Rediff.com founder Ajit Balakrishnan appointed Chairman of IIM-C Board

An official from IIM-C confirmed the news with MBAUniverse.com this morning. The appointment of Mr Balakrishnan is for a period of five years. Mr Balakrishnan is also an IIM-C alumnus. He succeeds ITC chairman YC Deveshwar whose term ends this April.

Mr. Balakrishnan founded Rediff.com, which is one of Indias most visited Internet portal, and has been a director in the company ever since its inception in December 1995. Mr. Balakrishnan is also a co-founder and director of Rediffusion-Dentsu, Young & Rubicam Limited, which is one of Indias leading ad agencies. Mr. Balakrishnan holds a B.Sc. degree in Physics from Kerala University and a postgraduate in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Institute of Management Calcutta was established by the Government of India in November 1961 in collaboration with Alfred P. Sloan School of Management (MIT), the Government of West Bengal, The Ford Foundation and Indian industry. Over the years, IIMC has grown into a mature institution with global reputation, imparting high quality management education. The Institute offers four major teaching programs: Post Graduate Program in Management (PGDM), Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM), Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) and Fellow Program in Management (FPM). IIMC has about 70 faculty members.