Meet The Indian Institute Of Management Ahmedabad MBA Class Of 2026

P&Q: How does your program integrate other disciplines, such as the liberal arts and STEM, across your curriculum to provide students with a more interdisciplinary experience in business school?

Karna and Pingali: “Leadership today demands more than functional expertise and interdisciplinary approach. It requires decision-makers who can navigate ambiguity, connect the dots across domains, and lead with both intelligence and insight.

Business doesn’t operate in silos—and neither does our curriculum. At IIM Ahmedabad, the PGPX is intentionally interdisciplinary. We’re not just building managers—we’re shaping decision-makers equipped to tackle complexity with a multi-dimensional lens.

Our curriculum blends core and elective courses spanning economics, psychology, ethics, design thinking, data science, and public policy. This ensures students develop both analytical depth and contextual intelligence—because real-world challenges rarely fall within the boundaries of a single discipline.

At the heart of our pedagogy is the case method—a proven tool for sharpening judgment under uncertainty. This is enriched through lectures, role plays, industry engagements, simulations, and group work, all geared toward building the capacity to think critically and act decisively.

Key interdisciplinary experiences include:

* International Immersion: Two weeks of academic and cultural exposure at a global partner institution, broadening both perspective and adaptability.

* Individual Research Project (IRP): A deep-dive into a topic of choice—ranging from case development to socio-economic analysis—supervised by IIMA faculty.

* Capstone: A culminating, simulation-driven module that integrates cross-functional learning into real-world problem solving.

This academic elasticity produces leaders who are as comfortable navigating ethical dilemmas as they are decoding data trends. Whether it’s philosophy shaping leadership, design driving innovation, or AI informed by ethics, our graduates leave prepared to lead with insight, integrity, and impact.

We’re not just building managers—we’re shaping multidimensional leaders for a multidimensional world.”

P&Q: What are two ways that your program is incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your programming? How do they better prepare students for the future world of work?

Karna and Pingali: “In the PGPX curriculum, AI is not a standalone concept – it’s deeply woven across academic learning and leadership development.

1. Academic Integration: AI is not confined to a single course—it is embedded across the analytical, strategic, and leadership pillars of the programme from Term I onward. Interspersed across courses – be it core or elective – students gain both technical fluency and contextual awareness. Case-based learning, live projects, and faculty-led initiatives bridge theory with real-world business applications. Students explore not just how AI works, but how it shapes competitive strategy, operational models, and stakeholder impact.

2. Developing AI Aware leaders: At PGPX, AI is taught not just as a tool, but as a lens through which participants can understand complexity, make responsible decisions, and drive purposeful change. Our approach emphasizes critical engagement: students are encouraged to examine how AI systems are built, whom they serve, and what ethical, economic, and societal consequences they carry.

Whether implementing AI-driven innovation, designing responsible governance frameworks, or challenging algorithmic bias, PGPX graduates are prepared to lead with insight—balancing automation with empathy, and data with discernment.

In a world where data drives decisions and algorithms shape outcomes, PGPX doesn’t just prepare leaders to work with AI—it empowers them to shape its direction, question its impact, and lead its responsible adoption.”

P&Q: What types of educational and career support do you provide to alumni after graduation? How does it make them more valuable to employers during their careers?

Karna and Pingali: “At IIMA, “alumni” isn’t a label—it’s a lifelong alliance for learning, leadership, and leverage. Our relationship with our students doesn’t end at convocation—it evolves. Our graduates remain part of a dynamic ecosystem that empowers them to evolve, lead, and create value across industries and time zones, staying well ahead of the curve.

1) Continuous Learning & Re-skilling: Alumni enjoy privileged access to future-focused workshops, domain-specific masterclasses, certification programs, and curated industry insights. This commitment to continuous learning ensures they remain agile, relevant, and future-ready.

2) Career Mobility & Transitions: From CXO pivots and entrepreneurial ventures to global moves, alumni are supported through every transition. Tailored initiatives—including the upcoming Career Second Act series, exclusive job boards, and a deeply connected network—enable not just change, but reinvention.

3) Global Network, Local Access: With 45,000+ alumni across the world, IIMA’s network is a powerful leadership engine. Regional chapters and global engagement, provide alumni with proximity, visibility, and reach—wherever opportunity calls.

4) Deep Engagement, Real Impact: Our alumni aren’t just beneficiaries—they’re co-creators and active contributors. From mentoring students, giving endowments, and supporting scholarships to serving on boards and shaping strategy, they remain deeply involved with the Institute. Our Alumni and External Relations and the IIMA Endowment Fund offices channel this energy through structured, high-impact engagement platforms.

We don’t just support alumni—we invest in their lifelong relevance. Our alumni grow with the times, anticipate market shifts, and return sharper—with every role, every reinvention.”

Click on the links below for detailed profiles of the PGPX Class of 2026, along with advice on how to earn a spot in the program.

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Nihitha Alicherry	Palakkad, Kerala	Manipal University	82°E
Abhishek Batra	Kashipur, Uttarakhand	University of Delhi	Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
Maria Ben	Kozhikode, Kerala	Ashoka University	Omidyar Network India
Pratyush Bharat	Nashik, Maharashtra	BITS, Pilani	Starlite Electrodrives Private Limited
Rohan Bhuskute	Bharuch, Gujarat	Gujarat Technological University Ahmedabad	Indian Navy
Aastha Gupta	Mumbai, Maharashtra	Delhi University	Rusk Media
Abhas Katra Singh	Unnao, Uttar Pradesh	National Law School of India University	Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India
Yash Samant	Mumbai, Maharashtra	University of South Florida	CaRPM
Karan Sarpal	New Delhi, Delhi	VIT University, Vellore	Reliance Industries Limited
Vineet Tripathi	Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh	National Defence Academy and Military Institute of Technology	Indian Army
Vatsala Padmanabhan	Chennai, Tamil Nadu	M.O.P Vaishnav College for Women, University of Madras	Varahe Analytics

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