IIM Ahmedabad Global Event 2016 concludes at the Taj Pierre, New York
NEW YORK, NY (July 26, 2016) – The second global event of the North America chapter of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad Alumni Association concluded at the Taj Pierre in Manhattan on July 23rd, 2016. The theme of the conference was “Leadership and Change in an Interconnected World” and the speakers included some of the best and the brightest of IIMA Alumni as well as preeminent speakers from other fields.
In his opening remarks, Samar Das, President of IIMA Alumni Association North America and Conference Chair talked about the three goals of the association – to build a global IIMA brand that is as well-known as the most prestigious business schools in the world; build a global IIMA community; and to engage in giving back to the local community as well as to the larger global family.
In a scintillating session on Future of Marketing, moderator Sunil Gupta of Harvard Business School sparked an engaging conversation on where Marketing is headed among panelists Gianni Giacomelli CMO of Genpact, Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Strategist of the Publicis Groupe, and Professor Pradeep Chintagunta of University of Chicago.
Harit Talwar, MD Goldman Sachs, Sheila Hooda, Independent Board Director, and “Tiger” Tyagrajan, CEO Genpact joined a session on Leadership to talk about their personal perspectives on leadership. The three leaders passionately spoke about what is leadership and how it must respond to change in the new era of interconnectedness.
The third session of the day brought together four leading authorities on the emergence of FinTech (Finance and Technology) who painted a radical picture of the role of technology in the world of Finance. The panel included
Jagdish Rao, Chairman and CEO Citigroup Technology, Padmaja Chunduru, Country Head State Bank of India, Shanker Ramamurthy, CTO and General Manager Strategy and Solutions, IBM, and Raghu Sundaram, Vice Dean Stern, NYU.
In the Keynote address, Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said how interconnectedness through social media was driving transparency and responsiveness in the Government agencies. He illustrated his point with 4 “case studies” – each case demonstrating how the Government used social media and listening to respond rapidly to evolving global situations.
The last session of the day was a Fireside Chat with Ajay Banga, CEO of MasterCard conducted by a fellow classmate from IIMA Sarita Nayyar, MD, World Economic Forum USA. Ajay talked about leadership, his personal journey, and the role of technology driven change. He got passionate while talking about gender equality and his comment that “women in my company are paid exactly the same as men and we have measures to prove it” drew sustained applause from the audience.
The highlight of Day 2 was an address by Ashish Nanda, Director of IIM Ahmedabad. Nanda stressed that connecting with alumni was of strategic importance for the Institute. He said, "IIMA alumni are key stakeholders of the Institute and we look to them for advice, guidance, and support on where to take the institute and how. Our alumni have responded by contributing generously with their time, experience, and financial sustenance." Nanda also introduced Professor Rakesh Basant who is slated to take over as Dean Alumni and External Relations at IIMA. Basant said, "IIMA would strive to retain its thought leadership in the areas of management and public policy. We plan to strengthen existing ties and strategically build new global and local collaborations to help the Institution. Alumni are our ambassadors and our pride. We are sure that they will continue to wholeheartedly support the Institute in these endeavors and contribute to further enhancement of brand IIMA."
Later Nanda and Basant joined Felix Oberholzer-Gee Chair MBA Program Harvard Business School, Vice Dean Raghu Sundaram Stern School New York University, Vice Dean Jagmohan Raju Wharton, and three recent MBA graduates to discuss the future of MBA education.
The conference concluded with a Vote of Thanks from the Executive Council of IIMA Alumni Association.
