Pratham Raj Sinha spent 13 years with McKinsey and Company, where he was a Partner. Before founding 9.9 Media, he was the MD & CEO of ABP, one of India’s leading and most diversified media conglomerates. Pramath is the Founding Dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB), an initiative led by a group of leading Indian business leaders. His book on the founding of ISB, Indian School of Business – An Idea Whose Time Has Come: The Story of the Indian School of Business, was published in 2011. He is also the Founder and trustee of Ashoka University, which launched the Young India Fellowship (YIF) in 2011.

Coming to his education, he did his B.Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He also completed his M.S.E. and PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Check The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women

The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women

What is the unique part of Vedica's re-imagination of a management programme that would be helpful to the students?

The Writing and Communication Centre uniquely contributes to Vedica's re-imagination of a management programme. Since communication skilling is a prominent facet of preparing for today's workplace, all Vedica Scholars are trained to excel in it. The Writing and Communication Centre helps each Scholar gain enough communicative competence to navigate the professional space confidently. The Centre's methods are derived from the newest principles of language teaching and the interdisciplinary humanities. The facilities of the Centre are open to current Scholars as well as alumnae.

Do you think that all girl's program at Vedica Scholars has the capacity to solve the lack of women leadership problem in the Indian corporate space?

My philosophy is that I can solve a global problem by showing an example, and I believe that we should create many more such programmes to solve the problem and put more and more women out there. If I talk about leadership, anyone can be a leader. It is not gender-based. The best leaders are the most authentic human beings, and by virtue, women find it easier to come out as more authentic than men can. 

How much of the stress is put here in Vedica on liberal arts? That is also a significant factor of the programme at Vedica.

Many women who come to Vedica have modest backgrounds and are not from tech backgrounds. After completing their post-graduation from Vedica, these women go for corporate jobs. It's not the first job, but the career trajectory post-Vedica that counts. We proudly say that it is a liberal arts management programme because it is not just about Marketing, Strategy, Finance and Accounting (which is typically taught in other B-Schools) but about regulations, history and societal change. And, if you are successful as a manager, you must understand the country to reach leadership positions, even in the Corporate world. Thus, at Vedica, we teach what is essential in management by putting more stress on Liberal Arts at Vedica.

Check The Vedica Scholars Programme for Women Placement

How do you help students cope with the high competition in the outside world?

We at Vedica believe that Reading and Writing are essential skills that are often neglected when we grow up and venture towards job-focused higher education. It is necessary, and we provide it as a remedial for all Vedica Scholars. We encourage them to read, write, and write again and discuss, which really helps them think better in a structured way and communicate better with people outside, which helps groom their overall personality.

What are your views about the Placement of Vedica Scholars Programme for Women?

I would say that the ROI a student calculates should be done by keeping in mind the long–term benefits that a B-school degree provides to them, and students while making a decision, should track that too. Here, in Vedica, we have extraordinary ranks because I was personally involved in placing the first batch of Vedica Scholars. We have premium organisations, big fours and various other consulting organisations across the boards like EY, Nestle, KPMG etc. Vedica’s placement is comparable with any top B-school in the country. Our women work in such good organisations, and salaries have been growing. every year.

How did the Vedica Scholars programme for women come into being?

Some girls in society are still left behind, and they do need some runway to catch up. That is what we ensure that this programme does. The most powerful thing about Vedica is not the management part but how you prepare women for a career that is strong, resilient, independent and in the spirit that says, “I know from day 1, but I am going to fight”.