'B-schools are not placement agencies'

Indian business schools focus too much on placements and not enough on curriculum and expansion, believes Subir Verma, director, FORE School of Management, New Delhi. He spoke to Aeshwarya Tiwari about placements, management school rankings, changes at FSM and why Indian B-schools need to focus more on Indian businesses. Edited excerpts:

- Aeshwarya Tiwari

Q. What new initiatives have you undertaken at FORE School?

A. Since I joined, our campus has been evolving rapidly, driven by growth, stronger branding, international collaborations, and a focus on industry relevance. Our aim is to create a learning ecosystem that prepares graduates for an AI-driven, data-centric, and socially complex world.

Modern business education extends beyond traditional management skills. Decision-making and problem-solving remain important, but data-driven insights, critical thinking, adaptability, and collaboration are equally essential. Leaders today must navigate global disruptions, integrate diverse perspectives, and demonstrate creativity, curiosity, and ethical judgment.

To address these needs, we've restructured our programmes: international immersions now include destinations like Europe and multilateral institutions such as the UNITAR, and industry practitioners are actively involved as co-educators to bridge theory with practice.

Our graduates are shaped by the EAGER framework: Entrepreneurial, Agile, Global-minded, Empathetic and Responsible.

Through this approach, we cultivate leaders who are accountable not just to their organisations, but to society, the planet, and themselves — redefining management education for a rapidly-changing world.

Q. Many Indian students aim for top management schools abroad. Where do our schools lack?

A. Management education has historically followed the trajectory of capitalism. Wherever capitalism has been strongest, management education has flourished. The United States, as the current bastion of capitalism, naturally hosts top-tier B-schools like Harvard and Wharton. These institutions have deep, continuous engagement with industry — they face real business challenges daily, and both faculty and students are often directly involved in consulting and practical problem-solving.