MoU aims to empower students to understand and contribute to India’s Retail Future & Brand

New Delhi; November 12th, 2025: One of the premier B-Schools of India, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur, has signed a pact with the Retailers Association of India (RAI) to boost retail education, skill development, and research through a strong industry-academia partnership. The initiative aims to create a dynamic learning platform that enables students to understand the evolving retail landscape, gain practical exposure, and build competencies aligned with contemporary industry demands.

The MoU was signed by Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur and Dr. Lawrence Fernandes, Director Retail Learning & Member Relationship, RAI, in the presence of faculty members, students, and representatives from RAI. 

Under this agreement, IIM Sambalpur will get academic membership from RAI, along with access to its vast industry network and participation in retail events such as the Retail Leadership Summit, ReTechCon, and the Retail HR Tech Summit. Additionally, RAI will support the organization of the Annual Retail Conclave at IIM Sambalpur and provide international exposure through curated visits and interactions with leading global retailers.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, said, “This partnership signifies a new era of brand in India concept in Indian management education to nurture responsible, skill-oriented, and innovative industry experience among business students. We believe management education must remain closely linked to real-world practice, and this MoU will enable our students to gain direct learning experiences from the retail industry.”

Kumar Rajagopalan, Chief Executive Officer, Retailers Association of India, remarked, “Retail in India is at a defining moment, growing rapidly, embracing technology, and creating new formats every day. Through this partnership with IIM Sambalpur, RAI continues its mission to bridge industry and academia, ensuring that future leaders are equipped with the skills, exposure, and mindset needed to shape modern retail. This collaboration is not just about education, but about co-creating pathways that strengthen India’s retail ecosystem and make it future-ready.”

The partnership underscores IIM Sambalpur’s commitment to developing industry-driven learning models and RAI’s dedication to advancing retail excellence through education and skill development. Together, the two institutions intend to create future-ready managers equipped to lead India’s vibrant retail sector toward sustained growth.

About IIM Sambalpur:

IIM Sambalpur is one of the premier management institutions in the country and is widely known for its quality education. Spread over approximately 200 acres of land, the breathtaking and spectacular permanent campus of IIM Sambalpur was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, on 3rd February 2024. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone on 2nd January 2021, via video conferencing. Furthermore, the Union Education Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, recently inaugurated the Incubation Centre, I-Hub Foundation, to promote startups and the ‘Rangavati Centre of Excellence in Cultural and Sustainable Management’.

It also has tie-ups with Flipkart, Amazon, and SIDBI to support, promote and connect regional weavers with global platforms. Equipped with sustainable practices and modernized facilities, the campus values its regional art by mapping the traditional IKAT, patterned textile-dyeing technique onto the brick façade. The institute is also leading a visionary project to make Sambalpur the first sustainable city in India. The institute is committed to providing excellent management education, harbouring a sense of entrepreneurship, and developing socially responsible leaders. IIM Sambalpur is known for its two-year flagship MBA Programme, and admissions are held via CAT. It also offers an MBA for working professionals at the Delhi Centre at ISID, Vasant Kunj, providing options for a dual-degree Programme in partnership with French universities.

Furthermore, in addition to the Executive MBA Programme, the premier institute offers a PhD, Executive PhD, Bachlores Programme in Data Science & AI and Management & Public Policy, and Management Development Programme (MDP). IIM Sambalpur has played a torchbearer role for other IIMs in terms of gender-diverse classrooms. To further enhance classroom engagement, the institute has integrated an AI-powered platform in collaboration with Breakout Learning Inc. to moderate and evaluate small group discussions as part of its MBA pedagogy. IIM Sambalpur cut-off is 92 percentile. IIM Sambalpur’s MBA fee is INR 13.04 Lakh, whereas IIM Sambalpur’s average package stood at INR 16.64 LPA and IIM Sambalpur’s highest package stood at INR 64.61 LPA for the 2023 batch.

Follow us on: 

• LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/school/indian-institute-of-management-sambalpur/
• Twitter – https://x.com/iim_sambalpur
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IIMSBP/
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/iim_sambalpur/
• Please visit our official website: https://iimsambalpur.ac.in/