KIAMS bags top award from CSR

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26 April 2016

KIAMS has been awarded the prestigious “CSR Top Institutes of India Award 2016” at Le Meridien, New Delhi on 24 April along with IIMA, IMT Ghaziabad, Symbiosis, IIT’s and other Institutes. The annual national level awards are presented by the reputed Competition Success Review (CSR) Group.

Dr. CN Narayana, Principal Director received the award on behalf of KIAMS. Reacting to the award, Dr. CN Narayana said “KIAMS appreciates the dedication of all faculty, staff, students, and alumni of KIAMS for the extraordinary and concerted efforts in the last one year.”

Dr. CN Narayana is working to fulfill Mr. SL Kirloskar’s vision of achieving excellence in education and is confident that KIAMS will reach the list of Top 30 institutes of India in next two years. KIAMS was set up more than 25 years back when Mr. SL Kirloskar laid the foundation stone of the Institute. The Institute was envisaged as a Centre of Excellence that focused on industry-immersed management education for managers of the 5 Kirloskar Group companies. Subsequently, KIAMS transcended into a much-aspired B-schoolin 1995 and has continued its rich tradition and built on its strong foundation under the current generation of the Kirloskar family.The CSR Award is yet another market recognition that follows the numerous accolades KIAMS has received in 2016, including the ‘Knowledge Management Leadership Award’ at the ‘Golden Globe Tigers Education Leadership Awards’ in Malaysia.

About CSR

Competition Success Review, or CSR for short, is India’s premier general knowledge magazine. The magazine is hugely popular across India, particularly with students who wish to appear for competitive entrance exams (Civil Service, MBA and others). Its content includes general knowledge trivia with a focus on Indian current events, Interview with IAS toppers, Interview and GD tips and sample question papers for different competitive examinations.

CSR was established in 1964 by Mr. S. K. Sachdeva who is also the Managing Director. Its popularity is validated by many sources – as per Audit Bureau of Circulation figures CSR is India’s Largest Selling Magazine in English Among all Fortnightlies & Monthlies (January- June 2007).

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.

KIAMS hosts its 17th Convocation Day

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On April 9th, Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies (KIAMS) organized its 17th Convocation ceremony in the presence of leading names from the industry and the world of academia. The bright, new graduates were joined by their family members and proud faculty members at the Pune Campus of the Institute. Mr. Sanjiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv Ltd., was the Chief Guest of the ceremony and his Convocation Address was one of the highlights of the day.

The convocation was the culmination of two years of hard work by the PGDM 2016 class. In all, students received their diplomas. The convocation also saw medals awarded for merit – Shruti Hariharan was the winner of the Gold Medal (Overall), while the Silver Medal (Overall) was awarded to Karen Saldanha . There were also four Gold Medalists (for each specialisation) from PGDM Batch 17 – Shruti  Hariharan (Human Resource); Karen Saldanha (Marketing); Bimal Raj (Operations) & Vinay Maurya (Finance).

The President, Mr. Rahul Kirloskar, declared the 17th Convocation Day of KIAMS open at eleven in the morning as the convocation procession entered the venue. In his welcome address, he said, “It’s a mixed day for us at KIAMS having to see so many beloved students leave us, while the sense of pride in them and our best wishes for their future make it a very grand occasion”. With this, he also introduced the Chief Guest, Mr. Sanjiv Bajaj.

Dr. C. N. Narayana, Principal Director, KIAMS, then presented the Director’s Report. It had been a noteworthy year for KIAMS with two national level awards and one international level award under its belt, including the “National Education Award for best B School with Industry Related Curriculum in Marketing.” It also won the “Top Business School of India” award given by the renowned CSR magazine, along with several other recognitions for excellence in management education. For the first time, KIAMS made it to Top 50 private Business Schools of India (Business World 2015) and overall top 50 Business Schools of India (including IIMS and FMS by Outlook and the 32nd position in Career 360 ranking).

Dr. Narayana mentioned different initiatives like the introduction of ‘Expert’s Day Out’ with renowned academicians from IIM-B, Washington University, and Howard University. To give students exposure, the institute has started accepting corporate challenges, such as devising the advertising campaign for Onida. The results have shown in the placement season, which maintained the Institute’s consistent track record with more than 90% of students placed by the 31st of March. Over 70 companies took part in placements this year and the highest CTC package was a substantial Rs. 14 lakhs.

Dr. Narayana then wished the new graduates good luck, urging them to realize their dreams as they become future ambassadors for KIAMS. “There is a paradigm shift in education sector because of the advent of technology, he said. “KIAMS has tried to keep up with that with innovative tools to offer our students the best modern learning experience. We hope you will build on that and scale new heights of success as you represent your B School that will remain proud of you”.

Congratulating the graduating students in his address, Mr. Bajaj advised the students “this is your day and you should make the most of it. You all will disperse after today and you need to make the most of your time together today. Tomorrow, a new chapter of your life begins.” The graduates were then handed their diplomas by the Chief Guest. Mr. Rahul Kirloskar.

With a formal Vote of Thanks and presentation of the Memento to the Chief Guest, the ceremony was drawn to a close. Students then got together for the Class of 2016 photograph. They leave campus with cherished memories of the two years spent there and an eye firmly fixed on their future.

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.

Shruti Hariharan talks about looking at the bigger picture after bagging the placement of her choice.

“By nature, I was never the studious kind but KIAMS imbibed a thirst for knowledge in me. After I came here I only wanted to learn and grow as a person, a professional. There have been many fantastic experiences on this journey and it has groomed me into a well rounded professional,” says Shruti Hariharan, student of PGDM Batch 17 who has been placed with Vodlo India Pvt Ltd as a HR Generalist. Here’s the story of her transformation from a not so studious Science graduate to a management professional with a promising future ahead of her.

We start with what she considers probably the biggest day of her life when she bagged a placement with the company and role of her choice. “I had cleared the first round for two companies but was really hoping that I get placed with Vodlo. They had asked me to come back the next day and I thought it would be for the next round but I got an offer! I looked at the offer letter about a hundred times before the sense of achievement set in,” she says.

Shruti had worked for a start-up company for 15 months before she decided that she would like to make a career in Human Resources. She had heard good things about KIAMS from seniors, which made her decision easier. Now her dream has come true and she looks forward to the challenges ahead. “I will be responsible for HR policy, design & implementation, appraisal, employee management & engagement, reward management besides recruitment and selection,” she states.

On what went well during the interview, she mentions that her knowledge of the field helped her immensely. Shruti says she wasn’t bluffing during the interview and talking from the experiences her institute had given her, which filled her with confidence. “I wasn’t nervous or ambiguous at all. I dug deep into my experience including that of my SIP with JM financial, Bangalore, which had given me an insight into work culture,” she explains.

According to Shruti, the mock interview sessions held by the institute also helped her prepare for the big day. She also gives credit to her faculty who she calls her mentors, motivators, advisers, critics and friends at the same time. “I am going to miss relying on their experience and knowledge whenever I needed them. But I feel these relationships will last in the future as well. So will the friendships that I have built in the last two years. I am going to miss the campus, the buzz and all the celebrations, which made it a family like environment,” she adds emotionally.

For her juniors who might be apprehensive about a career in HR, Shruti has sound advice. “I agree that there are many preconceived notions about HR but many of them are misconceptions. You might think that getting a job in the field is difficult but if you are passionate about HR and want to make a career in it then nobody can stop you. Don’t think narrowly about the job or salary package. Look at the bigger picture; where you want to be, what you want to do and things will fall into place,” she concludes. And haven’t they fallen into place rather well for her.

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.

KIAMS ranked in Top 50 B-schools of India by BusinessWorld

15 December 2015, Harihar. Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies, widely known as KIAMS, has achieved 43rd position out of 4200 + business schools in India the prestigious Business World rankings. The survey carried out by C fore in association with Business World listed IIMA, IIMB, IIMC and IIML as the Top 4 B-schools of the country. The survey was released on the 14th of December 2015 in the BW ‘B-School Education Special’. Bearing the title “The future of education and its leading tycoons”, the survey marked the return of many well-established B-schools back amongst the ‘A listers’.

Dr. C.N.Narayana, Director, KIAMS, sees recent market correction as a major reason for a much more efficient survey ranking, cutting through the “noise” that had crept in over the last few years in B-school surveys. According to him,supply outweighs demand of business education and this slowdown was only a matter of time.

“Many B Schools faced a shortfall on the admissions front this year. Institutes that relied heavily on marketing and were unable to catch up on innovation had to move out of the fray. On the flip side, B-schools with strong industry credentials, like KIAMS, which have continuously delivered quality, continue doing well even in seemingly adverse times.”

The BW annual B-school survey sets pretty high standards for its rankings. It assesses B-schools on an exhaustive set of parameters – 12 in all – that cover every possible aspect of business education. These parameters are Leadership/ Governance Quality, Faculty Welfare Development, Competence of Faculty, Student Intake/ Selection Process, Curriculum & Pedagogy, Industry Interface, Research, Infrastructure and Facilities, Placements, Internationalism, Life skills/ Soft Skills, and Value For Money. Of the total score of 3400, maximum weightage is accorded to Placements (500), followed by Industry Interface, Research, and Infrastructure and Facilities (400 each).

 “KIAMS has spearheaded numerous industry-oriented innovations in full-time PGDM education,” said Dr. C.N. Narayana, Director, KIAMS. “We introduced the Balanced Growth Card – a holistic evaluation of the student that focuses not only on performance outcomes but also on demonstrated effort and underlying competencies. We were the first to Introduce seminar credits. This brought to the student the latest industrial practices in management, delivered by industry practitioners.”

Raised in 1991, KIAMS is celebrating its silver jubilee year. Originally designed for the purpose of being a captive management centre-of-excellence for the managers of Kirloskar Group, KIAMS became a regular B-school in 1995 with a strong industry-based curriculum. This move was deeply motivated by the larger benefit to the nation. By the late nineties, the Indian economy had opened up considerably, and industry-relevant managers were the prime need of growth and nation building. KIAMS adopted “Education through Values” as its credo… its ruling paradigm, in line with the Kirloskar philosophy and outlook. Today, KIAMS graduates all over the world are recognized for their industry-immersed knowledge.

KIAMS celebrates its 25th Foundation Day in style and draws on its achievements to inspire students

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25^th November 2015 also happened to be the 25^th Foundation Day of KIAMS and practically everyone involved with the institute came together to celebrate it with aplomb. It was on this day in 1990 that Sri S.L Kirloskar laid the foundation for the institute that came into being with the goal to provide outstanding education; academic, social and extracurricular, and to create opportunities for all students to excel. Over the years it has managed to do just that and a whole lot more, which is visible in the achievements of its alumni, who remain the institute’s glorious ambassadors.

So it was also the day to look back on the sterling achievements of KIAMS and anticipate all that it has in store for students of today and tomorrow. The campus, venue for the revelries had taken on a festive look and the excitement was palpable all around. The day was made more special by the presence of Mr. Raghunath Medge, President of the Dabbawala Association Mumbai. It was also a big day for PGDM 1 toppers; Shruti Hariharan, who stood first, and Karen Saldhana and Surabhi Rathore, who ranked second. They were big winners at the prize distribution ceremony along with summer internship achievers, Rana Amar Singh (1^st prize) and Nikhil Stephen Daniel (2^nd prize).

Shruti also had the privilege of leading the gathering for the auspicious Invocation that started the proceedings for the day on a thoughtful note. The traditional lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries present in the gathering followed. There were big names from the industry and academia present for the occasion. The Chief Guest, Mr. Medge was then introduced by Ms. Gayathri Sunil Kumar, who talked about the dabbawallas in Mumbai, described as the Phenomenon by New York Times. Mr. Medge heads six sigma organization and it was interesting to note the work he has done over the years.

The Dabbawalla association has 5000 employees that deliver over a lakh tiffins in a day, and has statistically been shown to make one mistake in six million deliveries. While the students were informed about the history of the association, Mr. Medge talked about inflection point that organized business construction comes with perseverance. According to him, “A mix of hard work, dedication and militant commitment made the dabbawalla association a renowned, six – sigma organization, as described Forbes magazine.” His inspiring words were followed by a pat on the back for the meritorious students who were rewarded for their efforts during the prize distribution ceremony. But it was a day when everyone went back home with crucial takeaways and a of course a smile on their faces, after being a part of the special day for KIAMS.