One of the leading MBA colleges in India, the Institute for Financial Management & Research (IFMR), is now rebranded and is now known as IFMR Graduate School of Business at KREA University. The MBA degree at IFMR is now conferred under the auspices of the KREA University. The university is located in Sri City in Andhra Pradesh and the permission has been sought from the University Grants Commission (UGC). At present the University is functioning from the IFMR campus, by 2020 the university is expected to move to its own campus.. Apply Now
Admission to MBA 2019 at IFMR Graduate School of Business is open. IFMR GSB will accept CAT 2018/XAT 2019/CMAT 2019 or GMAT/GRE (GMAT & GRE (taken on / after 1st January 2016) exam scores for MBA admission 2019. IFMR follows unique admission process with its Early Decision Round (EDR) and General Round. Last date to apply for EDR is January 31 and for General Round it is February 15, 2019
An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad of 1985 batch, Dr Nageswaran obtained his doctoral degree in Finance from the University of Massachusetts in 1994 for his work on the empirical behaviour of exchange rates.The rebranding of IFMR to IFMR GSB is not without meaning and has been done on purpose to achieve further excellence in imparting management education which is globally relevant. To know the vision behind the rebranding, MBAUniverse.com recently interviewed Dr Anantha-Nageswaran, Dean of the IFMR GSB who is of the view that with the rebranding IFMR is poised to reshape the business education in India.
From 1994 and 2004, Dr Nageswaran worked for Union Bank of Switzerland (now UBS) and for Credit Suisse in Switzerland and in Singapore. In July 2006, he joined Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. in Singapore as the Head of Research for Asia. In March 2009, he was appointed as the Chief Investment Officer for the bank. Since July 2011, he has been a writer, consultant and teacher.
Dr Nageswaran has been an adjunct faculty with the Singapore Management University and with the Wealth Management Institute at the Nanyang Technological University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of several companies in India, including TVS Logistics and Aparajitha Corporate Services (P) Limited. In Singapore, he is a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of NPS International School. His co-authored book, ‘Economics of Derivatives’ and ‘Derivatives’ were published by the Cambridge University Press in March 2015 and October 2017 respectively. He writes a weekly column for MINT, an Indian financial daily.
Edited excerpts of the interview follow:
What was the vision behind the rebranding of IFMR?
IFMR Business School will become IFMR Graduate School of Business (IFMR GSB) at Krea University. Krea University’s dream is to bring in liberal arts education in India. IFMR GSB, being a part of Krea now, is embarking on a new phase.
There is a big change with a strong sense of continuity. World over, universities offering business and management education are asking hard questions of the purpose of their MBA Programmes. KREA University’s liberal arts education provides the answer. MBA graduates must be competent in functional areas, must be decisive and effective managers and leaders, with a strong moral compass and a firm sense of purpose. IFMR GSB at KREA University aims to provide top-quality management education that prepares students to be ethically grounded, be highly skilled in integrated reasoning and be effective leaders of enterprises.
How the rebranding is beneficial for the IFMR-GSB students?
As an integral part of the newly-established Krea University, which is re-imagining liberal-arts education, the IFMR GSB is poised to re-shape business education in India—and beyond. By realigning Business education to meet the demands of a growing, globalizing India, IFMR GSB seeks to prepare students to face the challenges of managing and leading enterprises that will power a vibrant 21st-century economy that begins the restoration of India’s old glory.
How the Rebranding will help in students’ career growth?
It will equip students with competence—perspectives, knowledge, skills—in the core areas of finance, accounting, statistics, marketing, decision sciences and decision analytics. From foundational knowledge springs the confidence to engage with the world. The main focus and purpose of IFMR GSB is to make the student ready for the competitive combat equipped with diversified competence.
How the rebranding will be good for the Institute overall?
Education at IFMR GSB is about interwoven and immersive learning. With this goal in mind, the MBA Programme at the IFMR Graduate School of Business will rest on four pillars: Competency, Managerial Skills Sets, Inward and Outward Self Awareness.
The Pedagogy will be highly interactive one with continuous evaluation involving multiple components. IFMR GSB MBA programme equips the students with all the artilleries to face the industrial or entrepreneurial challenges ahead and succeed.
What is the vision behind bringing Early Decision Round in IFMR’s admission process?
The purpose of bringing the EDR again is to bring students who have work experience in the industry and those students will not only be able to relate the concepts and case studies in better way but also will evoke a lateral vibration in the class which will help the peers without work experience to relate and understand the concepts better. The idea of bringing back EDR is to encourage cross-cultural learning inside the class and that is what the new IFMR GSB believes in.
How is MBA at IFMR GSB distinct from other B-schools?
IFMR Business School was known for its competence in Finance. IFMR GSB will continue to retain its strong core competence and competitive edge in Finance and in particular, catering to Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sectors. At the same time, KREA University’s liberal arts education will provide a strong liberal arts and ethical foundation to build a host of functional and behavioural competencies. In other words, there is a big change with a strong sense of continuity.
IFMR GSB also offers some interesting and unique specialisations like Data Science and Quantitative Finance. For those who want to specialise in Marketing, again, IFMR GSB is the right place as we have well-qualified faculty members with the right mix of industrial experience and academic qualifications.
What is your advice to the students who wish to join IFMR GSB for their MBA?
Students who aspire to take the course at IFMR GSB must possess high aspirations for leadership and entrepreneurship goals being achieved through behavioral and ethical values. Must be prepared to go through a programme which is rigorous, challenging and involves high standards and expectations of students. IFMR GSB will prepare the students well to succeed in the corporate and entrepreneurial worlds. On their part, the students should have fun working hard.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on IFMR-GSB
