Dr. Maroof Ahmad Mir is the Dean of Academics at the Asian School of Business. He is an Associate Professor in the area of Finance and Accounts at Asian Education Group, Noida. As the Chairperson of IQAC- Internal Quality Assurance Cell at ASB, he also leads the team of dedicated faculty members towards the realization of the goals of quality enhancement and sustenance in the institution. He has an overall experience of 15 years in academics and holds a PhD in Management from Aligarh Muslim University, from which he also completed his Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounts.

Dr. Maroof has published eight research papers in reputed journals such as Scopus, ABDC and UGC-CARE listed journals. He has presented his research work at various national and international conferences and has conducted several Management Development Programs and Faculty Development Programs for reputed organisations like IOCL and NTPC. He is on the academic board of studies at CCS University and has also provided curriculum development consultancy to different universities. He has received the award for Outstanding Contribution in Teaching from the UP State Government and is a highly acclaimed expert in the management and finance domains.

Dr. Mir’s areas of expertise include Investment Management, Financial Management, Derivatives and Financial Modelling. Besides being UGC-NET qualified in Management, he is also trained in Econometric modelling and Structural Equation Modelling and is a certified AIMA BizLab (management simulation games) trainer. Being a believer in lifelong learning, he is currently pursuing an "Advanced Certificate in Academic Research and Data Analysis” from IIM - Kozhikode.

Asian School Of Business

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career, what are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector? 

I would say that I get motivation from teaching and working in academia. I feel proud to have contributed to the development of education over the years. Building an industry connection is becoming important today. Connecting with different industry experts and leading organisations on their requirements and including them in our curriculum to produce skilled graduates who can contribute to nation building keeps me motivated to continue progressing in this field. In recent times, we have also seen a lot of students taking up entrepreneurship, which is giving rise to new businesses that in turn help our economy grow. All of these factors collectively are a source of encouragement for me.

What is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

For me leaders are those who create more leaders, and not more followers. I am a strong believer in teamwork and to me, every single individual is important. Be it our teaching members or our non-teaching members, or our students, everyone is important when we aim at achieving goals together. Whenever you work with different people, you have to keep in mind their different mindsets and temperaments, along with their unique skillsets and capabilities. It is important for me to take everybody along, keep giving them positive feedback, and address their concerns in order to develop their strengths and make them contribute more effectively to the organization. I strongly believe that it is the individuals who ultimately make an organization, which is what I focus on and work towards.

How does the curriculum of your institute ensure the best practice of the industry? 

We divide the curriculum into two aspects. One is the university curriculum, which gets modified by the university, and the second are the skill based value additive courses for which we provide diplomas and certifications. We have meetings twice a year with industry experts, advisories, and our teachers to figure out which courses to include in our curriculum. Our founders also talk with the students to know what aspects they find innovative and currently trending which they would want to include in the curriculum. We also have an internal quality assurance cell that takes feedback and organizes meetings for the same. Our certifications are modified every year along with the syllabus to make sure it is up to date with industry trends. We have included certifications in topics like social media marketing, family business management and business analytics which are in high demand in industry and economy.

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What do you think should be Asian School of Business's top priority over the next ten years?

Our priority, over the next ten years, is to transform the learning system from input based classroom teaching to outcome based education focused on developing the students’ skills.

We want to develop graduate attributes in our students which will make them productively employed and help them excel. We also want to encourage entrepreneurship and give the proper resources for students to develop their own innovative business ideas while studying here. We are also developing our curriculum accordingly. We are also focusing on developing a research mindset in the college. We have collaborations with the University of Southern California to provide us with courses and get their faculty to hold special classes with our students. We aim to collaborate with more universities internationally in the coming future.

What do you see as the Asian School of Business's greatest strength? 

Our key strength lies in the skills we develop in our students. Asian School of Business is known for its activities. We have activities like MUN, G20, Budget Conclave, international conferences, and seminars. These activities aim to enhance the diverse skill set of the students. Secondly, we focus on core competency or the Crafting Prodigy program. This is a unique program where every student is assigned a crafter or a mentor. We prepare students’ assessments of strength and weaknesses called their mirrors and accordingly their individual development plans are prepared by the crafters. Crafters meet their mentees once every fortnight and discuss and talk of ways to develop their skills. This goes on for two years and by the time students graduate, students are industry-ready.

How would you describe your relationship with the students of your college?

As a dean, it is not possible for you to meet all of the students regularly. But we have an open platform where everyone is open to talk and discuss any pressing matter with each other. Every school has an official email ID to which students can send emails of their concerns and there is also the online feedback mechanism through the website. We also have monthly open meetings called “Confluence” where the students can freely interact with the Deans of all departments, discuss their initiatives, share ideas, and talk about the concerns they have. Students are given proactive roles in all the clubs and cells of the college to develop their leadership and team building skills. The ideas shared here are implemented in the best way possible and student’s issues are addressed within fixed timelines. We also have an open-door policy for students to approach us at any time for any matter.

Any suggestions or messages you would like to give to the current youth? 

I would advise students to have the right attitude. If your attitude is correct everything will be sorted. When I say attitude, I mean in terms of being disciplined in life. Additionally, students must build a habit of reading. There are a lot of distractions brought about by technology today that prevent us from achieving our goals. Reading will improve the students’ concentration and motivate them. Success stories do not come true without discipline and the right attitude.