IIM Indore Marks 30 Years of Excellence, Impact, and Institution-Building

The Indian Institute of Management Indore (IIM Indore) marked a landmark moment in its institutional journey by celebrating its 30th Foundation Day on October 3, 2026, commemorating three decades of excellence in management education, research, leadership development, and societal impact.

The milestone Foundation Day brought together the IIM Indore community of faculty, staff, and students to celebrate the evolution of an institution that has steadily expanded its influence on the global stage while remaining anchored in its foundational purpose.

The event was inaugurated by Prof. Himanshu Rai, Director, IIM Indore. In his Foundation Day Address, he reflected on the significance of reaching the 30-year milestone and the responsibility that comes with it. “Thirty years give us three imperatives for the future: to create knowledge that matters, to develop leaders who create impact, and to build institutions that serve society and the nation. And there must be zero compromise on our values, zero tolerance for exclusion, and zero distance between excellence and responsibility. As we look ahead, IIM Indore’s ambition is not simply to grow, but to grow with purpose”, he said. He emphasized that the true measure of an institution is not simply the years it has completed, but the value it has created through those years and the lives, organizations, and communities it has touched.

As IIM Indore enters its fourth decade, the milestone provides an opportunity to look beyond achievement towards aspiration and to ask not only what the institution has become, but also what it must become next, he concluded.

At the heart of the Foundation Day celebrations was a recognition of the people whose dedication and contribution have strengthened IIM Indore over the years.

The Best Teacher Award 2026 was conferred upon Prof. Udayan Sharma, recognizing his contribution to teaching and his commitment to creating meaningful learning experiences for students.

Pedagogical excellence was also celebrated through the Best Case Award 2026, presented to Prof. Ranjeet Nambudiri for his case, “Apigee: People Management Practices and the Challenge of Growth,” published by Ivey Publishing. The recognition acknowledges the role of relevant, rigorous, and practice-oriented case pedagogy in connecting management education to the challenges organizations face in a rapidly changing world.

The Best Teaching Innovation Award 2026 was presented to Prof. Saurabh Kumar in recognition of innovative approaches to teaching and learning that strengthen student engagement and enrich the classroom experience.

Faculty members who ranked among the top 5% based on participant feedback received in long-duration, degree-granting programmes were also felicitated. The faculty members recognised were Prof. Harshal Lowalekar, Prof. Mit Vachhrajani, Prof. Sayantan Banerjee, Prof. Manoj Motiani, Prof. Sanjeev Tripathi, and Prof. Udayan Sharma.

The Institute also acknowledged the contribution of its staff through the Best Staff Awards 2026, presented to:

Piyush Trivedi

Neha Gupta

Punit Mishra

Abhishek Vijay

Arun Kumar Singh


The recognition of faculty and staff on Foundation Day underlined a central truth of institution-building: while buildings, rankings, and programmes may define an institution from the outside, it is the people within it who create its character, culture, and enduring legacy.

A coffee-table book commemorating IIM Indore’s 30th Foundation Day was also launched, capturing glimpses of the Institute’s three-decade journey, its milestones, people, and defining moments. The occasion also recognized employees completing 10, 20, and 25 years of service, felicitating them for their dedication, commitment, and contribution to IIM Indore’s growth.

The 30th Foundation Day marks a significant milestone in IIM Indore’s journey from an institution that began with 37 students in its first Post Graduate Programme in Management batch in 1998 to a leading institution for management education, research, and executive learning.

Over three decades, IIM Indore has expanded its academic portfolio to include programmes in management, human resource management, integrated management, executive education, and doctoral studies. The Institute has also strengthened its global academic engagement by earning AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS accreditations and by building partnerships with 72 institutions in 28 countries and numerous organizations across the nation and around the world.

The 30-year journey of IIM Indore has been shaped by a continuing pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and institution-building, supported by generations of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The Institute’s growth has also been accompanied by an expanding engagement with industry, academia, and global partners, strengthening its role in India’s management education landscape and beyond.