Ladies and Gentlemen! We are about to land in Berlin. The temperature outside is 17° C. Hope you had a wonderful experience flying with us.

I certainly had.

It was nothing less than a dream come true for me. I was travelling to Europe for IPMX’s (International Program in Management for Executives at IIM Lucknow) International Immersion module to one of the world’s best B-School – ESCP.

Considered to be the world’s oldest Business School established in 1819 by famous economist Jean-Baptiste Say, ESCP has campuses in six major European cities–Berlin, Paris, London, Torino, Warsaw and Madrid.

We, IPMX Class of 2017, got this wonderful opportunity to study at two campuses of ESCP – Berlin and Paris.

Was it exciting? I will let you decide as you read through.

Willkommen in Berlin!!

We reached our hotel while enjoying the scenic morning drive. It was located in the heart of Berlin. We checked in, grabbed a map of Berlin, got our weekly travel pass (all arranged by ESCP team – a big thanks to them!!) and found ourselves exploring the city, jumping between metros and buses. Quite busy first day; classes started from day 2.

In next one week, we studied – Internationalization Strategies of German and European Business Firms, Overview of Mittelstand (medium-sized companies in Germany) and Entrepreneurship in European Context.

We visited the manufacturing unit of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (yes!!! That’s BMW Motorcycles’ company) manufacturing unit of Volkswagen and Autostadt (German for Automobile City) – a visitor attraction adjacent to the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany.

And the most important ones – a visit to the German Parliament (Reichstag building) followed by a visit to Indian Embassy at Berlin. All these visits helped us understand Indo-German relationships, tie-ups and business opportunities. Germany was no longer a strange country to us.

While all this was scheduled officially, there was a long list for self-exploration as well. We roamed like kids in Disney land, built an excellent camaraderie among us and new friends at ESCP, clicked pictures, ate local food and tried our amateurish German (Danke!! – the most frequently used word).

One week just flew by. Every single minute was a new fun-filled learning. While we were sad to leave Berlin, we were equally excited to start our visit to one of the most beautiful cities in the world – Paris!!

Bienvenue à Paris!!

IIM Lucknow has a strong tie up with ESCP through many different ways. One such important part is dual degree exchange program, a program in which IIM Lucknow PGP students get an opportunity to study at ESCP Europe.

We were welcomed in Paris by ESCP team and PGP friends, Avinash and Avhijeet, who made us feel at home with their warm welcome.

Another exhilarating week lay ahead of us. We had an outstanding session on “Europe in global context- Comparison with India” taken by none other than Prof. Jyoti Gupta, faculty member at ESCP.

We learnt how similar and dissimilar the businesses across these two different parts of the world are. Many among us had already worked in one or more European cities while most of us had international experience of working in USA, Japan, and Singapore etc…But this was an excellent opportunity for all of us to understand the intricacies and complexities at the same time appreciate the differences.

A Panel session was conducted with Mr. Guy Sidos, CEO – VICAT (€ 2 Billion French company manufacturing cement, aggregates and ready-mix concrete in four continents) on “Business environment for European companies developing in India”.

A full day workshop on Innovation and Supply Chain in the European context was conducted during which we got an opportunity to interact with Louis Vuitton Supply Chain Management.

We also got an opportunity to interact with Mr. Daniel Harari, CEO – Lectra (a leading tech company specializing in CAD and CAM systems for soft material industries and operating 32 subsidiaries around the world). It was an extraordinary opportunity for most of us.

More these global leaders shared their experiences with us more we felt humbled.

EU Rail

Few students came home while many others dispersed to explore Europe further and extended the trip personally. Some went to Belgium and Holland while other went to Switzerland and Rome. Everyone had a great time filled with experiential learning – culture, business environment, language and much more.

All of us are now back to our beautiful campus. Term 3 has started. We all are super excited to start the subjects of our interest / specialization as term 3 and term 4 are Elective Course terms.

Vikrant Sharma is in the IPMX (2016-17) batch, the one year full time MBA program for executives at IIM Lucknow,
Prior to joining IIM L, Vikrant worked for Infosys Ltd., and for some of the largest banks and retailers in the world. He has a 12+ years of experience IT consulting and project management. His primary interests are Finance & Technology. He can be reached at vikrant.z.sharma@gmail.com

The post IIML IPMX European Immersion At Berlin, Paris appeared first on OneYearMBA.co.in.

It’s 3:00 am. I am wide awake. Wait a min!! Shouldn’t I be tired and sleepy? Specially because I had slept just 3 hours last night, took a 3 hours’ exam (which required unblinking attention and lots of number crunching), had discussions on 2 projects with different groups, studied for next exam for 6 hours and ran around with my two-year old.

What happened? How am I suddenly finding this new energy to be ‘mentally’ awake at this hour of the night? Well, I believe I know the answer – I am IPMXed!!

I am not the only one who has caught this ‘viral fever’. There are 62 others who are reading, browsing, flipping pages of 2-3 books, class notes, case studies, session slides and handouts to get ready for tomorrow’s exam. We all are ‘proudly’ IPMXed.

It has been 2 months since we, the 9^th batch of IPMXers (students of one year MBA program, IPMX –International Program in Management for Executives – at IIM Lucknow Noida Campus) joined this roller coaster ride. It will not be an exaggeration if I say these two months have given us a very rigorous routine of wholesome learning in numerous areas.

The program gave no time to settle down. From day minus 15 (yes, you read it right!! we had received the self-study material 2 weeks before joining the classes) we were expected to study and come ready to classes.

Bonding in Diversity:

Our first class? Bonding formation. Sounded hard to form bonding in a session. But, that’s the beauty of IIM. Everything here is created and tested by the best academicians in the world. Trust me, nothing can replace that session in removing the barriers and making 60 people familiarize with each other on such a fast pace.

Suddenly, after the session, I was feeling among ‘my people’. I realized that I was among the best and brightest – one was state level Tennis Champion, other had 9 patents in his kitty; one with GMAT 740 and other was Meditation and Yoga expert; one was Captain in Merchant Navy and other was a stand-up actor.

IPMXers are not alone at the campus. There are other professional programs such as WMP (Working Management Professional) and EFPM (Doctorate program) being executed too. So, interaction and learning just expands.

Pedagogy:

Before joining, we all had ‘heard’ of the world class faculty at IIM Lucknow. After having taken classes in last two months, now we understand why they are the best one can expect. Along with the faculty, it’s the experiential learning and peer group that make one solve a complex business problem in varied ways. And the best part – the learning is not limited to one’s professional life.

It brings a lots of difference in the way one thinks and acts in personal life as well. It changes you for who you are from inside. In the last two months, we already have had eight industry leaders and guest professors visit us. Learning from these sessions has been exceptional. Business dignitaries from varied sectors have graced the Leadership Talk Series sessions. Mr. Rishi Raj (Editor – Business Standard), Ms. Rakhee Malik (Head HR – A.T. Kearney, India), Mr. Vijay Jasuja (CEO – SBI Cards) and Dr. S. Natarajan (Padmashree Awardee from Aditya Jyot Hospital, Mumbai) are a few among them.

We could not have asked more but then we experienced Guest Lectures from Dr. Janat Shah (Director – IIM Udaipur) and Dr. David Valliere (Chair – Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Ted Rogers School of Business Management, Canada). We were thrilled to see some of the industry leaders join us to hear these speakers in our classroom.

Alumni meet:

We can proudly say we have Alumni meet daily and almost any hour of the day. Most of us are well connected with our alumni base and the entire credit goes to them. The alumni keep visiting us from day one to take our questions, guide us through and share the industry experiences after MBA. We feel “at home” in their presence.

We celebrated “Shubharambh”, an IPMX fest organized by incoming batch at the start of the program, where all alumni, faculty and staff members unite to celebrate the start of new batch of IPMX. Not only the IPMX students but also their family members enthusiastically participated in the acts.

Sports and Entertainment:

IIM Lucknow is certainly a place where one can continue on one’s physical fitness regime. Students could display their talent at Cricket ground, Pool Table, Gym, Tennis Court, Basketball court (ladies of family accommodation have formed a team already), Table Tennis and football. Our sports committee successfully conducted a Cricket tournament between students and staff.

Family Life:

One need not worry about the family well-being at IIM Lucknow Noida Campus. There is an excellent world class facility at disposal not only for the students but also for their family members who can stay at campus in the family accommodation. My spouse and son are staying with me and that’s the best part. Noida being part of NCR region, there are excellent job opportunities and great schools. So, one can give 100% to studies and family responsibilities are well taken are of.

The facility members (separately arranged for family accommodation and single’s hostel) are very caring and responsible. Almost all amenities (such as washing machine, kitchen, freezer etc…) are provided by the school.

A few of the best hangout place in Noida City – GIP Mall and DLF Mall of India, are very near to the campus. So, movies and food joints and family shopping are quite convenient. Maggie and Chai at 1:00 am in night while one wants a break is icing on the cake.

Peer learning, Exams and fun:

One gets to learn from everyone around; age and experience level are just numbers. A person with five years of industry experience possesses excellent team building skills. Another is bibliophile; he can suggest you books that can change one’s life. Another is great persuasive communicator.

Professionals such as Chartered Accountant, Branch Managers from SBI and ICICI, Healthcare professionals, IT Product Manager and Program  managers just help expand your thought process and problem solving skills.

End Term exams are about to get over; two out of seven left. While term 1 is about to end, term 2 starts with a two days’ break. People will travel home, stay with families and share the stories and exciting journey all of us had in the last two months. We will go to France and Germany for our International immersion module at the end of term 2. Planning for that has already started.

For now, time to enjoy the rain and the view from my room and get back to studies as I have an end term exam in another 5 hours.

Vikrant Sharma is in the IPMX (2016-17) batch, the one year full time MBA program for executives at IIM Lucknow, Prior to joining IIM L, Vikrant worked for Infosys Ltd., and for some of the largest banks and retailers in the world. He has a 12+ years of experience IT consulting and project management. His primary interests are Finance & Technology. He likes to spend time with his 2 year old son, who has transformed his life and keeps him on toes and running. He can be reached at vikrant.z.sharma@gmail.com

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