IIM Visakhapatnam Welcomes New Cohorts to its PGP, PhD, and Executive PhD Programmes
Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam (IIMV) inaugurated the 12th Batch of the Post Graduate Programme (MBA), the 8th Batch of the PhD Programme, and the 3rd Batch of the Executive PhD Programme at its campus on 23 June 2026. The inaugural ceremony was graced by Shri Girish Kumar Sugumaran, President, SLK Group and Director on the Board of SLK Software, as the Chief Guest.
The incoming cohort comprises 341 students in the PGP (MBA) 2026-28 batch, with women accounting for 48% of the class. The Institute also welcomed 14 scholars to the PhD Programme and 17 scholars to the Executive PhD Programme, whose participants bring an average of over 17 years of professional experience.
The event commenced with the traditional lighting of the lamp, followed by a welcome address and presentation of the batch profile by Prof. Prashant Premkumar Nair, Chairperson (Admissions), who highlighted the diversity and accomplishments of the incoming cohort.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Shivshanker Singh Patel, Chairperson (PGP), welcomed the new MBA students and encouraged them to embrace resilience, continuous learning, and the responsible use of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence to enhance collective productivity.
Welcoming the incoming research scholars, Prof. Amit Shankar, Chairperson (PhD & Executive PhD), said, "Our PhD scholars have consistently demonstrated excellence, with several best paper awards, over 25 international conference presentations, and successful placements in academic institutions, including IIMs, as faculty members." He also highlighted the unique international component of the Executive PhD Programme and added that IIM Visakhapatnam views its students and scholars as an integral part of the Institute family.
Prof. Vijaya Bhaskar Marisetty, Dean (Academics), said, "IIM Visakhapatnam is reimagining its curriculum with Artificial Intelligence woven into every aspect of learning. We remain guided by the institute’s tagline, 'Vidya Param Daivatam'. Technology mastery without losing sight of human values is important is the aspiration." He also spoke about hands-on pedagogy, the establishment of labs, and reflected on what education truly means in today's world.
Welcoming the new cohort, Prof. M. Chandrasekhar, Director, IIM Visakhapatnam, highlighted the Institute's key strengths, including its nearly 60-member faculty, vibrant research ecosystem and digitally enabled learning environment. He noted that IIM Visakhapatnam is the only new-generation IIM with a GRIHA 5-Star rated campus and spoke about the opportunities available through the Institute's incubation ecosystem, including Atal Innovation Incubation (supported by NITI Aayog) and IIMV-FIELD.
Encouraging students to make the most of their time at the Institute, he remarked, "What we encourage you to learn, acquire, and practise are systems thinking, communication and collaboration, agility and adaptability, empathy, ethics, and leadership."
He also urged the incoming PhD and Executive PhD scholars to leverage the Institute's research facilities, initiatives, and policies for publishing and presenting their work in India and abroad.
Delivering the inaugural address, Shri Girish Kumar Sugumaran reflected on leadership and success in a rapidly changing world. He observed that while every generation is intelligent and aspirational, the current generation possesses the additional strengths of being bold and fearless. Encouraging students to remain disciplined while nurturing their curiosity, he said, "The world is changing, and it is yours to build." He also emphasized the importance of intellectual flexibility and adaptability in navigating future opportunities and challenges. He added that institutions such as IIM Visakhapatnam provide a powerful platform for personal and professional growth and can empower individuals to create meaningful impact.
The event also witnessed the distribution of Merit Certificates and the announcement of the Director's Merit List, recognizing students for their academic excellence.
Rank 1 students across sections and terms were Kriti Bansal, Jayanti Venkata Sri Lakshmi Sruthi, Sanskriti Jain, Trisha Sinha, Nadimpalle Siddharth Varma, Harshita Singhal, Khushi Chakrabarti, Hansika Chhabra, and Sabeeq Navfal M.
Students featured on the Director's Merit List (Top 5%) were Anushka Biswas, Hansika Chhabra, Jatin Seth, Ligade Gunaja, Musale Mayur Sunil, Nadimpalle Siddharth Varma, Ritika Raj, Harshita Singhal, Jayanti Venkata Sri Lakshmi Sruthi, Sadik Ahmed Laskar, Shaswat Anand, Sanskriti Jain, Gopal Krishna Sahoo, Khushi Chakrabarti, Lodha Simran Amit, Sabeeq Navfal M, Srishti Sachdeva, Trisha Sinha, and Bhavisha Dilip Parekh.
The ceremony concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Prof. Kaveri Krishnan, Dean (Administration). The inauguration marks the beginning of a transformative journey for the new cohort at IIM Visakhapatnam, an AACSB Member and BGA-accredited business school.
