Educational Bridge

Dr Modwel is eminently qualified to be the ex-officio dean of academic affairs in India. Besides a doctorate in international economics, he has rich international exposure. As an IAS officer for almost thirty years, he demonstrated a far greater interest in management than in bureaucratic affairs. This led to several stints abroad, including one at Harvard's four month marketing management workshop.

At home, as the director general of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in the '80s, Dr Modwel discerned a need for comprehensive education in international business and initiated a two year course. "I was lucky to be at IIFT at a time when I got the chance to innovate," he says modestly.

 

His published work on trade policy caught ENPC's eye. And he was invited to deliver a lecture at the French institute in 1989. A permanent position soon followed. "At a personal level, I was ready for a change. I had an urge to get away from officialdom and search for solutions and concepts on a scholarly plane," he explains.

As the MIB programme takes off in Cochin this September, Dr Modwel feels happy that his scholarly pursuits have led him to what he always wanted to do