Meet IIM Bangalore’s EPGP Class Of 2024

Your alma mater is your identity. You can’t escape it. Choices come with expectations. Look no further than the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore.

The school has long been associated with practical experience. When employers hire IIM Bangalore graduates, they expect shorter learning curves and quicker impact. After all, these students have spent the past year working for top companies through programming like the Comprehensive Project. Academic excellence is a given at IIM Bangalore. More than mastery of models and methods, employers know graduates possess the horsepower to clarify the complex and uncertain and the toughness to meet the demands and deadlines. Along the way, the distinguished faculty will expose them to cutting edge practices, with the programming imprinting a decidedly global and entrepreneurial mindset.

IIMB Campus

A COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE

Not surprisingly, employers flock to IIM Bangalore for talent. That’s particularly true for the students in the one-year Executive Post-Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP), which has attracted recruiters from Accenture, Samsung, McKinsey, Amazon, and Deutsche Bank. Among the EPGP cohort they’ll meet is Shubham Sharma, a product manager who came from the program to learn and grow.

“The curriculum’s emphasis on real-world challenges, its integration of technology with business, and its focus on sustainable and responsible leadership resonated deeply with my personal and professional journey. It wasn’t just about acquiring a degree; it was about immersing myself in an environment that would challenge my perspectives, refine my visions, and equip me with the tools to drive the next wave of innovation in the business world.”

More than that, Sharma adds, the EPGP program at IIM Bangalore reflected the values he shared and the identity he hoped to build upon. “To me, choosing IIM Bangalore was more than a decision; it was a commitment to a future where I could merge my entrepreneurial spirit with the academic rigor and holistic learning that the institution offers. It was about aligning my past experiences with a future that promises endless possibilities.”

IIMB Students

MAKING PARENTS PROUD

Like many of his classmates from the EPGP Class of 2024, Sharma is a proactive go-getter who brought a long list of achievements to campus. Before business school, Sharma was an entrepreneur whose venture hit the “magical figure” of $1 million dollars in revenue in 2020.

“Starting from scratch and bootstrapping Afterkite, a growth marketing firm, to such a significant annual turnover was a testament to my entrepreneurial spirit. Even more, it was also a culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. It was a moment that validated my skills in growth marketing, strategy, and business development, and it stands as a proud testament to what I can achieve when I set my mind to a goal.”

He wasn’t the only Sharma among the EPGP cohort making an impact. Akshay Sharma, a senior manager in analytics at Merck, helped to roll out a COVID drug that treated over 10-million individuals. Sharma wasn’t alone in racking up the achievements. Before becoming an operations manager at Qatar Gas, Abir Banerjee earned the Tallow Chandler Award at British Petroleum (BP). This honor, which recognizes outstanding innovation, is only given to five employees each year.

“It was surreal to have gotten a chance to receive a gold medal in one of London’s famous public halls in front of my parents,” Banerjee tells P&Q. “The experience gave me added zeal to work harder and learn more.”

IIMB Classroom

FROM NUCLEAR SCIENTIST TO BUSINESS STUDENT

Then again, it’s not like Banerjee ever slacked. Just look at his sports career. “At age 13, I was told that I was too skinny and lightweight to play football at any level. By 22, I represented my school, district, and university at various football tournaments across India. By 24, I played 2 full seasons as a professional football player in Delhi’s Top-tier AIFF-affiliated football league.”

Before joining the Class of 2024, Raviroop Singh Kohli was a captain in the Indian army, where he trained personnel how to fire missiles. Think that’s dangerous? Meet Preetam Rai Saxena. He spent a decade working for the Indian Government as a scientific officer – at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.             

“I grew up dreaming about joining the R&D organizations serving the defense related strategic interests of India,” he tells P&Q. “My selection at the prestigious BARC Training School, Mumbai, which paved the way for a career in the Department of Atomic Energy, was the most significant and satisfying accomplishment I achieved in my career. I successfully capitalized on the opportunity and joined strategic realms of Indian Nuclear Program under the aegis of BARC. The powerful drive of Turning dreams into destiny came true to me in those moments when I received the white slip affirming my selection into the prestigious program.”

Alas, you won’t find Anand Dusane feeling intimidated by the pressures of IIM Bangalore. His big achievement? “[I had] the opportunity to work directly under the guidance of L&T’s Group CFO, Mr. R. Shankar Raman, and with Hinduja Group (India) Chairman, Mr. Ashok Hinduja, at such early stage in my career.”

IIMB Students

BE YOUR BEST EVERY DAY

As the Class of 2024 prepares for graduation, many are looking back to how they’ve changed over the past year. For Shubham Sharma, the difference won’t be measured in awards. Instead, he looks to how the EPGP program has changed how he approaches various dilemmas.

“Conversations with diverse classmates, tackling different challenges, and realizing there’s always another side to a story have been my real achievements,” he explains. “It’s all about the growth in understanding and perspective, and I’m pretty proud of that.”

Dushyant Kanal, Sharma’s classmate, entered IIM Bangalore after finding success in hospitality management. For him, the biggest takeaway from business school has been the importance of consistency.

What stands out for me is delivering quality content every day in the form of assignments, presentations, class discussions, etc.,” he observes. “Nothing short of consistent excellence can make the cut…Showing up with the same zeal and vigor day in and day out and delivering quality day in and day out, has become a way of life rather than just a flicker.”

Next Page: 8 profiles from the graduating class.