IIM-B: NURTURING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM

As tech takes centre stage, the institute gears up to face the challenge.

- Rukmini Rao

IN 2023, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) celebrated its golden anniversary. Established in 1973 as an autonomous management institution by the Central government, in its initial years, IIM-B's focus was to nurture public sector enterprises. While the first batch of the twoyear full-time Post Graduate Programme at IIM-B graduated in 1976, in 2009, the institute launched its Executive Post Graduate Programme, a one-year fulltime master's programme.

Through these years, IIM-B's emphasis on technology, data and entrepreneurship has helped it carve out a niche among other B-Schools in the country.

Post Covid, in 2021, the institute went through a major review of its Masters of Business Administration curriculum. With digital technology and transformation being a common theme across sectors globally and with the growing importance of data, analytics and AI, along with emphasis on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), IIM-B's new syllabus and courses are a reflection of these changes. Three years ago ,the institute also introduced a separate course on digital business as a part of its core curriculum of the MBA programme. The inclusion of this course, centered around understanding of technologies and its integration into business transformations, has made a significant difference to the programme, says Rishikesha T Krishnan, director, IIM-B.