MBA ESG, India

By Vikram Singh, Dean
Counted amongst the top 20 business schools in Europe and among the top 4 in Paris, MBA ESG has evolved as a successful name that promises management aspirants to receive a globally-accepted management education in sports and luxury. The founding stone of MBA ESG in India was laid by Dr. Alain Kruger, the director of MBA ESG, who had joined ESG Paris as an associate professor back in the year 2001. He later went on to establish MBA ESG in India after realizing the tremendous opportunities in the sports and luxury sectors of the country. He engaged with Galileo Global Education, one of the top post-secondary education groups in France, to invest in India, a country with a relatively young and dynamic population. This was followed by a partnership with Jain (Deemed-to-be University), Bangalore to offer one of the best-amalgamated programs from both India and Paris.

The specialty of MBA ESG lies in its quality management education that comprises the blend of two countries with varying cultures and mindsets. "One of the major advantages of MBA ESG, when compared to other b-schools, is our niche specializations in Sports Management and Luxury Management that rarely are offered by any other institutes in the country. Besides this, our school also focuses on professionalizing students and making them industry-ready by connecting them to the industry during their time at the school," pinpoints Vikram Singh, Dean of MBA ESG, India. With the aim of imparting complete professional training to its students, the institute puts efforts in handing over an innovative curriculum and program that mostly encourages students to implement classroom learning outside the class through internships and real-time projects.

The MBA ESG curriculum is designed and refined to suit the requirements of sports- and luxury-related opportunities in India. Singh shares, "At MBA ESG, we strive to create an environment where we foster learning experiences that open up both students and professors to creative thinkers from a variety of fields, from academia to the business world, teaching students to be lifelong learners." Along with the team of faculty members, who encompass extensive industry experience, the students of MBA ESG are also facilitated with master classes from French faculty, who provide valuable insights on industry culture, trends, and growth, giving students the opportunity to gain a global perspective of business. This way the institute makes sure that the students get closer to the professional world.

"The MBA ESG curriculum is designed and refined to suit the requirements of sports- and luxury-related opportunities in India"

Emphasizing Real-time Practices


As the institute extensively prioritizes to develop each of its students into wholesome, skilled professionals, MBA ESG stresses upon equipping them with ample operational skills ensuring they are job-ready by the end of the course. Faculty members motivate students to find solutions to actual problems faced by companies enabling them to be team players, develop the right skills and attitude, and face challenges with confidence. "Our blended approach to learning and pedagogy that focuses on "Learning by Doing" makes students ready to get placed in top companies by imbibing in them the qualities of being a team player, developing the right skills and attitude, and the ability to face challenges with confidence," claims Singh. Believing that faculty serves greatly in considering the future of the students, the institute conducts faculty development programs for improving teaching skills and strengthening the professional acumen of the faculty members and administrators who deal directly with students.

"Our highly-trained faculty take all the essential steps in doing the relevant research and developing case studies to provide a more comprehensive learning experience. For instance, one of our faculties from Paris is working with a tenured faculty from IIM, Bangalore," Singh proudly says. Going the extra mile, MBA ESG runs a unique program called "Shadow a CEO" where students get an opportunity to shadow the CEO of a startup to understand what actually happens and how things work. Students at MBA ESG are provided an active, hands-on environment and industry connect where they can not only explore the possibility of working on their products but also get funded.

The exclusive MBA program of MBA ESG comprises a two-week trip to Paris or Florence, depending on the specialization, where students immerse themselves in French culture and business along with getting the scope of interacting with a vast and globalized network, intensifying the chance to get placed in renowned companies across the world. Kunal D Banik, a Sport Management student at MBA ESG says, "The trip to Paris provided great exposure in the field of sports. It helped me learn the areas of development and opportunities in the different sectors of sports. Meetings with different sports agencies and visits to different sports venues in France helped me understand the future prospects of sports in India." In order to stay connected with the industry, the institute engages with top leaders in the domain of sports and luxury. Some of the companies in India that are associated with MBA ESG include DNA Networks, Decathlon, Bangalore Football Club, SportsKPI, EduSports, and Genesis Luxury.

MBA ESG holds the pride of a powerful 14800-member alumni network working in eminent companies such as Lacoste CA, Reebok, Nike, Fédération Française de Tennis, Tiffany & Co, Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Christian Dior, to name a few. "Our Sports Management students are all set to participate in the placement drive from this session. In the coming years, we envision doing what are we are good at, which is investing in students, faculties, and our relationship with the industry, develop a strong academia-industry connect and create a win-win situation for both students and the industry," concludes Singh.

Vikram Singh, Dean


Vikram Singh has close to two decades of experience in the education domain. He has extensive experience and exposure of starting a new b-school in Hyderabad named Woxsen School of Business and was instrumental in the campus' development and founding of batches for MBA. Handling the position of Dean at MBA ESG, Singh holds a postgraduate degree in IT and Management and has done his executive education from the Indian School of Business.