MDI Convocation 2022: MBAs should intertwine Humility with Ambition

MBAs should certainly be ambitious, but be humble at the same time. That’s the message coming from one of the most successful business leaders while addressing convocation of a leading B-school. Addressing the joint annual Convocation Ceremony of Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon and Murshidabad on June 15 as the chief guest, Sanjiv Mehta, CEO and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever limited, said, “Humility is intertwined with ambition. I call it humbition.”

Convocation Ceremony saw 514 students from various PGDM programmes and eight Fellow Scholars of MDI Gurgaon receive their diplomas. Twenty-four medals were awarded to meritorious students of different courses. From MDI Murshidabad, 132 students from the PGDM 2020-22 batch were conferred their diplomas.

Set up in 1973, MDI is celebrating its 50th Foundation Year. In 2021, MDI Gurgaon earned accreditation from the AACSB International. MDI launched its Murshidabad campus in 2014 at Jangipur, Murshidabad, West Bengal.

Born in Kanpur, Sanjiv Mehta is the chairman and managing director (MD) of Hindustan Unilever Limited, India’s largest FMCG Company and the top five most valuable companies in India. Mr Mehta became the CEO and MD of Hindustan Unilever in October 2013, and in June 2018 was appointed as the chairman and MD. He is a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive, its global executive board.

In his address, Mr Mehta exhorted the students to be brave and act right. “Always do the harder right than the easier wrong. When the crowd goes one way, you have the right to go the other way,” Mr Mehta said. He also advised the students to not fear failures in life. “What matters is the resilience you demonstrate to bounce back from failures,” Mehta said.

MDI to invest over Rs 200 crores for campus rejuvenation
Even as MDI Gurgaon celebrates its 50th Foundation Year, it is set to implement an over Rs 200-crore campus rejuvenation and expansion plan.

Addressing the Convocation Ceremony, Rajnish Kumar, Member of the MDI Board of Governors and Former CMD of State Bank of India, said that MDI Gurgaon is focused on redevelopment of its campus with best-in-class infrastructure. “The Board has approved a Rs 200 crore-plus Campus Rejuvenation Plan to expand the campus and create state-of-the-art infrastructure,” he stated in his welcome address.

“The proposed construction plan is going to start shortly. A large Sustainability Plan is being discussed to become a green campus complying with the best global standards,” he said.

Dr Rajesh Chakrabarti, Director of MDI Gurgaon, added that the Institute has reached an agreement with the selected architects to add to and upgrade the campus significantly.

MDI achieves stellar placements
Celebrating a remarkable 2022 placement season, Dr. Chakrabarti, in his Director’s Report, said that MDI Gurgaon continued to be the institute of choice for bright talent. “You will be glad to know that MDI Gurgaon again achieved a 100 percent placement record. A total of 87 organizations, including 35 new ones, recruited students from MDI Gurgaon,” Dr. Chakrabarti said. He added that the highest salary offered this time was Rs. 1.14 crore while the average salary recorded was Rs. 23.50 lakh.

In his Director’s Report, Dr. Atmanand, Director of MDI Murshidabad, said that his Institute is collaborating with institutions of excellence worldwide in order to conduct joint research, programmes, and conferences. Dr. Atmanand said that his Institute concluded a phenomenally spectacular final placement for the batch of 2020-22 in record time. “This year, the increase in the average package, new recruiters, and forays into newer industry segments were quite visible and remarkable,” he said. “The Institute welcomed 34 new recruiters who onboarded our students in varied industry domains.”