Rishikesha T. Krishnan took over because the director of one of many nation’s premier academic establishments – Indian Institute of Administration Bangalore (IIMB) – simply because the world began grappling with a worldwide pandemic in 2020. In an interview with The Hindu, he shares his expertise navigating by means of COVID, the programmes he applied throughout his tenure and his imaginative and prescient for the institute, as he approaches the tip of his tenure on July 19.
How would you sum up your tenure at IIMB?
I grew to become a director when COVID simply began. The primary two years had been focussed on ensuring the institute runs easily regardless of all of the restrictions. There are some good landmarks: all the scholars graduated on time, folks acquired positioned, and we didn’t have any main disruption in our educational programmes. From 2022 to 2025, we centered on enhancing the impression of our on-line studying initiative.
The second vital factor was the AI for managers programme, adopted by our choice to supply an under-graduate BBA programme.
I used to be fortunate that in my tenure we additionally celebrated the golden jubilee of the Institute in 2023, which had numerous alumni involvement and that offered a great impetus for the alumni chapters globally to get into a greater form.
What shift did COVID deliver within the administration house each educationally and professionally?
We’ve got gone a bit forwards and backwards. Simply take a quite simple phenomenon like work at home. Clearly, throughout COVID, work at home was obligatory, and lots of people felt that they want to proceed that manner. Corporations initially had been okay with it as a result of in addition they noticed value financial savings. However now, corporations are eager to get their staff again to the workplace, notably the place collaborative work or inventive work is required, the place interplay is vital. The great factor that’s occurred, even for IIMB, is that on-line communication has grow to be accepted as a manner of doing issues.
Which is your favorite programme amongst these you have got applied?
The one which could have the most important long-term impression is our on-line BBA programme. It’s lower than a yr since we began the programme. However I had the chance to work together with lots of the college students, and lots of of them wouldn’t ordinarily have gotten the chance to have this type of schooling. Now, they’re able to entry it from their house. These programmes don’t present outcomes and impression instantly, however I’m prepared to take a fairly large guess that in about 10 years, we are going to begin seeing some vital impression coming from these college students.
Something you needed to implement, however couldn’t?
I don’t suppose there’s something like that. I believe the problem for us is simply to maneuver somewhat faster. The fascinating factor is that a minimum of the great premier authorities establishments, like IIMs and IITs and so forth, are labeled as establishments of nationwide significance. The federal government offers us full freedom to launch educational programmes in the way in which we predict is finest. We’ve got only a few restrictions on the way in which educational programmes are designed in contrast to a typical college. The place we generally get slowed down is on the executive aspect of issues in relation to new initiatives’ development. These are the areas the place it might be good if we may transfer sooner.
What are a few of the programmes that you simply launched to make sure inclusivity on the campus?
As a person, I’ve been concerned in inclusivity on campus in a number of methods for a very long time. I used to be the primary chair for variety and inclusion within the campus. As we speak, IIMB is basically recognised as probably the greatest, if not one of the best campus when it comes to help for college students with disabilities. There’s room for enchancment, after all. However nonetheless, by Indian requirements a minimum of, we’ve achieved a superb job over the past 15 years or so. Once more, with this BBA programme, we’ve numerous beneficiant scholarships for college students from completely different classes who’re coming from economically and socially deprived backgrounds, or for college students with disabilities. In a broad manner, all our on-line schooling is admittedly an effort at inclusion, as a result of what we’re saying is that it doesn’t matter the place you might be learning or the place you might be situated, you may entry the programme.
While you have a look at IIMB 10 years down the lane, what do you hope stays the identical, and what are the adjustments you want to see?
Traditionally, IIMB has been fairly good at understanding how the setting is altering and responding with new programmes and initiatives. That is what we’ve been doing fairly persistently for a minimum of the final 25 to 30 years. I’d undoubtedly hope that that continues.
What would I prefer to see in another way after 10 years? The very first thing is that our capacity to supply high quality undergrad programmes also needs to be established by that point. The second factor I would really like is to see how we are able to strengthen our worldwide branding visibility. The third factor is that it will likely be good to see that that IIMB turns into a frontrunner in integrating know-how with educating and studying in order that we’re in a position to provide the best studying.
Printed – July 15, 2025 10:19 am IST
