PIAA recently held its inaugural event in New Delhi on 2nd December 2006 comprising a number of IIM alumni and the directors of the six IIMs. They talked about “innovation in education” in general and “How to make IIM a global brand” in particular. The key presenters wereKiran Karnik, president, NASSCOM;Nripjit Singh (Noni) Chawla, former Managing Director and CEO Max Healthcare; Jerry Rao, chairman, MPHASIS; Arun Seth, chairman, British Telecom, South Asia; Pradeep Gupta, CMD, Cybermedia Group; and Ashok Gupta, Managing Director, Telcordia Technologies.
In his keynote address, Kiran Karnik said, “The PIAA is uniquely placed to make a big impact on the economic and social fabric of the country. It will provide a platform for discussing new ideas and creating a powerful independent voice on topical issues and policies, even as it plays a role in furthering Brand IIM globally.”
Commenting on the potential of PIAA, Nirpjit Singh (Noni) Chawla said, “The PIAA has the potential of making a major contribution to the communities and societies that the alumni live in.”
A few IIM alumni were having a cup of tea in Delhi – in early June 2006: that’s when the idea of PIAA was born! The underlying belief in forming this association is that to effectively galvanize this community to take on challenges outside their immediate area of work responsibility to make IIM a global brand. As Pradeep Gupta pointed out, “The coming together of the alumni of all the six IIMs will provide a forum where we can network amongst ourselves, work towards the enhancement of the standards of the IIMs and contribute to India Inc.”
Arun Seth added: “Pan-IIM AA will be an institution that will galvanize the whole IIM community to realize its true potential by providing a platform for the pursing common issues of management professionals.”
Commenting on the state of education in India Kiran Karnik said, “There is a crisis in the Indian education system. Our education is very text-bookish. By not making students think and focusing on the method of rote, we are putting constraints to the developments of young individuals. However, the IIMs are different. The unique thing about IIMs is that they recognize the importance of different points-of-view through the case study method.”
