There was excitement in the air at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) after Rajeev Suri was named the new chief executive officer of Finnish telecommunication gear maker Nokia.
A 1989-batch Electronics and Communications engineering graduate from MIT, Mr. Suri was tipped to take over as CEO almost a month ago when Nokia was finalising the sale of its handset business to Microsoft. The news about Mr. Suri comes on the heels of Satya Nadella’s elevation as head of Microsoft early this year. Mr. Nadella was senior to Mr. Suri at MIT by one year.
“Mr. Nadella and Mr. Suri have amply proved that at MIT, the emphasis is on holistic development of students. Students who leave the portals of our institute are of high quality. It is no coincidence or accident that both of them have made it big,” said MIT director Vinod Thomas.
“Two of the top Fortune 500 companies being led by MIT alumni is indeed noteworthy. We congratulate Mr. Suri on his achievement and wish him all the success in his new endeavour,” he added.
U.C. Niranjan, faculty at MIT, who was Mr. Suri’s project guide, said that he was delighted at his elevation. “As a student, Mr. Suri was dedicated, hardworking and keen on learning and doing new things. He was a team player,” he said. Narasimha Bhat, CEO of Manipal Dot Net Pvt. Ltd., who was two years senior to Mr. Suri in the same course, said: “He started as an engineer and rose through the ranks through sheer dint of hard work. He has risen to this height without an MBA degree,” he said.
Simantika Mohapatra, a sixth-semester student of E&C, said: “It’s time for celebration. In three months, we have seen two persons graduating from MIT becoming CEOs of leading companies. Mr. Suri has set a goal for all of us at MIT.”
Shashank Sarbada, an eighth-semester student of Mechanical Engineering, said: “We are proud that another alumnus has taken charge as CEO of a technology giant. I find it most motivating. We have to strive hard to match, if not overtake, them.”
'You made me what I am’
In an email sent to Harishchandra Hebbar, who was his teacher at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Rajeev Suri, the new CEO of Nokia, said the best time of his life was the time he spent at MIT.
The email was released to the press by Manipal University here on Tuesday. In the email, Mr. Suri wrote: “I am ever so proud and happy to hear from you. Manipal was the best time I ever had in life. A great university with wonderful teachers, fantastic memories and deep, lifelong friendships.
“You are the university and teachers that made me what I am. Recently, you have shown your pride quite publicly and for that I am ever so grateful. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting you all at some point soon.”
