Alumni

Notable Alumni of IILM

The Future of Financial Analytics

Alumni, IILM Graduate School of Management, , ,

The industry has become so competitive; newfound ventures are posing a challenge to the old giants. Time duration has shortened to achieve targets of becoming a billion-dollar company. It took years for Tata, Birla and Mahindra to join the billion-dollar club whereas Flipkart became a $15.5 Billion company in just 13 years. Innovations in computer and IT fields have changed the way we see a business in the last few decades. The Internet is generating data in Gigabytes every day. Financial analysts explore the financial data and use financial ratios to generate meaningful reports for the company and the competitors. In a VUCA, world businesses want to make the strategy for tomorrow with more accuracy. Analytics answers these business queries. A combination of statistical models and computer software with financial analysis can add cherries in the financial reports. Note that, I am not denying or minimizing the relevance of financial ratios or financial analysis.

Top business schools now not just focus on teaching financial analysis and financial analytics because the later one facilitates predictive modelling. In short, it tells us, what is going to be the next?

Financial analytics is a forward approach. It focuses on identifying the business problem first and provides solutions. Financial analytics is a great tool in the field of risk management and investment. Being In the domain of financial analytics, your concerns are not just finance but all the business operations.

Let us see the few aspects of financial analytics-

#1 News Analytics- Stock prices and investor’s sentiments are highly correlated. News is a powerful tool that affects an investor’s sentiments. For instance, analysts commented on the press conferences of President Trump making an upward move in the US stock market. An analyst needs to create a model that can infer the effect of the news. A business school or MBA program students looking for a career in financial analytics must have an insight into the effect of the news on the stock price.

#2  Credit Risk Analytics- Default of receivables affects the liquidity of the organisation. This branch is very useful for banks and NBFCs. It analyses and predicts the future chances of default and the possible clients that may become defaulter in the future. Lending institutions can take preventive actions for such clients.

#3  Revenue and Pricing Analytics– Pricing covers everything whatever an organization does. A small change in the pricing of the product can create drastic changes in the revenue. While changing the price you need to check how you can increase value to the consumer. And the price must be acceptable to the consumer. MBA in Delhi NCR and PGDM colleges are offering dual specialization. Students with dual degrees in finance and marketing can get good opportunities if they are also interested in playing with numbers in statistics.

#4 Cash Management Analytics- This is a proactive approach to forecasting the liquidity and working capital requirement. It is also helpful in inspecting the blockage of smooth flows of payment. It further optimizes and rationalizes the cash management process efficiently. Some management graduates don’t like to go in the field of the stock market and prefer to be in the area of accounting so they can join this field.

#5 Trade and Supply Chain Finance Analytics- MBA, PGDM or BBA students looking to work not in a specific domain but for a business as a whole can be a part of this field. Trade analytics is all about finding new territories and customers for the products. In marketing language, it is about finding a niche market. However, supply chain finance is related to logistics and financing of the supply chain. Businesses want to minimize the cost that results in a minimum price. An analyst in supply chain looks for the possibilities to minimize the cost of transportation.

We have just scratched the crust of financial analytics. There are several possibilities available for students for job opportunities and businesses to minimize the cost and maximize the profitability. Students facing phobia of mathematics and its related branches must understand that mathematics and its interdisciplinary branches will rule the world in industry 4.0.

In the coming times some people will be either making mathematical or statistical models while others might be implementing these models and take major decisions based on them. Keeping this in view, students looking for Business schools or MBA in Delhi NCR must prepare themselves for Financial Analytics as a career option. All they need to do is work hard and exercise effort while pursuing an MBA / PGDM program to gain expertise in financial analytics.

There is a lot to explore in this area, for more information on Financial Analytics & related readings follow my blogs on IILM Blog site https://blog.iilm.edu or write to me at ashutosh.singh@iilmgsm.ac.in. We look forward to students creating a difference.

 

 

 

 

 

This shall too pass…till then let’s try Meraki!

This shall too pass…till then let’s try Meraki!

Alumni, General Blog, Guest Blog

I know those frowning faces with irksome stretched online classes or work from home, as they say it’s the new normal or ordinaire. What’s normal or what’s not, I am not here to infer that. Neither am I here to draw conclusions about who played the bad-boy and ignited our 2020 with full of remorseful endeavours. Neither shall I salt the wound of families who have been affected by the pandemic. We all know about it. And we all are waiting to surface our sorrows and joys above it; float above the virus massacre of 2020.

Then what must our dialogue entail…time to ponder!

Have you guys ever thought about why all of a sudden, it’s us? Us in the brink of an utmost apathy by our creators–the nature, the water, the air, the sky and above all the earth? Maybe yes some of us have, through fathomless research, readings; and maybe not! But my implication is not soul-searching but rather to pull our lives back exactly to the years gone by and re-think to relive it differently. Now how’s that possible? As we all are judicious beings, we believe in tangibility mostly. Money is time’s new definition and more the time, let’s pour some more money…isn’t it? Don’t worry, we all have our minds clocked and locked on our wellbeing… we create and think to create more often. In the midst of only creation of means to wellbeing, we lose most of it by the time we realize it.

Hence, let’s come back to my fundamental ask—Can we re-think or re-live our lives backwards? Scientifically we can’t as time is a factor that is linear…even if somebody builds or secretively has a time machine- we can’t redo our lives—as physicists might argue about paradoxes! On possessing a very unscientific, illogical mind, I’ll offer you my consolation of not being able to solve that paradox. But my dear smarties, we can certainly re-live our lives- in moments of our passions that we enjoy the most while executing- Meraki.

Meraki will guide you and your work (be it studies/profession/job/hobbies) in a time where everyone is busy tabulating the viral count across the globe. Somebody asked me if Meraki is a replicated version of Tiktok or yet another type of a PS4, I smiled back to them stating, ‘It’s my bad!’ So, if you guys are unsure of Meraki, I have already smirked at you all too. Since, I believe that I have induced in the right vocab in your dictionary now.

Now let’s see how this Meraki can help you evolve from this situation that is going to persist for some more months.

  • Whenever you wake up- put Meraki into thankfulness for still being alive! Hurrah!
  • While preparing morning tea/breakfast/helping your house-mate-involve meraki
  • While relaxing, add observational task as your meraki
  • While petting your bird or dog, look at them and pet them enough to utter meraki
  • While cleaning your house-meraki can do a better job than most trained house helps
  • While taking up your online courses, meraki might help you achieve an A plus
  • While reading a book, it can turn you into an online book reviewer
  • Just wondering if while reading this article, your meraki can make you like it 😉

There are too many mundane yet necessary tasks/activities that we do undesirably with great complaints. However, using the miracles of meraki, we can change our lives, we can relive ourselves in small yet ordinary tasks… what used to be a complaining, boring and uncool and unproductive hours of our lives yesterday could be our elated freedom in times of today.

Meraki is the spice we need to blend in our activities of today so as to relive those mundane moments. As the crisis has proven to us that life and its associated echoes are not old-fashioned—what’s uncool is the regular whines, the complaints and ultimately no life at all!

My focus is more on your well-being, your pustimarga and Meraki is the way forward.

Reach out to thank me! 😉

Note: Meraki is a Greek terminology that believes in putting your heart & soul into whatever task/work you do. I hope that helps! ☺

Nidra Naik
Novelist & Poet
Accenture
PGDM Batch 2004-06, IILM Lodhi Road

Email: nidranaik@gmail.com
www.nidranaik.com

How IILM Turns Uncut Stones into Shining Diamonds

How IILM Turns Uncut Stones into Shining Diamonds – An Alumni Story by Firdaus Shadab Alam of Deloitte India

Alumni, Career Development (Placement), Global Study, , , , , , , , ,

One year after graduating with honors and a boring B.com degree had me thinking life has me beat. Been there? Good, now let’s talk about how it all changes.

My desperate attempt to find a job, any job had me going down a rabbit hole of researching for MBA colleges. At first glance, they all looked the same to me. I could not differentiate one from another. I sat for many interviews but once I visited IILM I knew this is where I’m going to study. To call it a college with a big heart is an understatement. This is a family, one where every second faculty member cares just as much about your future as your immediate family. So, me and my sister packed our bags, bid the city of Joy adieu and proceeded to live in the campus hostel for what I can without doubt call the best 2 years of my life.

While I did not have any specific expectations as a newbie but having previously done my graduation in Accounting, my main motivation was to pursue finance and get placed in a reputed accounting firm. My teachers did me one better and suggested I get a dual major in Finance and marketing. I only wanted to be an accountant but from learning economics to finance to big data science I now work in the Innovation team in Deloitte. A few years ago, if someone told me I would be working in such an offbeat and dynamic role I never would have believed it.

From early morning classes, to running around campus for assignments, and late-night study sessions to the interesting competitions, corporate exposure & continuous interaction with the corporates- there is never a dull moment on campus.The course is rigorously planned, giving each student the ambient condition and many opportunities to explore their full potential and polish their leadership skills. The days sometimes seem endless, coffee tends to become a constant ally to navigate through the myriad of projects, role plays, case discussions & group assignments. I often played table tennis with my peers to lighten the mood after a hectic day.

Unlike other colleges I saw most of my batchmates getting their dream job. From summer internships to final placement the CDC team has you covered. I did my internship at WNS Global Services Private Limited as I wanted to learn more about research and how one can transform it into a career.

On one hand I had the finance professor (Mr. Raju Majumdar) teaching us how to formulate a strategy or correctly analyze a balance sheet and on the other you have (Mr. Rajkishan Nair) teaching you the importance of self-awareness and moral judgement, in our post-modern world it is very important to understand what moves the world and how asking the fundamental questions will keep you on top of your game every single day.I thank each teacher who taught me so well that I graduated and was awarded the Gold Medal, from learning how to negotiate with absolute certainty, to remembering each word written by Philip Kotler to understanding why Big data is the next big gold mine. The faculty here will teach you everything and more. And most importantly they will do it with grace and patience. 

IILM for me was not only about the monetary return on investment. It has other non-monetary benefits added to the package which seems to lack in the average rung Indian B-schools. It has its own brand and its own value. They teach you hard skills such as marketing operations, economics and so on and soft skills such as teamwork, communication and leadership. Most importantly, it helps you establish the valuable ‘network’ and ‘contacts’ and you are left with more than just a degree. Everyone you network with during the period— fellow students, alumni, faculty staff, and visiting speakers — will prove invaluable when it comes to seeking out a high-profile internship and, eventually, a job.

Firduas Shadab Alam

Innovation Team at  Deloitte India

Alumnus- Batch (16-18)

Apply now for global education at IILM. Visit www.iilm.edu

 

Myths about Green Economy: Busted

Alumni, Campus Life, Career Development (Placement), General Blog, IILM Graduate School of Management, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Undergraduate Business School, IILM University, , , , , , , ,

Greenery calms down our eyes and mind. It symbolizes life, freshness, nature, harmony, energy, and fertility. The world is facing serious challenges in environmental front. To motivate people to stop contaminating the environment, Environmentalist, and environmental enthusiasts are using “Green” concepts everywhere. At IILM with a blend of management and engineering, we create Eco friendly surroundings. Same concept is used for green economy.

“An economy is the production and consumption of goods and services and flow of money. Then what is Green Economy? Is Green economy all about planting trees in the world? Let us make it short and simple by explaining Green Economy. Green Economy stands for accelerating economic activities and infrastructure that are helpful in low carbon emission, increase energy conservation, and efficient use of resources.

There are certain myths about green economy, which you will also relay on-

  • Every business around is polluting environment. Agricultural waste makes Delhi’s atmosphere  suffocating every year, chemical fertilizers contaminating underground water. Agriculture a major sector in green economy is polluting our country. Therefore, green economy is just a concept for books.
  • Everything around is driven by fossil fuel. Electricity for metro trains generated from the thermal power plants using coal. In actual we are not conserving the environment. Environmental protection, social benefits and profit making cannot go together. Again, green economy is a myth.
  • Green economy cannot grow like fossil fuel based economy. This economic model will not get acceptability of citizens. So it is a myth.
  • Shifting economy from fossil fuel to other energy sources may result in job loss. Governments won’t be able to afford this, so it’s a myth.

Let us burst the Myths about Green Economy

#Myth-1 Industry transformation in Green Economy

Businesses will get transformed into green economy. Present MSME like renewable energy, sustainable transportation, waste management, green residential areas, water management, land management, fisheries, agriculture, forestry, etc. will work on large scale. There are certain areas in the business that yet to be explored. Organic farming can make agriculture non polluting, healthy and profitable.

#Myth-2 Environmental protection, Social benefits, and profit making cannot go together

  1. J. Kurian of Amul, Shri Mahila Grh Udyog and several other Indian examples has proven that social benefit and profit making can go together. Both of them uplifted the people financially. Government of Gujarat has introduced a project of installing solar panels on 19000 Km long network of canals of Narmada River. Hence, above myth has been proven wrong

#Myth-3 Growth of Green Economy is perceive slow

Renewable energy and recycling can be the key drivers to foster green economy. Availability of energy and raw material economically is the need of industry. Renewable energy is an economic and sustainable source of energy and recycling can provide cheaper raw material. India’s 55% of energy requirement will be covered by renewable energy sources by 2030, if this sector will grow at the same pace.

#Myth-4 Career and Job Opportunities are limited

Whenever technology shifts, it affects the job market, and existing jobs transform. India’s top business schools are carving our future managers and technocrats to work in present environment and cope up with future challenges. Research will play a key role for every student.

At IILM College of Engineering, Department of Biotechnology trains students in hydroponic technology, vermin compost, bio compost etc. Our Alumnus and existing students are working with reputed brands at renewable energy sector. Civil engineers at IILM are developing methods of using non-degradable plastic in construction. This will change the future construction techniques and minimize pollution.

Coming to the end of discussion, I would like to support  Green Economy as- industries can easily shift to renewable energy sources, Green economy will grow at the same pace like fossil fuel based on our  economy there will be no dearth of career opportunities. Green economy will contribute in better health of citizens. Citizens can start practicing basic  fundamentals of green economy by using solar power, compost in kitchen gardens which are  very beneficial in  conserving energy.

For more information on green economy related readings follow my blogs on IILM Blog site https://blog.iilm.edu or write to me at ashutosh.singh@iilmgsm.ac.in

Dancing Market: Optimism or Insanity?

Alumni, Campus Blog Category, Campus Life, Career Development (Placement), Conferences, Faculty, General Blog, Global Study, Guest Blog, IILM Graduate School of Management, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Undergraduate Business School, IILM University, , , , , , ,

In the era of COVID-19 when WHO has declared it as a pandemic. India is under the lockdown for more than sixty days like all other nations in the world. All the economic activities were shuttered down till lockdown 3.0. The future outlook for the Indian economy is not pleasant. Analysts are expecting negative growth for Financial Year 2021. Almost all medium and small-scale businesses are in crisis. Most of them have shut their shops and laid off their employees. Big business houses have announced a salary cut for their employees. For April, the Auto industry first time have observed zero production output. The unemployment rate is at an all-time high. Scores of migrant laborers have moved back to their native places.

In this gloomy scenario across the nation stock market is dancing like anything. Though, it is not at the record height as it was during February but it is not that bad either. Eventually, soon after the announcement of the lockdown market slumped to almost half but this state did not last long. At present, the market is hovering around the level of 2017 which under the present circumstances is quite amazing.

Barometer of Economy?

It is time to evaluate the phrase ‘SENSEX is the barometer of Indian Economy‘. Is it a barometer to gauge the economic activities anymore? The stock market is considered a leading indicator of the economy. It was believed that there is a high correlation exist between the stock market and economy but this correlation does persist?

Fool’s Paradise!

Though the stock market is not a true representative of the economy nowadays it seems like the market has divorced the economy especially to all whatever is happening around us; whatever is the reality of economic activities. The stock market is not showing any concern to the more than fifty-nine lacs corona positive cases around the world and more than forty-seven hundred deaths in India. Stock market and particularly investors are living in paradise.

Future Outlook

There are various explanations for this insane behavior of stock investors. First and foremost, the explanation is that stock prices are always based on the future outlook, not the present. Present stock prices are the discounted cash flows expected from stock in the future. So, the present stock prices reflect that investors believe that economy will have a speedy recovery shortly.

Expectations from Government

Investor’s expectation of a substantially large stimulus package from the government went in vain. Investors have a strong feeling that the government will be able to overcome all difficulties in the economic front. The historic decision of reducing the corporate tax rates and conceptualizing the idea of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is giving hope to the investors.

The central government, as well as Reserve Bank, has already taken measures in terms of various fiscal and monetary policies to infuse the liquidity in the system. The financial year which generally ends on March 31 has been extended till June 30 exhibits commitment of government toward economic measures. Investors are betting on such strong interventions of government to boost the profitability of corporate houses in the future. The first year of NDA 2.0 is rated positively by various analysts which is enough to boost the confidence of investors.

Investment Options

Even more, now investors have not left with more options to invest as the prevailing interest rate on government bonds and all small saving schemes have been reduced. If we adjust the returns from these schemes with inflation, we will get negative returns for almost all investment products. So, the stock market is the only option left for investors to park their excess money with.

Optimism for Vaccine

Stock investors are at present feeling more optimistic about the future than the doctors and scientists who are working on the development of a cure for the Corona virus. Investors are expecting that soon enough a vaccine for the same will be discovered on which the whole world is working.

Black-box Theory

Another theory argues that all investors are operating as a black-box process. No one knows about the future of investments or till when this pandemic end and the road to normality be back. It is just the mere expectations which are leading the market at present. Investors are also active because they fear being left behind. New investors are considering this time as an opportunity to enter into the market at this level which may not come around again.

Parallel with Lehman Crisis

If we draw a parallel between the current crisis with the financial crisis of 2009, we get a hint from there also about this euphoria in the market. In November 2009 when the future of economies was pathetic even then the stock market across the world was mostly up by more than 50 percent from the past year while the economies were only growing by 1 percent for that particular one-year period. People were investing based on their expectations not based on ground reality. So, again history is repeating itself in the market.

Advice for Novice Investors

It can be inferred that expectation of the majority is driving the market than reality. Investors are not acting insane rather they have optimist future outlook. For investors, market timing is really important. For a novice investor, it is time to get into the market with a long horizon. If you have missed the wagon in 2017 then prices are again around that level. ‘Buy with caution’ is the mantra for success.

At IILM, students are being prepared to analyse the economic situation and to identify the trend for investments to be successful. We conduct live trading sessions for better understanding of the same. For more information on stock market one can approach at kumar.saurabh@iilmgsm.ac.in.

career development

The Community Identity, a Sense of Belonging

Alumni, Campus Life, Career Development (Placement), IILM University, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A community is an identity, an entity. And therefore, it is important.

Community is a group of people in a shared interest or loving space and have similar characteristics. When it comes to human civilisation, a community is a thriving ecosystem having its unique DNA, social and legal structure, beliefs, and practices. Threads of reliance and togetherness among the community members keep it alive. Community is an important facilitating agent of influence and change as it consists of people who share common thought processes and camaraderie. We usually talk about urban, suburban, and rural communities. But communities are varied and formed based on shared lifestyle and beliefs, like religious communities, occupational communities, political ideological communities etc.  All this make the concept of a community very relevant and important for businesses and government and whoever intends to sell an idea, service, product, or positive behaviours.

Building Community

Community building is a field of practice that aims to connect with a target group of people with a message in an effective way. Sometimes also called community development, it is a communication strategy and has time and again proved successful for the enhancement of a community. Community building exercises are important especially in a developing and populous country like India having a huge stratum of poor and rural population with high illiteracy and traditional belief system. Many social development policies and interventions of government and non-government agencies use community centric implementation strategies to bring about positive change. Social marketing of public policies and interventions are most effective when designed in a community specific manner, e.g, ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ interventions will be different for a tribal community in Rajasthan or Haryana which are areas steeped in patriarchy and religious beliefs than rest of India where female infanticide problems are not so grave. Health insurance concept can be promoted in a better way through community-based health insurance schemes (CBHI) to bring more adoption and utilisation of the concept, eg. VimoSewa of Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in Gujarat that built a community of poor and self-employed women. Community buildings help the government in achieving the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In a similar way, the power of community has been leveraged in many other development interventions like immunization, mother and child nutrition, disease or pandemic management, awareness programmes etc. The community members look up to community influencers and their peers to adopt to change rather than a plain reason to change.

Marketer Relevance

The community has always been attractive to the marketer who targets specific markets or niches to sell its products and services. A new whey protein manufacturer targets the gym going and vegan community specifically as it makes more sense to gain ground and a steady revenue stream. Lakers team in basketball is a world-famous brand that has built its own community of Laker fans to whom it sells its Laker merchandise. When Harley Davidson was incurring losses and had reached on the verge of shutting its shop, it tried the community building method (HOG-Harley Owners Group) for its bikes and accessories through its community building strategy.  Podcast uses community building and marketing strategies successfully to run its business in the face of tough competition from video-centric content. Mobile companies like Oneplus and Apple use community building and marketing strategies to promote their products and new launches.

A business can build its community through face to face personal contact, social media presence where the page google analytics can help the business check the leverage. Campaigns, events, theatre plays, festivals, fairs, social work and relevant, quality offerings that connect with the members help to build communities for the products where members feel involved. Marketing efforts for any product or service to the communities is easier and fruitful.

IILM and Community Building

Community building efforts help maintain lifelong connects. Many educational institutions, for example, IILM University, lays a lot of stress in harbouring its alumni community, roping them in for guest lectures, motivational talks and placements and highlighting them on a pedestal pf inspiration for future students. Every student feels part of the IILM family long after he/she has left the organisation. for its social work and CSR initiatives, IILM University also adopts villages in its vicinity and promotes education, healthcare, and other programmes of social upliftment for the poor communities. Students actively participate with full zeal in such programmes and develop a commitment towards community building for the larger good of the nation

Therefore, community building and marketing is important for organisations and businesses to remain relevant and in the competition. It not only empowers the business but also the customer. A thriving community ensures a happy society. Community building will also help in reducing social disintegration, harmful behaviours and will knit fabric of social support, social justice, and economic development along with brand loyalties.

The trend of community building and marketing is getting more prevalent and more niches will be created. It will not be exaggerating to say that community will be the future of marketing. Future marketers and policymakers should concentrate their efforts towards community building to remain relevant in the new age business and marketing scenario. It will be very beneficial for students to opt for Institutions like IILM that have dedicated community building programs which give ample exposure to students in this domain and help with their placements and career development. Students need to take up skills like interpersonal communication, blogging, public speaking, communication design etc. very seriously to gain competitive advantage. such skills are much in demand and will bring an added shine to their personality to make them stand out in the crowd. In this regard, students can further follow the author’s blog on IILM blog site or connect personally for queries and guidance on the email given.

Follow my blogs or write to me at shahana.qutab.phd2019@iilm.edu

Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experience

IILM, a great place to begin!

Alumni, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Stories, Testimonials, , ,

HR Analyst at Google, Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experience

When writing about my experiences at IILM, I have so many thoughts playing and dancing around in my mind. There is so much to say yet to sum up the lively and life changing experiences in one blog is rather difficult. Summarizing the amazing and awesome memories and learnings into a few hundred words seems like an injustice to the holistic and multi-dimensional experiences I had at IILM. However, let me pen down some of my thoughts and memories for you.

Caring and Supportive Faculty Members at IILM

Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experienceThe foremost thing I want to share about is the faculty at IILM. They are all brilliant minds brimming with knowledge. The faculty members at IILM taught us not just theory but explained all the concepts through experiential learning and case studies that helped us understand the theoretical concepts better and how to apply them to real situations. They trained us, groomed us, and trained us to make great presentations as well as how to speak and conduct ourselves with confidence. Although the daily routine and long hours of teaching sometimes felt tough but the professional environment and the strict code of discipline constantly pushed us to learn and improve ourselves, I am really grateful for it because it prepared us well for all the future challenges.

While the professors believed in academic rigour, they were caring and warm. They were always approachable, ready to lend a helping hand to students academically and emotionally. I developed strong bonds with my professors and some of them are still like family to me.

Industry Exposure at IILM

Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experienceWe were exposed to industry and their working style as IILM regularly organized industry visits, conferences attended by industry leaders, invited international guest faculty and internships. All these activities made us corporate ready by increasing our understanding of how the real-world works. The learning in the classroom and beyond had a long-lasting impact on my professional choices, decisions, and journey.

Exposure to International Education at IILM

The study abroad program offered by IILMprovideda great exposure to the students and we learnt about the nuances of business studies in other parts of the world. I had gone to University of Winnipeg in Canada and was exposed to a new culture and society as well as learnt about international business practices. I gained confidence and was able to do much better in my personal and professional interactions because of the study abroad program. The exposure was especially helpful when I began working in the corporate world.

Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experience
After completing my PGDM I began my corporate journey and my experiences at IILM helped me to successfully manage my professional life. I can successfully approach problems, find solutions, and make right decisions because of my training at IILM. The encouragement received has also helped me to continue with my passion for public speaking and creative writing.

Thank you IILM for making me believe in me through an all-round educational experience, a holistic exposure and the support of your caring faculty

Avlokita Narang
Batch 2016-18

Whatever-I-am-is-all-because-of-IILM

Whatever I am is all because of IILM: Satyaveer Pal (Alumnus, Batch 2006-2008)

Alumni, Testimonials, , ,

After completing his Bachelor of Science from Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (MJP) Rohilkhand University, a young lad stepped out of his hometown Bareilly to fulfill his dreams in the Millennium City of Gurugram. A career-ambitious student, he landed at IILM to pursue a career in management. Meet Satyaveer Pal, Regional Manager – Sales (International Business), Aurionpro, Gurugram, an alumnus of Batch 2006-2008. His work takes him to places, literally. He has extensively traveled to Europe and the APAC and South Asia region, particularly Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and Nepal where majority of his clients are based. His last International visit was to Indonesia and Vietnam in February 2020, just before the national lockdown.

I had the opportunity to speak with him recently, and he was reminiscing his experiences at IILM during his stay at the campus. Considered as a studious person, he was the CR (student Class Representative) for two consecutive years, and this helped him tremendously in improving his interpersonal skills and leadership qualities. His favorite faculty was the marketing professor, Dr. Priyanka Dhingra whose lessons in sales and marketing were a lifelong learning for him. Giving presentations, participating in quizzes and class exercises are among his best memories at the campus. He fondly recalled an instance when he had to make a sales presentation where he came up with an innovative idea of marketing and branding of pens. This activity – based classroom pedagogy made him realize that marketing was where his career lay, and today business development has become his forte.

IILM gave Satyaveer learning both inside the classroom and outside. He learnt how to respond and gauge behavior of other people. He acquired networking skills and learnt how to brand oneself. This learning has taken him to the pinnacles of success.

He got an opportunity to do his summer internship at Shoppers Stop Gurugram, and he was also part of a new outlet opening in New Delhi where he helped Shoppers Stop in setting up their retail business from the scratch. He gained hands-on experience during his SIP and developed a multidimensional approach to handling problems. He believes those students who do not take their SIP seriously are the ones who loose out on good placements later.

Satyaveer feels that he not just gained academic knowledge at IILM but also the soft skills that are required to be successful in the corporate world.

As he was an outstation student, Satyaveer stayed at IILM boys’ hostel, and that was a wonderful experience for him. He learnt to become independent and gained friends for life. He cherishes the memories of playing cricket after classes in the campus grounds, going around in the local markets and malls of Gurugram, and chit-chatting with his hostel roommates till late night.

It is such a pleasure to have an alumnus as Satyaveer. His colleagues praise him unabashedly. I was going through some of the recommendations he received on LinkedIn and my heart swelled in pride. Considered as a good task master and team player, his peers and managers hold a remarkably high opinion of Satyaveer. According to them, he comes with a very infectious sort of energy; always warm and outwardly sociable, he gets along with people very easily. He is good at making new connections and is the live wire of every conversation.

He is still in touch with his faculty, Dr Radhika Madan and Dr Sujata Shahi, presently the Vice-Chancellor of IILM University. He has had positive interactions with them in the past and due to these, he has retained the connect with his Alma mater. Dr Radhika had in fact taught him and still considers him as one of her brightest students taught till date. She has seen Satyaveer grow in his career path over the years. A very vigorous person with a clear vision, she feels that he knows how to co-ordinate assignments and the workforce he deals with. She has found him to be a very dedicated and committed person who strives to achieve his goals with full commitment and sincerity. His positive approach to all his challenges is what differentiates him from other students.

In the past twelve years of graduating from IILM, he has earned the reputation of an enterprise leader with an excellent track record of contributions that streamline operations, invigorate businesses, heighten productivity and develop business strategies.

alumni-SatyaveerHe visits IILM Gurugram once in two months – either as an industry speaker to share his insights with the present batches, or as a jury member for a campus event – contributing in every possible way. He has also recommended several students for taking admissions in MBA, the flagship programme of IILM University Gurugram. One of the most connected alumni to his alma mater, he takes out time from his busy schedule whenever IILM requires his presence.

He is currently residing in the corporate hub of Gurugram with his parents, wife Abha and a three – year old son Arkin. On being asked, how did his stay at IILM impact his career, he proudly said, “Whatever I am is all because of IILM.”

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis

My Journey with IILM continues… by Alumnus Joseph Davis

Alumni, Campus Life, Guest Blog, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Stories, Testimonials, , , , , ,

The engineer, not by choice, who wanted more from life than just the mundane, regular and ordinary! Relatable much? I’m Joseph Davis, the head of research and insights wing at Consocia Advisory and this is the story of my journey as a management professional.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis_4The scary realization of the ordinary life awaiting me if I continued in the path of a chemical process engineer during the time I worked at Aramco’s process design consulting firm Petrocil Engineers, made me choose the management career path, as I dreaded the no-communication work style I was part of. I quit the job, prepared for the management entrance exams and scored well enough to get into some of the best management colleges in the country. Being a Keralite all my life, this was my golden chance to explore my opportunities across India. Thus began the research to find the institute that’s the best fit for my aspirations.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis_32 months and tons of research later, I was at IILM Greater Noida’s entrance for my interview. IILM’s 3 Palmes of excellence ranking making it officially recognized in the category of “excellent business school with reinforcing international influence” by Eduniversal, making it a top B-School offering a PGDM program, was one prime reason for IILM being my go-to choice after several shortlisting stages. Visiting the splendid campus further reinforced the validity of my choice. My management entrance success ensured a 50% scholarship. Yippee! I interacted with the faculty and as my course ensued, I realized that IILM has a dynamic yet structured program with top notch teaching methodology including the concept of flipped class, where the student gets an opportunity to be the teacher and discuss concepts with the professor being a facilitator to clarify the outcome of the discussion enhanced through case studies and course materials by Harvard and many other global universities.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis_2The global study program was a high point of the program with the opportunity to visit Dortmund, Germany as a foreign student at ISM, Dortmund for 4 weeks. I for one, used to the opportunity to the max by visiting 7 European countries over weekends, as we had a Schengen visa. The 4 weeks at ISM gave me a deep understanding of international concepts around Intercultural communication, strategic management, International Finance and Operations Management.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis_5The industry exposure offered at IILM was world class as we had international faculty visiting the campus for specific courses in each trimester apart from the well qualified Ph.D. professors and lecturers coaching and mentoring me to be the best version of myself, both personally and professionally. The experiential learning I obtained as opposed to theoretical ramming one has experienced with the conventional educational system was a game changer in making me ready to face any and all challenges that I would face as a prospective manager and impacted my perception of the corporate world as a seasoned professional. This helped me in my placement at Protiviti Consulting, a U.S based consulting firm as a research associate.

IILM-Alumnus-Joseph-Davis-convoThen came the convocation day. I was awarded the gold medal for the best academic and co-curricular performance over the 2 years at IILM. The grand ceremony hadn’t marked the end of my relationship with this spectacular management institute, but it had evolved into a beautiful connect as an alma mater which I continue to this day. 3 years later, I was back as a guest speaker at the International Sustainability conference representing my company. It was indeed a proud moment being back to impart some insights to the next set of intelligent minds.

My journey with IILM still continues and looking back, I am grateful to the almighty for helping me stick with my decision to choose IILM. To anyone who reads this, life at IILM will certainly change you for the better. Metamorphosis at IILM is real. The question is, are you ready for it?

Covid-19 –Political Obligation & Government Compulsion

Alumni, IILM University

The current state of epidemic not only urges the government to take harsh measures but also the people to cooperate with it for their own survival. Letting go of their right of self-preservation the people need to understand that the measures are for their own good.

 Hobbes had once stated “Out of it, any man may rightly spoil or kill each other, in it none but one. Out of it we are protected by our own forces, in it by the power of all. Out of it no man is sure of the fruits of his labor, in it all men are. Lastly out of it, there is a domination of passions, war, fear, poverty, slovenliness, solitude, barbarism, ignorance, and cruelty, in it, the domination of reason, peace, security, riches, decency, society, elegance, sciences and benevolence”. This is a situation which seems to persist in India and around the world currently. When the people are anxious and cautious at the same time. When the citizens are looking towards the sovereign for the answers to their questions and support for their well-being. There is peace and havoc; there is ignorance and awareness that simultaneously persists.

Here the measures of a complete lock-down by the Indian Government at the early stages has been up lauded across the world. Yet the Indian populace even in this state seems to be defying the government orders as a part of their leisure routine not understanding the severity of the situation. The recent incident of the conglomeration of crowds at bus stations is sheer ignorance on their part against the world wide pandemic.

The government of India needs to be praised that they have been working on meeting up with all the flaws in the scenario and bringing in satisfactory measures in the social, economic and health scenario. It is now up to the people of India to understand the severity of the situation and heed to their obligation towards the state which is abiding by the dictates of the state.