An Interview With Dr Arindam Bandyopadhyay (Dean at National Institute of Bank Management, Pune)

Q. Tell us something about the institute; when it was set up, vision and mission

Response-Management education is going through a significant transformation in view of the changing needs of the global economy and business dynamics. Reputed Management institutions play an instrumental role in disseminating the latest knowledge, dynamically adapting the course curriculum towards innovation, adaptability, developing leadership capabilities and keeping global relevance. Banking and finance provide a pivotal role in driving the economic growth of a country. In an era of rapid transformation in the banking and finance industry, staying ahead of trends and acquiring the right skills are crucial for aspiring professionals.

The Reserve Bank of India established the National Institute of Bank Management in consultation with the Government of India during the bank nationalization in 1969 as an autonomous apex-level institution for education, research, training, and consultancy in bank management. Over the past fifty-five years, the institute has contributed immensely to transferring the latest banking knowledge, ideas, and best practices to Senior and Top Executives of Banks and Financial Institutions in India and Overseas.

The vision of the institute is ‘’To be globally recognized as a centre of excellence for education and learning in banking and finance’’

The PGDM (B&FS) ACITE approved programme mission is to “Develop young professionals to perform managerial functions with analytical skills and decision-making capabilities.” The PGDM course at National Institute of Bank Management aims at providing a thorough grounding in the foundations of the banking and financial services industry; strengthening students’ understanding of management concepts and practices; developing analytical skills and holistic perspective on the financial services industry. We disseminate the latest knowledge about banking and facilitate the ushering in of professionalism in the banking and financial system of the country.

NIBM is governed by a Board, its highest policymaking body. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the Chairman of the Governing Board, which includes representatives from the various member banks and educational institutes.

The two-year course is designed as a contemporary, rigorous, and practical source of management education to provide to the financial system. A pool of talented youngsters thoroughly trained with the latest analytical skills and perspectives in banking and finance for directly taking up managerial responsibilities. The NIBM’s alumni are working in senior positions in leading banking and financial institutions.

Q. Tell us something about the admission process.

The institute follows a very rigorous selection process through top CAT, XAT, GMAT, GRE, CMAT percentile scores, sound academic background, and a thorough interview selection process. Last year, the CAT/XAT/GRE cutoff score was 94 percentiles. The institute follows the Government of India reservation policy. The selection of candidates for NIBM admission is based on Scores arrived at in the Screening Process, Personal Interview, Oral Communication Test, Academic Performance, Participation in extracurricular activities, and Work experience. This time, a total of 132 students were admitted based on their merit list (PGDM B&FS batch 2024-26).

The PGDM course has a rich curriculum focusing on finance and banking and offers a pool of electives for developing analytical skills and leadership. During the selection process, we consider ensuring the desired competence of the candidates so that the candidates admitted to PGDM Banking and Financial Services can cope with the course. Orientation courses are kept so that candidates from different streams (engineering, commerce, science, arts) can equally follow the course.

Q. What kind of infrastructure can students expect at the institute? Please elaborate?

The institute is located in sylvan surroundings in a picturesque valley within Pune city in Maharashtra. The campus is spread over a 62-acre plot of undulating landscape with a minimum of distraction & pollution. It has a self-contained campus with complete education & Residential facilities. The institute is well-equipped to educate postgraduate students to function in a multicultural and multinational environment.

Q. There is a lot of stress that is being made with regard to interaction with the industry as well as companies that recruit. What are the steps being taken by the institute in this direction?

Method of Instruction includes formal lectures, case discussions, group discussions, hands-on exercises, simulation of business operations through games, individual and group assignments, projects and more. The PGDM (B&FS) programme aims to equip the students with the tools and concepts to appreciate and analyse the latest developments in banking and finance.

It contains a broad range of topics related to the Management of banks and financial institutions. It follows a tri-semester system with a total course credit of 108.5. We have a tri-semester pattern and courses are divided into six terms for the two years. The PGDM curriculum gets updated regularly to keep it contemporary, rigorous, and focused on emerging areas of banking.

For practical learning, we keep industry interactions through various summits, colloquiums, academic fest, social development projects, and Universal Human value courses for effective learning.

Q. Internships are now mandatory as per AICTE guidelines. Does the institute help students with this? If yes, how?

The summer internship project starts after completing term 3. This project gives them an opportunity to participate in banking, and it is a compulsory 2 credit course where students undertake internship projects in various companies. They are guided by the executives as well as NIBM faculty members. The projects are evaluated by both guides. All the students get internships in leading commercial banks, NBFCs, IT companies, and consulting firms. Most of the students get a stipend during the 2-month project time (during April-June). Generally, around 45 companies participate in the internship process and many students get pre-placement offers from these companies. The institute’s placement cell ensures the full placement of students.

Q. Can you please share details if there is any collaboration with universities abroad?

Response- NIBM has established academic collaborations with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Market Technician (CMT) and the Professional Risk Managers International Association (PRMIA). The course allows interaction with industry leaders and senior executives in the leading financial sector.

We have collaborated with Kent Business School and Nottingham Business School for executive training. These learnings are also disseminated to our PGDM students and help in establishing the industry connect.

Q. Please share placement statistics with information on the average package, highest and lowest package, number of students placed and details of companies that have recruited.

PGDM Curriculum is designed to make students industry ready, resulting in a smooth transition from Campus to Corporate world to take leadership roles. The pedagogy focuses on strengthening the students’ understanding of management concepts and practices through classroom lectures, case studies, hands-on exercises, several elective courses, social development projects, simulated banking business learning, industry interactions, summer internship and banking finance project work.

The students of the PGDM (B&FS) 2023-25 batch have received Pre-placement offers from institutions like Bank of America, BNY Mellon, Federal Bank, HDFC Credila, Natwest Group, Tata Capital to name a few.

Since inception, all students have been successfully placed with attractive pay packages. The passing out batch has received very good participation from leading Foreign & Private Banks, MNCs, Consulting Firms, Credit Rating Agencies, IT Companies, Fintechs and NBFCs. More than 40 recruiters have participated in the campus recruitment process with diverse roles. The highest package offered during NIBM Placements is Rs. 26.5 LPA whereas the average CTC for first 25% students is 17.41 LPA, first 50% students is Rs. 16.30 LPA and for first 75% students is 15.02 LPA. Lowest package offered for the batch is 10.5 LPA, Median Package is Rs. 15 LPA.

Roles: Manger-Credit; Manager-Audit; Analyst; Associate; Credit Risk, Market Risk, Operational Risk; Integrated Risk Management; Retail Credit Strategy and Control; Credit Portfolio Risk Analyst; Senior Consultant; Associate, Internal Audit; Finance Analyst; Associate Consultant; Fixed Income Trader; Equity Trader; Business Analyst; Global Banking Operations; Risk & Compliance; Corporate and Investment Banking etc.

After the successful completion of the course, the diploma and presentation of merit awards will be held within a month of the announcement of the final results of the programme. Diplomas are signed and awarded by the Honourable RBI Governor during the convocation. Nine gold medals for top performers are presented by the chief guest in the gracious presence of the RBI governor.

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