Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) Bhopal is a premier institution in the field of forestry management, committed to nurturing leaders who can drive sustainable forest and natural resource management. Over the years, IIFM has produced a large number of alumni who have gone on to make significant contributions to the field of forestry management, both in India and abroad. These alumni have been at the forefront of policy-making, conservation, and sustainable development, and have played a pivotal role in shaping the discourse around forest and natural resource management in India. In this article, we bring together a collection of testimonials from some of the prominent alumni of IIFM Bhopal, showcasing their experiences and the impact that their education at IIFM has had on their careers and their lives. Through their stories, we hope to provide a glimpse into the rich legacy of IIFM and the important role it has played in shaping the forestry management landscape in India.
Arshi Adil
PFM Batch of 2013-15
Manager- Financial Inclusion, MicroSave Consulting
The PGDFM at IIFM is not a traditionally designed academic masters, instead, the focus is on building practical exposure in an applied setting. IIFM prepares you to deal with professional challenges through regular academic discussions and a personalized mentoring system. IIFM imparts a broad-based understanding of the complex challenges of the development space and prepares students to effectively manage these deep-rooted challenges. The rich curriculum guides the students to develop strong data analysis and research skills and nourishes the overall potential of students so that they contribute effectively in their choice of career. The extracurricular activities through the various clubs and cells offer stellar experience and complement the strong academic environment at IIFM. Joining IIFM turned out to be one of the best decisions as the learning and exposure gained have helped me successfully navigate through the professional challenges. More than anything IIFM enhanced my perspective about the importance of sustainability and inclusivity in every approach to life.
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PGDFM Batch of 1998-2000
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) – India, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd
I am from the PGDFM Class of 2000 and my career journey has taken me across healthcare segment, mostly across corporates and briefly in consultancy.
The rigour and the structure of the course with its community and Organisational immersions has helped me quite a bit in my initial years post the course. In the long run, IIFM helps one consistently appreciate the fact that we are part of a larger society and ecosystem. Responsibility, sustainability, empathy are some traits, which an IIFM’ite gets to imbibe very early and is so important as one climbs up the ladder in the latter part of his/her career, where governance and ethics become all the more prominent.
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PFM Batch of 2009-2011
Associate Director, KPMG
I joined IIFM primarily to study environment management. Multidimensional aspects of the course helped me carve out career in this space. I started initially as an expert in Carbon Credits to structure commodity contracts with National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited. Post that I got an opportunity to work with a consulting firm, and there is no looking back since then!
The journey so far has been quite exciting – initial couple of years primarily focusing on carbon credits, then moving towards energy efficiency and energy strategy, further focusing on sustainability disclosures and now charting out ESG strategy and transformation.
I believe that two years spent at IIFM has been quite instrumental in helping me align to a dynamic career in consulting.
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PFM Batch of 2015-17
Senior Business Consultant, PwC
IIFM Bhopal is a vital fragment in shaping my personality. It inculcated the attribute of ability to take a step back and analyze things from a distance to come up stronger. It helped me to meet the diverse and unique set of people, may it be the professors, colleagues, or management professionals, everyone has a distinct footprint on my way of thinking.
The best thing about the professors here is that they take two steps for every steps of yours, so that you may stretch to take three! There is tremendous support and accessibility from the faculty in all areas, even after you leave campus. So there is never a sense that you need to find solutions all on your own, when there is always a knowledgeable pillar to learn on.
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PGDFM Batch of 1998-2000
Development Sector Professional
IIFM was an ideal institution for me. By design, IIFM treads the much needed middle path. The obvious one is between forestry and management. Within forestry, there’s technical forestry and rural development approach to forestry. There is also the one between conservation and industry. Finally, there is non-profit versus for-profit approach to development.
Given this, the course design and the overall exposure of an IIFM graduate is extremely diverse and rich, making us fit for leadership functions in a wide range of organisations, which is quite visible in multiple sectors.
Admissions for PGDFM & PGDSM for the batch of 2023-25 are open. To apply, click here.
The last date to apply has been extended to 10th March 2023.