IIM Sambalpur Commences 10th Batch of Flagship MBA Programme with Three Times More Females Than Males

By Suresh Das

Sambalpur; July 2 : IIM Sambalpur, known for setting new standards in gender diversity, showcased remarkable female representation this year, with three times more female students enrolled in the flagship MBA Programme than males in its 10th MBA batch of 2024-26.

It is noteworthy that exemplifying diversity, the cohort witnessed a significant enrollment by female students with 76% (244 nos.) and 24% (76 nos.) by the male students out of the total 320 students. Moreover, there was a significant rise in the percentage of non-engineers with 60% (194 students), while 40% students hailed from engineering fields (126 Students). In non-engineers category, 19% of the students are from science and commerce backgrounds, respectively while 12.5% from management and 4% from arts backgrounds. Another interesting fact of the batch is that among the students, 46% (146) have prior work experience, whereas 54% (174) are freshers.

The inaugural event was graced by eminent industry leaders including Subrat Tripathy, President-Business development of Adani Group as the Chief Guest; Sumit Sangwan, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, Havells India Pvt Ltd as the keynote speaker while Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur delivered the welcome note. Also, present at the occasion were faculty members and students during the inaugural ceremony.

During the welcome address, Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur highlighted the institution’s establishment by the Government of India in 2015 and said, “Welcome to IIM Sambalpur, where we stand by our core values of Innovation, Integrity, and Inclusiveness, the idea of gender diversity was pioneered at IIM Sambalpur. Before 2017, the percentage of women students in MBA classes across IIMs was less than 11%, including IIM Sambalpur. In 2017, we made a bold decision to implement a policy that provided an additional 5% cut off reduction for female candidates when calling for interviews and then creating a common merit list. This initiative made history by achieving a 50% female enrollment from 2017 onwards, a model that has since been adopted by all IIMs.

The Chief Guest, Mr. Subrat Tripathy, President-Business development of Adani Group, said, “As we stand on the threshold of a new era, we must embrace the transformative power of technology while grounding ourselves in the timeless values of humanism. The journey ahead will be defined by our ability to integrate innovation with empathy, creating a future where progress and compassion go hand in hand. To the young minds embarking on this path, remember the words of Swami Vivekananda: ‘Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.’ Let this be your guiding light as you navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

As a keynote speaker, Mr. Sumit Sangwan, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, Havells India Pvt Ltd, said, “We all call our life a marathon. Career is a marathon. Triathlon is the toughest race of the world. It’s like a triathlon, and today marks the flag off of that triple end. Phase one is your current stage; phase two is when you start your job or become an entrepreneur, and phase three is when you progress further in your career.”

Earlier, Prof. Siddharth G. Majhi, Chair, Admission, provided an introduction of the 10th Batch of MBA, while the Introduction of MBA Programme was given by Prof. Atri Sengupta, Chair, PGP and an address, on AOL and IIM Sambalpur’s Accreditation Journey so Far, was narrated by Prof. Soumya Guha Deb, Chair, Ranking & Accreditation. The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof. Diptiranjan Mahapatra, Chair, Placement.

The day also witnessed the Orientation Programme for the MBA cohort including a detailed briefing on the MBA Ordinance and Anti-Ragging policies by Prof. Atri Sengupta. The second day will feature a Case Analysis Workshop led by Prof Nilesh Khare and an Online Simulation Workshop conducted by Prof Sabyasachi Sinha from IIM Lucknow.  Day 3 will host expert panels and workshops, beginning with a CHRO Panel Discussion on “How to Kickstart Your Corporate Career from Day 1,” which will be followed by a Leadership Roundtable on Sustainability. Additional sessions will include a crucial workshop on Gender Sensitization & POSH Training.