Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai, a leading B School in the country founded by Prof. Bala V Balachandran, today inaugurated its PGWPM ? Post Graduate Working Professional Program in Management. Prof. K. Anbazhagan, Hon?ble Finance Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu inaugurated the program and delivered the inaugural speech at Great Lakes campus at Manamai, near Mamallapuram. Shri T. M. Anbarasan Hon?ble Minister for Labour, Government of Tamil Nadu and Shri. A. Mahendran, Managing Director, Godrej Consumer Products Limited graced the occasion with their presence.

This new program is designed to cater to the needs of the working professionals who want to learn while they earn without quitting their jobs and will have the same academic rigor as that of the institute?s flagship one-year, full-time residential program – PGPM. The program is spread over 52 alternate weekends, thus making PGWPM an eight term, 2 year academic program. It will deliver 36 classroom courses supplemented by an intensive 12-credit full-year project.

Interacting with the students, Hon?ble Finance Minister, Prof. K. Anbazhagan stressed the need for multi-skilled, all-round resources with cross-functional skills, ready to respond to today?s complex business requirements in a changing global environment. In their address to the students, Hon?ble Minister for Labour Shri. T. M. Anbarasan and Shri. A. Mahendran, Managing Director, Godrej Consumer Products Limited shared their insights about leadership qualities.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Bala V Balachandran, Founder & Honorary Dean, Great Lakes Institute of Management said ?While there is no limit to furthering one?s knowledge, there may be limitations that restrain individual pursuit of knowledge. Great Lakes understands individual personal circumstances and offers a ?money value of time? alternative, allowing professionals to hone their managerial skills and simultaneously manage their careers. The Great Lakes PGWPM program is specifically tailored to suit the needs of the working professional and offers the right amount of flexibility and rigor to ensure that neither education nor career is compromised.?

More than 40 students from various cities like Coimbatore, Bangalore and Chennai have admitted for the program that commenced on the 10th of July 2010. Classes will be held at the Great Lakes Campus at Manamai. With the school?s Business Advisory Council headed by Shri Ratan Tata, the Board of Directors by Shri Jamshyd Godrej and the Academic Advisory Council by Prof. Bala himself, Great Lakes is committed to high quality, rigor and ethical standards in all its offerings.

The event concluded with a formal welcoming of the PGWPM class of 2010.