44th Foundation Day & DAA

IIMB celebrated its 44th Foundation Day on 28th October, on IIMB campus. This year’s theme for the Foundation Day Lecture was ‘Japan-India Relations in a New Era: Partnership for Prosperity – Toward a Free, Open and Prosperous Indo-Pacific’.

IIMB Director Prof. G. Raghuram, while introducing the Chief Guest, H.E. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan in India, said that the presence of the Ambassador assumes significance since it was on September 14 this year that IIMB inaugurated the India-Japan Study Centre.

The 44th Foundation Day celebrated with a plethora of events and activities on campus. This year’s celebrations set off on a unique note with a panel discussion on ‘Building the IIMB Institution – A Director’s Perspective’, which was moderated by Prof. K. Kumar, Chairperson, Academic Programmes, NSRCEL.

The panellists were former IIMB Directors K.R.S. Murthy – February 1991 to February 1997, M. Rammohan Rao – March 1997 to May 2002, P.G. Apte (Acting Director) June 2002 to October 2002 and October 2002 to October 2007, Sushil Vachani – July 2014 to April 2016 (who joined the panel via video conference), and IIM Bangalore Director Prof. G. Raghuram. It was a very interesting and informative discussion as the former IIMB directors shared their views on the various factors that contribute towards shaping the character, performance and destiny of an academic institution, the challenges they faced, their disappointments and triumphs. They spoke about the progress of IIMB through its achievements, challenges and defining moments.

The Foundation Day celebrations also witnessed the Distinguished Alumnus Award (DAA) being conferred on Muralidhar Dhuddu (PGP 1977), Founder, SNAM Abrasives Pvt. Ltd., Sameer Suneja (PGP 1994), Global CEO, Perfetti Van Melle, and Dr K P Krishnan (FPM 2003), Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, GoI.

The Chairperson, Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan, Alumni Relations at IIMB, introduced the Distinguished Alumni awardees. It was a proud moment for the institute to be able to honour the three awardees for their significant professional excellence as well as their contribution to industry, academia and society. In keeping with the institute’s tradition, each recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award received a citation and his name was engraved on the Wall of Fame at the institute.

(l-r: H.E. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan in India, presents the Distinguished Alumni Award to D Muralidhar (PGP 1977), Founder, SNAM Abrasives; Batchmates of Sameer Suneja (PGP 1994), Global CEO, Perfetti Van Melle, receive the DAA on his behalf; Dr K P Krishnan (FPM 2003), Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India, receives the DAA from H.E. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan in India)