Distinguished Alumni Awards- 2019
On the eve of IIM Bangalore’s 44th Annual Convocation ceremony, on March 21 (Thursday), 2019, the Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA) 2019 were presented to three very deserving candidates, by Professor G Raghuram, Director, IIMB, and Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, Former Revenue Secretary, Govt. of India, who is a Distinguished Alumnus of IIMB himself.
The Distinguished Alumni Award winners this year are Lakshmi Kaul (PGP ’80-’82), Hitesh Oberoi (PGP ’94-’96) and Rajkumar D (PGP ’82-’84).
Lakshmi is a social entrepreneur in the field of education; Hitesh is Co-Promoter, Managing Director and CEO of Info Edge, and has been instrumental in launching new products and services at naukri.com while Rajkumar D is Chairman and Managing Director of BPCL.
The Distinguished Alumni Awards, instituted in 2007 at IIMB, are given to alumni in recognition of their achievements of exceptional merit and excellence in their chosen field of endeavour be it industry, management, entrepreneurship, research, academia or social service.
Each recipient of the prestigious award receives a citation and his/her name is engraved on the wall of fame at IIMB.
Rajkumar D said, “IIMB has played a pivotal role in shaping my personality. My years at IIMB widened my perspective to meet challenging business requirements. We were adequately groomed to deal with any eventuality – the fear of the unknown being alien to us.”
Hitesh Oberoi said that personally for him, the two years spent at IIM Bangalore were a life-changing experience. “I am deeply indebted to the institute, the faculty and my batch mates for equipping me with the necessary knowledge, tools and relationships which not only helped me navigate the real world but also contributed immensely to my success. As IIMB embarks on its journey to reimagine and reinvent itself to be future ready, I wish my alma mater all the very best.”
Lakshmi Kaul shared how her two years at IIMB contributed to shaping her life and career. “Bridging the social and economic divisions through education has proven to be the most powerful way of ensuring social transformation. As part of the vision of IIMB’s first Director, Prof. N. S. Ramaswamy, we were encouraged to think in terms of giving back to society and serving the nation. This has been a powerful influence on how my life shaped up. Another person who comes to mind when I think of IIMB, is Prof G. K. Valecha. He made us look inward. He has been my role model and inspiration, as to many others. In our school, where we work with special children and children from underprivileged backgrounds, we have instituted a scholarship in Prof. Valecha’s name.”