Shaping a Borderless Future in Education : Prof. (Dr.) Bikash Sharma

Every transformative leader has a moment when purpose becomes clearer than ambition. For Dr. Bikash Sharma, that moment arrived early in his journey—when he realised that education was not just an industry, but a catalyst capable of reshaping communities, careers, and futures. Today, his work spans continents, institutions, and countless learners, each touched by his vision for accessible, ethical, and globally relevant education.

Prof. Dr. Bikash Sharma is a management professional with over two decades of experience in the Education, Management, Human Resources and IT Enabled Services domain. Dr. Sharma is currently the President and Founder Trustee of International Academic and Management Association (IAMA) which was established with his efforts in the year 2013. Today, IAMA operates in over 43 countries offering its services to nearly 200 educational institutions, benefitting thousands of students globally

Additionally, Dr. Sharma is also the CEO of iDeliver Services, an IT and IT Enabled Services organization which he set-up in the year 2005.  Dr. Sharma is also on the Board of Advisors of several educational institutions globally including POMA International Business University (Worldwide), Oxford University of Namibia, CEPRES International University, Texila American University, etc to name a few. Dr. Sharma and IAMA’s contribution in the field of education has been widely recognized on the global platform. The same is evident from the numerous national and international awards won by both Dr. Sharma and IAMA since inception. Dr. Sharma also has excellent academic credentials having been a University Topper and Gold Medalist
 

For this special feature, Asia Education Digest (AED) sat down with Dr. Sharma for a candid conversation on Leadership & Entrepreneurship in a Transforming Education Landscape. What followed was an inspiring exchange on leading with integrity, building institutions that last, and navigating the complex shifts redefining education worldwide.

Q. You have successfully built IAMA into a global academic network operating across 43 countries. What inspired you to establish IAMA, and what vision guided you at the very beginning?

A: IAMA was initially established to bridge the gap that existed between the industry and the academia. As someone who had started his career in the corporate field, I saw that there was a huge gap that existed between what was being taught and what the industry actually needed. While the industry always complained about it, there was no platform where both the industry and the academia could meet and discuss the gap. IAMA filled in this gap. We successfully bought together some of the corporate houses from the banking sector, retail sector, KPOs with educational institutions. The model was simple. The industry was to share the skills they needed and accordingly the institution would design the curriculum, being vetted by the industry professionals. The same was backed by assurance from the industry that such graduates would be hired by the industry at a given pay grade. This model was highly successful but localized in terms of the region – India

In the second phase we decided the promote internationalization of education. The target market was primarily the under-developed and developing economies of the world. A definite gap existed in terms of the quality of education being imparted in these countries. Secondly, good students who wished to go overseas for quality education, could not do so as affordability was another issue. The overcome this, we started partnering with the educational institutions, regulatory bodies and NGOs in these countries so as to introduce international quality framework and global best practices in education. Secondly, we also partnered with like-mined institutions in the first world countries who were open to offering their programs and curriculum to these institutions locally at an affordable fee. The model worked very well and today we are offering our services on a similar model across 47 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America with academic support coming from countries like the USA, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, etc.

Q: IAMA’s model connects institutions, students, and regulators worldwide. How do you envision the future of global education collaboration in an increasingly fragmented world?

A: The global pandemic, while creating chaos across the world, served as a boon for the education sector. It opened up the avenues for online education, which was a total no-no in some countries till then. Starting initially with localized delivery of education, today the same countries are allowing their universities to offer their courses to the global student community and also allowing their students to pursue international courses online. This was just the beginning. Over time, we are seeing a lot of new initiatives including the usage of AR/VR in education, usage of AI and Big Data in determining the individual student capability, skill focussed universities, micro-credentials in collaboration with the industry to support regular education etc.

Q: Given the diversity of education systems across continents, how does IAMA approach quality assurance and maintain consistency while respecting local contexts?

A: In order to overcome the diversity of education systems across continents, we have partnered with global quality accreditation bodies, whose standards to look at implementing at our partner institutions and educational agencies. By doing the same, we have been successful in bringing in some extent of commonality across institutions in the different countries we operate in. While the statutory compliances are left untouched, the other aspects including academic delivery, institutional infrastructure, courseware,  faculty accreditation, etc are moulded as per given international standards.

Q: As someone who leads both IAMA and iDeliver Services, what leadership principles or management philosophies have helped you sustain excellence across such different domains?

A: iDeliver Services was the first venture started by me. A company focussed on IT, IT Enabled Services and Recruitment. The same was followed by IAMA after almost a decade. Technically both organizations appear diverse in nature, however for us it was an interesting diversification which allowed us to make use of the best practices from the IT and IT Enabled Services in the Education sector. Right from Quality Standards to Internationalization to People Management. As an organization / group we strongly believe in a flat organization with minimal levels and delegation of work and authority. The SBUs are managed by employees who are also the stakeholders in the particular SBU with a certain share in the profits. While our strategy has inspired excellence, it has also ensured minimal attrition levels over the last 12 years. 

Q: How do you see technology — particularly digital transformation and IT-enabled services — shaping the accessibility and quality of higher education in the coming decade?

A: The future of education lies in technology. What started as mere online classes using tools like Zoom, Teams and Meet is now fast moving to the next level. We now have institutions using tools like AR/VR to deliver technology and medical courses, thus making such courses affordable with mass reach. Instead of using “one shoe fits all” model we have institutions using AI and Big Data to customize the education based on an individual’s learning capability. Similarly, we now have faculties creating their lesson and session plans with a click of a button using AI, something which would earlier take weeks and months. This is just the beginning of the digital age in the education sector. We are in for a revolution which will change the way we learn and teach - all this within our life time.

Q: From multiple international awards to your recent recognition in the Socrates Almanac global digest, how do these milestones influence your outlook on purpose and responsibility as a leader?

A: Over the last 12 years, I have been the recipient of multiple national and international awards, honours and titles. Every award or title that I have received is credited to the amazing team that I have had the honour to lead. A team that has always stood by me in times good and bad. These milestones make me feel more responsible towards each and every member of the organization and what we collectively stand for.

Q: You serve on the advisory boards of several universities worldwide. What are some best practices or collaborative models you believe can help emerging institutions strengthen their global footprint?

A: One of my priories as a member of the Advisory Board of the several universities that I serve has been to establish a uniform quality standard in lines with the global environment. Secondly, I have encouraged these institutions to promote internationalization of education via academic collaborations including credit transfers, dual degrees, student exchange, faculty exchange, etc. This also includes clinical exposure in different countries for students of medicine.

Q: Beyond your professional success, you’re known as a passionate animal rights advocate and empathetic leader. How do compassion and ethics influence your approach to leadership and organizational culture?

A: To maintain a balance, it is important to “Live and Let Live”. This is the philosophy that has been my driving force and in a way been the reason for my compassion towards animals and humans alike. Be it working for the strays to standing by the colleagues in need, that has always been part and parcel of the IAMA culture. At an organization level, we do not believe in leaving anyone behind. It is always about holding each other’s hand as we progress.

Q: What have been the most defining challenges in your journey — and what lessons would you share with aspiring education entrepreneurs aiming to create real impact?

A: The beginning of a journey is always the most challenging. When we conceptualized IAMA and went across to the institutions, government agencies, corporate houses etc with our idea, rejection was the first thing that we faced. For some the concept was new and risky, for some we were new. What is important is that you need to believe in yourself and be confident about what you intend to offer or sell. Most businesses fail when the initiators start to doubt their offerings. That is where we did not give up. We had a small team but each one of us believed in what we had to offer and importantly believed in each other. The rest as they say is history.

Q: What’s next for IAMA and Dr. Bikash Sharma? Could you share your vision for the next decade — both for yourself and for the global education ecosystem you’re helping to build?

A: I always use the famous quote “the woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep” as mantra for my life and work. In keeping with the same, the following are the upcoming projects of IAMA:
•    AI backed Educator Assessment and Accreditation
•    Job Oriented Programs in Collaboration with Microsoft
•    Microsoft backed Train the Trainer Program
•    Medical University in Mauritius (to be launched in 2026)