Bhubaneswar: Altogether 370 students were awarded with various degrees at the ninth convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Sambalpur, today.

As many as 316 students (2023-25 batch) were awarded with the MBA degree while 38 students (2022-24 batch) received the Executive MBA degree.

Similarly, altogether 10 students (2023-25 batch) were conferred with MBA for Working Professionals degree while six got PhDs.

Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was the chief guest of the convocation ceremony.

The convocation ceremony also featured the recognition of outstanding academic achievement of the students as they received chairman’s gold medals for academic and extracurricular performance in the MBA, Executive MBA programme, and MBA for Working Professionals programme respectively. 

GM Gupta, an 80-year-old entrepreneur, also received MBA for Working Professional degree at the ceremony.

In his keynote address, Mishra praised the IIM-Sambalpur for maintaining a healthy gender ratio as 60 per cent of the degree holders were women. He also suggested to raise the ratio to 80 per cent.

“IIM Sambalpur in its decade of existence has earned a reputation for integrating various activities. The institute upholds core values of innovation, integrity, and inclusiveness. It has incorporated artificial intelligence into its educational framework, which is a significant initiative. I commend IIM Sambalpur for launching the Master Weavers programme for the weavers of Western Odisha; this is a commendable effort and contributes to the regional development,” Mishra said.

Speaking on the occasion, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, BOG, IIM Sambalpur and Chairman & CEO, Salesforce India & South Asia, said, “Education is a lifelong journey.  The world is evolving rapidly and you will face both opportunities and challenges. However, with the knowledge and skills that you have gained, you are well equipped to navigate any obstacle that can come your way.”

In the welcome address, Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, highlighted the achievements of the institute over the past decade.

"This year, during the convocation, we celebrate ten years of IIM Sambalpur’s establishment.  This is the first time that we have students from five different programs MBA, Executive MBA, MBA for Working Professionals, PhD, and PhD for Working Professionals receiving their respective degrees. Additionally, this marks the first instance in the history of any IIM or leading B-School in India where the number of females graduating students exceeds that of male students, with 60 per cent females and 40 per cent males,” he said.