Celebrating 36 years of rich legacy, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar is organizing the 5th edition of the annual Business Excellence Summit from 30th September to 1st October 2023. The theme for this year’s summit was “Navigating the Unknown.”
Day two of the event was presided over by esteemed XIM Faculty Prof. Shridhar Kumar Dash and the honorable speaker, Mr. Chittaranjan Mohanty.
Mr. Chittaranjan Mohanty, Founder of Samvi Hifresh, and an esteemed alumni of XIM Bhubaneswar took the center stage to deliver a compelling speech to the young leaders and shared his views on Navigating Life’s Uncertainties, Building a Valuable Toolkit and Leveraging Networking Opportunities. He ended the talk with the message of how failure requires fortitude and quoted, “If the ship has to cross the sea, it has to leave the shore, your zone of comfort has to be left.”
Mr. Abhishek Asthana, co-founder of Hood and founder of Ginger Monkey, shared his life experiences and professional career along with insights into his academic journey from engineering to MBA. He mentioned the importance of learning and diligence in the MBA and corporate world. He then took us through his entrepreneurial journey with interesting incidents that he experienced in Shark Tank and the pitches he made to investors. He also shared an exciting story about the origin of his Twitter handle ‘@GabbbarSingh’ and how it helped him in networking. He left us with an insightful quote “People follow you for your opinions, your lens through which you see the world”.
Miss Reena Rathi, Head of Mobile Business Development, Amazon and an accomplished alumnus of XIM Bhubaneswar, shared her professional journey and her insights on “Thriving With Innovation”.While delving into the power of innovation to drive businesses, she reflected that the purpose of innovation should be customer-centric because often customers do not know what they want. She reiterated the fact that innovations need not be necessarily disruptive, rather they are continuous and iterative modifications that are aimed at improving the lives of the consumers. The talk drew to a close with an insightful quote to summarize the role curiosity plays in fostering innovation-” Today questions are the new answers”.
Mrs. Jane Saquria Kumar, Partner, PWC and an esteemed alumnus of XIM Bhubaneswar took us through “M & A in Uncharted Waters: Insights for successful navigation”. She reflected on her life as an investment banker and shared tips on balancing work life. She took us through key trends in India, the process of organic expansion, and a career in investment banking. She gave us insights on the process of IPO, challenges faced during and after IPO, raising money, and working with private equity firms. She left us with a significant quote – “M and A is a very important strategic decision that an organization makes in its life, you don’t make too many M and A, it is a very critical tool in the arsenal of any organization”.
In an insightful talk, Mr. Tushar Sahu, Director of Engineering at Google, ventured into the realm of “The New Age of AI and Technology Career Options.” He discussed the practical utility of Generative AI and its contributions to automation and augmentation intelligence (ANI) to the broader landscape of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Mr. Sahu concluded by highlighting the growing significance of AGI and its potential transformative influence across various industries. Moreover, he underscored the evolving transition from Artificial Narrow Ints diverse sectors, including finance, manufacturing, media, entertainment, retail, and consumer packaged goods.
Mrs. Jagriti Kumar, Sports Medicine Franchise Lead at Smith & Nephew, captivated her audience with an enlightening discourse on the Business Excellence Framework. Mrs. Kumar emphasized on the need for businesses to cater to customer needs while maintaining a commitment to profitability and societal responsibility quoting “What gets measured gets done”. Illustrating her points with tangible success, she shared a pivotal example from Smith & Nephew’s journey that involved their strategic entry into General Surgery. Amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, she extolled adaptability and agility as linchpins for organizational resilience during crises. Furthermore, she expounded on strategies for differentiation in competitive markets and fostering employee engagement, emphasizing the roles of referrals and customer feedback mechanisms in fostering growth. She also highlighted a critical sales insight – 60% of sales hinge on the seller’s persona, advocating for personal brand building and leadership development. In her parting words, Mrs. Kumar left the audience with a resonating adage: “When we are seeking to listen to people with an open mind, then we are looking for a solution”
The closing ceremony was a momentous occasion filled with gratitude. Kamlesh Sahu, the Cultural Secretary of XIM Bhubaneswar, extended heartfelt thanks to the eminent speakers, faculty, the BES core team, and all the committees of the institution. General Secretary Anurag Mohapatra expressed appreciation to the Vice Chancellor- Fr. Antony R. Uvari, CFO & Deputy Registrar- Fr. Arockia Das, Dean- Dr. Biswa Swarup Misra, speakers, and faculty for their continuous support that made the event a resounding success, with special mention to the Functional and Interest Committees of the institution for conducting exhilarating campus events. He thanked all the media partners for their covering and amplifying the reach of the flagship event.
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