SPJIMR Mumbai, one of India’s top B-schools and globally ranked amongst the Top 40 B-schools and ranked #1 in India by Financial Times, is fast becoming the CEOs & CXOs Factory. According to MBAUniverse.com research, SPJIMR alumni are Presidents and CXOs at not just the top Indian companies like NASSCOM and Mahindra’s, but also CEOs and CXOs of Global companies like Bacardi and Mondelez. What’s more, SPJIMR alumni are also change agents who are making a big impact on policy making and social sector.
SPJIMR famous alumni include Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM; Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors; Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director & CEO, Auto & Farm Sector at Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd; Mahesh Madhavan, Global CEO, Bacardi; Neil George, Managing Director, Abbott, who all learnt their Business & Management mantras at SPJIMR.
We are sure reading these names, you want to know more. And Sure, we have a lot more top SPJIMR alumni to share. But before we progress, let’s know SPJIMR Mumbai a little better. Established in 1981, SPJIMR Mumbai is one of India’s top B-school located in the heart of India’s financial center - Mumbai. SPJIMR has been ranked #1 in India and #40 globally by Financial Times 2023 Global Rankings. SPJIMR has developed deep industry connections that attract great placement opportunities. In placement 2023, SPJIMR registered highest salary of Rs.77.80 LPA and Average salary of Rs 33.02 LPA, at par with the Top IIMs.
With this brief introduction, let’s dive into the topic of the article – famous SPJIMR Alumni who are making their alma mater proud!
Mr. Mahesh Madhavan, Managing Director & CEO, Bacardi Limited
Mr Mahesh Madhavan, SPJIMR alumnus (PGDM/MMS, 1988), is the Global CEO of Bacardi since September 2017. Bacardi is the largest privately held, family-owned spirits company in the world.
In his career with Bacardi, Mr Madhavan has led the company’s Europe, Asia, Middle East & Africa operations where he was charged with building stronger connections between the iconic brands in the Bacardi portfolio and consumers in those regions. Also, during his tenure, Mr Madhavan has held leading roles in various fast-growing emerging markets including Managing Director of India, Managing Director for Thailand and the Philippines, and Managing Director of South Asia and Southeast Asia. He has also led the company’s Emerging Market Council.
Mr Mahesh Madhavan is based at the global headquarters in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDÍ rum, GREY GOOSE vodka, DEWAR’S Blended Scotch whisky, the world’s most awarded blended Scotch.
Mr Deepak Iyer, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (AMEA), Mondelez International
Mr Deepak Iyer, SPJIMR alumnus (PGDM/MMS, 1993), is the President of Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (AMEA) at Mondelez International, is a global snacking leader with 2022 net revenues of approximately $31 billion driven by iconic brands such as Oreo, Ritz, LU, Clif Bar and Tate's Bake Shop biscuits and baked snacks, and well as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate. A veteran leader in the FMCG industry, Mr Deepak Iyer has 30 years of management experience spanning roles in Sales, Marketing and General Management with P&L responsibilities. Based in Singapore, Mr Deepak Iyer is currently responsible for the business operations of more than 70 markets in the region, across 13 time zones!
Mr Deepak Iyer joined Mondelez India as President in 2016 and successfully led the business to sustained double digit growth, navigating several disruptions over the years. Prior to joining Mondelez India, Mr Iyer served as the CEO and Managing Director for both Bharti AXA General Insurance Company and Wrigley India. He also spent 17 years at PepsiCo in different roles in India, South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.
Mr Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director & CEO (Auto & Farm Sector), Mahindra Group
Mr Rajesh Jejurikar, SPJIMR alumnus (PGDM/MMS, 1986), is the Executive Director and CEO of Auto & Farm Sector at Mahindra & Mahindra. He is a Director on the Board of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and serves on the boards of other Mahindra Group companies in India as well as overseas.
Mr Rajesh Jejurikar has diverse experience across Packaged Goods, Advertising, Media, Automotive and Farm Equipment. He joined Mahindra in 2000 as Vice President – Marketing for Automotive Sector. He was then appointed Executive Vice President – Sales & Marketing and went on to become the Managing Director of Mahindra Renault. Rajesh became Chief of Operations of the Automotive Sector and in 2010, he was appointed Chief Executive for the Automotive Division and Member of the Group Executive Board. He became President of the Farm Equipment Sector in 2015.
Mr Rajesh Jejurikar serves on the Governing Council of his alma mater – SPJIMR. He has represented the Tractor Manufacturers Association (TMA) in India as its President on the National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2016, 2017.
Ms Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM
Ms Debjani Ghosh, SPJIMR Alumna (PGDM/MMS, 1993) is the President of the National Association of Software & Services Companies (NASSCOM) since April 2018. A veteran of the technology industry, she is the fifth president of NASSCOM and the first women at the helm in three-decade history. As the NASSCOM President, she actively works with the industry and Government to accelerate the growth of the Industry and strengthen India’s position as hub for Innovation and Digital Talent. Her approach has been focused on a three-point agenda - talent development and re-skilling, strengthening the innovation culture in the country and collaborating with governments across the world to open new opportunities for the Indian IT industry.
Before joining NASSCOM, Ms Debjani Ghosh was the first woman to lead Intel India, as the Managing Director for South Asia.
Mr Sunil Bhatia, Board Member & Investor; Former Global CEO, INFOGAIN; Senior Partner, Accenture
Mr Sunil Bhatia is Board Member & Investor and is former Global CEO, INFOGAIN and is Senior Partner, Accenture. He is a seasoned technology executive with a proven track record of building and scaling businesses, especially those owned by private equity. He has successfully built and sold a Unicorn business in Silicon Valley. Under his leadership, Infogain was recognized among the Global Top 50 Engineering digital transformation services firms by Everest and as a trusted partner to Fortune 100 companies. Mr Bhatia also led the turnaround of Blue Star Infotech.
Mr Bhatia has held leadership positions with global organizations in the United States and Asia, including Accenture in San Jose, California, and IBM Singapore. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from University of Mumbai, an MBA in Finance from SPJIMR. His life mantra is "Be a learning machine in a machine learning age".
Mr Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors
Mr. Girish Wagh, SPJIMR Alumnus (PGDM, 1997), is the Executive Director at Tata Motors. In his illustrious career, spanning over three decades with Tata Motors, Mr Wagh has held several senior roles with increasing and complex responsibilities across both, Passenger Vehicle and Commercial Vehicle Business Units. Leading teams across multiple functions, he successfully delivered game changing projects including the Tata ACE - Mini Truck and the new generation cars including Nano, Bolt, Zest, Tiago, Hexa and Tigor.
Mr. Girish Wagh has been President and Head of Commercial Vehicle Business Unit - Tata Motors and a member of the Executive Committee (ExCom) since July 2017. He was appointed as an Executive Director of the Company w.e.f. July 1, 2021.
For his excellent contribution to the automotive industry, Mr Girish Wagh was recognized as the “Rising Star” by the Automotive News Europe in 2011 and was recently awarded with “CV Man of the Year” at the Apollo CV Awards 2020.
Mr Neil George, Managing Director, Abbott
Mr Neil George, SPJIMR Alumnus (PGDM, 1996) is an international business leader who has worked across multiple companies in global positions where he led cross cultural teams from most parts of the globe.
Soon after graduating from SPJIMR in 1996, Mr Neil George took on one of the most coveted MBA roles in brand management at P&G. He spent next few years at P&G and was promoted to Regional Brand Management role. In 2001, he moved to Reckitt Benckiser in a global role as the Regional Marketing Manager, MENA in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Mr Neil George’s hunger for learning and growth took him to London Business School where he did his MBA in Finance and Strategy in 2006-2007. In 2007, he was appointed as the Marketing Director, Netherlands at RB and was the Country Head of Marketing for Reckitt Benckiser's Dutch subsidiary. Then in 2012, Mr Neil George joined Beiersdorf as the Head of Marketing for the Northern European management unit (U.K, Ireland, Netherlands and the Nordic markets). In 2017, he was appointed as the Managing Director of NIVEA INDIA.
In May 2023, after a long and successful innings at NIVEA, Mr Neil George was appointed as the Managing Director of Abbott.
Mr Hardeep Singh, Chief Executive Officer, 7-Eleven, India
Mr Hardeep Singh is leading 7-Eleven India as CEO since March 2019. In his current role, he is responsible for rapid roll out of the 7-Eleven stores in India and create a profitable convenience store model. 7‑Eleven is the world’s #1 convenience store with one simple focus, ‘Innovating to make life easier for the customers’. Together with the Reliance group, 7-Eleven India is creating new pathways that offer greater convenience and more affordable choices to urban customers.
Mr Singh’s work experience spans nearly 30 years, where he has worked in leadership roles in Walmart, Unilever & Asian Paints. Mr Singh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from ICT, Mumbai and a Master’s degree in Operations from SPJIMR, Mumbai.
Ms Lulu Raghavan, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Landor & Fitch
Ms Lulu Raghavan, SPJIMR Alumna (PGDM 1998-2000) is a leading authority on branding and design in India. She has recently been appointed as the Vice President of Asia Pacific for Landor & Fitch.
Earlier, Ms Raghavan was the managing director of Landor Mumbai, a preeminent global brand strategy and design firm. She set up the Landor India office in 2008 and has worked on large branding assignments for some of India’s most respected companies, including National Stock Exchange, Mahindra, Godrej, Aditya Birla, and the Taj Group, among others.
Ms Lulu Raghavan was invited to judge the Cannes Lions Design Awards 2018 and serve on the Young Lions Jury 2018. Raghavan conceptualized and helped set up the multinational advertising company WPP’s Stella program in India to mentor high-potential women in the group. She is also part of The Collective, a group of 15 senior women in the industry who have come together to create a forum to help reduce or eliminate any form of harassment at work.
Mr Pradeep Kar, Founder, Chairman & Managing Director, Microland
An alumnus of SPJIMR MMS 1981-83 batch, Mr Pradeep Kar founded Microland in 1989. In the rapidly changing business and technology landscape, he ensures that Microland is ‘Making digital happen’ for clients and partners across the globe.
A serial entrepreneur, Mr Pradeep Kar founded and sold three technology companies, namely, Indya.com (sold to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation), Planetasia.com (India's first Internet Professional Services Company) and Net Brahma Technologies. From 2006 through 2016, Mr Kar served as a Non-Executive Director on the board of UBM plc - a leading business-to-business event organizer listed on the London Stock Exchange. He was also on the Board of Telstra Telecommunications, India, from 2011 to 2021.
Mr Pradeep Kar has served as the First Chairman of the Governing Council of Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore and was the President of The Indus Entrepreneurs' (TIE), Bangalore Chapter. In 1999, the World Economic Forum recognized Pradeep as a ‘Global Leader for Tomorrow’ as an acknowledgment of his leadership in the Indian IT industry.
Mr Madan Padaki, Founder & CEO, 1BRIDGE; Co-founder, G.A.M.E. India
Mr Madan Padaki, SPJIMR alumnus (PGDM 1997-99 batch), is the Founder and CEO of 1Bridge, a company that delivers exceptional consumer experience to the 300 million rural-urban (Ruban) consumers in India. Using a network of entrepreneurs and a technology platform that enables assisted commerce, 1Bridge bridges the gap between the online and offline worlds and provide access, choice, and convenience to our customers.
Mr Madan Padaki is also a co-founder of G.A.M.E. India, an initiative that aims to create 100 million mass entrepreneurs who can generate jobs and make a positive difference in their communities.
Mr Madan Padaki is associated with many leading organizations including TiE Bangalore, as its President, and UNICEF as its Strategic Advisor. He is also an Angle Investor in many startups. In his corporate career, Mr Padaki worked at leading technology companies including Infosys and Wipro.
Ms Vinita Singh, Trustee, ‘We, The People Abhiyan’
Ms Vinita Singh, SPJIMR alumnus (PGDM/MMS 1992-94 batch), is the Trustee of ‘We the People of India’. A social activist, she is actively involved in exploring issues and solutions through active dialogue and consultation.
Ms Vinita Singh has 25 years of experience in the development sector, working extensively on livelihoods, citizens rights and civic education. She was involved in setting up International Resources for Fairer Trade, Satark Nagrik Sangathan and National Homeworkers Group. Currently, she is transforming civics education in India as Managing Trustee with We, The People. Ms Vinita Singh, with her deep insight and expertise on social cause, strives to forge meaningful engagements with stakeholders, including people at the grassroots, govt. agencies, corporations, civil society organizations, and associations.
Mr Sujith Nair, CEO & Co-founder, FIDE
Mr Sujith Nair, SPJIMR Alumnus (PGDM/MMS, 2006) is the CEO and Co-founder of FIDE – Foundation for Interoperability in Digital Economy. This not-for-profit organisation is the genesis author and angel donor to an open-source initiative called the Beckn Protocol. Beckn enables the creation of decentralised digital economy ecosystems. Co-founded along with Nandan Nilekani and Dr Pramod Varma, FIDE has been helping Beckn Protocol evolve as an independent and large-scale open-source community effort focusing on its adoption and sustenance as a digital public good.
Mr Sujith Nair conceptualised and helped set up the world’s first decentralised open mobility network using the Beckn Protocol in Kochi called the Kochi Open Mobility Network (KOMN), which was launched in July 2021. Mr Nair co-conceptualised the idea of ONDC and onboarded the first set of market participants on ONDC, co-authored the ONDC Strategy Paper and was instrumental in the setup of ONDC Ltd in Dec 2021.
Before FIDE, Mr Sujith Nair headed Management Consulting practices and Internet businesses in urban mobility and digital payments. He contributed to many key interventions in the Aadhaar program between 2010-2012. He also designed India’s national transit open payments interoperability (One Nation, One Card) in 2014 to integrate ticketing and payments across public transport systems in the country.
Mr Dilip Jain, Founder & CEO, dJed Foundation
Mr Dilip Jain is a CA and SPJIMR Alumnus (PGDM/MMS, 2005). He is the Founder and CEO of dJed Foundation.
Mr Dilip Jain spent 7 years in senior management roles with Marico & Voltas (Tata Group) in corporate strategy & planning, finance & procurement, mergers & acquisitions, etc. Following that, he joined a family business and played an instrumental role in its development to the industry's number one position. Parallel to that, he co-founded an industrial park development company (Aventus Estate) in a joint venture with a PE fund, and as its CEO, he completed 150 acres of projects.
Mr Dilip Jain was named a founding member of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh, at the age of 37. He took a pro-bono volunteering sabbatical for almost two years to be a part of Sonam Wangchuk's core team that founded the alternative university and its ventures. He has been a volunteer with SECMOL Ladakh since 2004 and has been especially involved since the start of the renowned Ice Stupa project, which won the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2016.
In 2020, Mr Dilip Jain founded the dJED Foundation which works in 7 villages. The main aim is to move the world's attention from Economy (part) to Ecology (whole).
Mr Dipankar Bhattacharjee, Chief Manager (Administration & Welfare), Indian Oil Corporation
two times Olympian and a three times Indian National Badminton Champion, Mr Dipankar Bhattacharjee is an alumnus of SPJIMR (PGDM Batch 2012). He was also the Captain of the Indian Badminton Team at Thomas Cup 1996.
Having served the nation through sports, Dipankar Bhattacharjee is also the Senior Manager at Indian Oil Corporation. He has 21 years of work experience in the Petroleum Marketing sector, in one of the largest commercial organization in India and a Fortune 500 company, Indian Oil Corporation Limited. He is currently designated as the Chief Management at IOL. Dipankar is the Founder of Dipankar's Badminton Academy, Guwahati and is grooming future Olympians at the academy.
Mr Aayush Upadhyay, Vice President, Deutsche Bank
Mr Ayush Upadhyay is the Vice President of Deutsche Bank. He is a CA with MBA with over 13 years’ experience in Client Management, Mutual Fund Operations, Fund Accounting & Corporate Finance. Ayush is serving the Deutsche Bank for the last more than 7 years and was elevated to the VP position in April 2020. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Ayush had served as Vice President Corporate Finance with Trident Limited and had also served at Religare Finvest Limited, SBI SG Global Securities Services Pvt. Ltd and Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co.
As Asst. Vice President at SBI SG Global Securities Services, Mr Ayush Upadhyay, led a 17 member Team & headed the operations, to manage the Fund Accounting Services (FAS), being offered to Domestic Mutual Funds, PMS & AIF for the functions of NAV & dividend declarations, valuation of securities, scheme financials preparations & liaising with auditors, client reporting and regulatory reporting and handled FAS, for one of the oldest & largest Mutual Funds in India with AUM of about $ 9.82 Billion
Mr Ayush Upadhyay has been a Member of Industry Integration Committee, Conducted consulting Project on Financial Inclusion and Micro Finance for the Harda (MP) based NGO Narmada Valley Rural Foundation Trust in May-June 2013. He has studied Global Executive Education Program, Finance 2013 at NYU Stern School of Business 2013
SPJIMR Distinguished Alumni at a Glance
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Name of Alumni
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Present Company & Designation
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SPJIMR Program Name & Batch Year
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Mr Mahesh Madhavan
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Managing Director & CEO, Bacardi Limited
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MMS – 1986-1988
|
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Mr Deepak Iyer,
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President, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (AMEA), Mondelez International
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MMS in Marketing, 1991-1993
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Mr Rajesh Jejurikar,
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Executive Director & CEO (Auto & Farm Sector), Mahindra Group
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MMS – 1984-1986
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Ms Debjani Ghosh
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President, NASSCOM
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MMS – 1991-1993
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|
Mr Sunil Bhatia
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Board Member & Investor; Former Global CEO, INFOGAIN; Senior Partner, Accenture
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PGDM/MMS, 1989
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Mr Girish Wagh,
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Executive Director, Tata Motors
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PGDM 1995-1997
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Mr Neil George
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Managing Director, Abbott
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PGDM in Marketing, 1994-1996
|
|
Mr Hardeep Singh,
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Chief Executive Officer, 7-Eleven, India
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MMS – 1992-1994
|
|
Ms Lulu Raghavan
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Vice President, Asia Pacific, Landor & Fitch
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PGDM - 1998-2000
|
|
Mr Pradeep Kar,
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Founder, Chairman & Managing Director, Microland
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MMS – 1981-1983
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Mr Madan Padaki
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Founder & CEO, 1BRIDGE; Co-founder, G.A.M.E. India
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PGDM - 1997-1999
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Ms Vinita Singh
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Trustee, ‘We, The People Abhiyan’
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MMS – 1992-1994
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Mr Sujith Nair
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CEO & Co-founder, FIDE
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PGDM/MMS, 2006
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Mr Dilip Jain
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Founder & CEO, dJed Foundation
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PGDM/MMS, 2005
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Mr Dipankar Bhattacharjee
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Olympian, National Badminton Champion
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PGDM Batch 2012
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Mr Aayush Upadhyay
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Vice President, Deutsche Bank
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PGPM – 2012-2013
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How SPJIMR produces these Champions?
SPJIMR contributes towards producing leaders through innovative practices, starting with a unique selection process that evaluates applicants holistically, considering profiles and career goals even before CAT scores are released. The institution prioritizes clarity in candidates' career aspirations and allows them to choose their preferred specialization during the application. SPJIMR's distinctive pedagogy and industry-relevant curriculum, coupled with non-classroom activities like Abhyudaya, DOCC, ADMAP, PG LAB, and Science of Spirituality, ensure a comprehensive approach to education, focusing on developing high Emotional and Social Quotient in future business leaders.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on SPJIMR Mumbai
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