Meet the ‘Shahs’ - The First Family to graduate from IIM Ahmedabad

With the recent announcement of Anish Shah as the new Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., his great achievements in the corporate world have become the talk of the town. Earlier the Group President (Strategy) for the Mahindra Group and a Member of the Group Executive Board, Anish Shah has held important positions at various big companies such as Bain & Company, Citibank, GE Capital, and Bank of America. But little did anyone know that he also belonged to the first family of IIM Ahmedabad.

In the monthly published archives by IIM Ahmedabad, the story of Anish Shah and First Family of PGPs came into picture. Jotting down the journey of the Shah family, their success and achievements, the monthly snippet described how Anish Shah’s parents made their way to becoming the first and second batch passouts from IIMA. Let’s dive deep into the making of the first family of IIM Ahmedabad where father, mother and child, all graduated from the PGP program of IIM-A.

Formation of the ‘Shah’ Family

Who knew that IIMA will not only help in shaping a promising career, but also a perfect future. Dilip Shah (father of Anish Shah) had never thought of walking out of the institution with his soul mate and mother of Anish Shah, Smita Dalal.

Dilip Shah (PGP 66) and Smita Dalal (PGP 67) were the first love birds of IIM Ahmedabad. Though he was the youngest in his class, Dilip’s characteristic style was a challenge for the entire administration. His revolt against tension of the class rooms, living conditions and the quality of food made the then Dean of the institute take cognizance of his demands. However, it was in his second year when he met Smita, who had just stepped into the institute out of family persuasion. The two shared their courtship period for a year, after which the two proved to be successful in both professional and personal fronts, later on becoming the proud parents of Anish Shah, who also graduated from IIM Ahmedabad 25 years after they left!

The Shah’s made it big!

After graduating from PGP program of IIM-A, Dilip Shah made an exceptional career in the pharmaceutical industry. The founder and Secretary-General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), he was an expert on IP rights and international trade relations related to pharmaceuticals. Keeping his characteristic style of college days alive, Shah fought for Indian generic industry in several WTO and many other international pharma and IPR deliberations. His unexpected demise in 2019 proved to be a great loss to this sector.

Smita Dalal was one of the few early female entrepreneurs who took the task of generating employment. Leaving the campus placement offer, Smita decided to opt for the road less taken and began with ‘start-ups’ first in services, and then in manufacturing. Her selfless service over 25 years helped around 250 people get jobs. Later, in 1995, she decided to take a break to enjoy some family time with her grandkids.

The family has not only made big in the public sphere but has progressed in every personal space of life, right from IIM Ahmedabad. So much so, that this family made the world realize the real value of IIMA products, being the first and second alumni of the institution.

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