Management Education Legend Prof. J Philip Passes Away: Founder of AIMS and XIME, Former Director of IIM Bangalore

Early Childhood and Education
Prof. Philip was born in Pulinkunnu, a village in Alleppey, Kerala. He completed his graduation from the well-known S.B. College, Changanacherry in 1955 and later did his Law Degree at the Maharaja’s Law College, Kochi. He also passed the Bar Council exam. After a brief stint with Law, he changed his career for ever when he joined the HR Programme of XLRI Jamshedpur. He completed his Master’s Programme in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from XLRI in the year 1960.

Early Association with XLRI and IIM Bangalore 
Prof. J. Philip had a unique career in management education, spanning over 60 years. After his graduation from XLRI, he joined the Institute as a faculty member. He rose up the ranks and became a professor and Dean in 1970 at the age of 34. He played a leading role in funding of XLRI’s prestigious PGDM Programme. At XLRI, he contributed to curriculum development, programme administration, faculty and students’ management and industry interaction. He also started the MDP division at XLRI. After being with XLRI for more than a decade, he joined public sector undertaking SAIL to gain industry experience.

While at XLRI, he attended the International Teachers’ Programme in Business Administration of Harvard Business School. He later recalled that this experience played an important role in his journey. He particularly recalled “four courses of great value for him at HBS: OB, Case Writing and Case Teaching, University Administration and Business Policy.”

Working with Industry 
At SAIL, during his eight-years as the Principal of its Management Training Institute, Prof Philip took many initiatives. His key achievements were to initiate a large number of Management Development Programmes, International Conferences and Leadership Programmes. At SAIL, he founded the Journal “GROWTH” and developed a number of case studies. In 1980, Prof Philip joined the Oberoi Group as Vice President (Human Resources) and revamped the entire HR system of the company. 

Director of IIM Bangalore (1985-1991)
Prof Philip headed IIM Bangalore for six years, which saw growth for the Institute marked by a series of innovations. He launched the International Teachers Programme in Management and enabled IIM-B to become a participating institution in the Indo-EC project for Faculty Exchanges and Cooperation comprising seven management Schools of Europe. He was called the “turn-around Director” of IIM-B at a critical time when the institute was facing a multitude of challenges.

Noting his contributions, IIM Bangalore said: “It is with deep sorrow that we share the passing of our former Director, Prof. J. Philip. Prof. Philip was a pioneering management educationist whose vision and leadership helped shape IIM Bangalore in its formative years. He served as Director from 1985 to 1991 and brought to the Institute a remarkable mix of academic excellence, institution-building experience and leadership across industry and education. His contributions to IIM Bangalore leave an indelible imprint on our community.”

Founding of XIME in 1991
As a fulfilment of his late daughter Maria Teresa Philip’s dream, Prof. Philip founded XIME in June 1991, along with a few other acclaimed academicians and practitioners. The evolution of XIME since then into a leading business school in South India with campuses in Kochi and Chennai. Prof Philip had expressed his interest to further expand XIME with international campus in Dubai.

Founding Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS)
One of the key contributions of Prof Philip was his founding of the Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) in 1988. From humble beginnings, it has grown into a powerful network of over 700 management schools of national and international repute in the country including IIMs, ISB, Xavier Institutes and others. Prof Philip also founded the BRICS Business Schools Association in January 2009 (ABBS).

Awards and Honours 
To recognize his contributions, Prof Philip was honoured with numerous contributions. All India Management Association with its prestigious Kewal Nohria Award for Leadership in Management Education in 2011. In 2009, XLRI honoured him with its Alumni Life Time Achievement Award. The Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD) honoured Prof. J. Philip as its ‘President Emeritus’ on July 25, 2009, 

Professor Joseph Philip was indeed the doyen of Indian management education. His contributions continue to inspire the next generation of leaders to contribute towards betterment of Indian Management education. Information courtesy: IIM Bangalore, XIME, and AIMS official websites.