SKA Breaks into Indian Education Market

By Imago Group - Liz Herbert
Friday 11 November, 2005

Hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, combined with a booming Indian economy and demand for quality educational products creates a fertile environment for Sport Knowledge Australia to broaden its influence in global management of sport.

SYDNEY - Sport Knowledge Australia today announced the first delivery of its education products into India.

In a joint initiative with the prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad, which boasts alliances with the USA’s world-renowned Kellogg School of Management, The Wharton School of Business and London Business School, SKA will deliver the institute’s first sport product in mid-December this year.

The inaugural programme on management strategies and implementation will be headed up by Associate Professor Bob Stewart – a leading SKA faculty member and sport management educator at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.

Professor Stewart’s programme will examine issues and processes involved in the globalisation of sport and share world best practices with postgraduate students.

SKA’s CEO, Leighton Wood, himself a former Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games chief executive, says India is poised to take advantage of its role as host of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, “India is a country already rich in sporting culture and traditions and the prospect of hosting a major event like the Commonwealth Games will strengthen that culture and help grow India’s sport industry.”

With India also pitching to host the 2014 Asia Games, SKA’s entrée into its sport education market is timely says Wood, “Through its involvement with the Indian School of Business, SKA can offer organisations the chance to develop world-class leaders and equip them with the latest knowledge so that they are capable of paralleling India’s dynamic economic growth.

“Australia has an exciting business relationship with India and shares a $A7 billion two-way trade connection in goods,”says Wood.

On the eve of the programme, Deepak Chandra, Assistant Dean, Executive Education at the Indian School of Business says, “With India poised to become a global leader, the ISB has focused on understanding the opportunities in a booming economy. The ISB is a pioneer in setting new trends in Indian management education.”

The ISB and SKA share a similar academic philosophy. Sport Knowledge Australia complements our educational focus, which is to deliver cutting-edge global practices in management education and research. Along with this sports product, the ISB also offers courses in Media Management, Hospitality Management and Fashion Management, all unique programmes for the Indian market.”

During the program, SKA will present case studies on Cricket Australia and Nike along with studies on international trends in sport facility design and facility management, highlighting Wembley Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.