IIM Sambalpur, one of India's premier management institutions, hosted a six – day CEO Immersion Programme for the Executive MBA 2024-26 and MBA for Working Professionals2023-25 batches at its Sambalpur campus. The programme aims to equip the batch with practical knowledge, industry trends, and leadership skills through direct interaction with seasoned professionals.
As many as 100 executives from different industries participated in the programme that was addressed by over 15 – 25 CXOs of top companies. In his welcome address, Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, said, "Our campus blends modern infrastructure with Indian ethos, as reflected in its architecture, art, and cultural elements.
We have also introduced transformative Drivers for digitalization and Green Technologies like AI, blockchain are set to revolutionize industries by creating unified systems for business processes, from design to sales. This shift will demand a new wave of consulting talent, and MBA graduates will play a pivotal role in leading this transformation."
Prof further said, "As the world transitions to sustainable practices, industries such as oil, gas, coal, and traditional automotive manufacturing will undergo significant changes. These shifts present both challenges and opportunities for leaders equipped with the right skills. Institutions like IIM Sambalpur must lead these transformations.
We aim to contribute by fostering a knowledge base that supports global organizations and industries. To this end, we are signing an MoU with an AI-driven learning management system. This initiative will enable IIM Sambalpur to develop and share case studies and articles on a global platform, similar to the renowned Harvard Business Cases."
Attending the events as the chief guest, Dr. Biswajit Mahapatra, Head of Customer Solutions-CIO Advisory - Amazon Web Services, said “Digital transformation is about reimagining how we think, act, and operate in an increasingly intelligent, interconnected, and instrumented world, where new business paradigms emerge through evolving models, innovative ways of working, and the cultivation of expertise.
It’s a shift from merely adding AI to systems to centering every business outcome around AI, fostering democratized innovation and responsive operations. Expertise, once defined by narrow specialization, now demands a comb-shaped approach—deep skills across multiple areas with broad horizontal knowledge—while orchestrated ecosystems, built on collaboration and co-opetition, drive success.
Technologies like cloud, blockchain, IoT, and intelligent workflows form the bedrock of transformation, with data as indispensable as air, fueling insights that power this evolution. “ During the programme, selected meritorious MBA female students including, Kratika Krishna Panchal, Sapna Rani, Pallavi Lata, Gunika Kaur and Manjot Kaur from economically weaker sections, awarded a scholarship of one lakh rupees in recognition of their academic excellence. The award was given by Mrs. Sharada Gupta of Delhi, wife of Dr. Girish Mohan Gupta, an MBA for Working Professionals student at IIM Sambalpur Delhi Campus.
The event was attended by Priyadarshi Nanu Pany, CEO of CSM Technology; Nilesh Biniwale, General Manager at Pattern India; Manas Barpanda, National Head at Britannia Industries Ltd.; Padmanabhan S., Senior Vice President at MSN Laboratories; Gulshan Tiwari, J oint President & Plant Head at Hindalco, Jharsuguda; Dr. Debasish Guha, Head of Research TCS innovation Park IIT KHARAGPUR; Aparna Chetan, CHRO at Torry Harris Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; Ghanashyam Parida, President & CEO of the Power Vertical at Welspun Corp; Abhishek Kumar Verma, Founder and CEO of Indiano Pelletteria; Dr. Angshuman Ghosh, CEO of MENRV AI; Jay Prakash Singh, CHRO at JSW Steel; Akshay Rakshit, HRBP at BMW Group India; Manish Pandey, Senior Director at Infosys and Head of Infosys Foundation Bhubaneswar; Damodar Mittal, Executive Director at Jindal Steel & Power Limited; Debasish Mallik, President at Hindalco – Hirakud and Rajesh Singh, Senior VP HR & IR at TRL Krosaki Refractories Limited.