Step Into Strategic Leadership: IIM Nagpur and TimesPro Announce Admissions for 9th SMP Batch

A high-impact 12-month programme for mid- to senior-level professionals strengthens cross-functional judgement, financial fluency and digital-first leadership for a global business context. 

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], November 7: The Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIM Nagpur), in association with TimesPro, has announced admissions for the 9th batch of its Senior Management Programme (SMP). Conducted live online over 12 months, the programme is designed to empower seasoned professionals with strategic foresight, financial mastery, and digital leadership acumen essential for navigating today’s dynamic business landscape.

Tailored for leaders with over a decade of professional experience, the SMP seamlessly blends academic rigour with real-world perspectives and hands-on application. The curriculum is structured across three interconnected modules — Leadership in Contemporary Business, Financial Acumen and Global Strategy, and Sustainable Leadership at the Intersection of People and Profit. Each cohort typically includes senior managers and functional heads from diverse sectors such as technology, financial services, manufacturing, consumer goods, and services — fostering rich peer-to-peer learning and multidimensional business insights.

In today’s fast-changing corporate landscape, the leadership imperative has never been more urgent. Studies suggest that by 2030, 39% of core professional skills will evolve, while 63% of employers cite skill gaps as a primary barrier to transformation. Consequently, 85% of organisations have identified upskilling as a top priority between 2025 and 2030. According to LinkedIn research, 49% of learning and talent professionals report a skills crisis within their firms, 91% agree that human skills — such as strategic thinking, communication, and inclusive leadership — are gaining prominence, and 68% of employees believe continuous learning enhances adaptability during change.

Within India’s accelerating growth environment, CEOs remain optimistic yet talent-conscious, seeking leaders capable of translating vision into execution while scaling teams responsibly. IIM Nagpur’s SMP aims to address precisely this gap — developing future-ready leaders who can drive innovation, resilience, and sustainable growth across industries.

Commenting on the announcement of the ninth batch, Dr Bhimaraya Metri, Director, IIM Nagpur, said, “Senior leadership today is the art of clarity under pressure—seeing around corners, allocating capital with conviction and mobilising diverse teams to execute at pace. With the Senior Management Programme, we combine rigorous scholarship with real-world application, enabling learners to read markets, master finance, and lead transformation with purpose. Our goal is simple: to graduate leaders who create durable value for their organisations and society. At IIM Nagpur, our vision is to enable professionals to move from managing functions to leading transformation. The Senior Management Programme (SMP) is designed to strengthen strategic and financial acumen, build digital leadership capabilities, and deepen self-awareness — qualities essential for leaders navigating today’s dynamic business environment.” 

Dr Alok Kumar Singh, Dean, Executive Education, said, “With the launch of the ninth batch, we continue our commitment to delivering executive education that bridges theory and practice, empowering experienced managers to convert challenges into opportunities. Each SMP cohort brings together exceptional professionals from diverse industries, creating a vibrant learning ecosystem that fosters collaboration, innovation and lifelong learning. We believe that executive education is not merely about upskilling — it’s about shaping leaders who can think systemically, act responsibly and contribute meaningfully to their organisations and to society.” 

Sridhar Nagarajachar, Business Head, TimesPro, said, “Enterprises want leaders who can translate strategy into outcomes—commercially, operationally and digitally. The SMP delivers that edge: evidence-based frameworks, live casework, executive coaching and peer learning that sharpen judgement. Learners leave with a practical playbook to lead change, scale talent and improve P&L performance in a world that rewards speed and stewardship in equal measure.” 

The programme delivers live, interactive classes led by IIM Nagpur faculty and industry practitioners, integrates strategy, finance, digital and sustainability into a cohesive cross-functional curriculum, emphasises applied projects, assignments, written tests and case-based learning embedded in each participant’s business context and cultivates a robust peer network that spans sectors, functions and leadership roles. The faculty also provides weekly Chamber Consulting for learners and an immersion session for participants who can interact with the faculty and their industry peers during their visit. Successful learners also get the prestigious IIM Nagpur alumni status.  

About the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur

Established in 2015, the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIM Nagpur) aspires to be a leading management institution that shapes management systems, policy, and governance through high-quality education, research, and industry engagement. Propelled by the pursuit of engaged scholarship, the institute aims to create value-driven leaders and global managers with strong conceptual foundations and analytical approaches, which help them excel in diverse spheres – including management, business, policy making, and public administration, to name a few. IIM Nagpur aims to address the needs of a modern India, connecting aspirations and realities to attain benchmarks that are respected internationally.

Our motto, सत्यं च स्वाध्याय प्रवचने च, which translates to ‘an inspired journey towards truth through individual reflection and collective discourse,’ propels our quest to bridge the gap between abstract knowledge and practice. IIM Nagpur seeks to distinguish itself as an institution that promotes constant industry engagement of a ‘problem-solving’ nature. Executive Education, therefore, is a key focus area for the Institute. With an array of programmes designed by a faculty body with a stellar record of research, teaching, and industry engagement, the Executive Education programme at IIM Nagpur equips managers and executives with the capabilities to perform effectively in their current roles and take up greater challenges through various stages of their careers. 

About TimesPro

TimesPro, established in 2013, is a leading Higher EdTech platform dedicated to empowering the career growth of aspiring learners by equipping them with skills to rise in a competitive world. TimesPro’s H.EdTech programmes are created to meet the rapidly changing industry requirements and have been blended with technology to make them accessible & affordable.  

TimesPro offers a variety of created and curated learning programmes across a range of categories, industries, and age groups. They include employment-oriented early-career programs across the BFSI, e-commerce, and technology sectors; executive education for working professionals in collaboration with premier educational institutions like IIMs and IITs; and organisational learning and development interventions at the corporate level.  

TimesPro also collaborates with India’s leading organisations across various sectors to provide upskilling and reskilling solutions, boosting employability and creating a robust workforce. TimesPro is a Higher EdTech initiative by The Times Group.