Bangalore, November 246, 2017: The  IFIM  group of educational Institutions   has constituted a Think Tank, in Digital Business chaired by Prof Chandrasekhar, Chairman of Centre of Excellence for Business Analytics at IFIM Business School. The Think Tank  will  develop a well-researched white paper for consumption by industry and academia at large.
The paper  will endeavor to outline the curriculum changes and development of coursework to align the present programs with the digital needs of the industry in the future. This paper would be presented to the Chairman of AICTE, UGC and would be circulated to the academic heads of all universities and institutions in the country. Members of the Tink Tank are:

1. Prof Chandrashekhar, Chairman
2. Mr Sameer Dhanrajani, Chief Strategy Officer, Fractal Analytics
3. Mr. Prithvi Raj Roy, CEO, Bridgei2i Analytics Solutions
4. Mr. Vijaya Kumar Ivaturi, Co-Founder, Crayon Data Systems
5. Mr. Nitin Sareen, Head Analytics, Walmart Labs
6. Mr. Pankaj Rai , SVP- Strategy, Wells Fargo
7. Ms. Rohini Srivathsa, SVP Analytics, Fidelity Investments
8. Mr. Sameer Dhanrajani, CSO, Fractal Analytics.

Prof S.  Sadagopan, Director of IIIT-Bangalore,  Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO, IoT, NASSCOM, Dr Ramesh U representing AICTE, Government of India and Sanjay Padode, Secretary, Center for Developmental Education (IFIM Institutions) together inaugurated the session.
Said Prof Sadagopan: “India is a magnet of talent and it is high time we nurtured this by providing them the right assistance. With the advent of technology, students, especially in the higher education segment, need to be trained to acquire the right skillsets. The country has a bright future in the space of Analytics, and therefore it is important for a greater focus on data and a good scope for businesses to grow in this space. This should be reflected right from the stage of curriculum design, to help nurture the right talent at the right time. A partnership of the government, along with the educational institutions and the IT sector, is crucial to help catalyze the growth in data analytics.”
According to an independent research report, the $155-billion Indian IT sector employs around 3.9 million people, and McKinsey estimates that the skillsets of half of the existing workforce will be irrelevant as they are not skilled to be in tune with the changing market needs.
Added Sanjay Padode, Secretary, Center for Developmental Education (IFIM Institutions: “As data becomes the new fuel in running industries, the need for a professional knowledge of analytics and utilising it in artificial intelligence gains in importance. Largely, it will define how the existing businesses upgrade to incorporate AI and use analytics. Also, this opens up the gates to many more new business opportunities for young professionals.”
IFIM was established in 1995, founded by DSIJ Group (Dalal Street Investment Journal) and promoted by the Centre for Developmental Education (CDE) – a not-for-profit society. It is located in the heart of Electronic City, Bangalore. CDE has established many academic institutions which include IFIM Business School, IFIM College, IFIM Law College, IFIM Institute of Social Sciences and IFIM Centre for Professional Learning.