Bridging the Divide: Industry-Academia Interface & Alumni Interaction
Faculty & Alumni | Participants – 20+On 11th July 2026, Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB), organized the Industry-Academia Interface & Alumni Interaction, bringing together faculty members, academic leadership, and distinguished alumni to discuss emerging industry trends, evolving business requirements, and opportunities to strengthen the institute’s academic ecosystem through meaningful industry collaboration. The session reflected SIIB’s continued commitment to bridging academic excellence with practical industry expectations.
The event commenced with a welcome address by Dr Alka Maurya, Director, SIIB, who highlighted the importance of strengthening alumni engagement and fostering closer collaboration between academia and industry. During the session, the director presented the institute’s vision of “Bridging the Divide”, showcasing recent placement achievements, updates regarding SAP certification pathways, and the need for differentiated learning opportunities for both technical and non-technical students. The presentation emphasized preparing students with future-ready skills while ensuring greater alignment between classroom learning and industry expectations.
An interactive discussion between the alumni and faculty provided a platform for exchanging experiences, insights, and perspectives, fostering meaningful conversations on academic and professional growth. Drawing from their diverse professional experiences, the alumni collectively recommended greater integration of Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Prompt Engineering, Microsoft Copilot, SAP and SAP AI certifications, Power BI, dashboarding, procurement technologies, business analytics, storytelling, data visualization, guesstimates, and analytical thinking into the curriculum. They also emphasized increasing industry exposure through physical industry visits, Global Capability Centre (GCC) interactions, live case studies, consulting projects, and industry-led workshops. In addition, the alumni encouraged strengthening structured mentorship programmes, city-wise alumni chapters, speaker series, and networking initiatives to create continuous engagement between students and the alumni community while enhancing employability and overall professional development.
The session concluded with a vote of thanks expressing sincere appreciation to all the alumni for their valuable insights, constructive recommendations, and continued commitment towards the growth of SIIB and its students. The discussions reinforced the institute’s commitment to continuously enhancing its academic programmes in line with evolving industry requirements while leveraging its strong alumni network to strengthen curriculum relevance, industry collaboration, and future-ready management education.
