Dr. Biswal has held a variety of distinct and distinguished positions throughout his career, amassing a wealth of experience & knowledge. The wellversed leader has over 22 years of experience in corporate & academic settings, managing research initiatives for government bodies and international funding agencies, as well as handling business operations. He has worked in a variety of top positions & has mastered the art of leading challenging projects from concept to completion. Besides holding an academic leadership position, Dr. Biswal is also a life member of the Indian Economic Association. Under his exemplary leadership, KIAMS has grown into one of India’s best B-Schools. Quality matters to him more than quantity. He is committed to make the institute a close knit community of students, faculty, staff, & stakeholders. With his ceaseless efforts, the leader has succeeded in establishing a transparent & efficient administrative structure where everyone has a voice & everyone pays attention to and appreciates each other’s viewpoints.
AN ILLUSTRIOUS ACADEMIC CAREER
Dr. Biswal has a brilliant academic career. He holds a Ph.D. in Management, the highest academic degree awarded in the study of management science, from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar. He has also pursued M.Com in Accounting, Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Relations & Personnel Management in 2003, LLB in 2000, GNIIT from NIIT, New Delhi in 2001, and B.Com (Hons) from G.M. College, Sambalpur (India) in 1995. The humble leader is a perpetual learner who believes that life is an unceasing process of learning. As he puts it, “My life’s inspiration is knowledge, which I attempt to obtain from all of the sources available in this natural ecosystem. I believe that is what keeps me going every day.” He adds, “I aspire to instil the same spirit into my students so that they can thrive in their professional and personal life.
A LEADER WITH A GROWTH MINDSET
Dr. Biswal is an open-minded leader. According to him, having a mind that is closed to innovative ideas has only one consequence – definite failure. The pragmatist leader believes that sometimes the finest learning comes from viewpoints that are diametrically opposed to your own, as long as you are prepared to embrace them with an open mind. What’s more, as a wise leader, he always takes criticism in stride & implements a transparent, cohesive, & empathetic system. He is also a good listener who believes that listening carefully to others is critical to creating a positive work/learning environment. He asserts, “It is crucial to listen to everyone because intelligence is not dependent on age, gender, or social status of an individual. Sometimes the most valuable lessons are learned from the people you least expect it from.”
LEARNING FROM ADVERSITY
Dr. Biswal is a bold leader who is constantly ready to take on new challenges. It’s the different challenges that have taught him the biggest lessons in his leadership journey. During the initial stages of his career, he spent days in tribal villages without roads, water, education, basic health care, or electricity, while he was working as an independent researcher for a disputed mining project. It was an entirely different world for him which he had never ever imagined. Despite all the hardships, he did not give up and continued his studies with zeal. Because of his tenacity, his findings were well received and earned irrefutable goodwill, resulting in additional research and consulting projects from large industrial houses. Likewise, when the pandemic presented its own unique set of obstacles, the optimistic leader embraced the hindrances as golden opportunities. The entire education system in the country underwent a substantial upheaval during the coronavirus-induced pandemic. He views the disruption as Education Revolution 2.0 and an opportunity for the educational system to evolve. Dr. Biswal believes that a leader should be able to identify and overcome all the challenges, while also seizing all the opportunities that lie ahead of them. He says, “In preparation for the new normal, we have persevered and succeeded in creating Hybrid classrooms, one where both physical & online classroom sessions take place simultaneously, prioritizing studentteacher interaction & active participation and engagement among students.” Dr. Biswal also helped the community by distributing masks, hand sanitizers, & food to needy people in the time of crisis. He encouraged small scale entrepreneurs in the surrounding neighbourhood.
STELLAR ACHIEVEMENTS
His experience and zeal for excellence have helped KIAMS earn several awards and recognitions. Under his leadership, the institution has been recognized as Business Sight’s 10 most trusted brands of the year 2021. Also, Academic Insights ranked it as one of the top ten B-schools in the country for business analytics. Additionally, CEO Insights has ranked KIAMS among the top ten B-schools in the country for business analytics. Even during the stupefying times of the pandemic, the institute witnessed an extraordinary placement season. Where other institutes were barely managing to place their students, KIAMS was able to place 99% of its students with a 15% growth in the Average package offered compared to the previous year. What’s even more exemplary is the fact that over 40% of their students joined the BIG 4. Under his guidance, KIAMS has been the only higher education institution to remain open full-time during the epidemic. Furthermore, the institute followed the original academic calendar without making major changes. The students were cautiously kept inside the campus and supplies were strategically managed for them. He made sure that the institution was fully operational during the lockdown. Term examinations were also organized keeping the social distancing norms in mind. Additionally, interviews and admissions were scheduled online and the newly admitted batch was also on-boarded with caution and exceptional care. Due to these stringent measures, the institute remains virus-free to this day. He is not only a successful leader but also a genuine role model for the next generation of budding entrepreneurs. His unshakeable moral principles, coupled with his refined, well-articulated, and cohesive vision are a source of inspiration for everyone.
