10th batch of IIM Sambalpur's flagship MBA degree begins with 76 percent female students

IIM Sambalpur's MBA program has a record number of women this year! 3 times more women than men enrolled. Overall, there are 320 students -76 percent women and 24 percent men. This is a very diverse group. More students come from non-engineering backgrounds (60 percent) than engineering (40 percent). Within non-engineering, almost a fifth each come from science and commerce, while the rest have backgrounds in management and arts. Almost half the students (46 percent) have work experience, while the others are fresh out of college.

Prominent business figures graced the inaugural event: Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur; Sumit Sangwan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Havells India Pvt Ltd, was the keynote speaker; and Subrat Tripathy, President of Development, Adani Group, was the Chief Guest. During the inaugural ceremony, faculty members and students were also present.

The institution was established by the Government of India in 2015, as noted by Professor Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director of IIM Sambalpur, who also welcomed guests and said, "Welcome to IIM Sambalpur, where we stand by our core values of innovation, integrity, and inclusiveness. The idea of gender diversity was pioneered at IIM Sambalpur." Less than 11 percent of MBA students in all IIMs, including IIM Sambalpur, were female prior to 2017. We took a risk in 2017 when we decided to establish a strategy that gave female candidates an extra 5 peercent cut-off reduction when we called for interviews and subsequently created a common merit list. By obtaining a 50 percent female enrolment starting in 2017, this program made history, and all IIMs have since embraced this concept.

"As we stand on the cusp of a new era, we must embrace the transformative power of technology while grounding ourselves in the timeless values of humanism," stated Chief Guest Subrat Tripathy, President-Business Development of Adani Group. Our ability to combine creativity and empathy will determine the course of the future, ushering in a time where compassion and progress go hand in hand. Remember Swami Vivekananda's advice to the young brains starting down this path: "Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached." Allow this to be your beacon of guidance as you confront the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead."

We all refer to our lives as marathons. That was the message delivered by keynote speaker Sumit Sangwan, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Havells India Pvt Ltd. An occupation is a long run. The world's hardest race is the triathlon. Similar to a triathlon, today is the last leg of the triple end. Your current stage is phase one; starting a job or becoming an entrepreneur is phase two; and moving further in your career is phase three."

Earlier, Professor Siddharth G. Majhi, Chair, Admission, gave an introduction to the 10th MBA batch. Professor Atri Sengupta, Chair, PGP, gave an introduction to the MBA program, and Professor Soumya Guha Deb, Chair, Ranking & Accreditation, gave a speech about AOL and IIM Sambalpur's accreditation journey thus far. Prof. Diptiranjan Mahapatra, Chair, Placement, gave the vote of gratitude.