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IIM Mumbai Director: Why AI Skills and Business Acumen are Key for Future MBA Leaders

Himani Chopra
Sep 18, 2025, 16:01 IST

Future MBA leaders must master both AI skills and business acumen to succeed in a tech-driven world. IIM Mumbai's director explains that modern management education is shifting to teach students how to use cutting-edge technology for smart decision-making. The curriculum now includes practical training with tools like Python and Generative AI to prepare graduates for a future where they will work closely with technology. This change ensures students are ready to lead and shape the intelligent businesses of tomorrow.

IIM Mumbai Director: Why AI Skills and Business Acumen are Key for Future MBA Leaders
IIM Mumbai Director: Why AI Skills and Business Acumen are Key for Future MBA Leaders

Technology has completely changed business education. Modern tools and platforms are now shaping how management courses are taught and graded. Because industries like finance, healthcare, and e-commerce are changing so fast due to technology, business schools are also adapting to teach the skills needed for these new, tech-focused fields.

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Today's business students don't just learn theories; they need to be active leaders in the digital world. Top schools like IIM Mumbai have changed their courses to match this new reality.

Today's businesses run on data. Since they collect so much information from social media, customer platforms, and other smart devices, it's very important to know how to understand and show this data. Because of this, business programs now teach students how to use tools like Power BI, Tableau, and Python to work with data. They also use digital twin models for practical training.

Students are taught more than just how to read data charts. They also learn how to use that information to make smart business decisions. These skills are very useful in areas like retail, logistics, and marketing, where managers have to react quickly to what's happening in the market. As a result, students who know how to analyze data and use it to tell a story are in high demand everywhere.

MBA and Generative AI

Management education is being completely changed by new types of AI, like Generative AI. Tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are now like smart partners for students. They help with brainstorming ideas, creating business plans, summarizing long texts, practicing negotiation, and even writing business reports.

Beyond Gen AI, a new type of AI called Agentic AI is changing how students learn. This AI lets students work with smart systems that act out real business situations. They can learn to handle problems like sudden inventory changes, a lot of employees leaving, or disruptions in the supply chain. These AI systems adapt to what students do, make their own decisions, and give feedback, preparing students for future jobs where they will work closely with AI.

As technology quickly becomes a part of every industry, business graduates need to have specific digital skills to stay relevant and get ahead.

  • In the world of financial technology (fintech), this means knowing about things like blockchain, using AI to check credit scores, and understanding technology that helps with regulations (RegTech).

  • For health technology, you need to be good with electronic health records, AI-powered tools for diagnosis, and following data privacy laws.

  • In e-commerce and retail, managers must be experts in customer analytics, systems that track inventory in real-time, recommendation engines, and omnichannel strategies (selling products in multiple ways).

  • In industries like manufacturing and supply chain, it's crucial to understand things like digital twins, IoT-based logistics, and predictive maintenance. In human resources, skills in people analytics, sentiment mining, and using AI for managing talent are now necessary.

    Across different fields, it's common to use tools like Python, Power BI, and Tableau, along with cloud platforms.

    Business schools need to teach students both the ideas and the practical skills for using these technologies in specific jobs. This will get them ready to lead the shift toward a more digital workplace in many different kinds of businesses.

    MBA Education Aligns with India's New Education Policy (NEP)

    The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is helping colleges prepare students for today's digital world.

    It promotes flexible and skills-based learning, which means schools can easily add new subjects like AI, machine learning, and blockchain to their courses.

    Thanks to a new system called the Academic Bank of Credits, students can choose their own classes, like "AI for Business" or "Blockchain in Supply Chain." This lets them customize their education.

    This policy makes sure that business graduates are ready for the digital world. It helps them become skilled with technology, good at analyzing information, and prepared for their careers. It also promotes lifelong learning, which is key to succeeding in today's tech-focused jobs.

    The combination of new technologies, specific job skills, and helpful education policies is creating a new kind of business education. This modern approach is fast, driven by data analysis, and enhanced by AI. Schools that are adopting these changes, such as IIM Mumbai, are setting the standard for training the business leaders of tomorrow.

    These graduates are good at solving today's business problems and are ready to lead and build the smart companies of the future. The National Education Policy helps make sure that colleges keep up with new technology, giving students the flexibility, analytical skills, and digital smarts they need to succeed in future industries.

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