SHILLONG, June 11: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong has announced the commencement of its 6th batch of the PhD Working Professionals (PhD WP) 2024 and the 5th batch of the Post Graduate Programme for Working Executives (PGPWE) 2024-26. The event was graced by IIM Shillong Director Prof DP Goyal and other faculty members.
In his welcome address, Prof Goyal emphasised the institute’s commitment to synchronous, integrated learning, and its philosophy of maintaining small, focused batches to ensure personalized attention and leadership development. He encouraged the new participants to effectively manage their time and balance their professional, academic, and personal responsibilities. Highlighting the importance of continuous learning and adaptation, he urged participants to leverage their professional experiences to enhance their academic journey.
The new batches boast a rich diversity in gender, age, educational background, professional experience, industry representation, and geographic diversity.
The PhD WP 2024 batch comprises 15 participants, with a gender distribution of 73% male and 27% female. The average age of participants is 40 years, with the youngest being 36. This diverse group holds various postgraduate degrees, including LLM, M.Tech, MBA, MIM, PGDHHM, and PGDM. Their professional experience ranges from 11 to 22.6 years, primarily within the 11 to 15-year range. Participants hail from prestigious organisations such as the Aditya Birla Group, Bharat Electronics Ltd, and SBI Capital Markets Ltd, and represent nine different states, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Meghalaya.
The PGPWE 2024-26 batch also consists of 15 participants, with 80% male and 20% female. The average age is 31 years, with participants ranging from 24 to 38 years old. This cohort holds undergraduate degrees in B.Tech, B.E., BSc, and BBA, and their professional experience spans 3 to 14.3 years, mainly within the 3 to 10-year range.
Participants come from various sectors, including automobile, consulting, manufacturing, and IT, employed by companies like Accenture, ITC Limited, Mahindra and Mahindra Limited, and ONGC. This year’s PGPWE batch represents 10 different states and countries, including Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam, with a notable participant from Mexico, reflecting the program’s growing international appeal.
Prof Rohit Joshi, Dean Academics, highlighted the rigorous selection process and the diverse backgrounds of the new batches, underscoring IIM Shillong’s dedication to providing a rich learning environment. Prof Mousumi Bhattacharya and Prof Sitanshu Sekhar Das expressed their enthusiasm for the academic journey ahead and encouraged the new participants to make the most of the opportunities at IIM Shillong.
The commencement ceremony concluded with a note of gratitude from the participants, who expressed their eagerness to embark on this transformative journey.
