Across two months, PGP 2025 students shadowed top executives, many of them IIMB alumni, gaining firsthand exposure to high-impact decision-making
In a unique experiential learning opportunity, PGP students from the graduating batch of 2025 stepped out of classrooms and into corporate boardrooms, policy chambers, and executive decision-making arenas as part of the Shadow a Leader initiative at IIM Bangalore. The premise of the program was to embed students into the field, among industry front runners, decision makers and innovators to better understand the complex changes and challenges shaping the business world.
Throughout February and March, students witnessed high-impact strategies unfold, engaged in candid conversations, and experienced the dynamic realities of leadership firsthand.
A significant highlight of the initiative was the participation of several alumni—industry leaders who once walked the halls of IIM Bangalore and have gone on to shape trajectories of their respective fields.
Students and organizations that were part of the initiative include: Gitanshu Rai shadowed Harish Hande, CEO, SELCO Foundation; Mridul Summan shadowed A. S. Sundaresan, Joint MD and CEO, JSW Paints; Vedika Manish Manek shadowed Kathik Reddy, Managing Partner, Blume Ventures; Sakshi Agrawal shadowed Prathiba Prabhu, Chief People Officer, Marlabs LLC; Ishwari Dhondge Chandrakant shadowed Vivek Khemani, Co-founder, Quantiphi; Shubhanshu Gour shadowed Shashank Jha, CEO, Artson Ltd; Deepika Ramesh Mantri shadowed Nagesh Bailur, CFO, Randstad; Vishakha Shambhu Ghadi shadowed Archana Tripathi, CEO, Saahas; Anwesha Dash shadowed Yamini Bhat, CEO & Co-Founder, Vymo; Diyea Robin K shadowed Sudarshan Lodha, Founder & CEO, Strata; Akshay Prashant shadowed Abhijit Roy, MD & CEO, Berger Paints; Ayush Agrawal shadowed Saugata Gupta, MD & CEO, Marico; Manan Samdani shadowed Anish Tawakley, Co-Chief Investment Officer – Equity, ICICI Prudential AMC; Aman Priyaraj shadowed Shashi Kumar, CEO, Akshayakalpa Organic; Prakriti Sehgal shadowed Pavitra Shankar, MD, Brigade Group; Manthan Dhabriya shadowed Puneet Bhatia, MD & Country Head, TPG Capital Asia; Neetish Saxena shadowed Divir Tiwari, Co-founder & CEO, FieldAssist; Gurkirat Sarabjeet Singh Nagpal shadowed Rahul Agarwal, CEO, Barbeque Nation Hospitality Ltd; Sriraam E shadowed Shashank Jha, CEO, Artson Ltd; Rahul T shadowed Sameer Shisodia, CEO, Rainmatter Foundation; Sidharth MK shadowed Rakesh Aerath, President, CGI APAC. Harshvardhan Singh shadowed Pankaj Rai, Group Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt Ltd; Vivek Banerjee shadowed Vipul Roongta, MD & CEO, HDFC Capital; Suchet shadowed Pratima Reddy, MD and GM, Merck Healthcare India. Sarthak Garg and Shubham Jagtap shadowed Dr. Hasmukh Adhia, IAS (Retd.), Former Finance Secretary, GoI.
An idea conceived by Prof. Manaswini Bhalla, Chairperson PGP & PGPBA and Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean Alumni, with the support of Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIMB; Prof. Venkatesh Panchapagesan, Finance & Accounting area; Prof. Debolina Dutta, OB&HRM area; and Prof. Gopal Naik, Economics area, the competitive voluntary program acted as a bridge that connects theory to the action of organizational leadership.
Shubham Jagtap, Student Affair Council President, and Sarthak Garg, Executive Board Member, IIM Bangalore Alumni Association, served as the student coordinators for the program.
