SIBM Bengaluru students get a taste of the Inflection Point through Alchemy-2014

SIBM Bengaluru held its Annual Management Conclave,Alchemy. It is a three-day event which provides a quality platform for eminent speakers to share their insights industry with the students. This year’s theme for Alchemy was Inflection Point. With aspirations soaring high and uncertainties weighing us down; we stand today at an inflection point. We are at the brink of a major upheaval, as we design the future. The tumult of activity in the economy, the surge of youthful energy and the wave of optimism that surrounds us – all this was focused on in the key note speeches and panel discussions.

Day 1

Bengaluru, Karnataka, September 4, 2014 –The day began with the auspicious ceremony of lighting the lamp by the esteemed dignitaries. The ceremony symbolized the flagging off of Alchemy, The Management Conclave and Satkala, The Art Exhibition.

The first speaker for the day was Mr. J. K. Gupta, CFO of CMC. He talked about the success story of CMC through the various inflection points that occurred in the company’s life and how focusing on efficiency and being effective drove them forward.

The post lunch session started with a talk session by Mr. Naresh Kumar Gupta, Director, Consumer Fixed Access, BSNL. The talk focused on the change in the telecom industry through the years, hence highlighting the turning points that the Indian telecom industry has been through.

This was followed by a highly interactive session by Mr. ApurvNagpal, Ex-CEO, Saregama (HMV) and author of the best-selling book, 18 Plus. He caught the pulse of the audience very fast and had them engaged with topics like the importance of technology and the rules of innovation. He also spoke about the importance of innovation in leading to inflection and vice-versa.

Day 2

Bengaluru, Karnataka, September 5, 2014 –The highlight of the event for the day was the keynote speaker, Mr. Manish Gupta, Sales Director of Distribution and Retail, Dell India and a panel discussion by the prominent faces of the corporate.

Mr. Manish Gupta discussed how social media is fuelled by the internet and about the digital age and its application to the present context. He further emphasized on the importance for a brand to have its presence felt on the social media circuit.

This was followed by a panel discussion on “Behavioral Economies Coming of Age”. The distinguished panelists were Mr. Rajeev Mishra, Head Digital Practice, Wipro, Mr. Ravi Gowda, CEO, Global Mergers and  Mr. ApurvNagpal, ex-CEO, Saregama (HMV) and Dr. BiranchiSwar, Faculty, SIBM Bengaluru, who was the moderator for the panel discussion. The discussion sparked off by describing about the various micro and macro factors leading to the change in consumer behavior with a key emphasis on modern marketing. The learning gathered from this discussion showed how to maximize digital brand presence and align goals of the business with that of the consumer.

The post lunch session began with a keynote speech by Mr. Raj Kumar S, COO, Sequel Logistics Pvt. Ltd. He spoke about the growth rate of the Indian economy and discussed about the measures taken to bring down the fiscal deficit, thereby helping the economy to have a steady and sustainable growth. He also highlighted the importance of the decline in the debt to GDP ratio. The key elements focused on: Collectivism, Diagnostics Samples and High Value Logistics.

This was followed by another panel discussion based on the theme ‘Supply Chain: Surge and Sustain’. The eminent industry expert serving on the panel were Mr. PawanBhageria, Senior Vice President,Manufacturing and IT, TATA Technologies, Mr. M. BalakrishnanGaneshan, Senior Finance Manager, Amazon, Mr.PadmanabhanBabu, Director, Logilink India, Mr. Cherian Kuruvila, Managing Partner, CNC Transcend and the moderator, Prof. D Subramaniam, Faculty, SIBM, Bengaluru.

The discussion commenced with the thought ‘Somebody has need, somebody has the capacity to fulfill the need’. The demand from supply chains around the world is poised for a colossal growth over the coming years. The discussion revolved around the future of supply chain and their ability to meet the ever expanding growth. Later, they discussed about how the supply chain was the bone of contention for any organization.

Day 3

Bengaluru, Karnataka, September 6, 2014 –The final day of Alchemy 2014 began with the keynote speech by Mr. Anand Pillai, Sr. Executive Vice President & Chief Learning Officer at Reliance Industries Ltd., His keen insights threw light on the various caricatures of the job of an HR Professional. This was followed by a panel discussion which included Mr.AtanuSengupta,National HR Manager, Saint Gobain, Mr.Ganesh Subramanian, General Manager, HR, Enterprise Support, HUL and the moderator for the session, Mr.ShantanuDhar,Vice President – HR, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd.

The post event session concentrated on the financial aspects of the market. "Going the extra Mile", the theme of the session, resonated with the speech delivered by Mr. Siddharto Banerjee,MD,CEO, Markit Financial Services India. His insights into the economic measures of the newgovernment and their implications, helped students discern the complex financial situations that our nation faces at present. It was followed by an invigorating panel discussion where the students were graced by the presence of eminent personalities from the industry like Mr. Deepankar Bose,GM, SBI, Mr.Arun Kumar,Executive Director, Credit Rating Nomura Capital India, Mr. Ramana Kumar, Head, ALM ING Vyasa Bank, Mr. Chirag Shah, Director(Supply Chain), Unilever, and Ms. Deena Jacob, Finance Controller Taxi for Sure. The panel was moderated by Prof. Ravi Kumar, Placement Head, SIBM Bengaluru.

What percolated from the discussion was nectar to the hungry minds of the audience. The students were enriched and enhanced as they glimpsed into the world of finance. It gave the enthralled audience a peek into the daunting realities.

The event was brought to a close by a speech from Mr. R. Chandrasekhar, President-Commercial Petrochemical, RIL. He took the audience through a journey in time and painted a picture that forays into the historical ramifications of decisions made at critical junctures, decisions made at inflection points. With the closing of the event the students departed with their knowledge augmented and with a feeling of gratification.

Sponsors & Partners included:

Event Partner: Emami and Drive Wealth

Knowledge Partner: Bloomberg Institute

Telecom Partner: Utstarcom

Online Partner: Career Anna

Refreshment Partner: Unibic

Event Management Partner: eBeam

 Satkala 2014- Through The Looking Glass

Art is the expression of the heart, a creation, pure and untainted by the brutalities of reality. Art is a gateway that leads us to a safe haven which may not heal but it is a comfort and balm. Another event that happened simultaneously with Alchemy was Satkala-The Art Exhibition.  The theme of Satkala 2014 was “Through the looking glass”. It was a corporate art exhibition showcasing talents like paintings, sculpture, photography, origami and many more. Satkala experienced a lot of entries in these categories and the winners were awarded with prizes, gifts and goodies.

Prof. Atish R. Dasgupta, Faculty Mentor for Conference and Events Committee says “I feel proud that we were able to execute an event of such a huge scale. I am thankful to everyone for their contribution.”

Mr. VasanthRajan, an HR student says “I had a great time at Satkala. It was a very interesting experience to be a part of this event. It is a great platform for us young and budding artists”.

Ms. RaghaviMaheshwari, Coordinator of Conference and Events Committee says “Alchemy 2014 featured 4 specializations over three days, featuring 25 speakers from the various industry verticals. Collaborating an event of such huge magnitude was a tricky job but I am glad that we pulled it off. I had great fun in organizing the event”