Samvit in National Media!

IIM Lucknow hosts leading bankers at Samvit 2010

Samvit, IIM Lucknow's Leadership Summit, ended today on a high note. The two day event drew to close today with some of the biggest names in the corporate world and economists coming down to the campus for a panel discussion. The theme for this year's event and the topic for the panel discussion, "Financial Regulation & Development in India: Challenges & Prospects" saw the very best of the corporate world and policymakers thrash out ideas that could lay down the growth platform for the country in the years to come. The Master of Ceremonies for this year's panel discussion was Mr. Bhupesh Bhandari, a senior editor with Business Standard.

The key note speakers for this year's event were - Mr. Atul Khosla (Country Head Oliver Wyman), Mr. V Bunty Bohra (CEO Goldman Sachs India), Mr. Vikas Vasal (Executive Director KPMG), Mr Sanjiv Bhasin (CEO DBS Bank) and Mr.Suresh Senapaty (CFO Wipro Ltd.) and Mr. Amitabha Ghosh (Former Governor, RBI).

 Mr. Bhandari set the tone for the event by driving home the importance of financial regulation. He said that the Indian economy has a unique identity of its own and that any resemblance it shares with the US economy in terms of structure or policies is a matter of happenstance. He also remarked upon the key roles which the soon to be instituted Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) has to play.

Speaking on the topic, Mr. Amitabha Ghosh (Former Governor, RBI), commended the role of RBI in formulating policies for the economic wellbeing of the economy, but was also critical about the scale and efficacy with which these policies are being implemented. He was of the opinion that instead of government bodies formulating policies, an environment of discipline wherein all the financial players have a set of "Self Regulations", a practice that once incorporated at the top level would percolate to the lower levels and ensure overall economic health.

Mr Sanjiv Bhasin (CEO DBS Bank) quipped that regulations might be something that might not go down too well with a few, but the regulation is of immense importance in the current volatile macroeconomic environment. He said that for regulations to achieve their true purpose they should be relevant to the market and the overall macroeconomic scenario. Elucidating his stance he mentioned that these regulations have a widespread impact on common people, so the regulators have to be very cautious while laying down norms.

Mr. Suresh Senapaty (CFO Wipro Ltd.) delivered a spirited speech in which he talked about the various phases of economic reforms and the importance such reforms hold for the future. He said that with limited or no social safety cover , the policy makers should come up with policies that mitigate any risks that might emerge in the capital or the debt market.Pressing on the importance of a deeper secondary debt market, Mr. Senapaty spoke about an environment of confidence in which all segments of the society can prosper.

Mr. Atul Khosla (Country Head Oliver Wyman), delved into the topic of inclusive growth. He stressed upon the enhancement of risk coverage in public as well as private markets. Mr. Khosla said that overall consumer protection should be at the apex of any policy initiative.

Mr. Vikas Vasal (Executive Director KPMG), pointed out that the focus of economic activities have shifted from the west to the east. In the new light, it is important to device strategies to tap the massive growth potential that India has. Commending the core Indian values of prudency, Mr. Vasal said that it is due to these virtues that we largely went unscathed in the worst economic crisis after the Great Depression.

Mr. V Bunty Bohra (CEO Goldman Sachs India), was of the opinion that higher inclusion and robust capital markets are the need of the hour. He also highlighted the importance of governance stability and oversight.

The discussion was followed by a Q&A session in which the students and faculty of the institute probed the leaders on a variety of topics concerning the financial sector. Samvit - 2010 drew to a close with the event Consilium - The policymaking event, in which two member teams presented their views on fiscal and monetary policy.

The two day extravaganzas saw teams from other institutes such as MDI and IIM Indore come down to the campus and participate in the various events organized as a part of Samvit. The event was cordially accepted by both the faculty and the students. Speaking about the event, Ayush a first student said, "The event has been a revelation of sorts to the students at the campus. Not only have we been treated to a host of competitions, but also we have gained insights into the current and future economic conditions of the country".

IIM Lucknow’s Samvit – 2010, begins on a high note

Samvit - the Annual Leadership Summit of IIM Lucknow began on a propitious note today. The theme for this year’s summit is “Financial Regulation & Development in India: Challenges & Prospects”. The premier institute hosted Dr. Subir Gokarn, Deputy Governor Reserve Bank of India to unveil the theme for Samvit on the 13th of November. The main event for this year’s Samvit is the panel discussion which is scheduled to be held on the morning of Sunday 28th of November.

Over the years, Samvit has signified the homecoming of some of the biggest corporate leaders in India for the panel discussion at IIM Lucknow. Some of the names that have been associated with Samvit in the past are, Ms Kalpana J Moraparia (Chief JP Morgan India), Ms Meera Sanyal (Head ABN Amro), Mr. Pramod Bhasin (Chairman, NASSCOM), Ms Naina Lal Kidwai (India Head HSBC) and Padma Bhushan Dr. J J Irani. In continuation of the tradition, this year the institute is playing host to noted bankers and industry stalwarts – Mr. Atul Khosla (Country Head Oliver Wyman), Mr. V Bunty Bohra (CEO Goldman Sachs India), Mr. Vikas Vasal (Executive Director KPMG), Mr Sanjiv Bhasin (CEO DBS Bank) and Mr. Suresh Senapaty (CFO Wipro Ltd.) – for the panel discussion. Former RBI Governor Mr. Amitabha Ghosh will also be present to express his views on the challenges and prospects of the current regulatory environment.

In the run up to the main event, the first day of Samvit saw some exhilarating events being organised on campus. The students also got a feeler of the finance world through “Stratagem – The national level Mergers & Acquisitions Competition”. The unique event allowed the students to delve deep into financial concepts and exercise their wisdom at real time scenarios. “Finquizitive – The finance quiz” had the participants by their breath till the end. The highlight of the first day was the finance workshop conducted by Mr. Vaidya Nathan, a certified trainer who works in close association with brands such as JP Morgan Chase, Citibank and Deutsche Bank. 

Speaking about the event Hansraj Mishra, a second year student from IIM Lucknow said, “Such events which bring the industry and the academia on a common platform provide a fresh perspective to the holistic learning at B-school. More such initiatives should be taken in future”. In all the first day of the event was fun filled yet insightful. The institute now awaits the panel discussion that shall be held on Sunday morning.

Citibank Head demystifies the world of LBOs at IIM Lucknow

The students of IIM Lucknow got their fair taste of  the world of finance through the guest talk by Mr Rahul Shukla, Head Corporate Banking, Citigroup, India. Mr Shukla, who had joined Citi in 1991,was most recently heading the bank's telecom, media and technology practice in the Asia Pacific. Under his leadership, Citi's TMT franchise was recognized as the best in Asia by Finance Asia and the Asset Magazine for 3 years in a row.

The theme of the talk was centered around leveraged buyouts and the mathematics behind the same. Mr. Shukla began the session with a brief introduction to the leading private equity players in the Asian markets. Mr. Shukla thereon extensively covered the various phases that constitute the LBO process. He highlighted the key drivers of an LBO, its illustrative transaction structure and financial model output that is expected of the analyst. Mr. Shukla concluded the session with LBO valuation and an extensive Q&A session. The students were completely at awe for his sharp rhetoric and in-depth understanding of the core issues.

The lecture was organized as a part of Prodigies – The Leadership Series by the Industry Interaction Cell, IIM Lucknow. This talk was in continuation of the institute’s endeavor to expose students to a variety of exciting job opportunities and providing them the necessary exposure to leadership roles.

Dr. Subir Gokarn - Deputy Governor RBI unveils theme for Samvit-2010

IIM Lucknow’s Annual Leadership Summit is set to reach an unprecedented scale this year. The summit is scheduled on the 27^th & 28^th of November 2010 with DBS Bank being the Title Sponsor for the event.

The Summit will span two days with the first day comprising competitions involving policy design, M&A and financial engineering workshops while the second day will see the who’s who of the finance world in India ideate on “Financial Regulation & Development in India: Challenges & Prospects” which is the theme of the Summit.

Over the years the Summit has been host to some of the biggest names from the corporate arena in the past. Some of the leaders who have been a part of this august event in the past are Ms. Kalpana J Morparia (CEO - JPMorgan), Mr. Ajit Balakrishnan (Founder & CEO - Rediff.com), Mr. Pramod Bhasin (Chairman - Nasscom & President and CEO - Genpact), Ms. Meera Sanyal (Country Head - ABN AMRO), Dr. Biswadip Mitra (Country Head – Texas Instruments), Dr Sandeep Pandey (2002 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner), Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai (Country Head, HSBC) and Dr. J. J. Irani to name a few.

While the Key Note Speakers for this year is strictly under wraps, IIM Lucknow students can hardly wait. Radhakrishnan, a second year student comments “Every year Samvit has seen India’s biggest Leaders come to IIM Lucknow. Given that the Indian economy is shaping up and the global economy expanding, the theme of the summit is highly germane for all of us and we are looking forward to big leaders congregating at IIM Lucknow”

To unravel the theme for this year’s summit, IIM Lucknow will host Dr. Subir Gokarn, Deputy Governor RBI on the 13^th of November. Dr. Gokarn will set the ball rolling by sharing his insights on “Financial Regulation & Development in India: Challenges & Prospects”. The Summit thus will see a number of high profile speakers come to IIM Lucknow before the Summit to share their insights as preludes to the Big Day itself. Rudraditya, a coordinator with the Industry Interaction Cell, IIM Lucknow which is organizing the Summit commented “We want the Summit to ultimately become one of India’s biggest incubators of ideas. To that end, you will see the event evolving” 

Lessons in Marketing - Mukul Deoras - VP & GM Colgate Palmolive

The students of IIM Lucknow were treated to a thrilling talk by Mr Mukul Deoras – VP & GM Colgate – Palmolive South Asia Region. The top honcho of the USD 15 billion giant was not just insightful about marketing concepts but also affable to queries by inquisitive students. Mr Deoras primarily touched upon topics such as product development, pricing, promotion, distribution channels and removing bottle necks in the supply chain. The central theme was how to establish urban luxury goods in the rural segment and tap the demand that lies at the bottom of the pyramid. Frequently quoting the book “The Fortune At The Bottom Of The Pyramid” by Dr C K Prahalad, Mr Deoras focussed a lot on rural marketing channels and the tremendous marketing potential that exists among the rural poor.

The highlight of the session was Mr Deoras’s vivid explanation of the LUP – Low Units of Production business model. Mr Deoras provided adequate examples of brands such as Nirma that worked extensively not through the modus of high working capital but through carefully planning and executing high product turnovers to ensure high profit. He also talked about various marketing strategies that can be used to attract the uninitiated rural consumers. He extolled the virtues of initiatives such as Arvind eye hospital and quoted similar examples from across the globe.

The students of the college responded enthusiastically to the queries put up by Mr Deoras and frequently quizzed him on matters pertaining to subjects such as promotion, branding, packaging etc. It was indeed an event one could learn from. Concluding the talk Mr Deoras commended the students for their response and wished them luck for their future endeavours. The talk was organised as a part of Prodigies – The Leadership Series by the Industry Interaction Cell IIM Lucknow. The talk was in continuation of the institute’s endeavour to expose students to a variety of exciting job opportunities and providing them the necessary exposure to leadership roles.