Dr. Aparna Rao

Major Achievements, Honours and Awards, Certifications

• Certified as Entrepreneurship Educator – National Entrepreneurship Network
• Was conferred the 16th Annual National HH Jagadguru Sankaracharya National Award for Excellence in Education, January 2017 at the hands of His Holiness Jagadguru Sankaracharya Sri Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham

Panels and Memberships

• Consultant – Community Entrepreneurship Development, Empower Foundation
• Start-up Mentor, DSSE, IIT Bombay |Atal Innovation Mission|Action for India|Start-up India
• Advisor, Local Bandhan|XangarsLabs

Teaching Experience

• 30 Years

Teaching Interest

• Entrepreneurship, Business Communication, Soft Skills

Service to the University

• Convener, Entrepreneurship Cell, Faculty In-Charge – Community Service Programme, Organised a study trip for the first year Engineering students to Vigyan Ashram, Pabal, Training sessions for Soft Skills, Group Discussions and Interview Techniques

PhD Topic

• “Curriculum and Methodological Issues of Business Communication in Management Institutions”

Memberships

• WICCI SBC – National Vice President
• Board of Studies, Wilson College, Mumbai

Research Interests

Case Studies, Entrepreneurship and the Start-up Ecosystem, Social Impact, Grassroots Entrepreneurship, Pedagogical Methods for Higher Education 

Recent Publications

• WICCI SBC Report on “Women in Sustainable Business in India” in partnership with UNDP’s Business Call to Action – submitted to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
• Two book chapters (blind peer-reviewed) accepted for publication in the second book of the Springer series “Responsible Leadership and Sustainable Management”
  • “Equity and Inclusion through Craft Revival and Livelihood – A Case Study of the “Kottan Basket” of M.Rm.Rm. Cultural Foundation”
  • “Women in Sustainable Business in India”
• ‘Building the Entrepreneurial Attitude: Learning from M.K.Gandhi,’ SIgNEture – SINE Newsletter, February 2014, Issue 2
• ‘Management minus Jargon – Learning Management & Leadership from the Mahatma’s “The Story of My Experiments with Truth”,’ (2013), SASMIRA’s Business Review, December 2013, ISBN 978-81-922159-5-2
• ‘Use of Technology for a Marketing Organization,’(2012) published in the International Research Compendium – The Impact of Technology in Reshaping the Practice of Marketing, BMA & SASMIRA’s Institute of Management Studies & Research, ISBN: 978-81-922159-4-5
• ‘Learning Unfettered in the Management Classroom,’(2012) published in SASMIRA’s Business Review, Changing Trends in Business, – ISBN: 978-81-9221591-4
• ‘Transparency in Leadership Communication: The Need of the Hour,’(2009) published in the book, Adult & Non-Formal Education, edited by Prof Usha Parikh, M S University, Baroda; Kalpaz Publication ISBN No. 978-81-7835-837-6
• ‘Important Intangibles – Choosing the Right B-School’ (2011) in the book ‘The A List of B-Schools, published by Network 18 Publications Ltd., ISBN 9789380200361
• Classroom Management Dynamics of Student-Teacher Communication in Management Classes, Management Guru, Compendium of papers published by GNIMS, March 2011, ISBN No.978-81-910922-0-2
• ‘Relevance of Communication Studies in Management Education in the Information Era’ presented at National HR Conference at GNIMS, Mumbai 15 February 2011, published in Conference Compendium, ISBN No.978-81-910922-2-6
• ‘Business Communication in Management Institutions: Expectations of Students & Corporate Professionals’ presented at International Conference & Colloquium on Excellence in Research & Education, IIM, Indore, 24-28 September 2010

Conferences

• Nobel Prize Teachers’ Summit Hub, “One Earth – Teachers for Change” December 5, 2022
• Annual Symposium 2022 on Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship Development at IIT Bombay’s TUM SEED Centre, November 21-25, 2022
• Annual Summit, BRICS Women Vertical, New Delhi, April 9, 2022
• Annual Symposium on Entrepreneurship Education, DS School of Entrepreneurship, IIT Bombay and Deshpande Centre, IIT Madras, January 2019
• International Conference on Transnational Entrepreneurs & International SMEs in Emerging Economies: Drivers and Strategies, May 20-22, 2015, IIM Bangalore, India
• ‘Driving Growth with Transparent Leadership Communication’ presented at National Conference on Leadership and Management Education at Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research, August 2008, later published in CIMR Research Journal
• Paper on ‘Teaching Communication: Challenges & Opportunities’ at the Sixth Asia-Pacific Conference on Management Communication at IIM, Ahmedabad, December 2006