Dr Alok Kumar Rai formally took charge as the new Director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta today, on July 30. The announcement was made by Shrikrishna Kulkarni, Chairperson of the IIM Calcutta Board of Governors. Rai succeeds Professor Saibal Chattopadhyay, who held the position in the preceding term. The IIM-Calcutta did not have a regular full-term director for nearly two years. The appointment of a full-time director comes in the wake of the arrest of a second-year student in a rape case. Before becoming the Vice-Chancellor of Lucknow University, Rai was a management professor at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). He also held several positions on various high-level committees and panels. Under Rai's leadership, Lucknow University became the first university in Uttar Pradesh to receive an A++ grade accreditation from NAAC. Additionally, it was granted Category-I status by the UGC and ranked among the top 100 institutions in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), achieving 32nd place among State Public Universities. Additionally, the IIM Calcutta and ed-tech platform Imarticus Learning have announced the launch of an executive programme in Private Equity and Venture Capital. The course is designed for finance professionals and entrepreneurs. The seven-month live online programme will blend academic theory with real-world insights from IIM Calcutta’s finance faculty and seasoned private equity and venture capital veterans. This course will help finance professionals and entrepreneurs navigate the changing investment landscape. The programme will have core and advanced topics, including deal sourcing, valuation, financial modelling, fundraising, portfolio management, and exit strategies. Keeping pace with the evolving trends, the curriculum will cover the entire investment cycle with digital and regulatory aspects, stated the press release.
