The ISB's Mohali campus hosted Jairam Ramesh, former Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development and Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh, on 13 June 2014 for a distinguished speaker session.

At the interactive session with the School’s students and staff, he talked about how change cannot be brought about by the people who are actually affected by various socio-economic conditions, but by someone who looks at the issue from the outside. "Change has to be disruptive, it cannot be evolutionary. Change has to have a visible symbol of authority," Ramesh said in response to a student’s question on the nature of socio-economic change.

He further highlighted his long association with the ISB since the days of the School’s inception, as he was a member of the group that conceptualised the idea of establishing a world class management institution in India - which evolved into the ISB. He also recalled that he had participated in the inauguration of the ISB's Hyderabad campus.

Ramesh also discussed about the changing trends in the public policy domain - of how the administrative services could benefit from the talent and capabilities of management students, among other issues. "I hope to work in close association with the ISB in rolling out programmes for new age professionals in the domain of public policy and training programmes for mid-level professionals in policy formation, which should be more research and knowledge driven now," added Ramesh.