In an IIM interview, how should I answer if they ask which CEO or company’s business news I follow?

Question

Aarushi S · Accepted Answer

In an IIM interview, questions about which CEO or company&rsquo;s news you follow are meant to check awareness, not catch you off guard. Pick someone or a company whose work you genuinely know about, so you can talk beyond headlines. For example, if you choose Satya Nadella, be ready to discuss Microsoft&rsquo;s AI push with OpenAI, their shift towards cloud revenue, and how Nadella&rsquo;s leadership style contrasts with other tech CEOs.
If it&rsquo;s a company, focus on 2&ndash;3 recent developments. For instance, if you name Tata Group, know about Tata Motors&rsquo; EV plans, Tata Digital&rsquo;s super-app strategy, and their stake in Air India&rsquo;s turnaround. If you&rsquo;re from a non-tech field, you could even go with something like Larsen & Toubro &mdash; talk about their infrastructure projects, Middle East expansion, and defence manufacturing contracts. Avoid picking trending names without depth &mdash; the panel often asks follow-ups like &ldquo;What&rsquo;s one criticism of their strategy?&rdquo; or &ldquo;If you were CEO, what would you do differently?&rdquo;

V Gupta · Answer

This question can feel like small talk &mdash; until they start digging. Many candidates get stuck after naming a big brand, so the trick is to pick someone or a company whose story you can connect with.
Some angles that have worked: &bull; Choose a CEO whose field overlaps with your interests &mdash; e.g., Nirmala Sitharaman if you follow economic policy, or Harsh Mariwala for building Marico into a global FMCG player. &bull; If naming a company, know recent quarterly results, major acquisitions, and one challenge they&rsquo;re facing. For example, if you say Zomato, talk about Blinkit&rsquo;s growth, profitability targets, and competition from Swiggy. &bull; Be prepared for a curveball like &ldquo;What would you ask this CEO if you met them?&rdquo; or &ldquo;What&rsquo;s one risk you think they&rsquo;re underestimating?&rdquo;
This isn&rsquo;t about picking the &ldquo;right&rdquo; name &mdash; it&rsquo;s about showing you understand business moves and can think critically about them, even if it&rsquo;s a lesser-talked-about name like Marico or JSW Steel.