The Hindu Business Line : IIM-K management conclave concludes

Kochi Oct. 8 The current pace of India’s economic development cannot be sustained unless the growth becomes inclusive, Mr Harish Bijoor, CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc, said at Horizons 07 held at the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K).

The annual management conclave was held at the Institute’s campus on October 5-7 on the theme ‘Bharat ek Khoj’ with sub-themes of Rediscovering Rural India, Unleashing India Inc and Unlocking the Human Potential.

Explaining the nuances of M&A and the role that consultants play in the process, Mr Abheek Singhi of the Boston Consulting Group said that the major drivers behind India’s growth story is to be found both in the growing investor confidence and surge in M&A. The CEO of Marico’s Consumer Products Division, Mr Saugata Gupta, drew upon his experience and shared the secret to becoming a ‘Winning Manager’.

Focus on rural India

The conclave dealt extensively on the topic of rural India with several eminent speakers voicing their opinions on the same. Mr Paresh Chaudhry, Head, Corporate Communications, HUL, and Communications Leader (South Asia) for Unilever, took the example of Project Shakti, which trained rural women to sell HUL products. The project has resulted in an effective distribution channel reaching 100 million rural customers.

Mr P.K. Kesavan, Director, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, said that rural growth can be achieved by unearthing business opportunities in rural areas and generating employment. An excellent example of this was afforded by Mr Sunil Chainani, Director, Fabindia Overseas Pvt Ltd.

Fabindia with over 20,000 craftsmen across 250 districts working for it, focuses on bridging the urban-rural divide by bringing the best of rural craft to the urban customer.

The conclave ended with the HR Summit in which HR Managers such as Mr Narayanan Nair, VP-HR of Mphasis EDS, and Mr Sheen Sunny Akkara, Director, Resource Management, Deloitte Consulting, participated.

The panel discussion mainly focused on the strategic role of HR in today’s business environment.