Prof (Dr) Abhijit K. Chattoraj travels down memory lane to relive his days at BIMTECH.
The flagship programme—PGDM in Insurance Business Management (IBM)—proudly completed 25 glorious years in 2025. To mark this landmark milestone, the Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), Greater Noida, hosted the Silver Jubilee Alumni Meet on Saturday, October 11, 2025. With deep humility, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the BIMTECH leadership for choosing to felicitate the founding faculty members, including myself. It has truly been an honour to be part of this remarkable journey.
The inception of this pioneering programme is a story of courage, conviction, and foresight. Conceived by the visionary Dr Harivansh Chaturvedi, the course was launched in 2000 as the Post Graduate Diploma in Insurance and Risk Management (PGDIRM). At the time, many regarded it as a bold gamble—some even as wishful thinking—in a domain dominated by archetypal finance and marketing disciplines. Yet the initiative quickly proved its merit. Prestigious validation came early when Mr N. Rangachary, the first Chairman of IRDA (now IRDAI), graced the inaugural Orientation Day on August 3, 2000, as Chief Guest.
An early vision, once fragile, became a dominant reality—through a master stroke.
Since then, the story has only been one of progress and perseverance. Weathering multiple shifts amid the vicissitudes of time in the insurance and education landscape, the programme has matured into India’s leading specialised management offering in Insurance, accredited by the NBA, AACSB, and AICTE.
We fondly remember Late Shri Dharmesh Kumar, former Executive Director of LIC of India, whose academic vision as Dean of the Centre for Insurance and Risk Management laid a formidable foundation of excellence. A distinguished scholar, he co-edited the landmark India Insurance Report (Volume I) in 2005. Alongside him, stalwarts such as Prof. K.K. Krishnan, Prof. S.L. Gupta, Prof. H.K. Morya, Prof. M.S. Rawat, Prof. P.S. Nagpal, Late Ms Shailja Iyengar, and Prof. (Dr) K.C. Arora shaped the programme’s academic depth and character. Industry veterans Mr Sagar Sanyal and Mr M. Rajaram enriched the curriculum with invaluable practitioner insight. One name recalled with special admiration is Mr Arup Chatterjee—highly intellectually endowed, deeply knowledgeable, and unfailingly supportive of the IBM programme.
My own association with BIMTECH began in May 2017, when I joined as Professor and Chair of the IBM programme, later serving as Dean – Student Welfare & Support Services until September 2024. These years remain the most fulfilling phase of my professional and academic life. Drawing on leadership experiences from NIA Pune and Amity University, Mumbai, and supported by an energetic and committed academic team—Prof. K.K. Krishnan, Prof. Manoj Pandey, Prof. Prateek Priyadarshi, Prof. Ravi Dudeja, Dr Manoj Pareek, Dr Pallavi Seth, and Dr Monika Mittal, with steadfast administrative support from Mr Anil Jaiswal and Mr Brijesh Kumar—we strengthened the programme’s academic architecture and deepened industry engagement.
The annual Insurance Colloquium in Mumbai emerged as a flagship intellectual platform, bringing together policy-makers, business leaders, and scholars to deliberate on contemporary and future-facing issues. The Lifetime Achievement Awards, instituted to honour professional excellence, earned widespread industry appreciation and reinforced BIMTECH’s identity as a knowledge think tank in insurance management. We had the privilege of honouring stalwarts such as Mr B.D. Banerjee (former CMD, The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd.), Late Mr M.G. Diwan (Acclaimed Actuary and former Chairman, LIC of India), Mr M. Ramaprasad (Whole-Time Member—Non-Life, IRDAI), Mr Nasir Ahmad Chowdhury (Adviser and founding MD, Green Delta Insurance Company), Mr Prabodh Thakker (Chairman, Global Insurance Brokers Pvt. Ltd.), Mr G.N. Bajpai (former Chairman, SEBI and LIC), and Mr Atul D. Boda (Group Chairman, J.B. Boda Group).
In a recent conversation, Mr B.D. Banerjee, still as energetic as ever, fondly recalled his association with BIMTECH and observed that the annual colloquium significantly strengthened the institute’s brand, helping it carve a distinct niche as a centre of thought leadership.
BIMTECH engaged extensively with globally renowned organisations such as Swiss Re, the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc. (RIMS), LOMA, Asia-Pacific Risk and Insurance Association (APRIA), and the Federation of Afro-Asian Insurers and Reinsurers (FAIR). Several students successfully cleared the Dip CII examinations conducted by the Chartered Insurance Institute every year. The students received focused, rigorous training from faculty members who are themselves Chartered Insurance–qualified, ensuring a robust academic grounding aligned with international professional standards.
During this period, the IBM program successfully undertook sponsored research commissioned by IRDAI and completed a consultancy assignment for UNDP.
We were also fortunate to receive the constant engagement and guidance of Mr Sakate Khaitan, Senior Partner at Khaitan Legal Associates and a distinguished member of BIMTECH’s Board of Governors. Renowned for his expertise in Funds, Insurance, Corporate Law, and M&A, he consistently inspired us to aim higher with his thoughtful encouragement. His keynote address at one of the Mumbai colloquia remains memorable for its strategic clarity and foresight.
Another significant initiative was the Insurance Round Table Discussion on “Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission: Opportunities and Challenges”, organised on September 22, 2018, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi—one day before the national launch of Ayushman Bharat on September 23, 2018, in Ranchi.
The publication of the India Insurance Report: Volume II (2023) marked yet another defining milestone, receiving wide acclaim across media, industry, and academia. This achievement was made possible through the insights and contributions of eminent leaders including Mr G.N. Bajpai, Mr Arun Agarwal, Mr Bhargav Dasgupta, Mr Tapan Singhel, Mr Sakate Khaitan, Dr David Dror, Ms T.L. Alamelu, Ms Farzanah Chowdhury, Mr Amit Kalra, Mr K.B. Vijay Srinivas, Mr Arup Chatterjee, Dr Sridhar Sridharan, Mr Anurag Rastogi, Late Mr Anand Pejavar, Mr Shrenik Baid, Prof. Jack Lisowski, Mr Shankar Garigiparthy, Mr Voravate Chonlasin, Mr Samiran Lahiri, Ms Bahroze Kamdin, Ms Alifya Hakim, Ms Hagit Cohen Fuks, Dr R.N. Sahoo, Dr Carlo Pugnetti, Mr P.S. Janardhanan, Dr Rakesh Agarwal, Prof. Bejon K. Misra, and Dr Steward Doss, along with distinguished alumni Mr Pankaj Tomar and Ms Preeti Chaudhary. My colleagues Prof. Manoj Pandey and Prof. Prateek Priyadarshi remained pillars of this endeavour. Mr Arun Agarwal, celebrated author and thought leader, played a particularly significant role in shaping the report.
Today, the BIMTECH brand resonates beyond India, with growing recognition in neighbouring countries and other regions. Faculty participation as panellists and keynote speakers at national and international forums reflects the programme’s steadily increasing global relevance.
We remain deeply grateful to industry and academic stalwarts such as Shri B.D. Banerjee, Mr K.K. Mishra, Mr Kamalji Sahay, Mr Nilesh Sathe, Mr Praveen Gupta, Mr Sanjay Datta, Mr Girish Kulkarni, Dr Joydeep Roy, Dr Sanjeev Jha, Ms Malti Jaswal, Prof(Dr) A. Attarwala, Prof(Dr) Bigyan P. Verma and Prof. (Dr). Kanika Chatterjee, Dr Nishant Jain, and Dr Rakesh Agarwal, whose continued support has strengthened the programme. They are all established names in their respective fields.
The alums of BIMTECH stand tall across the insurance world. Leaders such as Mr Pankaj Tomar, Head – India & South East Asia, AXA Climate, and Ms Surbhi Goel, CEO, Munich Re India, Mr Sudip Indanai – Managing Director, Head People Solutions, India, Mr Raghav Jain, co-founder and Principal Officer – Bima Bro ( Rajesh Chetan Insurance Brokers Pvt.Ltd ) exemplify the programme’s impact.
Twenty-five years is a moment to celebrate, reflect, and renew aspirations. With Prof. (Dr) Prabina Rajib—a distinguished scholar in Finance, Insurance, and Risk Management—leading the next chapter with clarity and confidence, I am certain that every unfinished dream will find its moment.
Long live the legacy of the IBM programme.
May it continue to shape leaders who serve the insurance world—and humanity in times of financial distress—with wisdom, poise, and dignity.
