IIM Bangalore welcomes PGP & PGPBA 2025-27 with week-long orientation programme

The event marked the presence of students, faculty, alumni, and guests to record the beginning of a new and fruitful academic journey. The key highlight of the event included the presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) 2025, among other academic recognitions, and scholarships.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore conducted a week-long orientation programme for the PGP & PGP-BA class of 2025-27 from June 9, 2025, to June 15, 2025. The event marked the presence of students, faculty, alumni, and guests to record the beginning of a new and fruitful academic journey. The key highlight of the event included the presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) 2025, among other academic recognitions, and scholarships.

Distinguished Alumni Awards 2025

The 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) were conferred upon four distinguished alumni at the ceremony for their exceptional achievements across sectors and their unwavering commitment to values that define the IIMB community. Professor Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Alumni Relations and Development, introduced the DAA awardees and Ganeshan Ramachandran, Managing Director with Accenture’s Global Capability Network, presented the awards.

Dr. Sandhya Shekhar (PGP 1984), Advisor in Digital and Business Strategy and former CEO of IIT Madras Research Park, reflected on the challenges of upholding ethical values in the professional world and credited IIMB for instilling the courage to do so. She shared, “IIMB is where I discovered my inner strength—and that it’s cool to be ethical.”

Prashant Jain (PGP 1991), Founder of 3P Investment Managers and former CIO at HDFC Mutual Fund, shared how IIMB shaped his transition from engineering to finance and laid the foundation for a lifelong focus on learning and integrity. As he put it, “Learning is like a balance sheet of assets built over time, and the liabilities teach you.”

Mathew Cyriac (PGP 1994), Chairman at Florintree Advisors and Co-founder of Yali Capital, credited IIMB with transforming his self-doubt into confidence and providing the mentorship and friendships that propelled his career. He noted, “IIMB gave me confidence, mentorship, and friendships that became my life’s compass.”

Vineet Saraiwala (PGP 2015), Founder & CEO of Atypical Advantage, spoke movingly of how IIMB empowered him as a visually impaired student and inspired his mission to build an inclusive India. He shared, “IIMB gave me the platform and belief to solve some of the toughest social problems.”

Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, reflected on the significance of the Distinguished Alumni Awards and the values embodied by the awardees. He spoke about the importance of perseverance, purpose, and the quiet dedication behind their achievements. The Director highlighted how their journeys exemplify the kind of impact IIMB hopes its students will strive for, grounded, responsible, and far-reaching.

Professor Mukta Kulkarni, Chairperson, Dean Programmes, encouraged students, “If you want to see yourself in the shoes of alumni, then focus on the multiple opportunities.”

Revanth Reddy, President, Students Affairs Council, PGP’26, welcomed the incoming cohort and reflected on his own journey at IIMB. Speaking about ‘Life at IIMB’, he encouraged both cohorts of over 1,200 students to strive for meaningful societal impact, drawing inspiration from the accomplishments of the four distinguished alumni.

Awards, Scholarships, and Achievements

The event also featured the announcement of the Director’s Merit List, Director’s Honours List, section toppers, and scholarship recipients. The Mirae Asset Foundation Scholar Award was also presented to recognize meritorious and deserving students at IIMB across the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), the Post Graduate Programme in Business Analytics (PGPBA), and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme. The students of PGP & PGPBA 2024-26, Gangineni Sandeep, Revat Mehra, Sampath Majeti, as well as Divya Dwivedi, Information Systems area and Sanchit Jain, Finance & Accounting area, were awarded the scholarship.