Sambalpur: The Indian Institute of Management– IIM Sambalpur celebrated the 9th convocation ceremony with Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister gracing the programme as the chief guest.
This was the first instance at IIM Sambalpur where five different programme students have graduated which included the 9th MBA batch of 316 students (2023-25), the second batch of 38 students in Executive MBA (2022-24), the first batch of 10 students in MBA for Working professionals (2023-25), six PhD scholars, and PhD for working professionals.
The graduation ceremony also featured the recognition of outstanding academic achievement of the students as they received chairman’s gold medals for academic and extracurricular performance in the MBA, Executive MBA programme, and MBA for Working Professionals programme respectively. Remarkably, Mr. GM Gupta, an 80-year-old entrepreneur also received his degree towards MBA for Working Professional Programme.
The convocation was graced by Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister as the chief guest. Padma Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, Board of Governors, IIM Sambalpur and Chairman & CEO, Salesforce India & South Asia also dignified the occasion. Ashish Garg, Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group, was the Guest of Honour. Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, along with deans, faculty members, graduating students, and their parents, was present at the ceremony.
During his keynote address, Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, praised gender ratio, i.e., 60% females in MBA class of IIM Sambalpur and suggested to let it go to 80%. While admiring world-class campus infrastructure, he added, “IIM Sambalpur, in its decade of existence, has earned a reputation for integrating various activities. The institute upholds core values of innovation, integrity, and inclusiveness. It has incorporated artificial intelligence into its educational framework, which is a significant initiative. I commend IIM Sambalpur for launching the Master Weavers program for the weavers of Western Odisha; this is a commendable effort and contributes to the regional development.”
Encouraging students Dr. P. K. Mishra stated, “We are grappling with tectonic shifts in geopolitical alignments while simultaneously witnessing technological breakthroughs at an unprecedented pace. Climate and sustainability are central to this conversation. Disruptions in global supply chains, protectionist policies, heightened geopolitical tensions, and changing global trade patterns are contributing to this complexity. Throughout this journey, one thing is clear that the future will not simply be inherited; it will be created. You must take the initiative to shape your own future and focus on achieving many more milestones, building upon the solid foundation you have established today.”
Padma Shri Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, BOG, IIM Sambalpur and Chairman & CEO, Salesforce India & South Asia, encouraged the graduating students and said, “Education is a lifelong journey. The world is evolving rapidly and you will face both opportunities and challenges. However, with the knowledge and skills that you have gained, you are well equipped to navigate any obstacle that can come your way.”
Bhattacharya inspired the students by saying, “Everyday get up and decide that you will be a better version of yourself, you will be unique, you will take the world on, give your best every single day as if it’s the most important race that you’ll run in your life. If you do that, believe me, every one of you will improve every day. This would be a huge payback to your parents, to your nation, to your teachers and most importantly to yourself. Please do that, go out and change the world, be the change that you want the world to be.”
In the welcome address, Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, highlighted the achievements of the institute over the past decade. He said, “This year, during the convocation, we celebrate ten years of IIM Sambalpur’s establishment. This is the first time that we have students from five different programs MBA, Executive MBA, MBA for Working Professionals, PhD, and PhD for Working Professionals receiving their respective degrees.”
During the convocation ceremony, meritorious students of the graduating class were awarded with a total of seven medals. In the MBA programme, the prestigious chairman’s gold medal for outstanding academic excellence was awarded to Vipul Sharma and the Director’s gold medal for exceptional academic excellence was received by Nilaksh Dixit.
The IIM Sambalpur Gold Medal for the best all-rounder performance, based on scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, and institution building activities, was awarded to Raghvendra Patel. For the Executive MBA programme, the prestigious Chairman’s Gold Medal for exceptional academic excellence was received by Rajesh Kumar Sahu, and the Director’s Gold Medal for exceptional academic excellence was awarded to Sameer Babulal Meher. In the MBA for working professionals programme, the prestigious Chairman’s Gold Medal for scholastic performance was awarded to Shivani Nagpal and the Director’s Gold Medal for scholastic performance was received by Abhishek Kumar Singh.
