IIM Kashipur Convocation 2025: Record 598 Students Graduate, Batch Size Up 37%; Reliance Advisor Alok Agarwal Delivers Address
Indian Institute of Management Kashipur (IIM Kashipur) hosted its 12th Convocation on April 30, 2025, celebrating its largest graduating class to date with 598 students receiving degrees across five programs—a 36.5% increase from the previous year. The ceremony featured Alok Agarwal, Senior Advisor at Reliance Industries, as Chief Guest, with Director (I/C) Prof. Somnath Chakrabarti highlighting key institutional milestones.
IIM Kashipur Largest Graduating Cohort
A record 598 students, its largest-ever graduating cohort, were awarded degrees across five programs at IIM Kashipur Convocation 2025. The program-wise break up of graduating students is as follows:
- 319 students from the MBA program,
- 161 students from the MBA (Analytics) program,
- 34 students from the Executive MBA (E-MBA) program,
- 72 students from the Executive MBA in Analytics (EMBAA) program, and
- 12 students from the Doctoral (Ph.D.) program
Reflecting the institute’s ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, approximately 33% of the graduating cohort comprised women. Notably, the MBA (Analytics) program recorded an impressive 70% representation of women.
Alok Agarwal, Senior Advisor, Reliance Industries Delivers Convocation Address
The convocation address was delivered by Alok Agarwal, Senior Advisor, Reliance Industries and IIM Ahmedabad Alumnus.
Recounting his days at IIM Ahmedabad as a student, as he said, “Coming back to an IIM convocation brings back memories - telex machines at Bank of America, the early days of computer science and the signature Vadilal ice creams. In just one generation, we’ve moved from punch cards to AI, from waiting days for a reply to being surrounded by satellites. Most things remain the same, except for the advancements in technology and its rapid growth.”
“This incredible pace of innovation is both humbling and empowering. But as graduates of an IIM, part of the most privileged 0.01%, the real measure of success lies not just in what you achieve, but in the impact you make. Use your education not only to build careers, but to shape a more inclusive and equitable society,”, he urged the students.
Alok Agarwal was the Chief Financial Officer of Reliance Industries till May 2023. He took the role of Senior Advisor to Chairman and Managing Director from June 1, 2023. He is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Ahmedabad and a former executive of Bank of America, joined Reliance Industries in 1993 and became the chief of finance in 2005.
Dr Somnath Chakrabarti Highlights Achievements
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Somnath Chakrabarti, Director (I/C) and Dean of Academics, IIM Kashipur, said, “At IIM Kashipur, we believe management education must stay rooted in the realities of the world it seeks to lead. We are aligning academic practice with global shifts—from AI-driven analytics and sustainable development to India’s rise as a skill-building and manufacturing hub.”
Prof. Chakrabarti highlighted that on the international front, IIM Kashipur expanded its partnerships through long-term exchange programs, reaching out to over 450 global universities, launching STEP 2025 in collaboration with ALBA (Greece) and the Technical University of Munich, and progressing towards new MoUs, including one with Brazil’s COPPEAD.
IIM Kashipur is a second-generation IIM set up by the Government of India in 2011. Its 200-acre campus, situated just 25 kms away from Jim Corbett National Park, is also situated in one of the densest industrialized districts with more than 180 ventures that have set up their plants in and around the region. This strategic geographical positioning provides a vantage point for IIM Kashipur when it comes to ‘Learning by Doing’ through regular industry interaction and live projects.
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