Programme Announcement
IIM Calcutta, in collaboration with the Higher EdTech platform TimesPro, announced that admissions are now open for the 10th batch of its Executive Leadership Programme for Women. The programme spans twelve months and is designed for experienced women professionals and entrepreneurs seeking to deepen business acumen and prepare for senior leadership mandates.
Target Audience and Eligibility
The programme is aimed at women who have a minimum of five years of managerial or professional experience. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree under the 10+2+3 pattern or an equivalent qualification with at least 50 % aggregate marks. Candidates who graduated with less than 50 % may still qualify if they possess a postgraduate degree with a 50 % or higher aggregate.
Rationale and Market Context
The announcement cites McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2025 report, which shows women constitute 48 % of university enrolments in India but only 33 % of entry‑level roles and 24 % of managerial positions. The AIMA–KPMG Women Leadership Survey 2026 found that 79 % of women professionals aspire to leadership roles while merely 1 % occupy board‑level positions, highlighting a critical mid‑career attrition point.
Curriculum Structure
The curriculum is delivered across two complementary dimensions. The first dimension builds contemporary managerial capability across strategy, technology and artificial intelligence, marketing, finance, sustainability, and cross‑functional management. The second dimension focuses on personal leadership development, covering self‑awareness, emotional resilience, executive presence, communication, and career management.
Participants will complete eight online modules that integrate managerial competence with personal leadership growth. In addition, the programme includes two three‑day campus immersions at IIM Calcutta, where participants engage directly with faculty and peers through live lectures, case discussions, assignments, assessments, and participative classroom conversations. A third component comprises interaction sessions with accomplished women leaders and a capstone project that requires participants to apply their learning to a substantive business problem.
Delivery Platform
TimesPro’s Interactive Learning platform will deliver the online sessions in a Direct‑to‑Device format, enabling participants to study alongside their professional responsibilities. The blended approach of digital learning and in‑person immersion is intended to allow participants to examine ideas in depth, challenge assumptions with peers, and relate management concepts to the realities of their own organisations.
Outcomes and Certification
Upon successful completion of all programme requirements, participants will receive a Certificate of Successful Completion from IIM Calcutta and will be eligible for IIM Calcutta Executive Education Alumni status.
Institutional Background – IIM Calcutta
Established in November 1961 on a 135‑acre campus, IIM Calcutta was the first national institute for postgraduate studies and research in management in India, founded in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management (MIT), the Government of West Bengal, the Ford Foundation, and Indian industry. The institute holds triple accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA and is the only Indian business school that is a member of the Global Alliance in Management.
Institutional Background – TimesPro
TimesPro, founded in 2013, is a Higher EdTech platform under The Times Group. It offers a range of programmes across sectors such as BFSI, e‑commerce, and technology, including early‑career, executive education, and corporate learning solutions. The platform emphasizes blended learning models that combine technology‑enabled delivery with industry‑relevant content.
Quotes from Leadership
Prof. Abhipsa Pal, Faculty – Management Information Systems, IIM Calcutta, and Prof. Anupama Kondayya, Faculty – Organisational Behaviour, IIM Calcutta, stated that while women enter organisations with strong professional ambition, progression to senior roles still requires broader business judgement, visibility, and confidence across functions. Sridhar Nagarajachar, VP & Business Head – Executive Education at TimesPro, added that the collaboration aims to provide experienced women with rigorous management learning, strong peer networks, and practical perspectives to navigate larger mandates and sustained career progression.