IIM-K to go for specialisation

Chairman says it will figure among India’s top three institutions in 3-5 years

The Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, (IIM-K) Chairman A. Vellayan has said the institute will strive to open new vistas in management studies by focussing on a specified discipline. “The IIM-K will look at a particular area of specialisation to take it to the top three ranking institutions in the country in the next 3-5 years,” he said.

In an interview with The Hindu here on Saturday, he said a few specialised subjects such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship had been identified for this purpose. “The board of governors and senior professors would identify the specialisation in which the IIM-K can stand out in this era of disruptive business models,” Mr. Vellayan, who is also the executive chairman of the Murugappa Group of Companies, said.

In US institutes

Citing examples of famed management institutes in the US, as Wharton School, which stood out in finance, Kellogg School of Management in marketing and Harvard Business School in business strategy, Mr. Vellayan said the top institutes were known for their specialisations.

Besides, the IIM-K would actively engage with its large and accomplished alumni. Four alumni would be included in the 15-member board of governors of the IIM-K, he said.

With the Indian Institute of Management Act, 2017 taking effect, Mr. Vellayan said that IIMs had now been empowered to run their institutes in such a way as to make them global centres of excellence in management. “However, with this autonomy comes responsibility as well,” he said.

Asked about the IIM-K being run without a full-time director for nearly four years, Mr. Vellayan, who took over as chairman in January, said the board of governors had started the process for hiring one. “A search committee has been constituted and a notification inviting application will be issued on Wednesday. Hopefully, a decision will be taken by June,” he said.

On the contention that the IIMs were focussing on high-salaried placements rather than promoting entrepreneurship, Mr. Vellayan said more companies were now looking for entrepreneurship within the corporate sector. “The student who got the highest offer during placement was recruited for his entrepreneurship capabilities,” Mr. Vellayan said.