Union Minister of Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan to deliver Valedictory Address at 15th Indian Management Conclave 2025 on Sep 25-26 at IIFT

IMC 2025 Theme: Leveraging AI in Business and B-Schools 
Established in 2010 and organized annually by MBAUniverse.com in collaboration with India’s leading business schools and knowledge partners, the Indian Management Conclave (IMC) has become the country’s definitive platform on management education. Each year, a premier institution hosts the Conclave, with past editions held at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, ISB Hyderabad and other top institutions. The two-day forum convenes more than 200 academic leaders from top universities and business schools, alongside policy makers and industry executives. Its agenda features keynote addresses, plenary sessions, the IMC Roundtable, the IMC International Research Conference, and the IMC Awards for Excellence in Management Education, making it a unique meeting point for dialogue, research, and best practices in Indian management education.

The theme of IMC is aligned with the evolving needs of business and management education. With advanced GenAI models such as ChatGPT and Gemini, AI adoption is reshaping global businesses and higher education. By July 2025, ChatGPT alone had 800 million weekly users, with India contributing 10 percent. According to McKinsey, more than 75 percent of businesses now deploy AI, reporting measurable productivity gains. Leading global business schools, including Wharton and MIT Sloan, are embedding AI across teaching, research, and operations. In India, while several initiatives are underway, evidence remains scattered and largely anecdotal. Against this backdrop, IMC 2025 theme is: “Leveraging AI in Business and B-Schools to Enhance Competitiveness.” 

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Government of India
A key highlight of the 15th IMC 2025 will be the Valedictory Address by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Union Minister of Education, Government of India.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has served as the Minister of Education since July 2021. He has been serving as a Cabinet Minister in the PM Modi government since 2014. He has previously held the portfolios of Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (2017–2021), Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas (2014–2021), and Minister of Steel (2019–2021).

Under Shri Pradhan’s leadership, NEP 2020 is transforming India’s higher education by offering flexibility, inclusivity, and innovation. The National Credit Framework, adopted by 170 universities, and the Academic Bank of Credit with 2.36 crore APAAR IDs, are enabling seamless credit mobility. Multiple entry-exit options in 153 universities and UGC-approved biannual admissions are pushing India toward its 50% GER target by 2035. Technology-driven learning is expanding, with 1,149 ODL programs for 19 lakh students and 544 online courses across 107 institutions. ONOS now provides access to 13,000 e-journals in 6,300 institutions, while the Malaviya Mission has trained 2.5 lakh faculty through 3,950 programs.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan’s presence at IMC 2025 underscores the Government’s recognition of management education’s critical role, and IMC’s position as the premier thought-leadership platform.

Key IMC 2025 Highlights
The two-day 15th IMC 2025 at IIFT New Delhi will bring together leaders from policy, business, and academia to deliberate on the theme through following sessions:

• Keynotes and Plenary Sessions: Addresses by policymakers, corporate leaders, and global AI experts on the transformative role of AI in business and education. AICTE Chairman Dr. T.G. Sitharam shall deliver a Keynote at IMC 2025. 
• IMC Roundtable: A high-level dialogue among vice chancellors, directors, and deans on embedding AI in Indian B-schools.
• IMC International Research Conference 2025: Presentation of peer-reviewed research from leading institutions on leveraging AI in MBA curriculum and pedagogy, quality assurance, and competency development.
• IMC Awards for Excellence in Management Education 2025: Recognition of best practices where Indian B-schools are leveraging AI across curriculum, pedagogy, placements, and administration.

IIFT New Delhi to Partner & Host IMC 2025
Each year, the Indian Management Conclave (IMC) is hosted by a leading management institution. For 15th IMC 2025, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) New Delhi has kindly accepted to be the Partner and Host Institution. The partnership was formalized through an agreement signed by Dr. Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Vice Chancellor of IIFT, and Mr. Amit Agnihotri, Founder and Chair of IMC.

Established in 1963 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, IIFT was envisioned to build managerial and policy-making capacity for India’s external trade sector. In 2002, IIFT was conferred the status of a Deemed to be University, enhancing its stature as one of the country’s top B-schools. IIFT has a strong national and international footprint, with campuses in New Delhi, Kolkata, and Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), and expansion underway with new campuses in Dubai and GIFT City (Gujarat).

The first five editions of IMC were held at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi. The 6th IMC, in 2015, marked a new chapter as the first edition hosted by a management institution—Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. In 2016, IIM Ahmedabad hosted the 7th IMC at its iconic Ravi Mathai Auditorium. The conference moved to South India in 2018 when IIM Bangalore hosted the 9th IMC. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, IMC returned to New Delhi in August 2019, with Hon’ble Former President of India, late Shri Pranab Mukherjee, gracing the occasion as Chief Guest. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 11th edition of IMC was delayed by more than a year. It returned in December 2021, with MDI Gurgaon as the host. IIM Kozhikode hosted the 12th IMC in December 2022. SPJIMR Mumbai hosted the 13th IMC in 2023. XLRI Jamshedpur hosted the 14th IMC in 2024. 

Read more details about 15th IMC 2025. Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for updates on this landmark edition.