Dr. Suva Kanta Mohanty has officially assumed charge as the Director of the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM), Pune, succeeding Dr. Hema Yadav. A formal handing over and taking over ceremony was held on Friday at the institute.
On the occasion of Dr. Hema Yadav, Director of VAMNICOM and CICTAB, taking up her new role at NIAM, a special program was organized at the institute to express gratitude to the staff of the horticulture, housekeeping, and security departments for their invisible yet immensely important contributions during her tenure as Director of VAMNICOM.
Dr. Mohanty, a distinguished academician with over two decades of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership, steps into the role at a crucial juncture for India’s cooperative sector. His appointment is expected to steer VAMNICOM into a new era of academic excellence and sectoral relevance.
During the event, heartfelt appreciation was extended to Dr. Hema Yadav for her impactful leadership, dedicated service, and remarkable contribution to the overall development of the institute. Under her tenure, not only did the academic quality and institutional capacity of VAMNICOM grow, but the campus also remained exceptionally clean, green, and secure. This was the result of her visionary guidance and team spirit.
On this occasion, the special efforts of three key departmental supervisors were acknowledged– Nazir Patel, the housekeeping supervisor, Avinash Supekar, the horticulture supervisor and Devidas Suryawanshi, the security supervisor. The collective commitment and hard work of these departments reflect the values of excellence and care that were fostered at the institute under the leadership of Dr. Hema Yadav.
It is worth mentioning that prior to this role, Dr. Mohanty served as the Director of the School of Management at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT University), Bhubaneswar. He holds a PhD in Applied Economics and Marketing from the University of Reading, UK, awarded under the prestigious GRiSP scholarship by CGIAR.
He has also held notable academic positions including HDFC Chair Professor, Associate Professor, Chairperson of the Marketing Department, and Associate Dean at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA).
Though relatively new to the cooperative sector, Dr. Mohanty’s strong association with rural economy studies and his previous tenure at IRMA are seen as valuable assets that will help him quickly adapt to the unique needs of the cooperative ecosystem.
Dr. Mohanty takes charge at a time of renewed national focus on cooperative development. The recent passage of a bill in Parliament to establish a national-level cooperative university, along with plans to upgrade IRMA, reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening cooperative education. Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah and Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol have both highlighted VAMNICOM’s pivotal role in this evolving landscape.
Appointed on a three-year contractual basis, Dr. Mohanty’s leadership is anticipated to further elevate VAMNICOM’s status as a premier institute in cooperative management training. His vision and expertise are expected to contribute significantly to the ongoing transformation of India’s cooperative movement.
