From BlockChain to Big Data, Vista 2019 at IIM Bangalore, opens with pulsating contests and inspiring speakers
Bangalore: On the seventeenth year of Vista, the business fest hosted by the two-year MBA students of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), the focus was on ‘Command, Conquer, Captivate’, where industry executives spoke about the need for a leader to strategize and find new methods that strengthen existing business.
The three words, said the organizing team of Vista 2019, depict the different set of activities required at different stages of a business and the importance of leadership at each stage. Comprising a vast array of workshops and events ranging from case studies and panel discussions to trading games and corporate strategy simulations, Vista’19 opened with a promise to set the bar for B-School summits higher.
On Friday, July 26, Vista’19 was inaugurated by Prof. Padmini Srinivasan, PGP Chair, IIMB, and the guests of honor, Kamalesh Kumar Sharma, VP and Chief Communication Officer, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages (HCCB), Indrajeet Sengupta, Chief Human Resources Officer, HCCB, and Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and MD of Nestlé India Limited.
A panel discussion with Kamlesh Sharma and Indrajeet Sengupta of HCCB was moderated by Anwesha Behera and Karan Tulsiyan, PGP2 students of IIMB. It revolved around the growth of HCCB what unique traits set it apart.
Nitin Bawankule, Country Director, Google Cloud India and an IIMB alumnus, spoke about the disruptions in the industry caused by the internet. Citing the example of Google voice search being unable to identify commands, owing to the mix of multiple vernacular languages in the same statement, he underscored the importance of adapting to these changes, to remain relevant in the industry.
This session was followed by an account on Leadership Crisis by Suresh Narayanan, of Nestle, India. Detailing the journey of Nestle in India, he stressed the importance of leadership traits like humility, the right attitude, and how these qualities enabled him to successfully handle the Maggi crisis in India. He summed up his vision for ideal leadership in a beautiful quote, “Many times in life you do things that don’t matter to you, you do it for others.”
Events and more
Team Vista’19, in collaboration with Analytics Society, presented Data and Beyond, a three-level elimination round to sharpen one’s analytical skills by bidding for data and subsequently curating a solution. Optimus, a real-time simulation game where participants run their own company, was presented by Opmac-Operations Management Club of IIMB.
Numero Uno, launched by the ‘Forum for Industrial Interaction’ of IIMB, tested the participants on various managerial fronts to bring out the future leaders in them. MarkGuru, a marketing competition that tested the ability to understand the consumer market, helped participants understand real-time business situations and showcase their creativity.
The workshop on Blockchain, organized as part of Vista’19, focused on giving its participants a flavor of the current status of Blockchain in the industry. Even though this technology is in use for applications like combating fake news and SME lending, it still has a long way to go. Challenges ranging from implementation of proof of concept to the uncertainty surrounding the whole topic tend to pull down the pace of advancement.
The title sponsors – HCCB – hosted another workshop titled, ‘HCCB Route to Market’. This workshop provided its participants an exposure to the workings of the sales functions of HCCB. The participants were tagged to sales executives from HCCB and were taken on a visit to multiple retail stores to understand how the sales and distribution of beverages from the factory take place.
The night came to a close with a host of brilliant cultural performances by the students of IIMB.