Mumbai, 13th April 2024 – NMIMS Pravin Dalal School of Entrepreneurship & Family Business Management (PDSE&FBM) hosted a momentous convocation 2024 ceremony to honour its graduating students of MBA (E&FB), MBA (Entrepreneurship), BBA (E&FB) and BBMM program on Saturday, 13 April 2024. The prestigious event took place at the Mukesh Patel Auditorium at the NMIMS campus.
The convocation ceremony sparkled with the presence of a distinguished alumna as the Chief Guest, Ms. Avani Davda, CEO of Reliance Premium Jewellery. The event was presided over by Shalin Divatia, representing the Honourable Chancellor, SVKM’s NMIMS. The auditorium was adorned with faculty, staff, students, and their proud parents, creating a magnificent spectacle.
Dr. Ramesh Bhat, Vice Chancellor of NMIMS, Dr. Meena Chintamaneni, Pro Vice Chancellor, Dr. Ashish Daptardar, Additional Registrar, and Prof. Seema Mahajan, Director of PDSE&FBM, joined the dais alongside the chief guest. Representing the graduates were the Programme Chairpersons of PDSE&FBM: Dr. Beena Nair (MBA E&FB), Dr. Kalika Bansal (MBA Entrepreneurship), Dr. Aarti Patki (BBA E&FB), and Prof. Mehek Kapoor (BBMM).
An air of enthusiasm was palpable at the venue and augured new and positive beginnings for the graduating students.
To set a celebratory tone for the ceremony, a lively Police Band led a magnificent procession of students and council members which was followed by a lamp-lighting ceremony and a Saraswati Vandana. This set a spiritual tone to the solemn ceremony.
The mission of the Pravin Dalal School of Entrepreneurship & Family Business Management is to provide support and empowerment to family-owned businesses and enable them to thrive alongside professional organisations. With more than two decade of experience in family business and entrepreneurship management, the school is well-equipped to understand and cater to the evolving needs of Indian family-run businesses in their growth journey.
Meanwhile, the academic year 2023-2024 was one of several milestones for NMIMS PDSE&FBM. It prioritised the overall development of the students by curating innovative learning experiences for them. A comprehensive orientation, updated modules and guest sessions (including 25 eminent experts) exposed students to national and international businesses and helped them hone their practical skills.
This was further solidified by the Peer Group Learning Programme. A total of 79 graduates gained B2B and B2C experience across industries while students’ social impact was made evident through 11 NGO partnerships. This year also marked significant accomplishments in research and project completion, with students demonstrating remarkable acumen in areas such as management, marketing, and international immersion.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Ramesh Bhat said, “Today marks the culmination of a significant milestone in your life, but it also signals the start of a fresh and exciting chapter with infinite possibilities and boundless opportunities. As you embark on this journey, the NMIMS family extends best wishes hoping that each of you feels pride and contentment in everything you do. I want to highlight some points to the parents regarding the students’ successful learning journey at NMIMS. We have focused on a rigorous curriculum and the students have completed it including all the hurdles that came their way. This is to prepare them to face any challenges they may face in the future. Their study material teaches them decision-making, and understanding the context of a situation while contemporary thinking aided with advanced technology helps them in creating value propositions in family business. We focus on critical thinking training which helps them to weigh different perspectives to effectively solve a problem. We place importance on imparting communication skills to help our students present their ideas for negotiations successfully and translate them into reality. Lastly, we teach them about collaborative processes to foster teamwork. I want to thank all the family members today for contributing to the students’ success.”
On the occasion of the convocation, Prof. Seema Mahajan, Director of PDSE&FBM, said, “I am delighted to extend my heartfelt congratulations to every one of you on this momentous occasion. Our school is young and therefore dynamic. We have tried to rewrite the saga of family businesses by creating cross-border narratives that would give a facelift to the Indian economy. We at PDSE are out to create change stories based on industry readiness and the involvement of our stakeholders, our students. As you move to the professional world, armed with the knowledge and skills acquired here, I have every confidence, that you will make a significant impact in the field of business and entrepreneurship.”
The Chief Guest, Ms. Avani Davda, in her inspiring address, said, “Family-owned businesses play a significant role in India’s economy, contributing over 79% of the total GDP. This trend is not unique to India, but is seen worldwide, where 90% of businesses create jobs and promote an entrepreneurial spirit. If you are taking over your family business, I encourage you to make wise decisions with a combination of ambition and humility. Do not hesitate to show vulnerability, as it can be a strength, and remember that credibility is key.”
To conclude the grand ceremony, Dr. Ashish Daptardar, gave a Vote of Thanks and requested the Nominee of the Honourable Chancellor to declare Convocation 24 closed.
About Pravin Dalal School of Entrepreneurship & Family Business Management
NMIMS Pravin Dalal School of Entrepreneurship & Family Business Management has continuously worked to fortify the SME sector in India. Today we have over 6000 alumni who are names to reckon with in this sector. Many of them have started their ventures and triumphed. The School’s motto is to provide intellectual capital to those with accessible sources of capital so that family business is professionalised and commands the respect it deserves.
