Interview: Prof. Deepak Bhattacharyya, Dean of BIBS|Collegedunia

Interview by Sakshi Aggarwal

Prof. Bhattacharyya has had a cumulative experience of more than 22 years both in the academia and the industry. As a part of the academia, he has taught in renowned B-schools of the country. During his corporate stint, he has had an experience of working for exclusive projects catering to both the private and public-sector companies which included projects in which he directly worked for the Government of India. He has completed his M.A. (Psychology) and did PGDHRM. His core areas include Organizational Strategy and Design, Human Resource Management and Change Management in Bengal Institute of Business Studies.

Experience in the education industry

This is my 14^th year in the education Industry. Prior to that, I have over 10 years of corporate experience. You can’t be a millionaire by working in this industry but can win millions of hearts. This is such an industry where your contribution and efforts are directly felt by the society and you can write the destiny of future generation. You are the Captain in the deck who maneuvers the minds of the youth of the country to realize their career aspiration as well as the growth of the nation. Further, in the words of Desmond Tutu, “Do your little bit of good where you are, it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world”.

Philosophy of leadership and his leadership style

As a leader, I believe in bringing a community together to share leadership in many different avenues. My leadership style accentuates that “leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” Creating leaders and embedding leadership is the essence of Education Industry. I always wanted to become a catalyst of change.

Biggest hurdle as a Dean

“Hurdle” is an unacceptable world in the education industry. There are always few challenges which are again very dynamic in nature. Matching student’s aspiration with industry need is our ongoing endeavor.

On enhancing student-industry interaction at BIBS

Students have many opportunities for engagement with industry leaders throughout the year. These interactions are not limited to internships and case discussions.The students organize and moderate events, summits and panels that bring together experts, thinkers and practitioners from India and abroad. Students also benefit from intensive mentoring by committed and enthusiastic industry professionals.

About his time-management skills

Initially time was mechanical driven by geographical concepts, now it has become digital and there are so many tools and gadgets to manage time.But I have converted mechanical time into biological time. Now time management has become systematic, a part of life.

On relationship with the students

My existence is only because of them.

On growth of B-schools in India

In 2016 over 100 B-Schools applied to AICTE for Closure. They were academic B-Schools but Industry linked B-school has a great future ahead. It will be also driven with the growth of the Indian economy. Consumerism fueled by robust domestic consumption has also provided us huge opportunity for growth.

Qualities that helped him create a brand name, BIBS

Brand BIBS is synonymous with quality. From day one a student is mentored and nurtured to get industry ready. Corporate events backed by simulation, real life projects along with academic rigor are the trademark of BIBS. We do have set benchmark for others.

Check out the list of frequently visiting companies at BIBS here.

Goals in mind for BIBS

Managing change and managing competition in the global context poised as a biggest challenge to the Indian Industry. Our biggest goal is to inculcate qualities like innovation, cross cultural adaptability and analytics among students so that they emerge as a global operator.