Meet IIM Lucknow’s IPMX Class Of 2023

The IPMX Class of 2023

FAVORITE COURSES

What has been Sharma’s favorite course? International Business Communication, of course, where he overcame his fear of public speaking. In contrast, Uma Chauhan cites Nishant Uppal’s Organizational Behavioral as the best course she has taken (so far). The biggest lessons: how to get attention and “captivate” an audience, large or small.

“I am a great advocate of soft skills and believe firmly they have the power to make or break a situation,” Chauhan adds. “The subject taught me deeper aspects of individual, group and organizational behavior, the subtleties of interactions, and the impact created using the information. It’s a learning of a lifetime often overlooked to my dismay.”

Considering IIM Lucknow’s renown for marketing know-how and case learning, it’s hardly surprising that marketing courses are popular in the IPMX program. Despite a technical background that included engineering and operations, Rajesh Mohan lists Marketing Management as his favorite course.

“I always wanted to learn about Marketing,” he admits. “And what more can you ask in the field of marketing than studying at IIM Lucknow!! At IIM Lucknow, I came to know that Marketing is an art of providing the right product to the right customer at the right time. The various frameworks and methodologies of identification of target market through segmentation targeting and positioning were some of the takeaways for me from the course.”

The Academic Block

THE BEST PLACES FOR STUDENTS TO HANG OUT

Alas, the Class of 2023 aren’t always completing coursework. They have plenty of spots to “chill, vent, and…gossip.” That includes Night Canteen and Waghbakri Tea Stall on campus, or the Readers Café’ and Chai ki Tapri outside the grounds. Sometimes, the best places to meet are the most unexpected. For example, class members sometimes meet at the football field come late night, says Uma Chauhan.

“We would just sit in the grass and exchange life experiences – both professional and personal. We would have these rich conversations and learn from each other’s journeys, getting to know others a little better every session helped us bond better as a batch and face challenges – academic or otherwise.”

Then again, adds Abhinav Athavale, nothing beats the dorm rooms. “We have mini-gatherings, strategy session, project discussions, gossip and what not …. why go elsewhere when the hostels are so cool!

That begs the question: why pursue a degree in the IPMX program?  Arpit Upadhyay comes from the impact sector. He boils it down to matching theoretical knowledge with his business experience so he could move into consulting. “I have worked on ground zero in the education sector as well as supported the state government on the World Bank’s project. I have led multiple teams and worked on very complex problems of ed-inequity. After these six years, I realized that, in order to enhance my skills and move a level up, I need to upgrade myself with certain theoretical and practical knowledge. This ranges from Finance to Economics to Organizational Behavior to Communication. Thus, an MBA is a right decision to upgrade myself at this juncture.”

Manish Joshi left a “well-paying” government job to enroll at IIM Lucknow. While Joshi hopes the IPMX will ease his transition into the corporate world, he also brings an ulterior motive to the program. “The country and world are at the cusp of civilizational change owing to rapid advances in AI, Health Sciences, and Energy usage. The way we live as humans may well change in the coming decades and a major part of that change will be driven by private corporations. After 8 years of marriage, we were blessed with a little daughter and hard as it is to stay away from her, I need this learning and experience to make things a wee-bit better for the world she will grow up in.”

A CLASS PROFILE

The 2023 IPMX batch features 108 students from India and Canada. They possess 8.7 years of work experience on average, with women accounting for 18% of the class. Professionally, 86% of the class hails from Engineering, with Commerce, Arts, Hotel Management, and Pharmaceuticals also represented. The largest segment of the class – 21% – last worked in Operations and Supply Chain roles. Technology and Project Management account for 16% and 15% of the class respectively. The remainder of the class is filled out with professionals from Sales & Marketing (11%), Consulting (10%), BFSI (10%), General Management (6%), and Product Development (6%).

If past is precedent, the Class of 2023 won’t be staying in these industries and roles. Look no further than the Class of 2022, where 88% of graduates changed roles and 68% shifted functions. And there aren’t many 2022 graduates who’d quibble over return on investment. Spring grads enjoyed a 91% increase in total salary package (CTC) from their pre-MBA days. In addition, the class experienced a 19% jump in CTC over the previous year, with leading recruiters ranging from Google to Flipkart to Ernst & Young.

In October, P&Q reached out to Garima Mittal, Chairperson of the IPMX program. From admissions advice to popular school traditions, here are Mittal’s thoughts on the state of the IIML IPMX program.

Garima Mittal, Chairperson of the IPMX program

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE IPMX CHAIRPERSON

P&Q: What are the two most exciting recent developments at IIM Lucknow and how will they enrich the MBA experience for current and future MBAs?

Mittal: “IIM Lucknow was the first in the country to start a full-time program in sustainable management with an objective to help students champion the triple bottom line. The current MBA batch has an option to choose from several electives that deal with sustainability and ESG.

Along with that, IIM Lucknow is home to a one-of-a-kind incubator formally known as the IIM lucknow Enterprise Incubation Centre. It is a sector agnostic Technology based Incubator supported by department of science and Technology Govt. Of India

IIML EIC has incubated 50+ startups through It’s flagship Incubation & Acceleration Program. working in areas like DEEP-Tech & IoT, Fintech, Agri-Tech and Clean-Tech. The startups have created an impact in the society by creating a total number of 550+ employment and counting.”

P&Q: What are two most differentiating features of your MBA program? How do each of these enrich the learning of your MBA students?

Mittal: “The International Immersion module that IIM Lucknow offers as part of the one year MBA (IPMX) is truly unique. The module is 3-weeks long, offering multiple compulsory courses that have credit weightage. This module is conducted in partnership with a global business school. The classes are conducted by industry professionals and professors, giving students true international exposure. This module helps equip students with a global perspective that helps them improve their readiness for the industry they wish to venture into.

IIM Lucknow was the first institution within all IIMs to move to a dual campus module. Our one-year MBA program is based out of Delhi NCR which is a hub of all business and corporates. Our strategic decision to have a second campus enables students to gather better industry interface, giving them access to the political capital of the country.”

For IPMX students, the best part about the campus is all the greenery around them.

P&Q: In recent years, there have been several areas that have gained increased prominence in business school programming, including STEM, analytics, artificial intelligence and digital disruption. How does your full-time MBA program integrate these concepts across its curriculum?

Mittal: “The international immersion module is designed to equip students with technical know-how on subjects gaining prominence through a global lens. This year, the students studied courses on Innovation through AI and Fintech among others. Previous batches have studied courses on digital transformation, machine learning, etc.

Through the year, students are put through compulsory courses ranging from 15-30 hours on subjects from the analytics and digital transformation fields. Students also have the option to choose electives which are designed keeping current and future trends in mind.

40 hours of mandatory workshops are part of the curriculum to be able to effectively bridge the gap between the academic and the corporate world.”

P&Q: If you were giving a campus tour, what is the first place you’d take an MBA applicant? Why is that so important to the MBA experience?

Mittal: “The first place that we would take any prospective student is the IIML Incubator. At IIM Lucknow, we empower students to be change-makers of society and thus creating employability. The IIML Incubator is a unique aspect of the campus and fosters entrepreneurship by providing students with end-to-end guidance to enable them to launch successful businesses. The Incubator is proud to be equipped with a super computer and an iOT Lab.”

P&Q: IIM Lucknow is known for offering a required international immersion. Tell us about the immersion. How long does it last? Where have students gone? What have they done while they were overseas? What have been some of the big lessons they’ve learned and how has that reinforced your curriculum?

Mittal: “The International Immersion module lasts for 3 weeks. This year, the students attended mandatory courses across 3 countries – Switzerland (Geneva), France (Paris and Lille), and Belgium (Brussels). Along with compulsory 2 credit courses that every student is mandated to complete. Along with academic courses, the module includes industry visits and workshops from eminent people in various industries.

The courses that are a part of the module are aligned with the program objects and are an integral aspect of the program. The immersion is designed to facilitate 360-degree learning for the students and is aimed at providing a global outlook to their perspective. The extended time duration of the module helps students truly immerse themselves in different cultures, nationalities, and environments – enabling them to solve problems with a global outlook. Students are encouraged to apply cross-cultural learnings in the class-room and come up with innovative solutions to regular problems.”

Next Page: In-depth profiles of 11 IPMX students.

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