Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli hosted the second edition of its Leadership Conclave – Daksha 2.0 on 26 August, 2023
Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli hosted the second edition of its Leadership Conclave – Daksha 2.0 on 26 August, 2023. The theme of the conclave was “Leadership in The Age of Disruption.” Daksha series is an embodiment of IIM Tiruchirappalli’s continuous endeavour and focus toward learning. The thought provoking and insightful discussions during the event equipped the participants to think about disruptions in a positive light and the ways to leverage the changes. The event hosted 29 industry leaders as speakers in two panel discussions and five round table discussions.
Honourable Governor of Tamil Nadu, Thiru R.N Ravi, graced the occasion as the chief guest and inaugurated Daksha 2.0. The Governor expressed his enthusiasm to be present among young minds who are filled with energy and eagerness to help India reach its true potential. He spoke about the palpable transformation that our country is going through and how India is gaining a strong economic and political position on the world stage. He further elaborated on the importance of having the confidence to live up to our resolve and being self-reliant. Speaking about the theme of Daksha 2.0, the Governor added that disruptions are rarely accidents and those who are discerning enough to notice the murmurs and early signs of change become smart leaders. He further emphasizes on the requirement for one to become a disruptive leader – one who initiates change in the face of adversity. A disruptive leader is fearless and courageous to make difficult changes and moves out of comfort zone. The Governor also spoke about the importance of being ahead of the curve and the importance of developing holistic solutions for problems. He further emphasized that a leader is one who has a growth centric long-term vision, creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking. He urged the students to grasp the change, feel the pulse of new India, and be inspired by it. Thiru R.N. Ravi concluded by saying that it is necessary not only to dream big but also follow through with hard work and self-discipline.
Dr. Pawan Kumar Singh, Director – IIM Tiruchirappalli, addressed the gathering by welcoming the Chief Guest, all the guest speakers, faculty, students, staff, members of the media and team Daksha. The Director reflected upon how the campus shows dynamism in action. Further, he spoke about IIM Tiruchirappalli’s commitment to excellence, which is reflected by the AMBA accreditation, and appreciated the city of Tiruchirappalli for providing the perfect backdrop to allow the institute to excel. He then introduced the gathering to the Daksha 2.0 theme “Leadership in the age disruption”. Dr Singh said that great leaders thrive in the ever-changing business environment by fostering agility and creativity. He added that those who understand the disruption will lose the fear of change and embrace the disruption.
Honourable Governor interacted with the students of IIM Tiruchirappalli in a meet-and-greet session after the inauguration ceremony.
The first Panel discussion focused on “Strategic Leadership in The Age of Disruption”, The Panel was brought to life by moderator Prof. Mukundhan K.V, Faculty of Strategy, IIM Tiruchirappalli and the speakers Dr. K. Ratnam, CEO – Milky Mist; Ms. Divya Karani, Board Director – Jagran Prakashan and Media Research Users Council, Mr. Praveen Vukkalam, MD – Barclays, and Dr. Natesan Kumaraswamy, President – Office of Strategic Management, Sakthi Finance Ltd.
The second Panel consisting of moderator Prof. Abhishek Totawar, Faculty of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, IIM Tiruchirappalli and speakers Mr. Prasad Menon, Chief People Officer – Amagi Corporation, Ms. Swati Mehta, VP-HR, HCCB Pvt Ltd., Mr. Rajesh Kurup, CHRO – RASI Seeds, and Mr. Balaji Venkitaramasubramanian, Director-HR, Dormakaba. The theme of the panel discussion was “Leading with Purpose.”
The first Panel discussion focused on “Strategic Leadership in The Age of Disruption”, The Panel was brought to life by moderator Prof. Mukundhan K.V, Faculty of Strategy, IIM Tiruchirappalli and the speakers Dr. K. Rathnam, CEO, Milky Mist; Ms. Divya Karani, Board Director, Jagran Prakashan and Media Research Users Council; Mr. Praveen Vukkalam, MD, Barclays and Dr. Natesan Kumaraswamy, President – Office of Strategic Management, Sakthi Finance Ltd.
The second Panel consisting of moderator Prof. Abhishek Totawar, Faculty of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, IIM Tiruchirappalli and speakers Mr. Prasad Menon, Chief People Officer, Amagi Corporation; Ms. Swati Mehta, Head HR- People culture and SBP Commercial, HCCB Pvt Ltd.; Mr. Rajesh Kurup, CHRO, Rasi Seeds and Mr. Balaji Venkitaramasubramanian, Director-HR, Dormakaba. This panel talked over “Leading with Purpose.”
The first-round table discussion revolved around “Strategic Innovation in the Classical Banking System”. The discussion was facilitated by moderator Prof. Saravanan P, Faculty, Finance and Accounting, IIM Tiruchirappalli, and speakers Mr. Pancham Taneja, Country Head, Delta Capita; Mr. Manikantan T, Senior VP – Finance Operations, Mphasis; Mr. Mohit Mittal, Co-head of Investment Research, Acuity Knowledge Partners and Mr. Sankara Raman Mahadevan, Senior Vice-President, HSBC.
The second-round table discussed the “Tech-Tonic Shift-The Future of Supply Chain”. The discussion was facilitated by moderator Prof. Sirish Kumar Gouda, Faculty, Operations Management & Decision Sciences, IIM Tiruchirappalli, and speakers Mr. Virupakshappa Hovale, Country General Manager, Bosch Rexroth; Mr. Rakesh Singh, Senior Operation Specialist, FedEx Logistics; Mr. Prashanth Venkataramana, Co-Founder & CEO, Essmart and Mr. Mrinal Chakraborty, Director – Channel Business & Network Development, DTDC Express Ltd.
The Third-round table discussion revolved around “Navigating the Changing Landscape of Talent Management.” The discussion was facilitated by moderator Prof. Sajeet Pradhan, Faculty, Organizational Behaviour & Human Resource Management, IIM Tiruchirappalli and speakers Mr. Hemant Kumar Ravi, Head of Human Resources, Kantar; Ms. Chandini Kamal, Global Head – Diversity and Inclusion, Employee Engagement & Experience, Wellness, Rewards & Recognition / Global head HR, HCL Technologies; Mr. Praveen Kamath Kumbla General Manager HR – Global Strategic Hiring & Redeployment, Wipro and Mr. Subramanian S, Senior Lead – Early Talent Program, bp.
The fourth-round table discussed the “Navigating Disruption: Amplifying Marketing Reach and Engagement.” The discussion was facilitated by moderator Prof. Suresh Paul Antony, Faculty, Marketing, IIM Tiruchirappalli, and speakers Ms. Ashwani Dhawan, CEO and Founder, Broadway Infotech; Mr. Vijay Murugan, Country Head – Direct Sales, Jones Lang Lasalle; Ms. Pooja Gupta, Head of Sales – North & East India, LinkedIn and Mr. Vipin Thomas, VP-Revenue Operations, Survey Sparrow.
The fifth-round table discussion revolved around “AI Powered Product Management – Opportunities and Challenges.” The discussion was facilitated by moderator Prof. Manikandan K S, Faculty Strategy, IIM Tiruchirappalli, and speakers Mr. Rohit Gupta, Director of Product Management, Data Axle; Ms. Shraddha Majali, Head South – Dy General Manager, Digitization & Buildings, Schneider Electric India Pvt. Limited; Mr. Robin John, Artificial Intelligence Strategist, APAC, Kimberly-Clark and Mr. Ashwinikumar Patil, Director of Product Management, Walmart Global Tech India.
Mr. Siva Kumar Padmanabhan, MD & Head of Global Innovation & Technology Centre, AstraZeneca India Pvt. Ltd, delivered the keynote address at the valedictory ceremony. He applauded the invited speakers for the wonderful sessions and appreciated the knowledge exchanged throughout the conclave. He talked about how leadership is evolving to be more purpose driven and how it is related to disruption and navigation of disruption. He also talked about his own journey of leadership from knowledge centric leadership to human centric leadership.
Dr. Pawan Kumar Singh, Director IIM Tiruchirappalli, presented the mementos to Mr. Siva Kumar Padmanabhan. Vote of Thanks was proposed by Prof. Abhishek Totawar, Chairperson – Placement, IIM Tiruchirappalli. He extended his deepest gratitude to the Honourable Governor for gracing the event and sharing his thoughts on leadership in a perpetually high stakes environment. The conclave concluded with the National Anthem.