IIM Udaipur’s 14th convocation awarded degrees to 481 students, with leaders stressing research excellence, humility, purpose-driven leadership, and global academic growth.
Convocation at Balicha campus
The Indian Institute of Management Udaipur marked a significant milestone on Monday, March 30, 2026, as it held its 14th Annual Convocation at its scenic 300-acre campus in Balicha, Udaipur. The ceremony brought together graduating students, their families, faculty members, staff, and members of the Board of Governors for a proud and celebratory occasion that reflected both academic achievement and the institute’s growing stature in the global management education landscape.
481 Students Graduate
This year’s convocation covered students from the PhD programme, the Two-Year MBA programme for the Batch of 2024-26, and the One-Year full-time MBA programmes in Global Supply Chain Management and Digital Enterprise Management for the Batch of 2025-26. In all, 481 students received their degrees, including 5 PhD scholars, 346 students from the Two-Year MBA programme, and 130 students from the one-year MBA programmes. Mr. Pankaj Patel, Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIM Udaipur presideded over the ceremony. Mr. B.S. Nagesh, Founder of TRRAIN and former non-executive chairman of Shoppers Stop Ltd. delivered the convocation address. Prof. Ashok Banerjee, Director of IIM Udaipur, delivered the concluding address.
Institute’s rising global profile
In his welcome address, Mr. Pankaj Patel highlighted the institute’s steady rise as a globally recognised and research-driven business school. He noted that IIM Udaipur is the only Indian Institute of Management to have been featured in the Financial Times Masters in Management Global Ranking for seven consecutive years, while also maintaining a consistent presence in the QS World University Rankings. According to him, these recognitions reflect the institute’s growing academic credibility and its ability to compete with leading business schools across the world.
He also drew attention to some of the institute’s recent academic achievements. Mr. Patel said that IIM Udaipur recorded 11 faculty publications in the prestigious UTD-24 and FT-50 journals in a single year, a marker of its research strength and global academic engagement. He further spoke about the launch of the Executive PhD programme and India’s first bilingual BBA programme aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, describing them as important steps toward widening access and improving relevance in management education. In addition, he highlighted the institute’s exclusive partnership with Harvard Business Impact for global case distribution, a collaboration that enhances IIM Udaipur’s international reach and academic visibility.
Message to graduates
Congratulating the graduating class, Mr. Patel reminded students that they were at the heart of the institute’s mission. “You are the very reason IIM Udaipur exists,” he said, urging them to remember that management is not just a profession but a responsibility to influence organisations, communities, and society with integrity and purpose. He also reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to advancing impactful research, global academic standards, and leadership development in a rapidly changing world.
Chief guest’s address
The chief guest, Mr. B.S. Nagesh, brought a personal and practical perspective to the ceremony, sharing lessons from his long professional journey. Speaking to the graduating students, he stressed the value of humility, continuous learning, and leadership guided by purpose. He noted that meaningful success is rarely built on ambition alone; it also depends on customer-centric thinking, respect for every role in an organisation, and a willingness to accept feedback. According to him, acknowledging one’s limitations is often the first and most important step toward growth.
Lessons in leadership
In his address, Mr. Nagesh encouraged students to view work as service and leadership as responsibility. “As you step into the world, remember that each of you will play many roles, and in every role, you have an opportunity to serve,” he said. He added that service is not limited to helping others, but also includes performing one’s duties with integrity, commitment, and purpose. He reminded the graduates not to lose sight of the people around them, such as colleagues, teams, and customers, because mutual respect, he said, is what builds strong organisations and lasting success.
Mr. Nagesh also urged the students to dream big, even if their ambitions seem beyond immediate reach. In his words, even falling short of a huge dream can still lead to meaningful accomplishment. He encouraged them to remain curious, grounded, and open to feedback, saying these qualities would help them keep evolving in an uncertain and competitive world. Looking ahead, he said the future would reward those who embrace collaboration, humility, and adaptability. For him, success should be measured not only by professional milestones, but also by the impact a person creates and the lives they touch along the way.
A milestone for IIM Udaipur
The convocation at IIM Udaipur was more than a formal degree-awarding ceremony. It reflected the institute’s expanding academic footprint, its emphasis on research and innovation, and its commitment to building leaders who are both globally aware and socially responsible. The presence of parents and relatives added warmth to the event, turning it into a shared celebration of effort, sacrifice, and achievement.
For the 481 graduates, the day marked both an ending and a beginning. As they left the Balicha campus with their degrees in hand, they carried not only years of academic training, but also the values reinforced by the institute’s leaders: excellence, humility, service, and purpose. For IIM Udaipur, the convocation stood as another reminder of its journey from a young management school to a respected institution shaping the next generation of business and policy leaders.
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