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Visiting Wisdom and CEO Quest

Students at S P Jain have benefited from the presence of some of the most respected and renowned people at the campus. Normally, one afternoon of the week is devoted to non-academic development programs, in the form of guest lectures.

These special lecture sessions are conducted by distinguished and eminent industry leaders, academicians, and eminent and distinguished personalities who give students a rare 'real world' glimpse of what the skill sets required by a manager are. In addition, these professionals discuss detailed inputs about the course specialization streams, and of course, the job market scenario in the UAE, Singapore, and other countries.

CEO Quest is another interesting and relevant initiative at S P Jain where CEOs and top executives from leading corporates and business houses are regularly invited to the campus to share their success stories, which is followed by an interactive Q and A session. This benefits the students largely because of the sharing of real life experiences and knowledge.

The Visiting Wisdom and CEO Quest initiatives play a very important contributory role towards the program’s enhancement and development and form an integral part of the students learning. Hearing these speakers at a frequency of one lecture per week substantially adds to the global learning experience. It has been S P Jain's honor and privilege to host many prominent speakers in the past, some of whom are listed below.

Guest speaker: Mr. Vivek Kudva [Click for detailed profile] Designation: President, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Ltd. Lecture Topic: "Leadership and Success in Business" Date: 23rd February 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr Kudva gave an inspirational talk to students on a wide variety of topics related to leadership and success. He quoted many examples both from his personal experiences and that of business leaders from the world over. His talk provided a ring side view to the challenges, stress, politics, and internal/external conflict situations a modern day leader confronts. The talk was followed by an intriguing question answer session during which Mr Kudva gave candid answers to questions ranging from a wide variety of issues.

Guest speaker: Mr Girish Bapat [Click for detailed profile] Designation: - Supra Electronics, Jumbo Group, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Value Innovation" Date: 21st February 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr Bapat had an interactive session on the topic Value Innovation; a concept derived from the book "Blue Ocean Strategy". Value Innovation is the way forward for every business in the dynamic and competitive environment that it exists in. Underlining the importance of this concept, Mr Bapat explained the evolution of this philosophy with the help of pertinent industry examples. Encouraging a lot of application and participation from the students, he ensured active engagement of the audience. During the Q & A session following his presentation, Mr Bapat also talked about the electronics consumer durables market in the UAE and Supra's strategy for business development in the region.

Guest speaker: Mr Flemming Ravnsborg Andersen [Click for detailed profile] Designation: General Manager, Maersk Logistics. Lecture Topic: "Chemical and Green Logistics and Role of Business Intelligence in Supply Chains" Date: 18th February 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr Fleming discussed the role of business intelligence in supply chains. He shared insights about global practices in the polymer supply chains and their needs. He talked about the latest concepts in green logistics. Nations today are being more intolerant about the rising pollution and its ill effects like Global Warming. Companies can move up the value chain and make its operations more process oriented and thus save huge money. These savings can be utilized in implementing the concept of Green Logistics. By strict adherence to the Norms of MARPOL for pollution and by implementing ISO 14001 in the company, a company can effectively implement Green Logistics. This concept is always viable in the long run, since the cost to adopt green logistics need not be passed on to the end user. He was accompanied and supported by Ms Julie Chang, who is a chemical logistics expert at Maersk with prior experience handling logistics at BASF.

Guest speaker: Mr. Shiva Kumar [Click for detailed profile] Designation: VP & Managing Director, Mobile Phones, Nokia India Pvt Limited Lecture Topic: "Mobility in India and Nokia's Role" Date: 15th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Inarguably one of the best guest lectures in SPJCM, Mr Shiva Kumar dazzled and enlightened the audience with his wonderful insights on the telecom sector in the emerging markets. He started off the guest lecture by stating that one of the key aspects which has been overlooked by the most of the foreign players in Indian Mobility market is the fact that mobiles are used as a bridging medium for relatively poor infrastructure facilities. Mobile phones are not just a communicating medium. It stands for the safety, security and emotions and in totality forms an integral part of the life of a person. Nokia is one of the most recognized and admired brands in the world. Towards the Question and Answer session, a number of questions ranging from the strategies of Nokia in India to the future path for Indian Telecom Market were discussed. The students left the session with a great deal of accomplishment and pride of having the privilege of attending a brilliant session.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rahul Malhotra [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Head of Asia Pacific Advisory-Global Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch Lecture Topic: "Singapore-Asian Financial Hub- The Making of It" Date: 14th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Malhotra began his talk by sharing his knowledge on the Singapore economy and the ingredients that go into making any place a financial hub. He then went on to compare Singapore with Hong Kong and other financial hubs around the globe (Switzerland, London, New York etc.). He outlined how Singapore has grown as a financial hub and how it is positioned in the global financial markets. He also shared the vision that Singapore has for its growth and how it aims to achieve it and the challenges that lie ahead for it. Mr. Malhotra very patiently answered all the questions from the students at the end of his presentation. The session was interactive and a great learning experience for all.

Guest speaker: Mr. David Lim [Click for detailed profile] Designation: SAEEK Graduate Recruitment Lead, Accenture, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Grabbing the right job opportunity" Date: 13th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The high profile speaker from Accenture started discussing as to what are the methods recruiters resort to so as to track potential applicants. He went on to discuss the various methods recruiters use like portals, referrals, agencies etc. for this purpose. The speaker also mentioned the importance of cultural fit in an organization and it is very important on one's part to have a clear view of his/her career path before joining any particular organization. He also touched on the important aspects of salary negotiation, the common mistakes one should avoid during interviews and the compensation levels for MBAs in Singapore. Overall, it was a very informative session and the participants benefited a lot from Mr. Lim's experience and expertise.

Guest speaker: Dr. Carsten Tautz [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Director, Project Office and Product Management, MITSCo-Seekport FZ-LLC Lecture Topic: "Process improvement through project-based learning" Date: 11th Feb 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Dr Tautz started the discussion by highlighting the importance of information management systems in the software industry. While projects may be shortlived and temporary, the underlying framework of the processes followed can be utilized for future projects as well. Thus it becomes very important to document these processes and experiences in a central database or repository within the organisation. This database of "experiences" is called the Experience Factory. Dr Tautz explained the structure of this database and how it interfaces with the rest of the organisation. He also talked about the top-down and bottom-up approaches to design processes and discussed the GQM (goals, questions, methods) approach to implement them. At the end of his presentation, the professor was happy to answer questions from a keen audience.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rohit Dixit [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Head, Internal Management Consulting, Corporate Strategy Group, HP, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Strategic Management consulting" Date: 11th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Rohit Dixit made an enlightening presentation on Strategic Management consulting which was extremely insightful.Mr: Dixit kicked off the session by posing an interesting question on what exactly is Strategy Consulting. He followed up the explanation by taking the students through a day in life of a strategic management consultant. He also outlined in detail on the key to successful management consulting. Students were also provided insights on the means to chase a management consultancy of their choice. The session helped in bringing an in-depth perspective on Management Consultancy and various facets of the same.

Guest speaker: Dr. Barbara Degorge [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Academic Consultant Lecture Topic: "Economic Slavery in UAE" Date: 7th February 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Dr. Degorge shared her experiences and research on the history of slavery in general and economic slavery in particular. The focus of the discussion was on various types of economic slavery practised in this region and its modern day manifestations. Examples from diverse contexts and multiple countries made the session highly relevant and knowledgeable. Dr. Degorge also provided insights into the corporate culture of the region and discussed emerging economic trends in UAE and the Middle East.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rohit Diwan & Mr. Ravi Shankar Designation: Head campus recruitment & Head HR respectively, HCL Technologies Ltd., India Lecture Topic: "HCL Case Study Competition" Date: 4th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The HCL case study competition was one of the fiercely fought events in the campus in the recent past. A total of 19 teams with an average of 4-5 members per team participated in the competition. The competition entailed the candidates to go through a case study on HCL which detailed as to how HCL was evolving as a major player in the global arena and designing strategies for the future. Each team made a detailed presentation in front of the panel comprising of Mr. Rohit Diwan & Mr. Ravi Shankar (Head campus recruitment and Head HR respectively).The presentations were evaluated and prizes were distributed to the top two teams. The event provided a wonderful insight for the students about the trends in Indian IT sector in general and HCL as an organization in specific.

Guest speaker: Mr. Lokesh Datta Designation: Founder, Datta Associates, USA Lecture Topic: "Interviewing Successfully with Consultancy firms" Date: 3rd February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: This lecture was conducted for both the IT and Finance batches. It was primarily aimed at making the students understand what management consulting is all about and how to approach consulting interviews. The speaker explained some key aspects with respect to the field of management consulting, the basic skill sets that a management consultant should possess and the top management consulting firms of the world. He also explained the difference in roles between a management consultant and an IT consultant. He then went on to provide some basic guidelines that need to be understood to successfully tackle the case studies that form an integral part of any consulting interview. He also discussed some case studies with the students and the approach that needed to be taken for each of those. Overall, it was a great learning experience for the students and a very interesting session.

Guest speaker: Mr. Soumitro Gupta Designation: Head Human Resources, Franklin Templeton Asset Management, India Lecture Topic: "Franklin Templeton Asset Management" Date: 2nd February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Soumitra Gupta, Head - HR and CEEMEA, Franklin Templeton Asset Management, gave insights about how to choose your career anchor, the tools recruiters use while assessing a candidate, etc. He discussed in detail the various job profiles available in the Investment Banking and Wealth Management areas. He met the students from the above two streams in groups of 4 and gave them personal feedback on their resumes and how to go about preparing for interviews. Overall, it was a great experience having him on the campus and giving feedback at a time when it was most needed.

Guest speaker: Mr. Debi Prasad Designation: Head of Recruitment, ATOS Origin, India Lecture Topic: "Future of Indian IT industry" Date: 2nd February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Debi Prasad enlightened the IT management batch with insights on the current state and trends in the IT industry. He also spoke on the various avenues where IT makes an impact and where the potential for good job opportunities is high. He explained in detail the various profiles one can aim for in the IT arena by leveraging one's work experience and an MBA degree. Towards the end he discussed about ATOS Origin and its operations. The talk by Mr. Debi Prasad brought in new perspectives and cleared many a doubts of the participants.

Guest speaker: Mr. Badrinivas Designation: Vice President, Treasurer Global consumer group, Citibank, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Treasury Simulation Game" Date: 1st, 2nd, 3rd February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr.Badrinivas was here, from Citibank, India for three days to conduct a simulation on treasury management. This was the first time Citibank was conducting a simulation for students. This simulation until now was strictly for in-house training of the banks employees. The workshop consisted of lectures given by Mr.Badrinivas, followed by the simulation exercise. Some of the topics covered were: Introduction to treasury management Treasury management instruments Forward rate agreements Interest rate swaps Designing treasury products It was a very educational and enriching experience for the students as they had an opportunity to understand the treasury operations of the bank, firsthand.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rakesh Vij Designation: Business Head - Middle East, Turning Point Training & Assessment Systems FZ LLC Lecture Topic: " Building High performance organizations" Date: 27th January 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Vij began his presentation by describing the core philosophy and dimensions of High Performance Organisations. He then shared with the students necessary strategic initiatives needed to make high performance a part of organisational culture. He articulated how the concept of high performance teams have evolved over a period of time and where he believes this is headed. He gave a ringside view of his experiences with high performance teams and shared industry examples of the same. He also presented his insights into the competitive advantage organisations with high performance teams posses vis-a- vis others. The lecture was a wonderful learning experience and concluded with an intriguing Q&A session.

Guest speaker: Mr. Manoj Matthew [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Vice President Marketing & Corporate Communications, Real Media-Zee Network Lecture Topic: "Getting and Keeping Customers: Strategies for Customer Engagement, Experience Management, Loyalty and Retention" Date: 17th January 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr Matthew began his lecture with a brief introduction of the media industry as a whole and how it operates in the gulf region. The main theme of the lecture was how to retain customers and strategies for customer engagement. The experiences and learnings from his work were shared with the students. He gave examples from different industries ranging from airlines to hospitality, media to FMCG and explained how customers can be retained through continuous innovation and services provided to them as in case of the airline industry, or value additions as in case of the FMCG sector.

Guest speaker: Mr. Vasih Khan [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Cargo Systems Analyst NGCS, Emirates Airline, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Proof of Concepts with live Pilots across the supply chain at Emirates Airlines" Date: 16th January 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Vasih Khan from Emirates Skycargo spoke about the role of IT in Supply Chain Management. Speaking about operational challenges and distribution networks he stressed the need for implementation of RFID technology on supply chains today. The main thrust of RFID usage today is in enterprise supply chain management, improving the efficiency of inventory tracking and bringing in visibility in the supply chain. According to him RFID technology investments have justified returns.

Guest speaker: Mr. Himanshu Gupta [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Director, Local Corporate Sales, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Carry Trade" Date: 11th January 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The guest for the day, Mr. Himanshu Gupta began the session with a comparison of the spot rate between EUR VS USD; GBP VS USD; USD VS JAPAN and AUD VS USD.He went on to explain that the carry trade takes benefit of the interest arbitrage factor. The reasons why carry trade itself has emerged as a big industry was also explained. The whole process was explained by means of a simple carry trade between Japanese yen and Australian dollar. The guest also explained the concept of forward rate bias. Overall the session gave an excellent insight into the working of carry trade and its finer aspects.

Guest speaker: Rajendra Sisodia [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Renowned author and Professor of Marketing at Bentley College Lecture Topic: "Firms of Endearment" Date: 7th January 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning:Dr Sisodia shared a unique perspective towards business and marketing during his presentation, the theme of which was woven around his book - Firms of Endearment. "Firms of Endearment" as a concept is the most fundamental transformation in capitalism since Adam Smith. It's about gaining "share of heart," not just share of wallet. Dr Sisodia during his presentation stressed that FoE is not about Corporate Social Responsibility. It's about aligning the interests of all your stakeholders, not just juggling them. It's about understanding how the "new rules of capitalism" mirror the self-actualization focus of our aging society. It's about great companies like IDEO and IKEA, Commerce Bank and Costco, Wegmans and Whole Foods: how they've earned powerful loyalty and affection from all their stakeholders, while achieving stock performance that is truly breathtaking. An inspirational talk by a leading thinker, it was a great learning experience for all students.

Guest speaker: Professor Charles Fine [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management Lecture Topic: "Value Chain Dynamics in Communication and Beyond" Date: 14th December 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Prof. Charles H Fine spoke to the students about 'Value Chain Dynamics in Communications & Beyond'. He took us through the physics of flow in supply chains and the biology of evolution in value chains. He focused on supply chain strategy and value chain roadmapping, with a particular focus on fast-clockspeed manufacturing industries. His innovative 'Gear Model' approach to value chain road mapping showed how different sectors in the industry are interlinked as intermeshed gears. He shared his research about dynamic models for assessing the leverage among the various components in complex industrial value chains and principles for value chain design, based on strategic and logistical assessments.

Guest speaker: Mr. Paul William Bradley [Click for detailed profile] Designation: President - Arshiya International Lecture Topic: "The recent evolution of the supply chain industry and new SCM models evolving in Asia. " Date: 5th October, 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Bradely began his presentation by describing the core philosophy, the vision and the values of Arshiya International along with a profile of the organization. He then shared with the students emerging trends in the Supply Chain Industry with special focus on Asia. He articulated how supply chains in China and India have evolved over a period of time and where he believes they are headed. He gave a ringside view of the physical highways and the virtual highways created by China and India respectively and how these would define each courtier’s future as a global supply chain destination. He also presented his insights into the competitive advantage these countries posses in context of the prevailing industry dynamics. The lecture was a wonderful learning experience and concluded with an intriguing Q&A session.

Guest speaker: Dr. Christopher Holmes [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Research Director for Manufacturing Insights in Asia/Pacific, a part of the IDC Group of Companies Lecture Topic: "Product Road mapping: Concept through to Application" Date: 3rd October, 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Dr Holmes shared his experiences on how product road mapping can help companies to identify appropriate technology that will enable them to upgrade and evolve in the flat world. He demonstrated using multiple case studies how this process involves the completion of an initial assessment and then progressing to technology road mapping where business drivers are mapped against technology requirements producing a roadmap to allow the company to plan its technology development and acquisition. Examples from diverse industries including aerospace, high-tech and telecom etc made the session highly relevant and knowledgeable. Dr Holmes also provided insights into IDC's operations in the region and discussed what the emerging trends in global manufacturing were.

Guest speaker: Mr. Jason Goff Designation: Head Group Treasury Sales, Emirates Bank, UAE Lecture Topic: “Financial crisis over the past 30 years with an emphasis on Sub prime crisis” Date: 3rd October, 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Goff talked about the financial crisis over the last 30 years and the current Sub prime credit crisis. He threw light on the fluctuating economic cycles and expressed concern over the current scenario. According to Mr. Goff the interdependence between various economies of the world, partly as a result of globalization, has made the markets more complex than ever before. He also expressed concern over the US trade deficit, burgeoning US fiscal deficit and declining US dollar. The emergence of Asia as the world growth engine propelled by high growth rates in China and India is causing an economic power shift in the world. In his reply to one of the questions he expressed concern over the high inflation in UAE and Dubai in particular. His presentation had a lot of personal opinion on the data collected over the years and elucidated that the financial world is going to witness some of the most interesting times in its history.

Guest speaker: Mr. Harshit Jain [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Head-Liabilities and Transactional Banking division, National Bank of Dubai, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Selling has passed its Sell-by Date with special reference to BFSI" Date: 13th September 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Expectations of students vis-à-vis careers in Banking Operations were clarified and tips on how to be successful in banking were highlighted. Mr. Jain shared his personal testimony about how he started his career in the systems division of a bank and moved up the ladder chain right after completing his MBA.

Guest speaker: Mr.Yogendra Durlabji Designation: Entrepreneur Lecture Topic: "Social Entrepreneurship in India: The Story of a Hospital" Date: 10th September 2007 Campus: Singapore Key learning: Mr. Yogendra Durlabji spoke about Social Entrepreneurship in India and how it is imperative for Indians to take on responsibilities to uplift and create equitable distribution of resources in society. Social Entrepreneurship is at a reasonably nascent stage right now, as entrepreneurship is usually associated with profits. He also went on to explain the need of the bourgeoisie to understand the social responsibility they have.

Guest speaker: Mr. Dan Swartwood Designation: Director, Value Chain, Pragmatek Consulting Group, Minneapolis, USA Lecture Topic: "Supply Chain Management & SCOR" Date: 8th September 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The guest speaker introduced the SCOR (Supply-Chain Operations Reference) model in supply chain management, which is a new methodology of evaluating inventories, strategies and other critical details to ensure an efficient and cost effective work flow process. He went on to explain how SCOR enables users to address, improve, and communicate supply-chain management practices within and between all interested parties- spanning from the supplier's supplier to the customer's customer. He mentioned how the SCOR-model has been developed to describe the business activities associated with all phases of satisfying a customer's demand.

Guest speaker: Mr. Prithvi Shergill Designation: Human Capital Strategy Lead - Accenture, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Aligning Investments in Strategic Workforces with Executive Priorities to Achieve High Performance" Date: 6th September 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The speaker, Mr. Prithvi Shergill began the talk by introducing the audience to contemporary HR strategies. As Accenture is primarily involved in Management Consultancy, his speech was laced with facts and figures and his own experiences. He believed that investments made can be effective if and only if the work force is strategically involved and managerial efficiencies are maintained.

Guest Speaker: Mr. Rakesh Wahi [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Chairman & Managing Director, Capital Management Advisors (CMA), Dubai Lecture Topic: "Private Equity as a Business with Case Study on CNBC, Africa and Microsoft, Srilanka" Date: 4th September 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: The guest speaker, Mr. Rakesh Wahi spoke about the investment strategies of Private Equity funds. Hands-on practical tips on investing in Private equity funds with challenges faced in real life were illustrated in this lecture. He started with the Sun Tzu tactics of war, a major highlight in approaching new terrains in investing in business. This immediately helped him grab the attention of his audience. While sharing the experiences he had in Africa with CNBC and in Srilanka with Microsoft, he gave detailed explanations regarding all aspects of Private Equity funds - right from the different roles and forms of private equity, to its advantages to investors, to how regional characteristics define the investment strategies for a PE. His lecture was a wonderful learning experience which left the audience impressed by the quality and the level of learning achieved.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rahul Maharishi Designation: Vice President , Van Gogh Preferred Banking, ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Dubai Lecture Topic: "Banking & Financial Services in UAE" Date: 30th August 2007 Campus: Dubai Key learning: Mr. Rahul Maharishi spoke about the banking and financial services industry in the UAE. He highlighted the fact that knowledge of the local culture and customs is a vital instrument for foreign banks to operate in the UAE. The students were very impressed when he stressed on how passion and a hunger to follow ones inner dream were an important keys to a successful career.

Guest speaker: Dr Lynda Wee Designation: Principal/Senior Vice President, Learning & Development, Capitaland, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Mall Management in Singapore" Date: 30th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key learning: Dr Lynda Wee's speech was primarily targeted at the retail industry. She felt that with the onset of organized retail sector in the world, mall management is one of the core concepts that one needs to imbibe in order to be successful managers. She talked about various strategies that malls adopt in order to increase productive foot falls

Guest speaker: Mr. Kaushik Gathak Designation: Director, SCM Applications - Global Sales Support Division, Oracle Corporation, Singapore Lecture Topic: Trends in Supply Chain Management Date: 25th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The speaker talked about the issues facing Supply Chain for Oracle, their competitive strategies and the effect of globalization on their business. He also talked about the changing sales requirements and the need to upscale their sales operations.

Guest speaker: Mr. Stefano Pelle [Click for detailed profile] Designation: MD, Perfetti India Lecture Topic: "Emerging Market Trends and Special Focus on BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China)" Date: 23rd August 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: The lecture began with the guest speaker showing the audience clippings of some major events that have shaped the destiny of the world over the past 15 years to bring across the point of the world now becoming a global village and thereby bringing about major changes in the market dynamics across nations. The impact of this change was specifically discussed in the context of the four major emerging countries namely Brazil, Russia, China, India (BRIC countries) which are predicted to be the economic leaders of the world in the next 25 years. The distinguished speaker went on to explain specifically as to what were the key factors that were propelling these countries towards this unprecedented growth, with a focus on the different approach to growth between India and China followed by a discussion on the pros and cons of each of these approaches in the light of a global scenario. The speaker also focused on the power of media and advertising in influencing the minds of the public. The session stood out for its innovative method of presentation and quality of content.

Guest speaker: Mr. Sharukh Masood Designation: Head HR-Reckitt Benckiser, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Career and growth prospects in FMCG vertical " Date: 22nd August 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Sharukh Masood began his presentation by highlighting the core philosophy, the vision and the values of Reckittt Benckiser along with a profile of the organization. He also spoke about the flagship products of the company like Dettol, Harpic etc. and how they have been able to completely dominate the markets in their respective areas. The lecture provided an insight into the various prospects in FMCG sector and the recruitment process followed by Reckitt Benckiser. Mr. Sharukh spoke about the different stages of growth of an individual in his organization, the roles offered, the challenges associated with the different roles and most importantly the willingness to be always on the move in any capacity in the organization. Mr. Sharukh also explained the HR policies governing his organization and praised S P Jain for maintaining its commitment towards producing "Managers and not just students with an MBA degree". The presentation ended with a video footage of Reckitt Benckiser's induction program.

Guest speaker: Mr. Suresh Kalpathy Designation: Director - Partner Strategy, Marketing & Programs, Asia Pacific, Microsoft, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Where is IT headed - Trends and Business priorities in shaping IT for the future & Return of the Fundamentals" Date: 22nd August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: As the topic suggests, Mr. Suresh Kalpathy spoke about the IT infrastructure in the world today and dynamic requirements which are ever-changing. The discussion then turned towards Globalization and how the world was turning into a global village due to the internet and other networking facilities

Guest speaker: Mr. Gordon Simpson Designation: Sr. Vice President-Human Resources, Asia Pacific - DHL Logistics, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Talent Management within DHL Logistics" Date: 16th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Gordon Simpson started by explaining what Talent Management is. It is the process through which employers anticipate their human capital needs and set about meeting them. Getting the right people with the right skills into the right jobs is a common definition of talent management and it is the basic people management challenge in organizations. DHL is one of the best case studies for Supply Chain Management and hence this lecture was well received by most students who aspire to be a part of it some day. He went on to enumerate the strategies and competencies of DHL and how it was consistently moving towards and maintaining its leadership position.

Guest speaker: Ms. Diana David Designation: Regional Director, Circulation / Business Development, Financial Times Asia, Hong Kong Lecture Topic: "Enhancing your Judgment, Leadership and Experience" Date: 15th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Ms. David spoke about the three key factors that an individual needs in order to succeed in ones career - Judgment, Leadership and Experience. She said that we must keep enhancing and bettering ourselves in these areas in order to continue growing as individuals as well as professionally. Financial Times is one of the most informative and appreciated papers across the world; hence her talk also gave a better understanding of the paper, its financials, its sources, targets and other details which created fodder for further discussion amongst the students.

Guest speaker: Dr. Vikas Uberoi Designation: US based independent consultant Lecture Topic: "Corporate social responsibility aspects relating to supply chain management and business development" Date: 15th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Dr. Vikas Uberoi spoke about the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives undertaken by various organizations and highlighted the ITC e-Choupal scheme, through which ITC aims to confer the power of expert knowledge on even the smallest individual farmer, thus enhancing his competitiveness in the global market. He felt that CSR initiatives have become a moral responsibility of corporates today. He also talked about the extensive media coverage that corporates get for their ventures in philanthropy and improving the environment around them.

Guest speaker: Mr. Thomas Kuruvilla Designation: Managing Director and Head, Strategy & Organizational Practice, Middle East & South Asia, Arthur D Little, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Globalization - Key consideration for Corporations" Date: 13th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Arthur D. Little is one of the most respected and successful consultancies in Asia and Middle East. As a consultant, Mr. Thomas Kuruvilla suggested that corporations need to be sensitive to the needs and sentiments of different countries and that it is the spirit of globalization which has to be encouraged for the boundaries to dissolve.

Guest speaker: Mr. Suraj Mishra Designation: Chief Executive Officer, Prudential Asset Management (Singapore) Ltd., Singapore Lecture Topic: "Funds history to status and challenges in the APAC and Middle East" Date: 10th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Suraj Mishra spoke about the credit policies in Singapore and then turned the discussion towards Asset Management requirements and the market potential for the same. As Investment banking happens to be the hot favorite amongst corporates today, it was an informative talk on Asset Management and Wealth Management

Guest speaker: Dr. Tariq Yousef [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Dean, Dubai School of Government, Dubai Lecture Topic: "The Economies of the Middle East from boom to bust, and back" Date: 17th July 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Dr Yousef enlightened the audience on the emergence of the Arab economy in the last 30 years. Inferences were drawn from 70's which saw a transition phase as a result of a sudden upsurge in oil prices. This placed the economy on the global map but the mid eighties gave it a different twist with a sudden slump in oil prices which had a serious bearing on the economy. Coming back to the present, with oil prices gaining momentum again, the big question arises - What next?? Is the Middle East still susceptible to the movements in oil prices or are there other means that will ensure that the impact is kept under check? Although the Middle East has diversified its revenue streams into hospitality, tourism, financials, real estate, manufacturing sectors and other services, the oil prices still impact the region's balance sheet. Dr. Yousef also drew upon the shifts in economic thinking right from the neo classical era to Keynesian economics with a famous quote of Keynes "In the long run we are all dead". From the State controlled era to the free market economy where the forces of invisible hands interact to form a price-demand-supply mechanism.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rajiv Taneja Designation: Faculty - SIBM, India Lecture Topic: "Direct marketing and Key Accounts management" Date: 16th July 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Rajiv Taneja spoke about how Key Accounts Management (KAM) is an area that has been the apple of the eye for a lot of C level executives. The idea essentially originated in firms like HLL, for whom, there are multiple big/small portfolios and accounts and hence it would be suicidal for them to ignore even the minutest of details with them. In recent years, key account management has become a crucial issue for many companies. Driven by some form of 80/20 rule - 80% of current or potential revenues come from 20% of customers - many firms have come to realize that these customers must be treated somewhat differently from the average customer.

Guest speaker: Mr. Nirmal Gupta Designation: Faculty - S P Jain Dubai/Singapore, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad Lecture Topic: "Sales Forecasting for New Product Launches" Date: 1st July, 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Dr. Nirmal Gupta truly lived up to his stature and discussed a key area of interest - he spoke about the various methods to undertake sales forecasting and other allied fields. He also spoke of the necessary details to bear in mind while launching a new product. Sales forecasting is a difficult area of management and the sales forecasting process is a critical one for most businesses. Key decisions that are derived from a sales forecast include- Employment levels required, Promotional mix and Investment in production capacity.

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