Envisioning a leading school of business for women

Dr. Anirban Sengupta is the Dean at School of Business under Mody University. He has 29 years of experience in the industry and the academic sector. He aims to elevate the placement strategy by being in sync with the key strength areas of an aspiring woman professional. Read here what he has to say in his interview.

How do you strategize about the key programs and plan for the marketing and administration of your school?

“Significant dependence on “word of mouth” and digital and social media"

Like any business, you need to define the positioning of your program and decide how you want to differentiate it in a competitive market space. We have a target segment which is only women. And – within that, we have to be clear as to which particular segment you want to cater to – because you need to establish strong systems and processes to create value for your target segment – and this needs to be aligned with the culture you believe in and want to propagate. Once the above is clear – then it comes to execution. Like any service business- the brand building is a hugely dependent experience of existing customers – students in this case – and consequent word of mouth. Besides this, it is of course critical to reach out to the market and let it know more about you – for which we depend significantly on digital and social media.

How does the business program ensure a practical approach when it is being taught?

“Maximising interactions with our students on a digital platform”

Most of our senior core faculties have rich industry experience. Plus we have an excellent industry connection and networking. We have more than 30 senior industry professionals associated with us on a pro bono basis with our various Centers of Excellence, Industry Advisory Committee, Board of Studies who interact with our students through digital platforms at least once a year.

“If you are being inspired today by Indra Nooyi, ex-CEO, Pepsico; Jane Fraser, CEO, Citibank; Sheryl Sanberg, COO, Facebook and others – you have a responsibility of inspiring the future generation through your achievements”

How does the business program differ from the other professional courses?

“Providing core courses for the women leaders of tomorrow”

Our MBA is not a plain vanilla MBA – it is an MBA for Next Generation Women Leaders. Besides functional and business inputs and soft-skill development – a leading pillar of our MBA is the mindset grooming of these future women leaders. It prepares them well for making the most of the opportunities the industry today provides for women executives and leaders. We have core courses like Women Leadership, Women Entrepreneurship which are part of the core curriculum. We have Women Leadership Mentoring talks – run by senior women achievers from industry and related areas - embedded in the program – right from our Orientation Program. We are very optimistic about the future of our MBA program.

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What do you think about your role and responsibilities to the university and the students are?

“Responsibilities not limited to the designation”

I define my role and responsibilities much beyond the written job description. That keeps me going. I am happy that my overall thought process aligns very well with the vision of our Chairman and Director. Thus I get the space to do what I want to do. It’s a win-win for everybody – the students, the faculty & staff, the senior management, the external stakeholders like the industry and myself too.

Tell us about your experience in higher education and what makes it the best industry to work in?

“Passing on the knowledge you hold within”

Higher education is an excellent industry to work in. You have a wide niche area within it which one may consciously choose to be a master in and be known and respected for the same. It is an industry where you are interacting with people of different backgrounds and different age groups, students, fellow academicians, industry professionals. Most of the time you interact with students who are generally young and hence you remain mentally fresh. It is an industry where you have the scope to practice what you preach –leadership, empathy, multitasking, and so on. It is an industry that gives you lower than average economic returns but when you combine the quality of work, quality of life, love & respect along with it then it becomes really attractive. Especially for women professionals, it is an excellent industry to be in.

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