Director’s Cut

“We have miles to go,” says Prof. T R Venkatesh, Director, IBS, Bangalore, in an exclusive interview with IBSAF.

"With top-notch faculty dedicated to grooming our students into corporate assets, with academic and extra-curricular facilities at par with the best anywhere and with an agenda replete with quest for excellence; it is but natural that our students form a part of the cream being sought by major corporate sectors, year after year and our alumni quite like the alumni of other IBS centers are members of an ever growing IBSAF family. The oneness, the familial aspect and pride of belongingness to IBSAF is better felt than described. It is a privilege of a lifetime. And one dare says that only the lucky ones come to be part of it".

“Rome was not built in a day. Nor was IBS Bangalore. As with most self-made achievements, the beginning was humble. IBS Bangalore’s foundation stone was laid in 1995 with vision as the slab perseverance as the binding factor”. The camaraderie and unflinching commitment of the team that hoisted IBS Bangalore to its present proud status has been laudable. This would not have been possible without them. With the advent of the Global Village concept which shrank the world, and Liberalization opening the windows of boundless opportunities to world wide commerce –which were hitherto the monopolized bastions of the super powers- the realm of business management came to occupy a pedestal of importance in all walks of corporate life and education. And it has, since, not looked back. Nor have we at our IBS centers country wide.

From a modest beginning of around 50 students and a handful of faculty, IBS Bangalore began its endeavor from a tiny space borrowed from the second floor of Jain College in V V Puram in Bangalore. Since then, I have seen it grow brick by brick. Now, in 2008, with its bustling Alumni strength of 1953, IBS Bangalore has made giant strides. Spread across well over a lakh and half feet on Kanakapura Road, Bangalore, the present campus is more than self sufficient in every sense”.

With these remarks Prof. T R Venkatesh enters into a very interesting and engaging dialogue with IBSAF.

The Teacher and His Students

Q. Please tell us something about yourself.
A. I grew up in a family which installed value-based education in us and encouraged us to pursue our careers. As a CFA, a Post-Graduate in commerce and a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB), I have 15 years of banking experience and over 12 years of teaching experience.

I’ve taught Finance courses, conducted Corporate Training and Management Development programs alongside research, publication and consultancy in the area of Finance. In the field of research, I have authored many articles, edited books on banking and finance markets, institutions and instruments. I have published books that reflect a study of Indian Financial Markets and Instruments. Some of them are New Financial Instruments, Financial Markets and Institutions –The Changing Landscape and Housing Sector and the Economy – Global Experiences. These papers have been published in various magazines and newspapers. I still feel there is much else to be learnt and shared.

Q: On IBS…
A: A school for learning.
A school for teaching.
A school with a culture of ethics and merit.

Q: The most important contribution of IBS to the business world…
A: Producing human capital which embodies our mission: ‘Learning for leadership’.

Q: Your shift to change fields i.e. from banking industry to academics…
A: Academics is all about teaching. ‘To be good is noble. To teach others how to be good is nobler.’ Teaching has always been my passion. With 15 years of experience in banking-which is mainly commerce, in one form or the other – I felt the time was ripe to disseminate this wealth of information to the next generation. So it was work and play at the same time. There has been immense satisfaction in my 12 years of teaching hitherto. And it shows no signs of slowing down.

Q: The challenges that you face… A: Competition. Not only with peer institutions, but also with ourselves. Honestly, we at IBS Bangalore do not settle for complacency in grooming our students. And the results, over these years, speak for themselves.

Q: Have you noticed any marked change in the student disposition over the years? Please reflect upon your observations. A: Today’s youth are a lot different than us. They are better informed and more ambitious with bigger career targets. They should be better harnessed for useful results rather than being frittered on ill-guided ends. It is a very gratifying challenge in itself which never tires me. Because I know it is well worth it.

Q: Your most memorable moments at IBS and with IBSAF?

A: My most memorable moments in IBS are those with IBS Bangalore when it was a sapling planted with hopes and dreams. And the rest are all of each of those bricks that got laid over the years to build it to what it is today. As for IBSAF, every meeting in person or on phone is joyful. It is that happiness which only a teacher can feel knowing that a sapling has grown into a big tree as it was nurtured to be.

Prof. T R Venkatesh at Alumni Meet at Bangalore

Q: Your most valuable possession…
A: The teaching profession.
Q: Your idea of relaxation…
A: Yoga, meditation and the like.

Q: IBSAF: Your experiences and suggestions.
A: Our students have carved out a proud niche for themselves and their Alma Mater in India and abroad. I’ve seen this in ample measure whenever I have met them in the U.S., Dubai and others hubs of global commerce. I suggest that we further strengthen our bonding of the IBSAF and stay well knitted to benefit the IBS community as a whole. Good luck on that score and much else to all of you and your families.

Shewta is also an alumna from IBS from the class of 2008 and an analyst with DE Shaw. When asked about her experiences at IBS, this is what she had to say, “It has been only a couple of months since I left the campus and I already seem to be missing it. Life is full of experiences and my two years at IBS has been a great learning experience.

At the campus, I lived a life of independence and this enabled me to face the corporate world with full confidence. The case method of teaching and the Summer Internship helped gain an insight into the corporate world. Good course structure, nice environment and faculty members, and excellent placements, what else does one need? I made great friends here who are there for me always and are my second family.

The stride IBS has been taking over the years is phenomenal and I wish the same continues.”