“The education model is progressive, extensive and holistic. Unlike some run-of-the-mill institutes, where the focus remains on theoretical substance, Athena helps students gain knowledge to present, execute, upscale and flourish!”, are the humble words of Ms. Janhavi Mahale, a student of the 2021-23 Batch at Athena School of Management. Illustrating in depth how Athena School of Management bears in mind the emerging trends in education and demands from students, and emerges as a hotspot of quality teaching/learning, students such as Ms. Jahnavi have become winners not just in their careers, but also in their personal lives, all thanks to the excellence, and creative solutions executed by Athena.
A Sustainable Ecosystem of Immense Growth & Learning
Taking inspiration from the Greek Goddess of wisdom, courage & inspiration – Athena School of Management, the founding members found the most resemblance to our current scenario with the Greek Goddess and her persona, and started an institute which converts dreams into reality for many management aspirants. Located in Mumbai, the Commercial Capital of India, the b-school hosts programs that are specifically designed for students who want to become Successful Leaders in the Corporate Sector & Entrepreneurs. Moreover, the programs at Athena are driven by experiential learning, multiple internships, international immersions, top global faculty, soft skills and character building.
In a world where information and knowledge is increasingly available freely, students at Athena School of Management are trained to ask the right questions at the right time, guiding them towards becoming personalities who can multitask, collaborate and lead dynamic teams. Athena is also proud about its International Partnerships with Institutions by way of Dual Degrees, Projects & Exchanges across the world including Kedge (France), McGill University (Canada), Rennes School of Business (France), Shanghai University (China), HHL Leipzig (Germany), IMT – BS (France), Babson (US), and several other renowned names.
A complete b-school which bases its day-to-day functions on complete inclusivity, Athena has slowly become the best corporate b-school in the country, founded and run by famous personalities from various sectors of both – industry and academia. Always ensuring that industry is a vital part while curating the best curriculum and pedagogy for the onboard students, latest world-wide trends, demands and teaching techniques are considered, which keeps Athena at the cutting edge of innovation.
An expression of passion and commitment
“Aditya sir has a terrific understanding of a student’s psyche, as he comprehends each student’s capabilities differently, as a result of this, Aditya sir mentors each student with utmost care and attention to detail, making him the perfect guide and mentor”, shared Ms. Jahnavi, talking about Prof. Aditya, who is a literal wizard at foretelling the requirements of the global business community, and one of the founders and the Director of Athena.
Prof Aditya himself taking time out of his busy schedule, enunciated the various ways Athena functions as not just another b-school with tall claims. “Our students learn verticals including International Business/ Entrepreneurship/ Marketing/ Finance/ HR/ IT/ Operations/ Luxury/ Cyber Security/ Business Analytics”, he shared. Adding to his above statement, he continued – “Being a member of the AACSB, BGA (part of AMBA), HigherEd (Part of EFMD) which include the Top 1% of the world’s business schools – students at our b-school get unique insights and opportunities which help them compete with the best B-School students not only in India but across the globe”.
Currently, the b-school offers a PGPM program, a Dual Degree GMP Program with CNAM France, a Dual Degree GMP Program with Institut Mines-Télécom Business School, a Dual Degree Program in Masters in Luxury Management with Rennes School of Business and a GMP Dual Degree Program with Albany School of Business (US). Most importantly, always making sure the mentors at Athena are on their front foot as agile and flexible individuals, ready to embrace new ideas and technology so that students can get the best opportunities to learn and grow. Athena also welcomes Faculty from the world’s Top Business Schools including Wharton, Kedge, Imperial, FDC, CNAM, SGH, SUNY etc to deliver lectures. Additionally, the Small Class Sizes at the b-school ensure high quality of teaching & personalized attention students, becoming 1st Indian Business School to become an official Partner of the Responsible Research in Management & Business (RRMB) Initiative. Athena is also part of the UN PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) .
“We have a Focus on Making our students future leaders by teaching them presentation skills, interpersonal communication, networking skills, business etiquette, Industrial Visits in every Semester, Corporate Networking”, stated – Prof Aditya Singh, explaining in detail how students are made to not just stick to the classrooms, but explore their inner potentials. Through the conversation, we also learnt that students at Athena have Multiple Internships with India’s Top Companies and Startups during the course, where 6-7 Months of Internships during the course is made mandatory. International Internships across Europe, Asia & Canada are also made available to the students, where many of them are eventually converted into valued innovators & help in creating a global impact. With a Campus at Hiranandani Gardens, Powai – Mumbai, the students find themselves strategically motivated due to the proximity with top Corporate Headquarters in India, along with having umpteen opportunities to engage in multiple activities like soccer, sports, trekking, adventure sports and much more.
Intense education towards introspection and inner exploration
Guaranteeing of helping students emerge as leaders who can take wise decisions, actions and initiatives, while achieving organizational goals, the end-user based design and structure for the courses is design based on input and industry oriented from the corporate perspective. This high level of exposure and training by luminaries of the corporate world extensively prepares the students to meet the future challenges.
Entrepreneurship too is a core focus area at Athena, where all the students have to pursue Entrepreneurship Development as a core course in the first year. They then have the opportunity to implement their learnings by working on live projects as Intern Consultants with startups across the world. In fact, Athena is partnering with one of the top Business Schools of Europe – Hanken School of Economics & Hanken Business Labs (Finland) to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem including Incubator & Accelerator in Mumbai. Every year many Athena students choose to deep dive into entrepreneurship by either starting their own company or joining a startup.
Loan/Scholarship opportunities
Athena School of Management accepts the NMAT, CAT, GMAT or GRE Scores. In fact, Athena is GMAT Preferred B-School & NMAT Preferred B-School. Athena offers multiple scholarships including NMAT Score based Scholarship, Profile Scholarship, Women in Management Scholarships, Rotaract/AIESEC/NCC Scholarship, International Student Scholarship. All scholarships are based on a composite evaluation process which includes Entrance Test Scores, Academic Records, Extracurricular Achievements, Work Experience (if any), Overall Profile and Personal Interviews. Students are encouraged to apply early so that they have a higher chance of securing Scholarships. Since Athena is a Member of the Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS), the premier association for Business Schools in India – education loans are granted by leading financial institutions.
Blueprint for the future
Lastly, with a keen belief in Internationalization & Multi-Disciplinary learning, the focus is in expanding Athena School of Management’s area of influence & positive impact on learning, education & skill preparation for young leaders across the Developing World over the next decade. Adding an important point to how Athena looks forward to progressing in the years to come, Professor Aditya stated – “We aim towards leveraging the new technologies including VR/AR as well as remote learning – enabling us to create an interconnected web of knowledge with Athena as the platform for learning & delivery”. Also, having a clear focus on four areas deeply so as to create a new generation of leaders and processes, Athena School of Management believes that recent events including the current COVID Pandemic show the rapidly changing nature of global economy and in fact the entire global ecosystem, and thereby the management finds it extremely necessary that all of us are able to address the changes, foreseen & unforeseen, that we expect to occur in the coming decade.
Prof Aditya Singh – Director
With Two Decades of experience across the commercial sector, consulting, entrepreneurship & academia, Prof Aditya is a Fellow of the Royal Society of trades ( FRSA) in London, Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland( FRAS) in London, Member of Chatham House- The Royal Institute of International Affairs in London & Member of the OECD Forum Network- Paris. He’s also an active Rotarian, and sits on the Advisory Board of several launch- ups, accelerators & non-profits across the world with a special interest in enterprises riveting on SDGs, Circular Economy, Sustainability & Innovation. He’s a graduate of the Wharton School’s Accelerated Development Program( ADP) and holds an MBA from the S .P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai. He’s a Visiting Professor & Global Speaker who has spoken at Horasis, Rotary, AthensCallsAthens, Association of MBAs, The Futures Project Conference, AIESEC on subjects which he’s passionate about including Globalization, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Leadership, Digital Transformation & Future of Work.
