Our Inspiration

Maria Philip Kappil

The story behind the inception of the institute is one widely spoken about in management circles. Two powerful impulses lay behind the unheralded birth of XIME in May 1991. One was intensely personal and stemmed from what were both a dream and a promise. The other was entrepreneurial, the force that makes heroes of humble men and creates great institutions out of small beginnings.

The personal impulse was the fulfillment of a promise that a loving father had made to his daughter, who for her part had dared to dream of a model management school for India’s youth arising from their joint effort, but did not live to see it happen. The daughter was Maria Philip, a young university student of exceptional talent and profound idealism, and the father was Prof. J. Philip, who had made his mark in the field of management education as Director of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore from 1985 to 1991.

Five years after Maria died in a tragic accident, he led a group of kindred spirits in founding a school such as she had envisioned.

It was that band of experienced professionals who embodied the entrepreneurial spirit—unpretentious but robust—behind the founding of XIME. They included academics, professionals, and dedicated members of the Catholic Church. XIME, its staff, and the students salute their vision in bringing the institution from its modest origins to what is today a model school for India’s rising youth.

XIME International School — Dedicated in memory of Maria Philip Kappil. She died too young for the full blossoming of her God-given talents, yet she inspired the creation of XIME and XIS through the love and vision of her beloved father, Prof. J. Philip.