Meet The Indian Institute Of Management Ahmedabad MBA Class Of 2025

Students in an IIM Ahmedabad classroom

A CLASS PROFILE

What’s next for the Class of 2025? Manik Garg is planning to move into the pharmaceutical industry. After working with Fortune 500 clients, Prerna Gupta is eying the startup space. Vaibhav Kasturia has developed a passion for leading digital transformations, which means he has set his sights on working for one of the MBB consulting firms. At the same time, Ritwik Mukherjee hopes to transition from game design to large-scale product management in the tech sector – before returning to his roots.

Ultimately, my long-term goal is to channel my expertise and passion for innovation into forming a AAA gaming studio. By marrying technical prowess with a relentless pursuit of innovation, I aim to create groundbreaking products that redefine user experiences and set new industry standards.”

Overall, the 2024-2025 PGPX batch features 158 students, with the program accepting 17% of applications. As a whole, the class averaged a 690 GMAT and a 324 GRE (22% of the class submitted GRE scores). Women constitute 22% of the class, whose average age is 30.9 years (along with 7.5 years of work experience).

Before business school, 75% of the class majored in engineering-related fields. Professionally, 32% of the class most recently worked in pharmaceutical, retail, and media. Another 16% operated in the defense, government, or public sector. The remainer of the class hailed from IT products (15%), consulting (11%), manufacturing and engineering (10%), banking, financial services and insurance (8%), and energy and utilities (8%).

Harvard Steps

THE VALUE OF THE CASE METHOD

What differentiates the IIM Ahmedabad program? Prerna Luthra points to the non-grade disclosure policy to recruiters. This enables students to focus on learning, freeing them to take the toughest courses outside their expertise without being penalized. That’s an advantage in an environment where there is always something to do says Prerna Gupta, who lists seminars, guest talks, sports, case competitions, and cultural events among her favorite activities. Plus, there is the faculty, who students describe as world-class experts.

“I am taught Finance by a professor who is a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India, Strategy by professors who are former CXOs and Board Members of leading MNCs, and Economics by a professor consulted by the Government of India on economic policies. Access to such brilliant minds can significantly shape your destiny,” observes Vaibhav Kasturia.

In many cases, the faculty apply the case method, a way of teaching popularized by Harvard Business School. Think of cases as stories focused on issues faced by real-world companies. Here, students take on the role of a manager. They evaluate a situation, identify the knowns and unknowns, examine options and tradeoffs, and formulate solutions that they must defend in front of classmates. Rather than a lecture, the case involves listening, debating, and ultimately collaborating, learning that there are no right-or-wrong or blanket answers.

“The professor guided us through a challenging business case, asking us to analyse it and come up with solutions,” explains ’24 alum Ambika Nautiyal. “This teamwork, encouraged by our professor, made the class feel open and friendly, and it got us thinking in new ways. This experience really reflected the spirit of our business school: a place where theory meets practice, and where students are encouraged to tackle tough business challenges with creativity and critical thinking.”

As part of the process, says Ritwik Mukherjee, students work in study groups, known as a syndicates. These meetings prepare students for the classroom discussions, exposing students to a range of industry, geographic, and functional viewpoints. These exchanges act as a daily reminder for students to listen because they may not have explored every angle (or have all the answers).

“This experience taught me the importance of humility, listening to others’ insights humbly, and valuing the diverse expertise each person brings,” Mukherjee adds. “It taught me that true growth comes not just from mastering theories and concepts, but from the shared wisdom and camaraderie of peers who push you to think deeper and broader. Each member brought unique strengths and backgrounds to the table, enriching our discussions and broadening my own understanding. This experience has shaped me into a more empathetic and open-minded individual.”

Louis Kahn Plaza at IIMA

THE BEST OF AHMEDABAD

The case method is deployed across a variety of courses. In Prerna Gupta’s marketing courses across terms 1 and 2, Professor Arindam Banerjee steered students to those ‘Aha’ moments that changed how they thought about a concept. Professor Vishwanath Pingali possessed a similar talent in Microeconomics, leaving an unforgettable nugget with Gaurav Khemchandani: “Prospering countries don’t go to war; leaders don’t want war when the economy is prospering.”. And Monika Upadhayaya lists Strategic Management as her favorite class at IIM Ahmedabad.

“[The course] helped me in developing a comprehensive understanding about how an organization can assess and mitigate risks,” she tells P&Q. “The subject was taught with case-based approach where the cases we covered during the course helped us in acquiring ability to identify problems, analyze potential solutions, and make suggestions for the most effective strategies.”

Another advantage of IIMA sits outside the school: Ahmedabad itself. Long known for its textiles industry – denim in particular – the region has become an epicenter for information technology and biotechnology in Western India. It is also home to large operations for leading companies like Oracle, IBM, Tata Consulting, and Infosys. Nearby, you’ll find GIFT City still under construction. Described as India’s first smart city, GIFT City is designed to become a finance and information technology hub, already encompassing over 200 companies ranging from JPMorgan Chase to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Monika Upadhayaya compares Ahmedabad to the United Kingdom’s Manchester for its “robust industrial base,” while noting its historical and cultural richness as a UNESCO World Heritage City. Between its business opportunities and way of life, Manik Garg argues that Ahmedabad is the perfect spot to pursue a graduate business degree.

“The city offers several job prospects, with many big corporations, such as the Adani Group and Zydus Cadila, having their headquarters here. This proximity allows one to obtain important insights and networking chances crucial for future careers​. What’s more, Ahmedabad’s rich cultural background and great quality of life, which blend traditional and modern lifestyles, make it a welcoming place to live and study.”

And there’s another element that makes Ahmedabad a great place to study, adds Ajay Chahar. “Ahmedabad boasts some of the best street food in the country. Being a foodie, escaping campus on weekends to explore these delicious options has become a beloved and stress-relieving hobby.”

Students passing through the classroom corridor at IIMA

AN INTERVIEW WITH IIMA LEADERSHIP

What else can graduate business students look forward to in the PGPX program. Last fall, P&Q reached out to IIM Ahmedabad leadership about the state of the program. Here are the thoughts of the following administrators:

  • Prof Viswanath Pingali, Chairperson, Placements and Professor of Economics
  • Prof Amit Karna, Chairperson One Year MBA (PGPX)

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Pingali and Karna: “The One Year MBA (PGPX) at IIMA has been running for almost two decades and has undergone several changes as it has grown over the years. Last year, we made several improvements which will have significant implications for the current and the future batches.

1. We increased our emphasis on diversity when admitting students. The current batch boasts of significant diversity on multiple areas, including gender, incoming sector of the students, and their educational backgrounds. Additionally, we have marginally increased the number of international students in this year’s batch. To promote this diversity, we introduced scholarships last year, which have had a positive impact this year.

2. We added an international partner, ESSEC (France), for the two-week international immersion programme of the current batch. With this partnership, the number of our international partner universities has increased to four.

3. IIMA is planning to start a new international campus in the near future. Preliminary talks are underway, and we intend to move forward soon. Once we have regulatory clearance and necessary accreditations, we will announce the move. The One Year MBA at IIMA has been identified as the first programme to be launched internationally. This move will significantly help in internationalizing our brand and attract diverse profiles from varied backgrounds.”

Students chitchatting in their leisure time

P&Q: Every January, P&Q publishes a “10 Business Schools to Watch” feature that highlights how schools are raising the bar and enhancing the student experience through innovation or expansion in programming or resources. What is one innovation that sets your school apart from your peer programs and makes you a business school to watch? Why is it so groundbreaking?

Pingali and Karna: “As mentioned previously, we have a strong push towards internationalization of the One Year MBA by attracting students from diverse backgrounds and taking the program international.  While routine revisions to the course are made every year to incorporate the latest industry trends and academic insights, this year we are undertaking a comprehensive review of the program. The purpose of the review is to make the curriculum more contemporary and aligned with industry expectations. The review committee’s recommendations will be implemented starting with the upcoming batch.”

P&Q: What types of programs do you offer to sharpen your students’ soft skills? What areas do you emphasize and how do you instill these skills in your students?

Pingali and Karna: “We place significant emphasis on enhancing the soft skills of our students. Throughout the programme, we have several compulsory and elective courses designed to develop these skills.  Additionally, the students undergo coaching and mentoring sessions with an internationally recognized external agency. This agency brings around 15-20 coaches to campus to provide one on one coaching to the participants. We also offer courses that help students sharpen their communication, negotiation and creative skills.”

International Management Development Centre at IIMA

P&Q: What types of programming – through classroom instruction, extracurriculars, and treks – does your school offer to expose students to country-specific and global business practices? What have students told you were the most educational and fun aspects of these activities?

Pingali and Karna: “All of our One Year MBA students participate in a two-week international immersion program arranged by the institute. As a part of this, students visit a foreign university where they are inducted into the business environment of the local economy. We also provide opportunities for students to interact with policymakers, sports personalities, and industry leaders.

Traditionally, students have viewed international immersion as an avenue to bond closely with their fellow classmates in a setting far from home. In addition to this immersion, students have multiple courses throughout the programme to understand global business practices and government policies within India and abroad. Throughout the programme, the students also have several opportunities to interact with eminent personalities from diverse backgrounds, such as movie stars, sports figures, and authors (amongst others). These interactions help them develop a more holistic perspective on their professional career post the MBA.”

P&Q: What are the most exciting new courses that your school is offering to MBAs this school year? What makes them so unique and valuable?

Pingali and Karna: “There are several…

Valuation of New Economy Firms: This course aims to expose participants to the valuation of new economy businesses. The focus is on businesses that draw value from intangible assets, are platform-centric and involve subscription and fee-based revenue sources.

Digital Organizations: This course outlines strategies for transforming organizations digitally, with a focus on creating value and identifying the organizational purpose.

Managing the Growing Business: When entrepreneurs and managers think about growing their businesses, they first need to determine whether their challenge is to generate growth in an intensely competitive market that is experiencing low or no growth, or to the contrary, exploit fully the growth opportunities that exist in a growing market. This course looks at both challenges.

Science, Gender and Power: This course explores different conceptions of power that underlie the approaches to the nexus of gender, science, and ecology. It delves into the relationship between power and knowledge and how that intersection shapes the very lenses through which we traverse gender in institutions of all sorts – familial, educational, professional and political.

Integrated Marketing Communications Management: This course integrates three broad streams of thought in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC): the latest techniques, theories, and procedures related to various elements of IMC industry.”

Next Page: Profiles of 12 PGPX Students