MAN OF MANAGEMENT: BAKUL DHOLAKIA

Known for his 33-year contribution to IIMA, Bakul Dholakia has 42 years of professional experience. Currently serving as an Advisor to Adani Group, he is a man of finances and economics. Dr. Dholakia is a Gold Medalist from Baroda University and he has a Doctorate in Economics.

THE 42 YEARS

Presently Bakul Dholakia is the financial advisor of Mr Gautam Adani, of the Adani group of industries and The Director of Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhuj and Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management, Ahmedabad.
Bakul Dholakia was the ninth director of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad from October 2002 to October 2007. Today, he continues to teach Economics at the institute.
During the tenure, Dr. Dholakia occupied the Reserve Bank of India Chair from 1992 to 1999.
He was Dean, IIM A from April 1998 to June 2001.
He had earlier served as the Chairman of the MBA Program and also as the Chairman of Economics Area.
Prior to joining IIMA, Dr. Dholakia was a faculty at Maharaja Sayajirao University.

JAWDROPPING ACHIEVEMENTS

• Under the able leadership of Dr. Dholakia, IIM-A went from having 12 partner institutions for student exchange programs to 50 by 2006-07.
• He initiated the one-year program for management executives and the students in this batch got the highest salaries offered that year, right from the first batch.
• In November 2003, the Common Admission Test (CAT) papers got leaked for the first time in the 43-year history of the IIMs. IIM-A, which was the coordinator for the exams, came under severe criticism but Dr. Dholakia insisted that there was no way the papers could have leaked from the IIMA, and that is how the investigation got focused on the role of the printing press in Mumbai.
• Dr. Dholakia made Brand IIMA self-sufficient. The then HRD Minister Mr Murli Manohar Joshi had decided to ask the IIMs to cut their fees by 80 per cent. Dr.  Dholakia opposed this and as a mark of protest, he rejected the Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) grant IIM-A got from the ministry.
• Dr. Dholakia has highly researched areas like energy sector, fishery sector in India, economic planning, public enterprise management and privatization program.
• He has guided 19 PhD students specializing in Economics, Finance, Business Policy and Public Systems at IIMA.
• Dr. Dholakia is the author of 12 books, 28 monographs and more than 50 research papers published in professional journals in India and abroad.

 

POSITIONS HELD

• Since 2005, Dr. Dholakia has been rated as one of the most powerful personalities of Gujarat by various media groups
• Board Member of Reserve Bank of India Western Area Board from 1993 to 2001
• He is a Consultant to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank
• Government of India appointed Dr. Dholakia as the Chairman of the National Board of Accreditation for Technical Education in India (2005-2008)
• The Global Foundation for Management Education (GFME), jointly formed by the Associations of American and European Business Schools, has nominated Dr. Dholakia as a Member of the Board of GFME representing Asia
• Dr. Dholakia has served as the External Director on the Board of public and private sector companies
• He has worked on Rangarajan Committee on Pricing and Taxation of Petroleum Products (2006) and the Expert Group on Pension Fund constituted by the Government of India (2009)
• He has also been a member of the Jury for various Corporate Excellence Awards and Selection Committees for CEOs

Apart from all these, Bakul Dholakia is associated with various companies like ONGC, Arvind, Ashima, Torrent Power and Reliance Natural Resources Ltd. 

ACCOLADES

An icon like Dr. Dholakia cannot go unnoticed. He deserves many more awards and recognitions. Some of the bestowed accolades include:

• Padma Shri for Literature and Education in the year 2007
• Best Professor Award for his teaching in the Post-Graduate Program at IIMA
• Bharat Asmita National Award by the Honorable Chief Justice of India in 2008
• Honored by the Association of Indian Americans in North America (AIANA) at the World Gujarati Conference in New Jersey for his Visionary Leadership and Achievements in business education, in 2006
• Honored by Global Associations of Business Schools for contribution in the field of management education

Bakul Dholakia is a motivator through his work and values. He is the guiding force behind numerous initiatives and a man of management. His vision and strategic leadership have contributed a lot to the field of education in India.

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IIM-A Ranked 8th On The Global Map Of Management Education

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad has yet another feather in its colorful cap. It has been ranked 8th in the Financial Times Masters in Management 2010 ranking from 65 B-schools which participated in the ranking process. IIM-A secured the rank for its two-year Post Graduate Program (PGP).

IIM-A had participated for the first time in this assessment and secured a rank among the top 10 B-schools of the World. What comes as a bigger achievement is that it is for the first time that any Indian B-school has appeared in this list. This has paved a way for the Indian Institute on the Global Map of Management Education.

Established in 2005, the Financial Times Ranking aims to give a thorough assessment of the programs submitted by business schools worldwide. It also looks at the schools and its alumni by themselves. The competition is among the programs in General Management for students with no prior work experience (pre-experience Masters Degrees). The ranking is done on the basis of 28 different parameters. These include alumni career progress, school diversity, international experience & research, additional notes (fee, length, number enrolled, relevant degree, internship) and weighted salary.

The Icole Supirieure de Commerce de Paris (ECSP Europe) has topped the rankings this year, improving its last year’s second position, while CEMS, The Global Alliance in Management Education, has been ranked number two.
On this achievement, the Director of IIM-A, Dr Samir Kumar Barua termed it as a step forward for more meaningful global ventures. Further, he also informed that to be a part of the FT assessment, institutes needed to qualify for it first. The IIM-A is the only Indian business school to be accredited by the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and is now eyeing to be assessed by the US equivalent – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Interestingly, FT has also come out with a special report on Management Education in India.”This ranking reflects the improving standards of teaching and student placement at Indian business schools” said India online editor of the FT, James Fontanella Khan. However, he added that “More has to be done. Indian schools need to attract more foreign talent and faculty. They have only recently started doing so. This also explains why Indian business schools weren’t in the top ranks before. In an ever more globalised world, you need global approach to education.”

Read original article at: http://epaper.namoleague.com/EpaperArticle.aspx?title=IIM-A%20Ranked%208th%20On%20The%20Global%20Map%20Of%20Management%20Education_105