Prof. (Dr) George Thomas is the Director of Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He has been engaged in teaching, research, corporate training and consultancy work for the last 29 years. His past assignments have been Professor and Director at Chandigarh Business School of Business Administration, Mohali, Punjab, Dean of School of Management Studies, Baddi University of Emerging Science and Technology, Himachal Pradesh, and Founder Director at School of Management- Maharaja Agrasen University, Himachal Pradesh. He has published several research articles in national and international journals of repute and authored one book and edited ten books. He has designed and conducted many Management Development Programs for the executives of various corporate houses. Six research scholars have been awarded Ph.D. degrees under his supervision.

He is the Chairman of the editorial board of ‘Management Effigy’- a peer-reviewed bi-annual, J-Gate-indexed journal of Management published by Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management and was also the Chief Editor of ‘The Catalyst Journal of Management’, a refereed bi-annual Journal of School of Management Studies, Baddi University of Emerging Sciences and Technology and Editor of the ‘International Journal of Business Innovation’, a refereed bi-annual international journal of the School of Management, Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. He has been invited by the Academic Staff College of Laxmibai National University of Physical Education(LNUPE), Gwalior, Central University of Rajasthan, HRDC, DAVV, Indore and other Central, State, Private Universities and Institutions of repute to deliver his artillery of wholesome academic lectures and thoughts. He is a life member of the All India Management Association (AIMA), and the Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD). He is currently the Secretary of the Association of Indian Management Schools(AIMS) Madhya Pradesh Chapter and a former Chairperson of ISTD Indore Chapter.

Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management

What keeps you connected with the education sector and how was your experience so far with the institute?

The basic motivation for me connecting to higher education is that it's a noble profession. You always keep on adding value to the young generation, shaping their personality and making them employable. So, when students gets placed, grow in their personal life and when they come back and meet us and say that I am so and so, that gives us a lot of satisfaction and motivation. So, that is one thing that keeps us always doing something for our student community. And as far as my association with this institute is concerned, I joined it in the year 2018. Since then we have been working as a team and we could make a difference in the higher education sector and that's why our institute is one of the most preferred institutes when it comes to management and science programs. We have been working very hard which quite evidently reflects in this year's result of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya where SVIM students have secured top rankings. I think the results have started paying off. So, my association with this institute is quite enriching.

What is your philosophy of leadership?

I always believe that to head any position or be a senior person, one has to be an exemplary leader. So, I have two dimensions of leadership - one is leading by example and the second is through servant leadership. Servant leadership refers to a leader who not only functions as an exemplary leader but also cares for his team members. I have close association with my team members. I care for them and that is the reason why our institute is carving a niche for itself.

What is the vision of your college? 

The vision of our institute is to become a center of excellence in multidisciplinary education by instilling lifelong learning and skill development of the students with moral and ethical standards.

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What extracurricular activities are organized in your college to enhance the skills of students? 

When a student joins any institution after completing 12th grade, they go through a transition phase. They learn new skills to develop a holistic personality. So, I believe that apart from whatever fundamental understanding of subjects and specializations they have, they also need to be very creative. They should keep an open mind and learn to think out of the box. So, we are working on that and from that perspective, the institute regularly organizes various cultural, literary and sports activities. So, we want to develop our student holistically and for that, he/she needs to have a deeper understanding of the domain, the subject in which he/she is specializing. Apart from that, their confidence has to be developed. So, our institute is focusing very categorically on these areas. Ultimately when a student passes out from this institute, he/she carries a lot of takeaways which is reflected in their personality.

What were the challenges faced by you as the Director?

In my role as the Director of this esteemed institute, I've encountered challenges that have allowed me to constantly strive for the growth and betterment of my institution. These challenges often revolve around the need to adapt to an ever-evolving educational landscape. I have actively worked on improving faculty development, modernizing our infrastructure, and fostering stronger industry connections. Some of the key areas I have focused on include enhancing faculty-student engagement, streamlining curriculum updates to stay in touch with the latest and emerging industry trends, and fostering a more inclusive learning environment. By proactively addressing these challenges, we've transformed them into opportunities for growth, and as a result, our college has maintained its reputation for excellence and innovation in management education.

Any suggestions to aspiring students and the young generation?

This young generation has a lot of promises. It is a fearless generation. If you compare our generation to this one, they do not carry the burden of slavery or pre-independence trauma. Now, the bigger responsibility lies on them that with the advent of technology, it has to be used for their own self-development, societal and the nation's development as a whole. This generation has a lot of opportunities. They are very creative, but their energy needs to be channeled in the right direction. They can create wonders. As of now, it is visible also, if you see the data of startups during the past two years, the number of startups coming up has increased and the world is looking towards India. So, India's youth has greater responsibility for the future of our nation where we are talking about self-reliance, Make in India and Made in India. If their energy is channeled and used in the right direction, nobody can beat us.