The Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, (IIM-K), on Saturday welcomed the latest inductees to its flagship Postgraduate Programme (PGP), PGP-Liberal Studies and Management (PGP-LSM), PGP-Finance (PGP-F), and Doctoral Programme in Management (PhD) on its campus at Kunnamangalam here.
According to a press release, the new inductees comprise 601 students who have been admitted to the regular, full-time programmes: the 27th batch of the PGP (483 students), the 4th batch of PGP-LSM (52 students), the 4th batch of PGP-F (49 students), and the 16th batch of DPM (PhD) (17 students) programmes of the institute, making it the largest IIM-K cohort to date.
This is the first time the IIM-K has inducted 12 international students, including five NRIs from Nepal, U.S., U.K., UAE, Oman, and Germany for all three of its two-year full-time MBA programmes. Additionally, 67% of the batch brings valuable work experience and 45 students represent the home State of Kerala.
Vivek Mandhata, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group, was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony presided over by Debashis Chatterjee, Director of IIM-K.
The IIM-K, credited with many firsts, has been at the forefront of achieving diversity, and the story is no different this year too. For 2023, the above incoming batches comprise an overall 45% women candidates. Among the programmes, PGP-LSM has the highest gender diversity with 52% of the batch comprising women students, followed by 48% women candidates in the flagship PGP programme.
On the academic diversity front, the latest IIM-K batch comprises 58% students from non-engineering backgrounds, with entrants from diverse backgrounds such as Sciences, Humanities, Arts, Commerce, Medical (MBBS), and Chartered Accountants.
Five key mantras
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mandhata, an IIMK gold medalist and alumnus from the class of 2009, thanked IIM-K for this opportunity to come back to his alma mater and took the latest entrants on a trip down the memory lane. Appreciating the growing reputation of IIM-K and its impressive journey as a global thought school, he shared with the young cohort five key mantras: to give it all, being bold, experiment, lift oneself up when down, and embrace diversity to adapt to a changing world order. He added that it is an opportune time to showcase India’s leadership in the global world order and encouraged students to never shy away from accepting challenges.
Welcoming the latest entrants to the fastest-growing IIM, Prof. Chatterjee spoke about the importance of Ekagrata (focus), Karmayoga (deep work), and the importance of learning from one’s surroundings as the key aspects of their MBA journey. He also shared with the students the key lessons they can derive from II-M Kozhikode’s core belief system of Satyam (truth), Nityam (sustainability), and Purnam (wholeness). Emphasising how authenticity of actions, coupled with clarity of thought and compassionate engagement, can create a difference, he encouraged students “To not just be the best in the world, but be the best for the world.”
An innovative immersion programme took place from June 18 to 21 to introduce the new entrants to IIM-K.
