ICFAI Business School, Mumbai (IBS Mumbai): Interview with Ms. Pritee Saxena (Director)

Careers360: Tell us something about the institute; when it was set up, vision and mission

Ms. Pritee Saxena: ICFAI Business School, Mumbai (IBS Mumbai) was incepted in 1995 under the inspiring leadership of Late Shri N J Yasaswy. From a small beginning IBS Mumbai moved to be an independent campus in Goregoan, Mumbai and in the year 2008, IBS Mumbai set up its campus of over 1.25 lac square feet in the scenic, elite and picturesque location of Hiranandani Gardens, Powai Mumbai. Over the years IBS Mumbai has become a top preference for management programme aspirants and is now ranked among the best B-Schools in India. The students strength has grown exponentially since 1995, with current a strength of over 2300 students.
With a credo of ‘Meritum Ethicus’, our vision is to make management education accessible to every aspirant meritorious of academic pursuit. We are committed to its mission of preparing students imparting world class management education by blending education with the latest skills and competencies that corporates look for in management graduates.

Careers360: Tell us something about the admission process?

Ms. Pritee Saxena: IBS Mumbai admissions are based purely on merit without any special quota. Admissions for all IBS campuses are conducted through a centralised admission process every year for all its 9 campuses. Students have to undergo a common admission test called IBSAT. Qualifying students are then assessed through Group Discussion/Micro-presentation followed by a Personal Interview. IBS Mumbai sees an ever-increasing number of students every year because it combines academic excellence with student development and career development for promising careers in management.

Read More about IBS Mumbai courses

Careers360: What kind of infrastructure can students expect at the institute? Please elaborate?

Ms. Pritee Saxena: IBS Mumbai has an infrastructure befitting any premier B-school. IBS has invested in technology and equipments that are world class and provide students a learning experience that can a match up with the best infrastructure globally. IBS Mumbai facilities include a WIFI enabled campus with 32 air-conditioned classrooms having Smartboards and latest A/V sound systems. The Smartboards have latest features that enable a seamless online Learning Experience for the students through automated recording of sessions and class activity. The Learning Management System, called Quicforce, enables hybrid learning during emergencies.
IBS Mumbai has an expansive Atrium that servers as an amphitheatre, a 500 seater auditorium for all student activities, gymnasium, recreational rooms for students, Library with over 50000 books, online publications, Journals and Data –Bases,IT Lab equipped with latest learning resources and software, Language Lab and multiple cafeterias to suit the taste of various students. In addition to this there are Coffee kiosks by Nestle and Café Coffee Day. Exclusive areas have been designed for placement activities, student service department, examination centre, Conference room that serves as MDP centre.

Careers360: 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?

Ms. Pritee Saxena: With a strong industry-academia association and collaboration with practicing managers and industry experts, IBS Mumbai keeps practical industry knowledge sharing channels continually active. The recruiter network of IBS Mumbai has grown over the years and its global alumni base gives the IBS Mumbai an edge over other B-Schools and prepares students for the best career launch.

Industry interaction is at the heart of IBS Mumbai campus, therefore, we encourage guest lectures, seminars and webinars, Fireside Chats leaving no opportunity of inviting industry professionals on campus to interact with students. Customized Certification Programmes, Master Classes and inviting practicing managers to share courses with Faculty are some of our differentiators. Through these platforms, industry experts guide our students on application of domain knowledge in corporate world scenarios via hands-on skill building sessions.
IBS Mumbai took the lead in developing 12 certification programmes in collaboration with industry experts on job-specific skills. These included Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Financial Modelling, Power BI, EY-CAFTA, Versant, Real Estate Management, Contemporary Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Corporate Credit Analysis and Credit Ratings, HR Analytics, and SQL.

Our Advisory Board comprise of top management professionals who regularly advise the Institute on maintaining contemporary curriculum and ways to bring B-School closer to current and future industry requirements.Apart from the industry support, the faculty members mentor these students regularly through counseling sessions, inviting motivational speakers, Yoga sessions and cultural activities. Care is taken to provide avenues for students to deal with stressful situations keeping a positive attitude learnt through soft skills and personal effectiveness programmes.

Careers360: Internships are now mandatory as per AICTE guidelines. Does the institute help students with this? If so, how?

Ms. Pritee Saxena: Yes. IBS Mumbai strives to provide appropriate Summer Internships opportunities for all students. The Summer Internship Programme is integral to the curriculum, having allotted 18 credits. A strong network of over 800 companies reach out to IBS Mumbai for hiring management interns every year.

Spread over 14 weeks and graded for performance, the Summer Internship Programme(SIP), gives students unique industry exposure and prepares them to face the world of work, giving them a primer on the required hard and soft competencies for career and placement success . A specially constituted SIP Faculty Team under the leadership of the Director and Campus Head and the SIP Coordinator monitors the internship programme closely, to ensure internship rigor and discipline so that every student gets due attention and developmental support. The internship design evolves with changing times and changing business needs. The lockdown saw the emergence of remote and virtual internships, some of which were international. During the internship period the students are continually mentored by both IBS faculty and industry guides. The emphasis is on identifying the students' developmental needs and ensuring additional certification programs.

Careers360: Can you please share details if there is any collaboration with universities abroad?

Ms. Pritee Saxena: IBS Mumbai through its international immersions encourages student interaction with the universities of the cities they visit. Faculty members are encouraged to collaborate with international authors for writing research papers and cases. Also international student participation in annual events is a regular feature.

Careers360: 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.

Ms. Pritee Saxena: Recruiters and organizations look up to IBS Mumbai for promising, high-calibre managers with the right blend of domain skills, business acumen, soft skills and analytical competence. This has enabled every student to beget rich job profiles.
According to the IBS Mumbai placements, the highest CTC for the Batch of 2022 is 53.45 lakhs with an international placement. Over 1004 students of the Batch of 2022 have already been placed in over 226 companies with an average CTC of 7.05 lakhs and the lowest package being 3.50 lakhs per annum. This year 98% of the students' placement record that the campus has maintained consistently for the past five years.

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