Young Entrepreneurs Programme (YEP) for Round Table India

The Young Entreprenuers Programme is a flagship leadership development programme exclusive for Round Table India members (Circlers included) that is conceived, designed and offered by IIM Bangalore in close collaboration with Round Table India’s representative leaders. The programme is uniquely tailored to empower owner-managers and entrepreneurial leaders to navigate and lead in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape.

This immersive, multi-phase program is strategically designed to accelerate leadership competencies and sharpen advanced business acumen, equipping participants to embrace innovation and strategic change while preparing them to build resilient, sustainable, and future-ready enterprises.

The programme spans 23 intensive days over 5 to 6 months at the IIM Bangalore campus, combining world-class classroom sessions with hands-on project work. Participants will engage in interactive learning, real-world case studies, peer collaboration, and Action Learning Projects to develop the strategic insight and leadership agility needed to drive lasting organizational impact. Participants who successfully complete the programme will be eligible for Executive Education Alumni status.

This transformative experience is designed to cultivate visionary leaders who can inspire teams, drive innovation, and shape the future of their businesses in a dynamic global environment.

• Strategic leadership competence in the disciplines and skills of general management, enabling the participants to effectively formulate and implement strategies across functional and managerial domains.
• The ability to adopt contemporary business models and global best practices that empower the participants to manage and lead successfully in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) business environments.
• An expanded strategic perspective that encourages thinking beyond functional boundaries to embrace a holistic, enterprise-level, and systems-thinking approach to leadership and decision-making.
• A global strategic mindset to navigate and capitalize on opportunities in an increasingly interconnected business landscape, and to design and implement advanced business strategies with a strong emphasis on digital transformation and international competitiveness and rapidly evolving business landscape.

Prof. Gopal Mahapatra
Chairperson: Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management Area Expertise: Leadership Development , Executive Coaching and Mentoring, Organization Culture, Talent Management

Professor Gopal Mahapatra is an accomplished Professor of Practice in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at IIM Bangalore, with over 35 years of rich experience spanning corporate leadership, consulting, and academia. Renowned as a pioneering HR thought leader and trusted advisor, he has held senior roles in leading multinational and Indian organizations, driving leadership development, talent management, and organizational transformation. His extensive consulting and executive coaching engagements have empowered over 2,000 senior leaders across diverse sectors, including prominent conglomerates and public sector enterprises. Professor Mahapatra has played a vital role in shaping leadership and HR best practices through his contributions as President of the National HRD Network, academic council member at premier institutions, and founding Associate Editor of the South Asian Journal of HRM. He is a passionate educator, known for designing and delivering impactful courses and executive programs at IIM Bangalore, focusing on leadership in complex, dynamic environments. Holding a doctoral fellowship from IIM Bangalore and advanced certifications in executive coaching from globally recognized institutions, he blends deep academic rigor with practical insights to help organizations and leaders navigate change and achieve sustained growth. His expertise, leadership, and practical insights strongly enrich the program, ensuring participants benefit from the latest academic thinking and actionable business strategies. transformation. Professor Mahapatra holds a Fellow in Management from IIM Bangalore and certifications in executive coaching. He has contributed to several academic and industry forums and serves on editorial boards of reputed HR journals.

Prof. G Shainesh
Marketing Area
Chairperson, Initiatives on Consumer Insights
Chairperson, Executive Education (2020–23)
Expertise: Marketing, CRM, Services Marketing

G Shainesh is a distinguished faculty member at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB). He brings nearly three decades of experience in research, teaching, academic administration, and institutional leadership. Widely recognized as a thought leader, he has authored and co-authored influential books and research papers on Marketing, CRM and Services Marketing. His online courses on Digital Marketing Strategy, Services Marketing, and CRM are offered globally through edX and Swayam platforms. Over 100,000 learners have accessed these free, self-paced, digital elective courses. His research work has featured in multiple top-tier international journals. Professor Shainesh has taught extensively in the MBA and executive education programs at IIMB and at leading global institutions including the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), University of Gothenburg (Sweden), HEC Paris, Vienna University (Austria), Bocconi University (Italy) and Curtin University of Technology (Australia), earning accolades such as the ‘Best Professor in Marketing’ from the CMO Asia Council. He has held several key leadership positions at IIMB, including Dean – Administration and Chair of Executive Education. As a thought leader, he serves on the boards of prestigious global academic organizations, including the Academy of International Business (AIB-SAC) and International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS). He has worked extensively with public, non-profit, and corporate organizations as a consultant, seminar leader, and executive trainer. His clients include ABB, Aditya Birla Capital, Allstate Insurance, Analog Devices, Asian Paints, Caterpillar, Ericsson, Lumen Technologies, Mahindra Swaraj, Motherhood Hospitals, Viatris, Philips, Siemens Healthineers, Sanofi, SKF, Volvo, Voltas, Tata AIG, Tata Motors, among others. Professor Shainesh’s expertise, leadership, and practical insights strongly enrich the program, ensuring participants benefit from the latest academic thinking and actionable business strategies.

Prof. Sai Chittaranjan Kalubandi
Strategy and Entrepreneurship Areas
Expertise: Competitive strategy, Entrepreneurship, Nonmarket strategy

Professor Sai Chittaranjan Kalubandi is Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. He holds a PhD in Business Policy from IIM Ahmedabad, where his doctoral research on the internal markets of business groups earned the Best Thesis Award. His research focuses on corporate governance, nonmarket strategy, international business, strategic CSR, and entrepreneurship—areas of critical importance for owner-managers and leaders of family businesses and entrepreneurial firms. His work has been published in prestigious international journals, and his ongoing scholarship has been showcased at leading national and global conferences, earning multiple nominations and best paper awards from esteemed scholarly organizations. At IIM Bangalore, Professor Kalubandi is recognized for his excellence in teaching MBA and executive education audiences, particularly in competitive strategy, cultivating both a strategic mindset and an entrepreneurial perspective, and navigating nonmarket environments. He designs and delivers courses that equip participants with the skills to think strategically and entrepreneurially, enabling them to succeed both within and beyond traditional market boundaries. While primarily contributing to academic scholarship, his research is also highly relevant to practice and informs contemporary business thinking. Through active engagement with both academic networks and professional communities, he bridges academic rigor with real-world application. Professor Kalubandi’s expertise and thought leadership ensure that program participants gain access to the latest research-driven insights and actionable strategies tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities facing family businesses and entrepreneurial ventures.