Guest Lectures – Page 2 – The IIM Kashipur Blog

Myntra at IIM Kashipur

The COO of Myntra.com, Mr. Ganesh Subramanian came to IIM Kashipur on Friday, 24th January. In a hearty interaction with the students, he recounted how Myntra, which started from a garage, climbed up the e-commerce ladder to become India’s largest online fashion store.

Myntra is fast growing into an e-commerce giant with over 1500 employees and over $75 million in funding from top investors like Tiger Global and Accel Partners. Recording a footfall of over 600 thousand each day, they have received prestigious awards like IAMAI’s Best Ecommerce Website of the year award for 2012 and Red Herring Global 100 award. Mr. Ganesh highlighted some important points along Myntra’s journey, right from its inception as a personalised t-shirt selling organisation in 2007 to capturing a 30% market share in online fashion e-commerce in 2013. He talked at length about the growing importance of continuously improving the supply chain of a company since it will be the differentiating factor that can tip the balance in favour of an organisation. He emphasised that always having an entrepreneurial and organic outlook towards business is the key since that is what creates a sense of goodwill and satisfaction among both employees and customers. In view of this, Myntra has collaborated with designers like Rohit Bal and Manish Arora to give shoppers the best and newest in fashion. Recently actor Hrithik Roshan launched his active lifestyle apparel and casual wear brand HRX exclusively on Myntra.

The students were keen to know Myntra’s future propositions and their strategy to delve into the huge semi-urban and rural market among other things, which Mr. Ganesh answered expertly. A thought from him that stayed with the students was,” If 8 out of 10 people reject your idea outright, I guarantee that it is a phenomenal one.”

Guest Lecture by Mr. Sanjay Mehta, CEO (Textile division), Trident Industries

On 25th January 2014, Mr. Sanjay Mehta, CEO (Textile division), Trident Industries visited IIM Kashipur to have an interaction with the students of PGP2013-15 batch and shared his experiences and valuable insights with them. Starting the discussion, Mr. Mehta emphasized on the importance of empowerment of women. He said that women are taking their righteous place in the society which is very important as the growth of any business, society or nation depends on the development of the women folk.

Moving on to the technical aspects of business in particular marketing, he told that travelling is also one of the major ways which provides a person an opportunity to learn business skills, negotiations and much more. Mr. Mehta is a firm believer of product innovation and sustainability. He also believes that marketing is something which one keeps sharpening on daily basis. Sharing his career experience, he told that the present scenario in domestic marketing is quite myopic as compared to international marketing and that overseas markets and the opportunity they offer cannot be ignored in any segment. Culture is yet another important criterion in international context as well as in a highly culturally rich country as India since color, design, choices and various things depends on it. Mr. Mehta also talked about the intricacies of the Indian textile market highlighting the fact that it is a big market but is unstructured and fragmented.

Moving on further to discuss the details of the international market he said that increased competition, political and economic instability are some of the hurdles in doing business internationally. However, a complete political, social, economic, cultural, technological and legal analysis helps to do better market selection. He also said that management’s commitment to international markets is necessary.

Dr. Richard Vlosky at IIM Kashipur

Professor and Director of Louisiana Forest Products Development Center and Crosby Land and Resources Professor in Forest Sector Business Development at Louisiana State University, Dr. Richard Vlosky gave a lecture on Forest Management and Research to the students of IIM Kashipur.

Professor and Director of Louisiana Forest Products Development Center, Dr. Richard Vlosky @ IIM Kashipur

S Chandra Kumar, Former COO, Air India Express

Mr. Nikhil Mehta, Executive Director, Corporate Strategy at Nomura

Adding onto the next chapter of the guest lectures by esteemed dignitaries, Mr. Nikhil Mehta, Executive Director, Corporate Strategy at Nomura interacted with the students at IIM Kashipur and gave them knowledgeable insights on Mergers and Acquisitions. He explained the length and breadth of financial market and the strategic reasons that drive organizations into M&A. The future managers also came across tactics of buyers and sellers and the important roles of Investment Bank in this arena.

Mr. Mehta is an expert in M&A and Strategy with 10+ years of financial services experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, financial planning & budgeting and mortgage credit lending. He is an MBA from Georgetown University, a commerce graduate from Shri Ram College of Commerce and a Chartered Accountant.

Nomura is the leading financial services group which provides services across various divisions such as retails, asset management and wholesale. It provides a broad range of solutions to individual, institutional and government clients through its network in 30 countries. In 2009, it achieved a No.1 ranking for customer market share on the London Stock Exchange. Nomura was actively involved in the reconstruction of East Japan post the earthquake disaster and has contributed to the society through The Nomura charitable trust and Nomura foundation.

Interaction with Industry expert: Mr. Nitin Jain, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, OCM

Mr. Nitin Jain (Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, OCM) visited IIM Kashipur on 29th Nov and shared his experience in marketing and brand building in the textile industry.

Mr. Jain has a vast experience spanning 15 years working with companies such as International Textile Group (ITG), Burlington Industries (now ITG) in United States and Nano- Tex in Hong Kong. He has also worked with Raymond (India) as President, Strategic Initiatives and has a keen interest in equity trading.

He started off the interaction by clearing some of the myths related to marketing. He briefed the students about the recent change in guard at OCM, and how it led to a rebranding exercise in view of OCM shifting its focus away from the ready-to-wear segment. The rebranding of OCM as “An affordable fashion for aspirational minds” and the ‘Face life’ campaign generated interest among the students. Participants discussed the finer aspects of the ad campaign and became curious as to why OCM moving away from using any brand ambassador.

Mr. Nitin Jain interacting with students of IIM Kashipur

The suiting offered by OCM come in a huge price window and catering to the age group of 25 yrs to 35 yrs. Students were inquisitive about the go-to-market strategy of OCM to which Mr. Jain highlighted that Single brand retail stores were not cost effective hence they moved on to Multi brand outlets as their primary customer touch point. This strategy helped OCM in catering to the tier 2 and 3 cities.

The discussion was followed by the one to one interaction with the guest. The students picked his brain with queries from various aspects ranging from financials, operational difficulties, retail marketing and brand makeover. “Tailor made suits are the biggest challenge we face. Tailoring is a dying skill” he added when asked about the challenges faced by suiting industry. He also provided the students with the insights on OCM and its work culture. The students of IIM Kashipur enjoyed the session as it provided them with a clearer picture of what are the challenges in the textile industry and also informed about the expectations from them in the near future, if they venture into the marketing space in textile industry.

Interaction with Industry expert: Mr. Shouvik Mukherjee, VP and Growth Unit Head at Jubilant Life Sciences

The students of IIM Kashipur got an opportunity to interact with Mr. Shouvik Mukherjee, VP and Growth Unit Head at Jubilant Life Sciences. Mr. Mukherjee has a Masters degree in Agriculture and has worked with renowned firms such as Bush Boake Allen, Monsanto and also served as the VP of Agrochemical division at Sudarshan Chemicals.

The session began in a very interactive manner as the students posed questions on topics such as Genetically Modified Crops and their regulation in India. In response to the questions, Mr. Mukherjee talked about the differences in marketing of agricultural products in India and abroad. He drew upon his vast experience in dealing with international markets and demonstrated the differences between doing business in India and abroad. He informed the students about the numerous avenues through which a company can acquaint itself with potential foreign clients. He stressed on using avenues like International trade fairs and Embassies of foreign countries in reaching out to clients abroad.

Mr. Shouvik Mukherjee addressing students of IIM Kashipur

Speaking further on trade relations with International clients, Mr. Mukherjee spoke of obstructions to free trade and the negative impact of protectionist measures in preventing the opening up of new markets. He also discussed about the exact opposite, wherein the government steps in to prevent a meltdown of the local industry in the wake of fierce and unfair competition from firms operating in other countries. Spurred on by the keen interest of the students in cases where anti-dumping duties were imposed, Mr. Mukerjee elucidated the concept with some real examples from agri-business. Some of the students questioned the nature of anti-dumping duties and pointed out that it could be construed as a form of protectionism adopted by the home country. The confusion was eliminated soon after, as Mr. Mukherjee pointed towards several cases in which significant evidence of unfair practices could be found.

As the session came to a close, Mr. Mukherjee offered helpful advice to the students on building strong client relationships. He emphasized on the need to follow business etiquette in dealing with international clients and its importance in building rapport with people from vastly different backgrounds. The students of IIM Kashipur found the session very informative as it provided them with a better understanding of the life-sciences industry and also a glimpse of how global selling occurs.

Interaction with Anurag Goel (Member, Competition Commission of India)

On the 26^th of October 2012, the students of IIM Kashipur had the privilege of interacting with Mr. Anurag Goel (Member, Competition Commission of India). Mr. Goel joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1972 and has been Member, Competition Commission of India (CCI) for more than two years. He has rich experience of corporate governance and competition regulation, including nearly 3 ½ years as Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Corporate Affairs and varied earlier assignments in the Ministries of Finance, Home, Defence, Civil Aviation etc. He has also been Member of Boards of SEBI, DMRC, Air India, Indian Airlines, Airports Authority of India and a large number of other entities. He is also a member of the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs.

At the beginning of the session, Mr. Goel provided a brief overview of the CCI and the Competition Act, 2002. He described the role of CCI in making the markets work for the benefit and welfare of consumers. He gave examples of how the CCI had intervened to break anti-competitive agreements, such as the Cartelisation of Cement industry. He impressed on the students, the need for markets to be fair and free, which would aid the country in achieving faster growth and development. He also touched upon the need for competition policies to make sure that the scarce natural resources are used in the most effective manner possible.

Mr. Anurag Goel interacting with the students and faculty of IIM Kashipur

Mr. Goel was keen to spend most of the available time in interacting with the students, and hence he limited his session on the CCI, instead preferring to answer the many questions that the students wished to ask him. The students quizzed Mr. Goel on topics ranging from the role of CCI in Mergers and Acquisitions, to the implications of FDI in retail sector. While answering the students, Mr. Goel spoke of how Regulation needs to exist for promoting healthy competition and innovation, rather than stifling it. The students were also privileged to hear Mr. Goel talk about his efforts as the Corporate Affairs Secretary, in the Government intervention which helped save Satyam Computers in the wake of the corporate scandal in 2009. By the end of the session, the students had a clear idea of the important role performed by CCI. They thoroughly enjoyed the session, as it gave them an opportunity to interact with a stalwart of corporate governance in India.

Interaction with Industry expert: Prasana Krishnan, Chief Operating Officer at Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd.

Mr Prasana Krishnan, COO at Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd. visited IIM Kashipur and shared his experiences in the Business of Sports.

Mr. Prasana Krishnan has more than a decade of experience in the Broadcast Media industry during which he worked for the Times of India group before moving to his current firm, the Nimbus group, which owns two leading 24×7 sports broadcasting channels in Indian sub-continent – Neo Cricket and Neo Sports. He has also worked as a consultant with Arthur Andersen in the Power & Utilities practice.

Mr. Prasana Krishnan Interacting with the students of IIM Kashipur

Mr. Prasana Krishnan drew attention to the peculiar nature of the sports business. In stark contrast to most other industries, the stakeholders of the holding companies try to maximise the performance of their teams, rather than trying to maximise their profits. Indeed, in no other Industry than the Football clubs of Europe, does the regulator insist on limiting the loss incurred by teams, as a financial fair-play mechanism. He also spoke at length on the irresistible lure of sports, which even attracts politicians of the country, who often preside the Governing bodies of various sports.

Mr. Krishnan showcased the sheer scale with which the Sports Industry operates- Globally, it is estimated to be worth more than 600 billion US dollars. The sports infrastructure includes Infrastructure construction, Sports goods, licensed products and Events, of which Sports Infrastructure is the most expensive, often requiring generous funding from Governments. Later, Mr. Krishnan gave an overview of the Sports Value chain- which includes Rights Holders, Service Providers and Media channels. Mr. Krishnan described the various facets of Live production, and the technical prowess which makes available to us, a replay of cricketing action from the best angles, merely seconds after the original event occurs. He also enlightened the students about the financial side of the business- the risks involved in buying broadcasting rights. Mr. Prasana Krishnan cited a live example of how the purchase of IPL broadcasting rights turned out to be a stellar success story for Sony, whereas the Champions League T20 turned out to be exactly the opposite for its broadcaster.

The students quizzed Mr. Krishnan on the threat faced by all Media Channels from Live telecasts on platforms such as YouTube. He spoke of the evolving nature of the broadcasting industry and of the possible opportunities brought about by the advent of technology such as YouTube and the Digitization of cable TV in India. The students of IIM Kashipur enjoyed the lecture as they are now still closer to the Industry which rules their hearts.

Interaction with Industry expert: Usha Subramanian (Head- Graduate Hiring, MphasiS) on ‘Bridging the Skills Gap’

Ms. Usha Subramanian (Head- Graduate Hiring and Technical learning, MphasiS) spent a day with the students of IIM Kashipur. She conducted a guest lecture covering the emerging trends in Talent Acquisition among IT companies.

Ms. Usha dons multiple hats at MphasiS. As the head of technical learning, she leads domain learning for multiple business units including the market units. Her team takes care of campus hiring and subsequent training of the graduates. She is also the head of HR Excellence and looks after HR policies, process governance and managing external and internal audits. Additionally, she is the HR CIO and manages system requirements from different HR functions.

Interacting with the students of IIM Kashipur, she reminisced about the start of her career in 1989 as an administrator in Birla Institute of Technology and Science and her emotional connection to the field of teaching. She spoke of the need to have a risk-taking attitude, and mentioned how she and her husband ventured into unknown territory by launching an internet-based start-up during the tumultuous time of 2001.

Students attempting the Elevator pitch during the session

Having worked in both the academia and the corporate HR field, Ms. Usha compared the two fields and showcased the nature of the gap which exists between the students’ skill set and the expectations from the Industry. Students themselves drew on their prior work experiences in which they found themselves to be lacking in some aspect of technical competency as a result of flaws in the curriculum. Later, Ms. Usha conducted an impromptu session on the ‘Elevator pitch’. She asked 3 students to sell their favourite brands and then sell themselves effectively to a corporate head in 30 seconds. It was seen that the students did quite well in promoting their favourite brands, but came up short when asked to sell their own competencies. The result did not surprise Ms. Usha at all, for she has witnessed the same incident happening each time she conducts a session on the same.

The students at IIM Kashipur quizzed Ms. Usha on the competencies required to make it as successful managers in the IT industry. In reply to this, Ms. Usha stressed upon the need for better communication skills and the ability to lead effectively by inspiring others. She also expressed the need to have a substantially more number of cases based on Indian context, as business scenarios depicted in Western case studies have a lot of cultural differences when compared to the actual business scenarios in India. She also provided the students with insights on MphasiS and its work culture along with the various career opportunities in MphasiS, such as its Future Leaders Programme. The students of IIM Kashipur enjoyed the session as it provided them with a clearer picture of what will be expected of them in the near future, as they step into the role of managers.

A few words by Ms. Usha: –

“It is my pleasure to be amongst young minds raring to make it big in their professional world. I wish each one of you all the very best.”