‘We'd like to see students from different nations and not India alone at IIM Indore UAE’ – Prof.Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIM Indore

The turn of the year saw Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan, an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and Stanford University, join the IIM Indore fold as the director of the institute.

Winner of the  'Thinkers 50 India Special Innovation Award' in August 2013 based on the votes of peers and corporate leaders, Professor Krishnan is widely expected to bring innovative ideas to further strengthen the blossoming reputation of IIM Indore, which is already setting new trends as a  premier business school in India. This should be good news for the students and aspirants of IIM Indore’s UAE Campus, which is flourishing in its third year of operations as the only flag-bearer of an IIM abroad.

In an interaction with the Media and Corporate Communication Committee of the institute’s UAE campus, the director spoke of his plans for the institute and specifically its flagship programme in UAE.

How do you feel after moving in to the Director's office?

My experience at IIM Indore so far has been very positive.  The Institute is well poised to move to the next level and this is an exciting time to be the Director of IIM Indore.

Now that you've assumed office, how do you plan to further differentiate IIM Indore relative to your prior experience in IIM Bangalore?

IIM Indore is known for the wide scale and scope of its programmes, its internationalization efforts and its offering programmes to meet the needs of different groups of participants.  However, there is a need to create a sharper and more distinctive identity for the Institute.  The contours of this will take shape in the next few months.

What are your top priorities for IIM Indore?

My top priority for IIM Indore is to build on the existing advantages but also to create a distinctive positioning for the Institute.

Professor Ravichandran took a massive leap by introducing the PGP-UAE program and led to IIM Indore becoming the first IIM to cross national borders. What are your thoughts on this program?

IIM Indore is the first IIM to offer the flagship PGP programme outside India.  This is a great initiative but if it is to fulfill our internationalization goals fully, we would like to see a class of students from different nationalities and not from India alone.  That is our next challenge.

Please share your views on Indian management students exploring opportunities in Middle-East Market.

We are very keen that PGP-UAE Graduates should address job opportunities in the UAE and adjoining markets.  As you know, we have engaged an external consultant to support this process.  We hope PGP-UAE students will take advantage of this arrangement.

Now that the PGP-UAE program is in its 3rd year of its operation, is there any plan to establish IIM Indore's own campus similar to that of IMT and SP Jain??

At present there is no plan for IIM Indore to have a campus of its own in UAE.

When do you plan to include admissions to the PGP-UAE program under the umbrella of Common Admission Test (CAT) along with other PGP programs  to further spread awareness of this program?

No decision has been taken on inclusion of PGP-UAE under the umbrella of CAT.

Since we are still in the nascent stage of this particular program growth, is there anything you would like to tell the students about leveraging current opportunities and creating opportunities for future growth as well?

We hope PGP UAE Students and Graduates will create a name for themselves and for the Institute in the Middle East.

When can we expect your visit to Dubai to address the students?

 I would certainly like to visit Dubai at the earliest opportunity.

The Media and Corporate Communications committee would like to wholeheartedly thank Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan for sharing  his views and plans for the UAE Campus.