The Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE), a constituent unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has been awarded the prestigious Certificate of International Affiliation from the UK-headquartered Institute of Risk Management’s India Affiliate (IRM India). With this milestone, CDOE becomes the second online institute in the country to earn this distinguished affiliation, joining an elite group of universities dedicated to advancing excellence in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and nurturing risk-intelligent leadership. This recognition further highlights CDOE’s commitment to providing globally benchmarked education aligned with the National Education Policy, while equipping learners nationwide with ‘resilience’ as the essential new-age life skill.Established in 1986, IRM is the world’s leading certifying body for ERM exams across over 140 countries and the only body globally that awards professional designations in ERM up to Fellowship. MAHE is an Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, and the CDOE offers UGC-entitled online degree programmes designed to deliver academic excellence with industry relevance to learners across India and globally.
As nations and enterprises confront an increasingly complex and volatile risk environment — spanning climate risks, cyber vulnerabilities, geopolitical uncertainty, AI-induced misinformation and supply chain disruptions — the need for strong risk-thinking capabilities has become more critical than ever. Through this international affiliation, CDOE will integrate IRM’s Global Level 1 ERM / Fundamentals of Risk Management (‘FoRM’) Course and globally recognised Certification into its programmes, offering students exposure to risk identification, assessment techniques, global frameworks and real-world case studies.
Learners will develop a practical understanding of over 300 risk categories across environmental, strategic, operational, technological, governance, and financial domains. This will build robust risk-based decision-making capabilities and resilience as a core leadership skill, consistently highlighted by the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report as critical for the evolving global workforce. On successful completion of the certification, CDOE learners will receive exclusive access to IRM India Affiliate‘s risk resource hub, career opportunity alerts, centre facilities across India, and curated masterclasses and networking engagements across emerging domains including AI, ESG, Supply Chain, and Geopolitics. The affiliation strengthens learners’ access to a global community of risk-intelligent professionals.The agreement was commemorated through a signing ceremony attended by distinguished academic and industry representatives from MAHE and IRM. Those present included LtGen (Dr) MD Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, Dr Sharath K Rao, Pro Vice Chancellor-Health Sciences, Dr Madhu Veeraraghaven, Pro Vice Chancellor, MLHS, Dr Giridhar Kini, Registrar, Dr Manojkumar Nagasampige, Director – MAHE Online, Dr Harish Kumar, Director, Corporate Relations, Hersh Shah, CEO, IRM India Affiliate, Dinesh Kanabar, CEO, Dhruva Advisors & Governance Board Member, IRM India Affiliate, Sanjay Himatsingani, Director of Training, IRM HQ, Prabhakar Mukhopadhyay, Head of Group Internal Audit & Risk, the Indian Hotels Co Ltd (Taj Group) & Board Advisor, IRM India, Baiju Kuduvan, Chief Risk Officer, Adani GCC and IRM Certified Risk Leader (CMIRM), and Avinash Bhide, IRM Certified Risk Leader (CMIRM).
Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, said “In today’s uncertain and dynamic business landscape, risk management has become a critical leadership competency. This collaboration with IRM India Affiliate strengthens our online MBA by embedding globally recognized risk management capabilities into management education.”
Hersh Shah, CEO, IRM India Affiliate and India’s Youngest Enterprise Risk Expert, said “With geopolitical conflicts impacting global supply chains, the continuing aftereffects of COVID-19, and new challenges emerging from AI-driven technologies, the global business environment has become more complex than ever. Building strong risk management capabilities enables professionals from any background to better anticipate disruptions and support resilient decision-making. We are pleased to award this affiliation to Manipal Academy and welcome the institution to our shared vision of developing risk-intelligent leaders”
Dr Manojkumar Nagasampige, Director, CDOE, added “At the Centre for Distance and Online Education (CDOE), we continuously explore collaborations that enhance the value of our programs. Integrating IRM’s risk management certification within the MBA curriculum allows learners to gain specialized competencies that are increasingly sought after across industries”
ERM as articulated by IRM, represents a comprehensive and integrated discipline focused on recognising, evaluating, and managing risks across an organisation and its wider ecosystem, enabling objectives to be pursued in a resilient and sustainable manner. Distinct from conventional financial risk models, ERM addresses the full breadth of risk exposures, making it especially relevant for future leaders and professionals across diverse domains — from entrepreneurship and family enterprises to accounting, law, life sciences, hospitality, engineering, technology, finance, audit, and operations. In today’s complex environment, ERM extends beyond a defined career path to become a core organisational capability that strengthens resilience, informs strategic choices, and drives long-term value creation.
Universities seeking international affiliation with IRM India can apply by contacting IRM India’s Registrar at registrar@theirmindia.org.
