the challenge they found here, many students expressed such kind of exchange program should more be conducted in future.

I would like to thank IFIM Business School for giving us such a wonderful opportunity. I will relish those memories for the rest of my life.