Industrialists share their experiences with students

The two-day Annual Management Conclave ‘Horizons 2020’, organised by the Industry Interaction Cell (IIC) of Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K), concluded here.

Speakers from diverse backgrounds shared their insights and experiences with the students and faculty members at the event titled ‘Above and Beyond’.

Indian tennis legend Mahesh Bhupathi, who opened the summit, shared his experiences from his days representing the country and discussed the challenges in succeeding against the finest in the world.

The athlete-turned-entrepreneur stressed on the need to nurture a strong sports culture in the country. “India needs a strong top-down funnel for developing world-class talent in sports. Private sports foundations can play a major role in developing world class athletes,” said the ATP world-record holder.

In his interaction with the students, Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited Mahendra Pratap Mall touched upon the future roadmap of the company and the many hurdles it faced leading up to its fabulously successful listing at the bourses. He referred to the challenges in managing a State-owned enterprise in a price sensitive market and posting a healthy profit growth year after year.

“There are constraints, and there always will be. It is your job to work with them, strategise a plan and execute it for the organisation to achieve sustainable growth,” he said.

Subhalakshmi Nandi, Director of Policy at the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), discussed the economic and social aspects of gender and caste-based discrimination.

Debashis Chatterjee, Director IIM-K, said the Live Projects offered in various domains allowed students to have a first-hand experience of the business issues faced by organisations. It is essential that budding managers stay in touch with the real world, while honing their skills in the classrooms, he said.

Entrusted with all non-placement industry-related activities at the IIM-K, the IIC is committed to forging a long-term symbiotic relationship between the institution and the industry.