LEAD: Senior Leadership Programme
for CXOs

I belong to the cohort of LEAD 04 programme by IIM Calcutta. I started my journey in this campus a year back and I never thought that learning could be so easy, especially for a working professional like me who has a 33-year learning gap. LEAD is a one-of-its-kind advanced management programme that has enabled me to handle every business aspect strategically.

Baktha Sabari Rajan
Tamizhaga Internet Communications P Ltd - Head of Operations

I'm Kaushal and I work with Microsoft. I was looking for a course that can help me sharpen my leadership skills and take me to the next level. With more than 22 years of experience and having a different industry perspective, I evaluated different courses. My objective was to pursue a course that would give me the perfect blend of hybrid learning, as I wanted a course that would give me a classroom session experience as well. After looking at different options available, I thought IIM Calcutta’s LEAD programme - Learn, Enhance, Aspire and Deliver, which is an advanced management programme really helped me on multiple levels.

The three things that I thought stood out are the diverse cohort that I had as there were colleagues from different industries with different experiences which helped us discuss different aspects of case studies. That gets me to my second point around case studies. We had multiple case studies from different industries, from different scenarios around strategy, around customer centricity and different topics that this course covers. When the case studies were discussed among diverse audience, it helped us appreciate diverse perspectives. And third and the most important part that I believe is my self-reflection. During this one-year course I had a reflection of where I am and where I want to go. I would suggest this course for those in middle management roles or in an early leadership career journey as it helps sharpen your skill set and take the next leap in your career.

Kaushal Todi
Director of Manufacturing LeadIndia Microsoft

My name is Rajiv Srivastava and I'm a physician by background working in a global pharma company. I have been working in research and development, and around six years back I took a decision to take a divergence in my career journey and join some of the other functions. Currently I am taking care of the regulatory affairs as part of my current role with the pharma company. The LEAD programme by IIM Calcutta has helped me grow further and take the business perspective into account while performing my role.

It has helped me understand not only my function, but also the functions of the business side, marketing, supply chain, and allowed me to perform in my leadership profile. I would like to recommend this programme to professionals who are looking for management roles or who are taking a career divergence and trying something new. It will help in your leadership journey.

Dr. Rajeev Shrivastava
Director Regulatory Affairs & Pharmacovigilance - Eli Lilly and Company

I am Kumar Satyendra Singh, an ex-Captain from Merchant Navy. The need to learn to manage people from gen Y, X and Z and cope up with the challenges of handling employees across generations made me look at a programme for self-improvement and learning. I opted for IIM Calcutta as it is the only institute that offers in-person and in-campus learning opportunity.

IIM Calcutta’s LEAD: Senior Leadership Programme for CXOs was highly informative and helped me work on my personal development and has made a profound impact on me. The course content is well curated, the digitalisation sessions were interesting and learning through simulation was something that intrigued me. I recommend this course for all professionals who are in lead positions.

Kumar Satyendra Singh
Ex-Captain Merchant Navy

I am currently working with a company called Diageo in India, which is an alcohol beverage company, and I have worked for a considerable part of my life in the alcohol beverage world. It was like running a marathon; I would seldom stop to look back at my footsteps. It’s important for me to get a functional understanding and update my marketing knowledge. I did go through a lot of programmes until I stumbled upon LEAD.

Whether it is the digital application, innovation, etc., I’m satisfied that my choice of this programme has been pretty enriching. This programme was broken into four modules, and in each of those modules, the campus visit is for five days, which is, you know, extremely enriching because it's very immersive. You’re here for, you know, five to six days, and you're cut off from the world.

Ms. Anchal Kaushal
Head of Customer Marketing, Diageo India Pvt. Ltd

I am a global marketing communication professional with over 25 years of experience. I have held leadership roles in leading organisations. I have been looking for a programme that could help me accelerate my career progression, a programme where I can use the knowledge and skills that I have acquired over the last two decades. Also, use this course as a testing platform to see if these skills are still valued.

When I read about the LEAD programme content, and needless to mention the credentials of iconic institutions like IIM Calcutta, I could not find any better programme that could help me achieve my expected outcomes. After having attended several management development programmes, I strongly recommend that you attend this year-long programme and increase the opportunity to build a close, trusting relationship with professionals of varied talents. I have been able to create an ever- lasting bond with leaders and friends. The hall of fame moments for me are the Executive Alumni status and the course certification from IIM C with top grades.

Anant Rastogi
Director Marketing, South Asia

My name is P.R. Sinha. I’m the Senior Vice President at Writer Corporation, Mumbai. My primary objective was to have different perspectives on marketing and finance, strategic decision-making, HR operational excellence, etc. And it’s best to get it from subject-matter experts. So, I evaluated the programmes based on my interest and my area of focus, and this programme was best suited for me. The content was very good. The way the course was structured was crisp, to the point, and very well covered.

The faculty was excellent, and some of the experts, like Professor Ashok Banerjee and Professor Anirvan Pant, brought their unique perspectives to the table. Overall, I’ve benefitted from this course in terms of further developing my conviction on various topics and having insights on which way to go, because very often in business, you deal with complex, ambiguous situations where you don’t have a clear answer but you have to make business decisions. So, I think a course like this certainly helps you to think more maturely and make conscious decisions when you’re faced or confronted with difficult issues.

Mr. P.R. Sinha
Senior Vice President, Writer Corporation

After years of experience, I found there is more to be learnt, which is prima facie reason for me to take up this programme. This is one of the interesting programmes from IIM Calcutta. This programme is thoroughly designed from the frame of perspective itself. I would say, excellent professors, no doubt about it. Fantastic material. I would recommend other people to join this course because it is not about just having another certificate; it gives you a lot of confidence in the first place. Please take up this programme. It’s a good programme; definitely, it’s worth it. Wish you all the best. Thanks

Bharaniraj L
Associate Vice President – Business Development, ISS Facility Services India Private Limited

My name is Karthik Bhati. I work as a Senior Vice President – Retail Sales, with Fullerton India Credit Limited. When you are in middle management and you don’t have the time to pause, there is always a better opportunity awaiting. If you are an aspiring CXO or already in a CXO position, enrolling in this programme helps you to reflect upon what you’ve been doing well and what can be improved, and I think this is a great opportunity to come to a campus like IIM and spend some time. It helps to remove some of the dilemmas you face as a manager.

Mr. Karthik Bhati
Senior Vice President, Retail Sales Fullerton, India Credit Limited