Md Muaz Hyder completed his bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad in 2017, receiving the Directors’ Merit Scholarship for academic excellence. He has also worked in Coal India Limited as an Assistant Manager for two and a half years. At IIM Ahmedabad, he was an elected Students’ Affairs Council member representing multiple stakeholders and has been awarded K V Srinivas Gold Medal for the Best PGP All-Rounder among PGP students.

He has won several business case competitions, representing IIMA at the National level. He has also published an industry whitepaper, during his internship with the management consulting firm Arthur D. Little, outlining India’s agri-tech potential.

He will be joining Bain & Company as a Junior Associate after graduating from IIMA.

What does being the ‘K V Srinivas Gold Medal Awardee for the Best PGP All-Rounder’ mean to you? How has the journey been? Receiving the K V Srinivas Gold Medal from Prof Errol D’Souza was one of the greatest achievements of my life and I am thankful to the institute for this honor. The IIMA journey has been a humbling experience and the best all-rounder award to me is a reminder of all the experiences I had in IIMA, and more than a recognition the award is a responsibility to stay grounded and keep doing good.

The two years at IIMA have been a wonderful experience for me full of ups and downs during its various phases. I am truly humbled to have enjoyed the company of some of the best people who have inspired me and encouraged me to do things outside my comfort zone. During the whole journey, I was lucky to have the enthusiastic and loving Sec C and Dorm 14 family as my support system.

For the award and for making the experience memorable, I owe a lot to the batch of 2022 for electing me to the Students’ Affairs Council. Working with the SAC team was probably the greatest learning experience for me at IIMA. It gave me the privilege to interact with my batchmates at a much more personal level and appreciate what a wonderful and diverse cohort it was, and just how much I could learn from them.

Besides academic rigor and SAC activities, I also found my interest in playing frisbee and was part of the Intra-IIM Ultimate Frisbee winning team in Yalgaar and the runners-up team in Aakrosh. I also won several national-level business case competitions and was acknowledged by Dare2Compete as Top 10 College Champions 2022.

Reflecting on this journey, I can say for sure that it was not an easy one, but I am pleased that I was open to new experiences and met a lot of wonderful people whom I am fortunate to consider friends.

What are your fondest memories from the campus? Looking back at these past two years, IIMA was full of some amazing moments for me. While it is hard to single out my fondest memory, being part of the SAC was something really memorable for me. Enjoying the views of the campus at different times of the day, having the mandatory 2 AM hot chocolate from Bhavesh Bhai while catching up with friends, as well as playing frisbee at LKP are some of the most pleasant memories that I take away from campus. Last but definitely not the least, having enriching informal discussions with professors while taking strolls around the campus is something I will take away with me for life.

Our batch was onboarded online in probably the most extraordinary circumstances and there was a constant shift between the online and offline activities throughout the two years. One of the fondest memories for me would remain the offline convocation. The “taking the walk” and receiving my degrees and medal in front of my proud parents was something I will always cherish fondly and deeply. It was a wonderful and nostalgic three days of meeting everyone for one last time before graduating from IIMA and spending time in almost every corner of the campus.

Additionally, I would always cherish the amazing placements that our batch had and the rocking initial months of the year 2022 when the whole campus sprung to life with so many offline activities (TEDx, Aakrosh, Holi, Mayhem, Dream Draft to name a few). On a concluding note, I am really grateful to the institute for giving me wonderful friends, beautiful memories, and learnings that I shall cherish all my life with absolute joy.