Best kept secret in Indian management education; Dr Atish Chattopadhyay, Dean, MICA Ahmedabad

Updated on September 16, 2015

With a vision to make MICA a globally recognized management institution Dr Atish Chattopadhyay, former SPJIMR professor of marketing and Deputy Director in-charge has recently joined as new Dean of MICA, Ahmedabad

MICA is probably Indias best kept secret in the domain of management education Dr Atish Chattopadhyay, Dean MICA

A unique institution with unique approach in pedagogy and learning; in selecting the students for admission to its flagship programme, MICA Ahmedabad is probably the only B-school which has created a niche in management education with consistently achieving and aspiring for yet higher standards under the able guidance and leadership of its new dean Dr Atish Chattopadhyay..

After successfully leading the flagship 2 year PGDM Programme at SPJIMR for more than 5 years, Dr Atish increased enrolment, maintained 100% placements, expanded international student exchange, restructured curriculum, transitioned to semester system and enhanced alumni engagement. Dr. Atish was actively associated with the launch of ‘Global Fast Track’, where all 240 participants enrolled in the program undertake advance specialization courses and projects in partnering United States B-schools like Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Darden and Purdue.

A PhD from Aligarh Muslim University, Dr Atish has advised the top Management of MNCs in the areas of shopper marketing. In an exclusive interview with MBAUniverse.com Dr Atish shares his vision and priorities for MICA. Below are given the excerpts of the interview

MBAUniverse.com: You recently joined MICA as its new Dean after a successful innings at SPJIMR. What made you move to MICA?
Dr Atish (Dean MICA): I’m glad that you’ve acknowledged that my innings at SPJIMR was a successful one. As you know, an innings is declared when a team isn’t bowled out. Similarly, I declared my innings so as to be able to begin a new innings.

SPJIMR is now well established and is in a steady state. MICA offered me the opportunity to re-enter the institution-building mode, where I can be part of the growth story. I believe MICA is poised for high growth and that is exactly the kind of opportunity that excites me. MICA is one institution which has the ingredients to be a global Indian management institution.

MBAUniverse.com: While MICA is a pioneer in branding and communication management, how will you compare it with other Top 10 PGDM B-schools?
Dr Atish (Dean MICA): MICA is probably India’s best-kept secret in the domain of management education. The quality of education that the faculty brings to the class, the degree of industry interaction, the quality of placements and the passion with which the alumni and the student body connects with the institution, MICA ranks at par with the best in the country.

In addition, MICA has the advantage of being promoted and supported by a pioneering professional group which has the backing of a global name in marketing and advertising. This gives it a dual advantage — of a global connect and industry relevance — not enjoyed by other similar top ranking institutes in India. For the past few years, MICA has not participated in any of the rankings. However, if that were to change, I am certain many people would be in for a surprise.

MBAUniverse.com: Going forward, what will be the focus of MICA? What is your goal and mission for MICA?
Dr Atish (Dean MICA): MICA will continue to focus and strengthen its 4Cs — creative thinking, consumer-centricity, communication and community outreach — which we consider to be the building blocks for grooming leadership.

Going forward, we will deepen our global connect through exchange programs, industry immersion and increased number of international faculty teaching at MICA. Idea is to provide exposure of current global practices to our students.

We are further strengthening our industry connects through formation of industry advisory boards for each of the areas with the following objectives: (a) Curriculum review and development (b) Identification of resource persons (c) Mentoring students in skill enhancement (d) Organising topical seminars and (e) to engage in the process of faculty development.

I feel happy to share with you that we recently constituted the Industry Advisory Board for the Digital Marketing & Communication area with representations from Cognizant Digital, Facebook, Google, Groupon, HCL, HT Media, Inmobi, Linkedin, Quikr, redBus, SapientNitro, Snapdeal, Twitter and Times Internet.

We envision MICA to be a student centric institution guided by an empowered faculty group driving growth through distributed leadership.

We are confident that in the years ahead, MICA will emerge as a global leader in the education of strategic marketing and communication.

MBAUniverse.com: Is your PGDM–C programme equivalent to a regular MBA/PGDM programme? How does it compare?
Dr Atish (Dean MICA): Yes. MICA’s PGDM–C has been adjudged the equivalent of an MBA by the Association of Indian Universities. The PGDM–C programme is very different from other conventional MBA/PGDM programmes.

In addition to analytical competence and integrative capabilities, MICA graduates are creative, consumer centric, sensitive to the needs of the community and can communicate across stakeholders.

The programme offers unique specializations in Advertising, Media Management, Market Research & Analytics, and Brand Management, which are not available in conventional B-schools.

Also, MICA has always kept pace with the changing needs of the industry. The new specializations in Digital Marketing & Communication and Social Change Leadership reflect MICA’s agility and nimbleness, which differentiates it from other B-schools.

MICA to my mind, is the only top institution which has its own community radio station and a creative lab – a place where every wall tells a story – where analytical mindset melts with creative thinking.

MBAUniverse.com: One of the USPs of MICA is the diversity of its student body. Tell us more about it…
Dr Atish (Dean MICA): MICA is a unique institution with a unique approach to selection. Students are admitted on the basis of a well-rounded personality and potential for leadership. MICA looks for those individuals who have a creative bent of mind and a high level of empathy, since these are crucial elements in uncovering insights and formulating solutions meeting needs of the community.

Such a unique approach to selection, where quantitative ability is not the only parameter for gauging leadership potential, puts in place a student body that is diverse in terms of gender, academic background, experience, and region of origin.

MICA is probably the only top institute in which women account for more than 50 percent of the class. In addition, about 48 percent of the students at MICA right now come from non-engineering backgrounds. What makes this diversity interesting is that it is based purely on merit — no extra weightage is given to students of a particular gender or with a particular background.

MBAUniverse.com: Finally, how does MICA’s PGDM do on placements? What was the average salary in 2015?
Dr Atish (Dean MICA): With the present batch strength of 160, MICA graduates have, all along, found their preferred roles in the sectors of their choice. The confidence that recruiters place in MICA graduates is reflected in the institute’s 100 percent placement record over the years.

With regards to salary, I would say that the aspirants need to select a profession of their choice based on their strengths and liking not necessarily follow a herd mentality of chasing high salaries.

It is also quite often the parameter that ranking agencies use when ranking B-schools, as it is the easy way out. Instead of playing this game of numbers and salaries, institutes need to differentiate based on its mission, the requirements of the industry and the roles which its students aspire for. This will also determine the nature of applicants to a particular school - not every institute needs to produce investment bankers and consultants.

MICA, as a school, focuses on a different approach to grooming leadership, which is in alignment with its mission and the requirements of those who recruit from MICA. It is more about the role, the sector and the joy of creativity and contribution. Having said that, MICA graduates on an average received an annual pay package of INR 1150K last year.

MBAUniverse.com: Who were the key recruiters in 2015? Do non-advertising/media companies recruit in MICA?
Dr Atish (Dean MICA): It is a misconception that only advertising and media companies recruit at MICA. It is definitely a fact, that advertising and media companies have preferred to recruit from MICA over the years. This is also true of other firms, in sectors such as e-commerce, digital and the new-age start-ups.

MICA graduates are typically recruited in different roles in Advertising, Media Management, Marketing & Sales, Digital Marketing, Market Research & Analytics and Corporate Communications. The key recruiters of 2015 include names like Amazon, Google, redBus and Snapdeal among the new-age companies. In addition, FMCG majors like Procter & Gamble, L’Oreal etc have always been regular recruiters at MICA. I don’t need to take the names from the advertising and media sector as it is a well-known fact that all the big names find MICA to be their happy hunting ground.