Steering Academic Excellence: An Interaction with Dr. Mohua Banerjee, IMI Kolkata Director

In this exclusive interview with Careers360, Dr Mohua Banerjee (Director), International Management Institute (IMI) Kolkata discusses what sets IMI Kolkata apart from other bschools, eligibility and other IMI Kolkata admission parameters, summer internships, placements and more. Read the full article below.

About: Established in 2010, IMI Kolkata campus was founded by RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group to give bright young minds access to top-notch management education. IMI Kolkata offers the PGDM programme at the postgraduate level and FPM at the doctoral level along with the other certification courses. For PGDM admission, IMI Kolkata accepts, CAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT. Candidates will be shortlisted based on prior academics, entrance examination scores, and performance in the group discussion along with personal interview rounds.

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

Dr Mohua Banerjee: IMI Kolkata is a part of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group and the IMI family of Business Schools in India, with IMI Delhi as the parent institute. IMI Kolkata came up in 2011 to enable bright young minds to gain access to world-class management pedagogy. Ranked 70th across 776 Management Institutes in India, by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Ministry of HRD, GoI in 2023. IMI Kolkata courses a two-year full-time AICTE-approved PGDM programme which is equivalent to an MBA (as per the Association of Indian Universities). Our programme is accredited nationally by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and internationally by the Association of MBAs (AMBA). We are also active members of EFMD and AACSB.

Being located strategically in the heart of Kolkata, IMI-Kolkata enjoys very strong industry linkages. The institute embarks on its world-class infrastructure, highly experienced faculty members, experiential-based learning approach, and industry focussed curriculum which act as the pillars of success. The international linkage of the institute has grown over the years and spans across Business Schools/Universities in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Vision: To be a globally recognized Centre of Excellence in management education.

Mission: To produce socially sensitive, globally aware, values-driven individuals capable of providing leadership. To conduct research for knowledge creation and dissemination.

Careers360: Tell us something about the admission process.

Dr Mohua Banerjee: Students possessing a bachelor’s equivalent degree, with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks or equivalent in any discipline, from a recognized university in India or abroad (recognized by the UGC / Association of Indian Universities) are eligible to apply for the flagship PGDM programme of IMI Kolkata. Students in their final year are also eligible to apply under certain conditions. Candidates applying online are shortlisted based on their CAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT score and their prevailing academic record. Shortlisted candidates are invited for the final stage of the selection process, i.e., the Individual Assessment Process including a personal interview for IMI Kolkata admission.

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

Dr Mohua Banerjee: At IMI Kolkata, we take pride in our ultra-modern and futuristic infrastructure, designed to elevate every facet of the student experience. The campus is thoughtfully divided into an academic block and a residential block. The academic block is a haven of learning, centrally air-conditioned and featuring spacious lecture theatres equipped with the latest audio-visual teaching aids. Our classrooms are state-of-the-art, boasting lecterns, 50” monitor screens, 360° cameras for blended learning, microphones, and wireless laptops. On the residential front, our single-occupancy hostel rooms are not just spaces; they're sanctuaries, complete with air conditioning for utmost comfort. And when it comes to dining, our cafeterias offer a diverse range of culinary delights. To ensure an all-round development, IMI Kolkata facilities include separate spaces for recreational and co-curricular activities within the residential block. IMI Kolkata is not just an institute; it's a futuristic ecosystem that nurtures brilliance and fosters growth. Welcome to a realm where infrastructure meets innovation.

Careers360: There is a lot of stress that is being made concerning interaction with the industry as well as companies that recruit. What are the steps being taken by the institute in this direction?

Dr Mohua Banerjee: At IMI Kolkata, specific skill-enhancing employability in higher paying jobs is delivered through short, focused industry-conducted workshops such as Lean Six Sigma by KPMG. Other workshops are on Sales Analytics, Digital Marketing, training on using Excel, Taxation, etc. To increase industry-academia interactions, corporate engagements through Management Conclave (Conferro), Summits, Symposiums, Panel discussions, and Lecture Series are being conducted in the virtual mode. The HR Symposium was recently conducted on “New World | New Ways | New Thinking” featuring eminent panelists from the HR industry from H&R Johnson, LAPP Asia Pacific, and Shalby Limited to name a few. Similarly, IMI Kolkata also conducted the CXO Symposium on “Driving Business Outcomes in Dynamic Times” consisting of panellists from ATC Tires, Mahindra Susten and Sterling & Wilson, to name a few.

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

Dr Mohua Banerjee: Yes. IMI Kolkata provides Summer Internships to all students by contacting industry executives and potential recruiters for engaging in the full-time internship programme.

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

Dr Mohua Banerjee: IMI Kolkata has multiple collaborations with several universities of world renown. Some of the prominent universities are College of Business and Economics, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Emporia State University, Kansas, USA; Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Mexico; Instituto Internacional de Educação- IIE, Brazil; IDRAC Business School, France; ESC Rennes School of Business, France; UPEM, Universite Paris-est Marne-la-Vallee, France; Xunta De Galicia, Spain; Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland; University College, CEPS - Centre for Business Studies, Kiseljak, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kunming University of Science and Technology, China; Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, China; Sichuan University of People’s Republic of China; North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh These collaborations are carried out in terms of joint research activities, exchange of faculty members and academic personnel between both institutions, exchange of academic materials related to areas of interests and competency, organization of conferences, short duration programmes for students and management development programmes for executives.

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.

Dr Mohua Banerjee: IMI Kolkata has always provided its students with placements to onboard their corporate journey. In 2021-23, IMI Kolkata highest package was Rs. 14 lakhs, the average package was Rs 10.65 lakhs. According to the IMI Kolkata placement report, the prominent companies are JSW Steel Limited, Deloitte, ICICI Bank Limited, HDFC Bank Limited, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited, CESC Limited, Randstad India Pvt Ltd., Coffee Day Group, Tech Mahindra and many more.

Disclaimer: This content was distributed by IMI Kolkata and has been published as part of Careers360’s marketing initiative.