Mr. Vivek Mittal, FMG-2 (Batch 1993-1995)
Profile : Founder and Chariman R K Foundation India
FORE School of Management alum, describes his vision for education and discusses how his B-School was instrumental in his career graph.
“I truly believe that management education is the most relevant learning experience and it helps a lot in your professional life. My education at FORE School of Management is the backbone of my thoughts and practices,” says Mr. Vivek Mittal, an alum of the institute who has gone on to become with a well-known name in the world of education. He is the Founder and Chairman of R K Foundation India (RKFI), which offers venture capital, is associated with IIT, and is also in the process of starting research-oriented Centres of Excellence, which are hot bed of research & development, innovation-incubation-entrepreneurship. It aims to restore the traditions of Indian education and to put Indian institutes on the world map. Clearly there’s a lot to learn from the man who has a vision for education.
Mr. Mittal has more than two decades of professional experience, and right from day one he was focused on the education sector. Through stints with NIIT, Aptech, Tata Infotech and, of course, now with RKFI, he has built a strong profile for himself. Is that something he had planned while he pursued his PGDM at the institute? He looks back on times gone by and says, “I had a certain vision for myself even then, but the idea of being a Social Entrepreneur developed as I progressed through my career. I was always inclined towards the education field and focused on aspects that were evolving. For example, I had envisioned 25 years ago that computers and IT will be indispensable to us, and that is reflected in my choices.”
Over the years, his outlook towards education has evolved and become more spiritual, more holistic, he claims. Mr. Mittal feels that education is one thing that we can give our future generations, which can be shaped by it, and that’s why in many ways it’s an important part of giving back to society. His outlook is reflected in his aim to bring the ancient tradition of Indian education back into spotlight. “Guru-Shishya parampara, looking for the ultimate truth and spirituality, were at the core of Indian education. Modern Indian education has merged the latest technological developments with the organic ancient Indian thoughts,” he explains. “We have a Collaborative approach blending the depth of Indian education with the material aspect of Western education.”
Mr. Mittal is quick to admit that the seeds for his vision and passion for education were sown during his time with FORE. According to him, the PG program happened at the right time as a certain amount of maturity had crept into him by then. “It’s also the phase where your career vision is guided by worldly aspects,” he says. “But one big thing about learning at FORE was that it encouraged our individuality. It surpassed my expectations by a mile because I got opportunities to interact with people from the business sector, government, and social sectors, among others. That not only helped frame my thoughts for the future, but I also got opportunities to test them on parameters like workability.”
Hence, it’s not surprising to hear Mr. Mittal say that he shares a special bond with the institute that he would like to strengthen in the future. He has already been visiting the institute in recent years and interacting with students, and he wants to take things further. “I have such amazing memories of my time here, right from classroom lessons and learning sessions to hanging out on the campus,” he reflects. “Everyone from our batch was quite friendly and we pushed each other to do better. We had a very strong faculty team, which worked tirelessly to offer us the best learning experience. I am happy to collaborate with the institute any time. Anyone from the institute, former and present students, can connect with me anytime at saivivekmittal@gmail.com. As for students, I would like to ask them to have realistic expectations from the corporate world as that can lead to true success for them.”
