Double honours for KIAMS in Malaysia

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Pune. 13 April 2016.

KIAMS bagged dual honours at the recently held ‘Golden Globe Tigers Education Leadership Awards’ in Malaysia.

KIAMS won the ‘Knowledge Management Leadership Award’ for 2016 while Dr. CN Narayana, Principal Director KIAMS won the ‘Outstanding Asian Faculty of HRM Award’ for 2016.

2016 has been an eventful year with Dr. CN Narayana winning awards at the International Education Leadership Awards 2016 by International Association of Researchers and Academicians (‘Indo Global Exemplary Educationist Award’ and ‘Best Director Award for B-schools’) and KIAMS bagging the ‘Top Institute Award’ by Competition Success Review magazine.

Reacting to the awards, Dr. Narayana said “I am indebted to all my students and well-wishers including my faculty, staff of KIAMS, for making me worthy of my 2^nd international award and a dozen total awards till date for academics, research and leadership contribution to management education”.

This is the second international award KIAMS has won under knowledge management – the earlier one being in Dubai and these awards are a reflection of the efforts put in my management under the leadership of Dr. Narayana, who has joined a little over a year ago. KIAMS is scaling new heights and continues to aspire for even greater success in future.

About the awards

The Golden Globe Tigers Awards aim to recognise “TIGERS” in Marketing, Branding CSR & Social Innovation, Education& Academics across leadership levels in individual and organisation that aim at believing that excellence is infinite and perfection has no limit and targets are milestones not an end of the journey.

The Golden Globe Tigers Awards is multifunctional, multidisciplinary and industry focussed.

About Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies

Kirloskar Group Of Companies, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in India, has been growing and enriching lives for more than a century now. KIAMS was conceived as a training institute and knowledge hub in 1991. It was envisioned as a learning centre where Kirloskar Group Managers shared their expertise, experience and kept up with the latest concepts and movements in Management.

In 1995, the training institute was opened to managers all over the country.

Megha Dey, student of PGDM Batch 17 talks about the key to cracking the placement process

As a BBA graduate, Megha Dey could have opted for an MBA to further her career prospects. But she chose to do her PGDM because she believed that the curriculum would make her industry ready. After spending two years at KIAMS, an institute she had heard a lot about, she agrees that she made the best decision. She has now been placed in a facility management role with Quess Corp Avon, which is a subsidy of the global giant IKEA. Here she shares the journey of her transformation from a hopeful student to a confident management professional.

When asked to put her journey with KIAMS in words, Megha counts many positives. According to her things that seemed difficult and intense when doing them were also a huge learning experience in hindsight. “The rigorous presentations were definitely tough but they were totally worth it at the end of the day. I have learned so much about team effort besides gaining theoretical and practical knowledge. While the job I have bagged is the perfect entry in the corporate world for me, the knowledge I have gained during my time here will last me a lifetime,” she says.

In her new role as a professional with the company Megha will be responsible for meeting clients and discussing various facilities offered. She will also have to strive to boost the sales of the company. She is keen to prove her mettle by delivering on these tasks, just like she managed to impress during the placement interview. On what went right in the interview, she says “I had gathered fair bit of knowledge about the company, which is why I could talk about different scenarios and offer them the best solutions. I also relied on my SIP experience with Bank of Baroda (Kolkata) to come up with relevant answers during the interview.”

Megha mentions the IRP sessions at KIAMS as the main preparation for placement because not only did they improve her communication skills but they also helped her answer situational questions, which were the crux of her interview. Above all her confidence gained during the PGDM years showed clearly. That’s her advice to her juniors at the institute as well. “Be confident and everything will fall into place. Pay attention to classroom learning and projects because that will prepare you well. But also make the most of your time on the campus and with friends because it won’t come back,” she ends on an emotional note.

Abhijit Das talks about his placement with careers360 and how KIAMS has helped him develop to potential

Abhijit Das, student of PGDM Batch 17 at KIAMS believes that his placement as a Management Trainee with Pathfinder Publishing Pvt. Ltd (the company that runs careers360.com) is a big deal not only because of the reputation of the company but the fact that it is the perfect culmination of his academic tenure. The going has been tough for him as he lost his father during the first year of PGDM. But that only pushed him to excel in his studies and focus on the placement process. He admits that with the help of his faculty team and friends at the institute he has managed to get the final outcome he was hoping for.

Reflecting on his two years at KIAMS, he says “The placement with such a prestigious firm was the icing on the cake. My mother, who is a housewife, was extremely supportive during these two years. The placement has made our dream come true. But at the same time I feel the knowledge and confidence I have gained at the institute will help me in the long run. It certainly helped me crack the all important placement interview.” He goes on to add that all the assignments and activities he was a part of during his program helped him learn in the best possible way. That coupled with the confidence he had gained enabled him to impress his recruiters.

After completing his graduation in engineering, Abhijit was working in the construction field but soon enough realized that he needed to boost his competencies to build his career prospects. That’s why he chose to do his PGDM from KIAMS and believes that it’s a decision that has held him in good stead. “I would like to specifically mention the contribution of our faculty members in molding us as future professionals. They were always available to clear our doubts, point out mistakes and help us rectify them in a constructive manner. I believe this relationship goes beyond placements and will be with me for the rest of my life,” he states.

According to Abhijit, every day spent at the institute was a stepping stone towards his future career. The Summer Internship he did at Tata Steel helped him put the concepts he had learned into context and that’s how he made his mark during the placement interview. He is now at the cusp of an exciting journey ahead. “KIAMS has been a new life experience for me and it has prepared me for challenges in my career. Managing product life cycle, Project development and management, Planning, Scheduling, Co-ordination with different teams, Product testing, Market Research and analysis will be some of my job responsibilities and I feel up to the task,” he adds confidently.

Ask him about the aspects of his life at the institute that he is going to miss and Abhijit mentions different celebrations, the time spent with his friends and the campus itself. He holds those memories close to his heart and is going to cherish them for a long time to come. He also has valuable advice for his juniors at the institute. “You should follow your dreams and identify your area of interest. Whatever domain you choose; be it Product Management or Operations, you will find a lot of scope in it if you have in-depth knowledge of the subject. Try to build on your learning and the sky is the limit,” he says all ready to spread his own wings.

Avisek Sarkar student of PGDM Batch 17 realizes his dream by getting placed with Oracle

Avisek Sarkar believes in following his instincts and making smart decisions at the right time. That’s why the engineering graduate who was interested in technology decided to switch to management. He says that he wanted to give his career the best platform, which is why he opted for the PGDM with KIAMS. He now stresses that he has managed to combine his technical abilities from engineering studies with analytical, logical thinking from his management program. Perhaps that is what impressed his new employer; Oracle Financial Services Software.

The excitement of being placed with a global powerhouse like Oracle is written large over Avisek’s face. He also realizes that his corporate journey has only begun and he will have to prove his mettle. “The role I have been offered is in financial analytical application development. As a member of the software engineering division, I will have to do detailed design based on high level design specifications. I will also have to assist in system planning, scheduling and implementation, testing bugs, building enhancements etc. I feel prepared for these challenges thanks to my learning at KIAMS,” he says.

Bagging campus placement with a corporate biggie like Oracle is no mean feat. There is a great deal of preparation that goes into making one’s mark in the interview. Avisek sheds light on the process as he says, “One thing that went in my favour was the fact that I had domain knowledge. I also believe you need to be calm and composed during the interview to be able to make the best impression.KIAMS not only helped me build a solid foundation of knowledge but through different initiatives like IRP sessions ensured that I had overcome my fear of public speaking. It reflected in the interview and helped me a lot.”

Avisek also asserts that his learning at the B School was intense with long hours on a daily basis. But his faculty members made things easier by keeping things relatable. His SIP with Novotel Kolkata also enabled him to get valuable practical exposure that he counts on as he prepares for his corporate sojourn. “My time with KIAMS has been a memorable journey altogether. Even the tight class schedules, late night group studies, presentations were fun and lively for me. I am going to miss the hostel life, time spent on the campus and just hanging out with my friends whenever I want,” he says emotionally.

His advice for juniors who might be interested in a job profile like his – “It’s a Financial Analyst profile and if that’s something you are interested in as well then you need to have a strong base in finance and economics. Practical exposure besides academics is also important. But above all be confident and stay true to yourself. You will achieve your goals if you believe in yourself and put in the efforts.” That’s something he himself has done, and is now reaping the benefits for it.

Karen Saldanha, Class Representative PGDM Batch 17 talks about her experience at KIAMS and how the institute helped with her HDFC Bank placement

After completing her graduation in Oman, where her parents both work as corporate professionals, Karen Saldanha decided to come to India to pursue higher education. She was keen to pursue a career in management and believes that KIAMS has helped her in a big way, borne out by her placement with HDFC Bank.

Karen admits that it took her a while to get over the initial shock of being chosen as a Relationship Manager by HDFC Bank because there were several other right candidates for the job. She also thought her interview wasn’t going too well but managed to turn things around for herself. “Initially it was going all wrong and I think I gave some wrong answers. At one point they even gave me a chance to learn the correct answer for one of the questions. I came back having prepared for more than that, which might have impressed them,” she says with a smile.

She also talks about the efforts taken by her institute to prepare her for the placement process. According to Karen the courses in GD, interviews and business communications groomed students and instilled confidence in them. “Besides that the modules where we were taught what the industry expects of us were very helpful. They had included courses on Customer Insight, Digital Marketing, Strategic Management, International Business, Brand Management, Consumer Behaviour etc and they helped us tremendously,” she adds.

Karen also points out that though she had got placed in her very first attempt she chose to not accept the offer as she wanted to make a bright start to her corporate career. She expects it to happen with a big name like HDFC where her job responsibilities will include, “Meeting clients and addressing their problems, ensuring cross selling of banking products and overall maintaining good relationships with them. I did my internship with Reliance Retail, Chennai and believe that experience will come handy in my job,” she asserts.

While Karen is on cloud nine at the moment, she also feels a hint of sadness knowing that she won’t be spending time on campus with friends. She states that one major advantage of a residential PGDM program is that you make friends for life. Ask her if she has any advice for juniors and she says, “Take efforts to match industry’s needs of skills and knowledge, pay attention to classes and do your assignments diligently. The secret to my good grades is 100% attendance. You might also want to create a LinkedIn profile because networking is the key.” Speaking like a true professional, she already is.

Rajashree Bhuyan, PGDM batch 18 explains why she couldn’t have asked for a better second home than KIAMS, Harihar.

Coming from the North East, the journey to Harihar was a long one for me. It gave me a lot of time to think about how things were going to be here and whether I would be able to manage on my own. I was quite nervous, to be honest, and came to the campus with a lot of anticipation. It has been five months since then and I can comfortably say that I have found my second home.

I have stayed in hostels during earlier academic years, but this was the first time I was such a distance away from home and my comfort zone. Thankfully, I have adjusted here quite well and found my own comfort level with the surroundings and with the people. The campus itself is quite stunning, and I can also have my personal space and go out for long walks if I want to.

I feel overwhelmed with the kind of love and support I have received from my classmates, as well as my seniors. The faculty team is friendly and very encouraging, while Director Sir is my mentor. It’s because of their contributions that I feel there is a huge positive change in my personality. I will forever be grateful to all of them for their help on this journey.

I have to admit that since I am from an Economics Hons background, studying fourteen management subjects from the word ‘go’ was a bit tricky for me initially. Classes, assignments, etc. – it all got a bit hectic. But, as time passes, we are adjusting to the work schedule and the routine we have managed to build for ourselves.

The good thing is that it’s not just about studies at the present moment – we get to enjoy some lighter moments as well. The Independence Day celebrations with some of the alumni were interesting, while the Vasundhara Film Festival was an eye-opening experience. We got to interact with many professionals and that was a tremendous learning experience in itself.

Within a period of five months, I have started looking forward to my classes, assignments and presentations. Of course, the pressure does get to us from time to time and we look for ways to get rid of the stress. Thankfully for that we have the Triangle, Rotunda, the auditorium, swimming pool and the gym, which have made KIAMS, Harihar the best home I could have had for my studies.

Students of KIAMS reflect on their learning from the recently held Management Conclave

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Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies recently organized a conclave “Attitude Skills and Knowledge (ASK) and employer’s expectations on skills & employability” at its Harihar campus. The event held on the 26^th of September brought together several big names from industry and academia to discuss the attributes that can make successful management professionals of tomorrow. Given the high relevance of the conclave, it was only natural that we talked to some of the students to evaluate its overall success.

Arpit Sharma, B 17 was one of them and he believed that it was a privilege to listen to names like Mr. Swami Nathan Krishnan, Vice-President and Head Marketing, Coach and Mentor – Sasken Communication Technologies, Bangalore. “Since I am passionate about my chosen specialization of Marketing , I was very excited to listen to the stalwart from the industry,” he said confidently. “It has been a valuable experience for me and I hope it will bridge the gap between where I am today and where I want to be professionally.”

This conclave is the first in the series of events KIAMS will be organizing this year, in its Silver Jubilee year. Students like Arpit remain appreciative of the fact that the B School holds seminars and conclaves regularly to offer them hands-on experience. Others like Vinay Kant Maurya, B 17 look at it as a responsibility to learn and deliver. “I won’t let these opportunities go in vain. I will do my best to make the most out of them and interact with professionals from different industries and learn from their experiences,” he says.

When asked if he had any suggestions on the subjects for future conclaves and seminars Vinay Says, “It would be great to hear from professionals in specific areas like finance, operations, and International Business. It would help us with specific exposure for our future careers.” Arpit, on the other hand, wants future seminars to delve into digital marketing, e-commerce, and rural marketing. He believes these areas are evolving and knowledge on the subjects would give them an edge. But for now, they seem thrilled by the takeaways from the recently held conclave.

Right from Fresher’s Party to Teacher’s Day celebrations; KIAMs continues to be an action-packed campus

It was a flurry of activities at KIAMS through the month of August and right up to Teacher’s Day celebrations that had the campus buzzing. The institute had just welcomed its new batch of students and they were in for a treat as the series of activities began on high note. For starters, there was the Fresher’s party themed “Creating a friendly relationship between seniors and juniors in a disciplined manner” that got things going on a high note.

The evening brought together the new batch of students, their seniors and faculty members who interacted as equals and shared with each other. Different activities like flying eggs, tap the balloon, musical chair, virtual volley ball broke the ice and led to fun filled moments. Everyone including the faculty members seemed to have had a nice time as Prof. D. B. Nimbalkar said, “It was great to see the infectious energy of the students, which was rubbing off on everyone.”

That same energy was on display even more during the song and dance performances that marked the evening. The students definitely had their dancing shoes on as the DJ played some of the favorite tracks. Pappu dance was clearly one of the highlights and had everyone talking about it for long. “It was an awesome party and so much fun to be a part of Pappu dance. We let our hair down and left the competition behind,” said Tarun, one of the students.

Things took on a thoughtful note on the 69^th Independence Day as the students were filled with patriotic fervor. KIAMS does its best to not only create top professionals but socially responsible individuals as well. The students were reminded of their duty towards the society and country as Dr. Janaki Nair, Director, KIAMS unfurled the National Flag. Singing of the National Anthem and a parade completed the proceedings for the day.

The festivities spilled into the month of September with the Teacher’s Day celebrations where students got an opportunity to express their gratitude to their faculty members. They had organized different games that brought the fun side out of the faculty team. Performances of Prof. Gopal Iyengar and Nikhil Ingle, student Batch 18 were highlights of the event that ended with cutting of the cake and presenting of a handmade card to the faculty team.

Apoorva Tiwari, PGDM – 2015 – 17 student believes her batch mates, seniors, faculty members and the entire staff have made KIAMS her second home.

Getting into a reputed B School in many ways is a life altering event for any management graduate. Hence I had huge expectations from KIAMS and I have to say they have been fulfilled to a large extent. I also realize from the way things are going that by the time I complete the program I would have achieved everything I had hoped to and more.

Of course it wasn’t smooth sailing from the word go and we took some time to settle down. Days were long and filled with classes, assignments, group studies, senior-junior interactions, sports activities etc. But each one of us has managed to bring that extra burst of energy to deliver on the tasks expected of us. It has also taught us a lot about time management, which is crucial.

Another important learning for us through these assignments has been team work. Even before we got to know each other well, my batch mates and I were working on the same team in some project or another. It brought out this incredible bond amongst us, which I believe will lead to long lasting friendships in the future.

The campus with its serene surroundings is the perfect place to hang out and nurture these bonds. Our first choice of things to do would always be a trek on the small hills around the campus. We sing motivational songs, push each other to go further and higher. The experience of reaching the peak as a team is something that cannot be described in words.

While there are these fun moments, things get pretty serious in the classroom. There are various activities like live project assignments, writing project reports that teach us a lot about management concepts. We also get an insight into the corporate world and into the minds of renowned professionals through guest lectures.

One of the most important aspects of learning at KIAMS is the relationship we share with our seniors and faculty members. They are very knowledgeable and help us whenever we have any issues to deal with. I like the fact that they are easily approachable and we can talk to them as equals, which I doubt you would see at any other institute.

Everyone at KIAMS, including the non teaching staff has been welcoming. That’s the reason we have never felt that we are away from home. This has become our home away from home and I believe this association will only get stronger and richer over time. I just know that this is going to be one of the most enriching experiences of my life.

‘KIAMS Made Me What I Am Today’

Ashim Chahal
PGDM General

But I wasn’t too sure of my decision even as I joined KIAMS. I even thought of shifting to another college at one point. I am glad I didn’t. We had a small and interactive peer group. The batch was supportive, yet extremely competitive. A peer group of 11 boys and 16 girls, our main focus was on maintaining our GPA throughout.

Doing my majors in marketing and finance, I was able to easily strike the right balance between studies and fun. In the first year, we used to enjoy our journey to the hostel from college. The time spent with each other is something that is deeply engraved in my heart. On getting to the hostel, I focused on studying. Now that in 2nd year we have considerably fewer classes, we have more time for fun. Studies are never affected and we keep the right balance. I think this is one of the benefits of our small peer group.

Professor Sunil BrijKishan is one member of the faculty I am deeply indebted to. His Business Communication classes helped me overcome my stage fright and helped me to develop skills and confidence in public speaking.

All this greatly helped me in my summer internship where I joined Liberty Shoes as a finance researcher. My job was research intensive. I have now been placed at Genpact in the management department. My job profile is growth-oriented and is inclined towards statistical research.

I believe that not being nervous and just being myself has helped me greatly in securing this job. KIAMS has been instrumental in my growth as an individual. For this, and for everything that life has to offer now, I am grateful to KIAMS for making me what I am today.

Ashim Chahal

PGDM General