Friday, November 16, 2012

Unilever elevates HUL's HR head Leena Nair (PMIR 92) as global senior vice-president

From The Economic Times


Unilever, the world's second-largest FMCG company, has elevated Hindustan Unilever's human resource head and executive director Leena Nair as its global senior vice-president for leadership and organisation development.
Unilever, the world's second-largest FMCG company, has elevated Hindustan Unilever's human resource head and executive director Leena Nair as its global senior vice-president for leadership and organisation development.
MUMBAI/ NEW DELHI: Unilever, the world's second-largest FMCG company, has elevated Hindustan Unilever's human resource head and executive director Leena Nair as its global senior vice-president for leadership and organisation development.

Nair, 43, will shift to the London headquarters of the Anglo-Dutch company and report to Doug Baillie, the chief HR officer of Unilever, from January 1, 2013, a company spokesman said.

Being one of 5-6 people reporting directly to Baillie, Nair will have a fair shot at taking up the top HR job in Unileverwhen her 57-year-old boss moves on.
Nair could not be contacted as she is on an annual leave.

The development puts the spotlight on a new breed of Indians that multinationals groom for top jobs globally - people managers. At least half-a-dozen Indians have moved to global human resource roles in the past two years, mainly because of their experience in a culturally diverse country like India.

Exposure to Diversity Helps

The experience in India helps the professionals deal with a multi-ethnic workforce spread across the world.

"(The) Indian workforce is quite diverse and has different kind of sensitivities. Exposure to such diversity becomes a very important virtue at a global level considering they are well-equipped to handle challenges better," says AdityaNarayanMishra, president (staffing business) at Randstad India, a division of the world's second-largest HR services firm Randstad Holding NV.

Earlier, Indians, with their inherent knowledge of a challenging but high-potential market environment, were mostly chosen for operational roles globally as multinationals shifted focus to emerging markets to maintain growth momentum.

A gold medallist from XLRI, Nair has been with Hindustan Unilever for two decades and is credited for a number of HR interventions, including 'Career by Choice', a programme which allows women who have fallen off the career ladder to rejoin the workforce.

Since 1992, when she joined HULas a summer trainee, Nair has had many firsts to her credit - from being one of the first women managers to opt for a factory stint, in the industrial belt of Taloja, to becoming the first woman on HUL's management committee and its youngest executive director five years ago.

Her participative style of working can be gauged by the fact that last month she engaged with top-rung B-school students to give them a taste of real-life leadership as a part of a larger sustainability mission.

"There is more collaboration (being seen now). In the past, leaders were directive. You had one leader and everybody would follow. (Now) it's about participative leadership. It's about co-creating along with your team, along with your external partners," she told ET last month, referring to the company's focus on partnering, collaboration and participative leadership.

Come January and Nair will join a growing number of Indian HR managers taking up global roles in multinationals.

Three months ago, Levi Strauss & Co named Varun Bhatia as its chief human resources officer, while last year Pavan Bhatia took charge as chief people officer at PepsiCo Greater China Region after a four-year stint in India.

In 2011, former HR head of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Shubhro Mitra was elevated as regional chief HR officer at Axa Asia. Around two years ago, Sujata Tyagi, HR director at L'Oreal India, was appointed HR director for Asean & India, based in Singapore. GE's HR head Atul Joshi too has migrated to Novartis' consumer business as regional head-HR, Asia-Pacific. Experts feel this is just the beginning of Indian HR professionals being recognised as great people managers in companies that operate in more than 100 countries, each country having unique cultures and issues.

"Diversity is the biggest agenda for all global CEOs and boards. Thus, being Asian and a woman means your career could accelerate to the highest echelons of the global corporate world," says Vibhav Dhawan, managing partner at Positive Moves Consulting. "India has 30 million expats worldwide and is the only net exporter of leadership talent amongst all emerging markets with others like China, Russia and Indonesia being net importers. The world needs to acknowledge more and more Indians will reach global management roles," he adds.

Within Unilever, the number of Indian managers has been increasing steadily over the past few years and over 200 managers of HUL currently serve the company globally in key leadership roles across markets and functions.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Oops the Mighty Gurgle - penned by Ramgopal Vallath (BMD 92)

From Duckbill

What’s it all about?

Whenever mankind is in trouble, a hero always emerges.

The groinks are slowly taking over planet after planet, and their next target is Earth. The Intergalactic Governance Council is tied up in disputes. All that stands between the human race and annihilation is 'Oops the Mighty Gurgle'. Aided by his two human assistants, Chuck and Kia (and Floppy the dog), Oops must travel across time, space and black holes and face innumerable dangers to save Earth from the ferocious green pig-like creatures who are grunting their way towards it. And along the way, they must deal with amorous emperor penguins, the Cerebums of Holibutt, whose brains are in their bottoms, and the mysterious creatures from the Dark Planets.

A laugh-out-loud funny romp through the universe as you never knew it.

Filed under: Fantasy, Monsters, aliens and other strange creatures, Adventure, Future worlds, Funny

228 Pages . Price Rs199
This paperback edition : Dec 2012
ISBN 978-93-81626-93-1

Watch the trailer, see the author speak and peep inside the book at Duckbill

 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

UK Based Indian Artist Arifa Khan (BMD 95) Launches Niddoo, a Social eCommerce Portal for Art Lovers

From yourstory



niddoo.com is a pre-beta stage startup, started by Artist Arifa Khan. Niddoo is a social ecommerce portal where art-lovers can discover, buy, commission great art and art accessories from artists around the world. Arifa has successfully exhibited her paintings in London and received critical acclaim for her artistic endeavours.

Faced with the pressures of an artist to financially break even while creating prolific art, she set out to solve the problem for artists around the world by creating a market-place for artists and art-lovers. In a very early stage yet, Niddoo will try to enable artists to create a virtual gallery, communicate and forge relationships with buyers, and raise funds for art projects on the portal.

Arifa is raising funds for the same on Kickstarter- the crowd funding site launched in UK on 31st Oct 2012. “The Poetry of Being Woman” is among the first kickstarter projects launched in UK by niddoo.com. The artist is raising funds on kickstarter by selling art accessories, and targets GBP20000 by November end. Funding is all or nothing.


The funds will be used to organise art exhibitions in Europe to aid in the development and marketing of niddoo.com.  Arifa says, “Raising a successful round on kickstarter would not only provide proof of concept and early traction needed for a subsequent VC round, but also help build opt in lists of art-lovers who are voting with their wallets. A formidable marketing arsenal for a startup.” You can choose from a range of Christmas gifts starting from GBP8. Rewards include designer accessories like calendar of paintings for GBP8, themed T-shirt and featuring in an ipad app for GBP20, designer scarf for GBP40, prints from GBP80, real oil paintings, custom-made haute couture and custom-portraits of backers hand-painted by Arifa.

Check out the Kickstarter page for the project!

Friday, October 05, 2012

XL Canada Get Together Oct 08,2012

Dear Xlers,

We have finalized the venue for our Get Together on Monday Oct 08,2012 to meet with Father Abe & Prof Sarin

TIME: 6.15 pm Monday October 08,2012
We have reservations for 6.15pm. Please be punctual so that we can make the most of the evening with our guests

VENUE:Bombay Palace
200 Advance Blvd. Brampton,
Ontario. L6T 4V4 Canada
Phone : 905-799-9777

Spouses and children are also invited

The Bombay Palace has an excellent night Buffet and the cost per head inclusive of soft drinks(free refills),taxes and gratuity will be 26.00 per head.Alcoholic beverages will be your individual responsibility.

We presently have a  head count of 18 attendees including Father Abe & Prof Sarin.

If there are more Xlers who would like to join in please feel free to inform Fred Devas at 647-766-8461 or myself at 647- 309-7050 by 3.00pm on Monday Oct 08,2012. This would enable us to make additional reservations 
 
Looking forward to seeing as many Xlers as possible attending this event

Please give either of us a call or mail if you have any questions

Regards


Siddharth

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Tristate XLRI Alumni Meet: Oct 6th 5.30 PM

Friends,

Gerry Farias and I have been in touch with some of you offline to finalize the details of  the planned XLRI Alumni Meet on Saturday October 6th evening.  We have finalized AKBAR RESTAURANT (at Route 1 South in Edison NJ), as the venue based on the feedback received.  The details are as under:
 
Date and Time:  Saturday 6th October, from 5.30 PM till 11 PM.

Venue: Akbar Restaurant (Akbar Restaurant - Directions),
Off Route 1 South, 21 Cortlandt Street, Edison, NJ 08837   Tel: (732) 632-8822

The tab is $35 per person – this just covers the dinner, drinks and gratuities for the service, and the PA system, etc.  You can confirm your participation by email with the headcount and later pay by cash or check at the door. Format is informal, preferably with spouse, but no kids' activity has been planned (as we are expecting to hear the visitors speak and mingle with us).   Kindly confirm your attendance ASAP by email  to one of us below:
Venkatesh Kommineni XL 11
K N Venkataraman, (KNV) – XL90
Gerard Farias (Gerry) – XL 81

For directions - 
There is free parking at the venue.  The closest NJTransit train station is METUCHEN on the North East corridor Princeton/Trenton line. Do let us know if you need any help or info.

==============================

The main idea of the meet is to show up with our love, affection and gratitude to Prof Sarin and Fr Abe and of course, you know how we do it – in large numbers. Many of us know Prof Sarin and Fr Abe - it'd be a delight to meet with them in person. 

Director Fr Abraham and Prof Sarin will share with us the many new developments at our alma mater, which has undergone a name change from `XLRI Jamshedpur' to `Xavier School of Management'.  Yes – we are now alumni of XSM !! 

As I understand, they'd share with us the many exciting new developments that XSM has in mind, including the new branding of XLRI as XSM to prepare for a global brand launch, a new second campus in New Delhi, a growing list of student exchange programs with B-schools around the world, a growing strong faculty that is recognized by industry by their books and research.  The objective is also to:
(a) Strengthen, and give some shape and form to, our existing alumni networks in the US/Canada, and                
(b) while it is not expected that any of us would cut checks overnight to the XEF – Xavier Endowment Fund, of which Prof Sarin is a Chairman (well, don't mistake me - of course, you are very welcome to do so if you are able to join the many that have done so with a large heart of gratitude) –we'd be discussing how best to contribute as US resident alumni to XEF over the next many years. 

Look forward to seeing you on October 6th.. the wet bar opens at 5.30 PM, so please be early. 
Warm regards,
Venkat Karimanasseri (`KNV') 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
PS. We have booked a hall with an underlying commitment of atleast 50 people joining us for dinner.  So please email us and confirm your attendance with headcount ASAP. Thanks.

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Ramakrishnan (BMD 82) Appointed President of Bombay Management Association

From IPF Online


Ramakrishnan_pic.jpgMr R Ramakrishnan, Vice Chairman, Joint MD & Group CEO, Polycab Wires Pvt Ltd, took over as President of the Bombay Management Association (BMA) at its 58th Annual General Meeting held recently. The Bombay Management Association (BMA), established in 1954, is one of the oldest associations in the field of management. BMA is the principal association of managers, academicians, professionals and students with a membership of over 3000 members. BMA conducts management development programmes, arranges conferences, seminars, workshops, study-tours & industrial visits, evening lectures, etc. The BMA Awards are a coveted recognition in Corporate India. Mr Ramakrishnan held the position of Vice President in 2011-12 in BMA.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr.Ramakrishnan, said, "The Association takes pride in the capacity of its members to come forward willingly and work towards the cause of promoting it to even greater heights. I am sure, each one of you will come forward to contribute in which ever way you think you can to make this a vibrant and a dynamic association, providing opportunities, both for the Management Professionals, Academia and the new Management Students to intermingle and learn from the other. In conclusion, let's work together to make this year a memorable year in the history of BMA".

Mr Bhaskar Joshi, General Manager - HR, Somaiya Group of Industries and outgoing President said "I have had a very satisfying year as President of BMA thanks to the excellent support of all my Committee members and well wishers. I am sure that Mr Ramakrishnan as incoming President will take forward the good work done in the past and take BMA towards greater success and achievements".

Village goes digital, courtesy XLRI

From The Telegraph



Seventy-year-old Manu Singh Sardar had a dream for his village Janumdih in Potka block of East Singhbhum. It came true on Sunday for village boys like Rohit Sardar, an eighth grader, with a digital twist.
Manu Singh, who dropped out of school in Class VIII but went on to become a Mundari poet and village pradhan, always wanted a library for Janumdih.

XLRI students and NGO Kalamandir fulfilled the elderly man’s vision with some 21st century extras thrown in.

While Kalamandir constructed the library near its grass-mat training and weaving centre, XLRI students collected the lion’s share of the 500 books in Hindi, English and Bengali. XLRI students also donated a computer with Internet connection and a webcam to the library that Manu Singh inaugurated on Sunday.

So if Rohit and his friends were excited about Aesop’s fables, Champak, Tintin and Tinkle comics as well as textbooks, they were completely in awe of the Internet. “I know about www dot com and Google,” smiled Rohit, pronouncing each word carefully.

His school, Mutkeshwardham High School, Harina, doesn’t even have a library.

The general management programme students of XLRI who did most of the project’s legwork sounded moved with the digital gateway.

“This was a social project for our group of 10 students, a part of the course where we take up a sustainable social project and implement it. Though it is a part of our curriculum, it gives us pleasure to see villagers happy. If they use the Net and read books, they can achieve so much,” said Himanshu Singh, part of Team XLRI.

He and other students — Deepak Suri, Devesh Thakur, Gaurav Sharma, Mayank Gupta, Ravjit Kokardekar, Mandar Buddhikot, Tanveer Anwar and Paul Jacob — went around telling villagers about books and Internet. 

A computer-trained local youth, Satyajit Barui, will maintain the system. Villagers can learn to browse the Net and chat on the web with anybody, even the district administration if needed. “We will convert this hub into a full-fledged computer system and shift the library to a bigger area. We will also appoint a librarian,” said Monica Bhatia, Kalamandir co-ordinator.

The Telegraph asked Rohit what he would search on the Net.
 “America!” he grinned.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Association of Indian Management Schools management award for XLRI director

From The Times of India


The Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) conferred the prestigious Ravi J Mathai national fellowship award on Father E Abraham, director of the premier city-based business school XLRI, for his exemplary contribution to the field of management education. The award, instituted in the memory of Ravi J Matthai, first director of IIM Ahmedabad, was given to Fr. Abraham at AIMS national convention held in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

"I feel honoured to receive the prestigious Ravi J Mathai National fellowship award. I dedicate this to all the board members, faculty, staff and students of XLRI and XIM Bhubaneswar, where I spent my last 30 years," he said. He further added: "Mathai is a role model for all of us. He was a superb man-manager with the gift of drawing out the best in people."

As director of XLRI, Fr Abraham has been instrumental in launching collaborative ventures with universities abroad. However, he is concerned about the less privileged and the marginalized sections. In his second tenure as director from January 2008, XLRI has had received several distinguished laurels.

"Today, XLRI is an institution of learning par excellence largely because of Fr Abraham's dedicated support and involvement with endeavors that include social responsibility activities alongside imparting world-class management education," said a faculty at XLRI.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Business class experience

From Hindustan Times

It is an institution where learning is a life-changing experience,” says Anusheel Shrivastava, who is pursuing an MBA in human resource management at XLRI, Jamshedpur. For students at the institute, studying for an MBA degree is not just about learning from books, it’s about gaining knowledge from everyday activities.

“XLRI gives you tremendous scope to be part of a plethora of academic and extra-curricular activities that make learning  fun and interesting,” he adds.

USP: Established a few years after Independence, the business school has earned an impeccable reputation both for academic rigour and its emphasis on a value-based managerial approach. The facilities it offers are comparable to any top-ranked institute.

“It produces not just students with management degrees but also inculcates a sense of social responsibility and ethical behaviour in them. We strive towards producing responsible global business leaders of tomorrow,” says Pranabesh Ray, dean (academics), XLRI. The institute boasts of an excellent placements record and a very strong alumni network.

Programmes: XLRI runs a range of full-time and part-time courses. The flagship ones are the two-year full-time postgraduate programmes in business management and human resource management and the 15-month, full-time general management programme. It also offers a doctoral-level qualification through a fellow programme in management and one-year certificate courses via satellite links called virtual interactive learning (VIL) programmes. The VIL programme is accessed by students in 100 classrooms across India. An executive fellow programme in management, a certificate in entrepreneurship management, an international students’ exchange programme, a certificate course in agri-business management, an executive management programme for defence personnel, PGDM for working professionals and entrepreneurs are in place as well.

Proposed programmes include a master’s in positive organisational development and change in partnership with Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, United States, and the three-country global MBA programme.

To get admission to a flagship programme, candidates have to appear for the Xavier Admission Test (XAT) conducted in the first week of January every year. The candidate has to first register for XAT and use the XAT ID and password to apply to XLRI. The process starts in mid-August every year.

Faculty: XLRI has more than 80 members in the faculty, including 65 permanent.

IT quotient: The IT network helps students learn and collaborate with peers. The campus is Wi-Fi-enabled. The computing facilities  include latest servers and workstations. There are high-end servers, which host the XLRI web page, mail and SNTP server, Oracle, Lotus notes, SAS, DB2 and other software. The institute also has video conferencing facilities.

Infrastructure: The campus is spread over 50 acres and has excellent classrooms and comfortable residential facilities. It has a mix of heritage buildings and modern architecture, a world-class library, top-of-the-line IT backbone, besides a good support system necessary for value-added management research and publications. Residential facilities include four hostel blocks with around 500 rooms for students in two-year programmes. For sports, there’s an indoor badminton court, football and cricket fields and basketball courts and an auditorium with a capacity for about 1,500 people. The institute recently set up an inter-disciplinary behavioural laboratory on campus to enable researchers to explore the minds of prospective consumers across categories.

Clubs and societies: CRUX - consulting and research undertaking at XLRI, aims to nurture research initiatives to develop consultancy skills among students. ECT (Ensemble core team) is responsible for managing the institute's annual international management festival. FINAX is the finance association at XLRI, a committee focused on increasing the knowledge and enthusiasm for finance among students. MAXI, the oldest committee on campus, is a forum for discussions, event, conferences and industry interaction. SIGMA - the social initiative group for managerial assistance creates a platform to network with NGOs, corporate governance cells and government departments for community capacity building.

FactfileFounded by Father Quinn Enright, SJ, XLRI started its journey in 1949 in Jamshedpur

WishlistStudents wish for a stronger industry-academia link across all sectors of management

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Ajay Das (BMD 92)to Lead Timken Global Quality Organization

From The Sacramento Bee



The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR) announced the appointment of Ajay Das to the position of vice president – quality advancement. In his new role, Das is responsible for the company's quality management systems and quality assurance. Das will report to Christopher A. Coughlin, group president.

Sanjay Koul assumes position of managing director and director of manufacturing operations in India. In his new role, Koul is responsible for Timken India's operational and financial performance as well as manufacturing operations in India. He reports to J. Ron Menning, senior vice president of Asia Pacific.

Das most recently held the position as managing director and director of manufacturing for the company's business in India where he was named one of India's most valued industrial business leaders by Business World magazine in 2011. He joined Timken in 1992. During his 20-year career, he served as national sales manager for India. Das was named director of manufacturing at the company's plant in Jamshedpur, India, in 2001. He later served as director of new business development in Asia and was based in Shanghai. From 2007 to 2009, he served as general manager for wind energy based in Canton, Ohio.

Das holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur and a master's degree in business from Xavier Labour Relations Institute in Jamshedpur.

Koul joined Timken in India in 1990 as a production engineer at the company's manufacturing facility in Jamshedpur, India. He subsequently held various leadership positions including national sales manager for the company's rail business, plant manager in Jamshedpur and general manager of Asia's supply chain based in Wuxi, China. He most recently held the position as director of manufacturing and supply chain for the company's business in Asia operating from Shanghai, China.

Koul holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani and a master's degree in business from Xavier Labour Relations Institute in Jamshedpur.

About The Timken Company

The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) keeps the world turning with innovative friction management and mechanical power transmission products and services that help machinery perform more efficiently and reliably. With sales of $5.2 billion in 2011 and approximately 21,000 people operating from locations in 30 countries, Timken is Where You Turn® for better performance.

Friday, August 24, 2012

K Pandia Rajan (84) aims to carve a niche in the HR services segment with MaFoi Strategic Consultants

From The Economic Times



There is something indefatigable about K Pandia Rajan. The former head of the staffing and consultancy company Ma Foi Randstad has recently seen his life's work, a Rs 1,000-crore company, merge with its international partner to become Randstad India.

After more than two decades on the job, he's had to start over with a fledgling organisation, Ma Foi Strategic Consultants, and faces the prospect of striking out in the crowded and competitive field of recruitment and HR services. Yet, Pandia Rajan—staffing pioneer, entrepreneurship developer and legislator—is raring to go. "It took me 20 years to build a Rs 1,000-crore company," he says. "My plan is to do it again, but in half the time."

Clearly, Pandia Rajan, 53, likes challenges. With Ma Foi Strategic Consultants, he plans to go in a completely new direction: education, market research and strategy. The flagship of his new enterprise will be management schools across the country, but for entrepreneurs.

The first is a 15-month executive education programme to be run from Chennai, where he is based. The second, more ambitious, plan is to set up a 10-acre campus in Madurai by June 2013 to offer a two-year post-graduate programme in management.

"This will be the first B-school in the country entirely devoted to entrepreneurs," says Pandia Rajan. "VCs and PEs will be involved, right from the selection of candidates based on their ideas, to funding of startups."

So while other B-schools place students with companies, the Ma Foi Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship will connect budding entrepreneurs with investors. Pandia Rajan, a founder-member of the investors' group Chennai Angels, plans to rope in the Delhi and Mumbai chapters—a total of about 100 investors. "It will be a unique blend of entrepreneurship, consulting and research," he adds.

The Investor

This is familiar territory for Pandia Rajan. Besides playing a critical role in the Chennai Angels, and running various entrepreneurship development programmes via Ma Foi, he has also been a foundermember of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and is associated with organisations like the Bharatiya Yuva Shakthi Trust (BYST), which helps foster enterprises among youngsters from marginalised groups.

"I have invested in 14 ventures myself, and none has failed," says Pandia Rajan, with a smile, to seal his credentials. "He is passionate about entrepreneurship, though he doesn't have much time for mentoring now," says Apsara Madhubal, coordinator for the Chennai Angels. "As a trustee, he also brings a governance perspective to the work of our organisation."

Pandia Rajan's 14 investments range from bakeries to e-learning companies. "I go by my gut," he says. "I don't have a lot of empirical evidence, but I always look to my entrepreneurial side." S Shivkumar, MD of the e-learning solutions company Axis V Creatives, one of those investments, reiterates this. "KPR's strength is his people ability," he says. "He is able to move with the same kind of ease with the finance minister and the watchman of the building."

According to wife Latha, Pandia Rajan has "very good ability to connect the dots. If someone is talking about a particular policy, he can see its impact on industry." Usually, before the policy comes into force.

"He reads voraciously, can see the backward and forward integration of things, and has tremendous energy, especially when it comes to meeting people," she says.

The Entrepreneur

Ma Foi's consulting business was born out of a 'connecting of dots'. In 1991, when Pandia Rajan was employed with BOC, a fire broke out in the Ravva oil fields in Andhra Pradesh and an Australian company was brought in to put out the blaze.

It sourced professionals from all over the world, including 31 non-resident Indians. "They brought in Indians to work for Indians on Indian soil," says Pandia Rajan. "I realised then that if you are able to access people around the world, and can move them to the right place at the right time, using the right model, it can be very lucrative."

The following year, he and Latha, with seed capital of Rs 60,000 borrowed mostly from friends and family, set up Ma Foi Management Consultants. While Pandia Rajan has the eye, his wife has the execution skills. "We are both firstgeneration entrepreneurs, and we've been able to work together for 23 years because we defined our boundaries," says Latha.

"While I took care of the finance, legal and people aspect of Ma Foi, Pandia Rajan took care of marketing and operations. These boundaries really helped us." As well as the business: by 2000, Ma Foi Consultants had grown from a Rs 10-crore company to a Rs 100-crore one, helped by VC funds, and by 2004, it had touched the Rs 500-crore mark.

The Politician

Besides their "passion for people", the couple also shares the philosophy of wanting to give back. That's what set Pandia Rajan on the path to politics in 2000, when he joined the BJP. Last year, he became an MLA for the DMDK from Virudhnagar, the district he grew up in.

Every weekend, Pandia Rajan trades in his suit for a veshti, and flies 400 km to his constituency from Chennai. He is a hands-on legislator, walking around his constituency and meeting the electorate; trying to cover each panchayat at least once in three months and making sure his Rs 2 crore local area development funds are properly deployed. Some of this has gone towards setting up engineering colleges in a district that is still 60% rural, an IT park and a 'knowledge city'.

While his position in the corporate world is undisputed, Pandia Rajan has to peddle doubly hard to impress his party. A DMDK colleague, who declined to be named, says: "He has not made any significant contribution to the party or his constituency.

However, he is one of the [most] knowledgeable and enterprising MLAs in the party. Since he has a management background, he understands the state finances well." During the tabling of the state budget, for instance, Pandia Rajan was seen taking copious notes, and later brought up some contentious issues with chief minister J Jayalalitha in the assembly.

A senior politico adds that while Pandia Rajan has come up with some good ideas for his constituency, nothing has been significant enough to catch the high command's eye. "[The ability to participate in] politics don't happen overnight. It takes time," he says, a tad sympathetically. Perhaps Pandia Rajan's new ventures will be just the thing to shut up the naysayers.

Talking Heads

Latha Rajan, Wife and business partner

We are both first-generation entrepreneurs, and we've been able to work together for 23 years because we defined our boundaries.

XLRI confers alumnus award on Dr. Akshay Rao (BMD 80)

From Business Standard

XLRI, the premier private management school of the country, today conferred a special distinction on Dr. Akshay Rao, alumnus of Business Management Programme of the 1980 batch.

XLRI has been conferring the Distinguished Alumnus Award on alumni who have excelled in their profession, both in the corporate world as well as in the field of academics.

At a special ceremony held at the campus, Rao, who is based in USA and currently holds the 'General Mills Chair' in Marketing at Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, US, visited the facility in Jamshedpur to receive the alumnus award from XLRI Director Fr. E. Abraham.

XLRI, the premier private management school of the country, today conferred a special distinction on Dr. Akshay Rao, alumnus of Business Management Programme of the 1980 batch.

XLRI has been conferring the Distinguished Alumnus Award on alumni who have excelled in their profession, both in the corporate world as well as in the field of academics.

At a special ceremony held at the campus, Rao, who is based in USA and currently holds the 'General Mills Chair' in Marketing at Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, US, visited the facility in Jamshedpur to receive the alumnus award from XLRI Director Fr. E. Abraham.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Child artists jazz up XLRI show

From The Telegraph


XLRI is truly thinking “beyond conventions”. 

The premier management cradle has come up with a unique idea of tapping the artistic skills of school students for its popular annual event, Ensemble 2012 — an inter-B-school competition involving games and quiz. 

On Sunday, it organised a drawing competition for about 150 students of Loyola School and St Mary’s English High School. The best paintings will be made into a collage and used on the publicity posters for Ensemble scheduled in the second week of November. As such, the participants — from classes IV to VIII — were required to paint anything out of the box in keeping with Ensemble’s theme, Beyond Conventions. 

“Last year’s theme was Bridging the Gap while this year, it’s Beyond Conventions, which is why we decided to do something offbeat and involve schoolchildren in our first-of-its-kind initiative,” said Pratyush Raj, senior executive member, Exlink, XLRI. 


He added that the painting contest gave students a platform to think beyond routine and paint their unique imaginations. “For us, it was the perfect way to involve the community,” Pratyush said. 

A winner was chosen from each class and presented with a certificate and trophy. 

“As of now, the plan is to use these paintings in a collage and send it to various B-schools of the country as promotion posters. This way, the paintings will also find an audience. We asked the participating students to be as unique as possible,” said Anusheel Shrivastava, secretary of Exlink, XLRI. 

Pratyush further said that the practice of involving school students was also part of an initiative to honour the new tagline of XLRI — “for the greater good”. The B-school launched its new logo in Calcutta last week.
Institutes from across the country participate in Ensemble. This year, it promises to go a step further and seeks to inspire and invigorate the minds of leaders of tomorrow to think out of the box. 

The events on cards are from diverse like marketing strategy, business strategy, game theory, competition based on banking sector cases and general quiz. A panel discussion will also be held .

Sunday, August 19, 2012

XLRI enters into partnership with business funding agency to boost entrepreneurship

From The Times of India


The Fr. Arrupe Centre for Ecology and Sustainability (Faces), a centre based at the premier business school XLRI, has entered into a partnership with Freemont Partners, India's first global incubator and accelerator providing mentoring and seed funding to entrepreneurs. The partnership envisions working in tandem to identify, incubate and invest in start-ups which have a sustainability-centric business model. Freemont's experienced management, global access to mentors, partners and alliances provide a value proposition for new and upcoming start-ups before their major round of funding.

Freemont Partners expects to invest in about 25 to 30 companies over the next three to four years, including a few which have a sustainability-centric business model using technology.

Faces is a multi-disciplinary centre at XLRI which envisions providing thought leadership to promote policies, practices and dialogue, which have an impact on holistic and sustainable development of society and enterprises. The center is in the process of building an incubator to support start-ups in this space." Partnership with Freemont Partners will provide young students and entrepreneurs a great platform for mentorship, besides facilitating seed-funding to build a sustainability-centric business," said Faces chairperson Professor Madhukar Shukla.

The centre which has been working consistently on issues concerning social entrepreneurship for years, had organized a meet on the National Rural Livelihood Mission, (NRLM) in July jointly with the India unit of World Bank to get an overall understanding of the NRLM agenda.

The co-founder of Freemont Partners, Ronald D'Souza, said, "Young entrepreneurs in India are looking at building a sustainable ecosystem with innovative products and technology. In partnership with Faces we hope to support this emerging ecosystem, which will have a long term impact on the way we live, work and play." Freemont Partners provides mentorship, strategic direction and access to local and global mentors and partners, said a company functionary.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

XLRI launches new brand identity

From Business Standard

One of the oldest business schools in the country, XLRI, has changed its brand identity with a new logo, in a bid to change with the times .

The institute, along with Mudra Group’s brand and design consultancy unit Water, has come out with the new logo after a year of consultation. “This is for the first time in 62 years that we are undergoing a complete image makeover. We have spent about Rs 20 lakh for the brand makeover process. The new logo is a modern and stylised representation of the earlier one,” said E Abraham S J, the institute’s director.

Established in 1949, the original logo of XLRI was developed in 1950s, which was modified for the first time in 2004 with the addition of its tag line — “Excellence and Integrity.” The new brand face has a the name of XLRI written in bold with green pointer on alphabet “I” with blue and green as primary colours, while Jamshedpur was omitted from the earlier logo.

“The refined category descriptor Xavier School of Management and a tag line “For the Greater Good” are also the highlights of the new identity,” he said. The shield logo has retained elements from the earlier logo — including the cross, keys and the motto.

Meanwhile, the institute is planning to add 120 more seats in Jamshedpur by 2013, with 60 seats each in business management and human resources management.

“We are also starting one at Delhi NCR region with a batch of 120 students. Moreover, we are launching a first-ever Global MBA Programme, in association with Weatherhead School of Management of Case Western University Cleaveland, USA and School of Economics and Management of Tonji University Shanghai, China.

The two-year residential course will commence from June 2013. The programme will be held in three parts one each in India, China and the USA.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Feeling low? Talk to your XLRI buddy

- Empathy, not ‘gyan’, sets apart B-school project for troubled teens with activities to beat the blues

From The Telegraph



XLRI students during a session under Samarthya at Motilal Nehru Public School in Jamshedpur earlier this week

Students of XLRI have been there, done that. They know how vulnerable teenagers are when bouts of depression and low self-esteem hit them.

Though they are seen as corporate honchos in the making, they are making sure they have time for troubled teens between 15 and 18 with a project called Samarthya — The Human Potential Centre.

Launched on July 23, the project, if it catches on, can be a boon for Jamshedpur that is grappling with student suicide. After all, those between 15 and 18 years go through two board exams, pressure to excel in academics and crack entrance exams, campus love, heartbreak and increasingly, body image issues where pimples and obesity are major triggers for depression.

Samarthya aims to help older students at school discover their potential, control emotions and share thoughts with someone who understands.

A group of around 10 students from Business Management (BM) and Human Resource Management (HRM) are already taking sessions with the teens. The first took place at Motilal Nehru Public School (MNPS).

Teenagers fearing the dreaded G-word — gyan — or preaching will be pleasantly surprised.

“It is not counselling. We don’t sit with students and solve their problems. It is beyond that. We take sessions on emotions and try to help them deal with them. Each session is dedicated to one emotion and we conduct activities on it,” said Smriti Khanna, a second-year HRM student and part of Samarthya.

A session on anger, for instance, will start by letting students vent out on paper, asking them to write down their impulses when they feel furious. Then comes a lively discussion on how to get out of this negative emotion.

“The teens don’t want gyan. We help them to know themselves through experiential learning and discover what lies within. At times they also ask questions on how to behave in a given situation. We share a lot,” said Smriti.

“It is a great initiative on the part of XLRI students to reach out to the school-going youths of the city to help them understand the purpose and meaning of a happy life,” said I.S.F. Irudayaraj, a senior faculty member of the B-school who conceptualised the programme.

Samarthya has an ambitious year-end goal of reaching out to 700 students, rolling out the programme in many schools. It also wants dedicated members for each class to ensure continuity and create a sort of buddy system.

Principal of Motilal Nehru Public School Ashu Tiwary sounded happy with the programme. “Students gel well with these bright B-school students as the age difference isn’t much, so they open up. It will help them keep negative thoughts at bay,” she said.

XLRI to open its new campus by 2014-end

From Yahoo News


XLRI, a premier private business school in India, will come out with a new campus in the National Capital Region (NCR) by the end of 2014, an official said here Saturday.

"The construction work for the campus has already been started. Total investment for the new campus would be about Rs.50 crore to Rs.60 crore," E. Abraham S.J., director of the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) told mediapersons here Saturday.

The new campus will have 120 seats. The renowned B-school would also increase the number of seats in its Jamshedpur campus to 360 from the existing 240 seats in the next year.

XLRI is also launching a global MBA programme, in partnership with Weatherhead School of Management of Case Western University Cleveland, USA and School of Economics and Management of Tongji University Shanghai, China, Abraham S.J. said.

The new full time two-year residential global MBA programme will commence from June, 2013. XLRI Saturday unveiled a new improvised logo for its new brand identity.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

XLRI, WSMSEM of Tongji University Shanghai join hands to launch a global MBA programme

From Economic Times


XLRI, Weatherhead School of Management of Case Western University Cleveland,, USA and School of Economics & Management of Tongji University Shanghai, China have joined hands to launch a global MBA programme.

The new full-time two-year residential programme slated to commence from June 2013 is designed to accommodate 20 students each from India, USA and China.

The programme will be held in three parts: one-third each in Jamshedpur, Shanghai and Cleveland and will be taught by faculty of all these three B-schools. Each B-School would have its own method of selecting students for the course; XLRI would select students based on XAT's performance, whereas Weatherhead School of Management of Case Western University will bank on GMAT and School of Economics & Management of Tongji University on its own criteria.

"This programme has been the outcome of our continuous efforts to build responsible global leaders of tomorrow," said Fr. E Abraham S.J., Director of XLRI. "In future, our plan is to expand the horizon and include a reputed B-School from Brazil as the fourth lap of this programme," he added.

Meanwhile, XLRI also unveiled its new brand identity and brand architecture for the first time since the institute was set up 62 years ago. The new brand identity which is trendy and contemporary, also underscores XLRI's intent to shape responsible leaders.

The updated brand identity of XLRI connotes the institution's futuristic outlook whilst retaining the old Jesuit Heritage. The new brand identity also represents the institute's clear focus and direction that allow greater freedom for the brand to grow nationally and globally.

H.M.Nerurkar, MD, Tata Steel & Chairman of XLRI Board of Governors said: "Modernising the brand identity of XLRI is an important milestone in the evolution of the XLRI institution brand as it journeys forward with the end-goal of becoming a global management school of repute shaping responsible leaders of tomorrow."

Board members and XLRI Alumni, Vineet Nayar, Vice -Chairman and CEO, HCL Technologies Ltd and Jaspal Singh Bindra, Asia CEO, Standard Chartered PLC also shared their views how XLRI played a pivotal role in shaping their career.

In the process of modernising the brand, XLRI closely worked with Water, the strategic branding & design consultancy of the DDB Mudra Group.

Samarthya ' The Human Potential Centre, under the guidance of Prof. I.S.F. Irudayaraj.

From Yahoo News

Students of XLRI have been there, done that. They know how vulnerable teenagers are when bouts of depression and low self-esteem hit them.

Though they are seen as corporate honchos in the making, they are making sure they have time for troubled teens between 15 and 18 with a project called Samarthya ' The Human Potential Centre.

Launched on July 23, the project, if it catches on, can be a boon for Jamshedpur that is grappling with student suicide. After all, those between 15 and 18 years go through two board exams, pressure to excel in academics and crack entrance exams, campus love, heartbreak and increasingly, body image issues where pimples and obesity are major triggers for depression.

Samarthya aims to help older students at school discover their potential, control emotions and share thoughts with someone who understands.

A group of around 10 students from Business Management (BM) and Human Resource Management (HRM) are already taking sessions with the teens. The first took place at Motilal Nehru Public School (MNPS).

Teenagers fearing the dreaded G-word ' gyan ' or preaching will be pleasantly surprised.

"It is not counselling. We don't sit with students and solve their problems. It is beyond that. We take sessions on emotions and try to help them deal with them. Each session is dedicated to one emotion and we conduct activities on it," said Smriti Khanna, a second-year HRM student and part of Samarthya.

A session on anger, for instance, will start by letting students vent out on paper, asking them to write down their impulses when they feel furious. Then comes a lively discussion on how to get out of this negative emotion.

"The teens don't want gyan. We help them to know themselves through experiential learning and discover what lies within. At times they also ask questions on how to behave in a given situation. We share a lot," said Smriti.

"It is a great initiative on the part of XLRI students to reach out to the school-going youths of the city to help them understand the purpose and meaning of a happy life," said I.S.F. Irudayaraj, a senior faculty member of the B-school who conceptualised the programme.

Samarthya has an ambitious year-end goal of reaching out to 700 students, rolling out the programme in many schools. It also wants dedicated members for each class to ensure continuity and create a sort of buddy system.

Principal of Motilal Nehru Public School Ashu Tiwary sounded happy with the programme. "Students gel well with these bright B-school students as the age difference isn't much, so they open up. It will help them keep negative thoughts at bay," she said.

XLRI to invest Rs 110 crore for Delhi, 2nd Jamshedpur campus

From The Hindu Businessline

Big plans: (From left) Vineet Nayar, Jaspal Bindra and E. Abraham, Directors of XLRI, addressing a press conference in Kolkata on Saturday. — A. Roy Chowdhury
Big plans: (From left) Vineet Nayar (BMD 85 - CEO HCL Tech), Jaspal Bindra(BMD 84 - CEO- StanChart, Asia Pacific) and E. Abraham (BMD 78 - Director -XLRI), from Board of Governors of XLRI, addressing a press conference in Kolkata on Saturday. — A. Roy Chowdhury

XLRI School of Business and Human Resources plans to expand its footprint in the country by setting up a campus in Delhi. Plans are also afoot to set up a second campus in Jamshedpur. Both these campuses will entail a total investment of about Rs 110 crore. 

According to E. Abraham, Director, XLRI, the second campus in Jamshedpur will provide an additional 120 seats for business and human resource management courses, while the Delhi campus, which is to come up in the National Capital Region, will accommodate close to 120 students in its first phase. 

The institute has an intake of 240 students a year at present at its existing facility in Jamshedpur.

“The second campus at Jamshedpur will be ready by 2013, while the first phase of the Delhi campus will be ready by 2014-15,” Abraham said at a press meet to unveil the new brand identity and logo of XLRI here on Saturday.

New Course

Apart from expanding its geographical presence, XLRI also plans to add new course into its offerings. 

The institute has launched a global MBA programme in partnership with Weatherhead School of Management of Case Western University in Cleveland, USA, and School of Economics and Management of Tongji University in Shanghai, China. 

The two-year full time residential global MBA course will commence from June 2013. 

Under the programme, each B-school will admit 20 students from its country (India, China and US). The course will be held in three parts — in Jamshedpur, Shanghai and Cleveland.

Brand Identity

XLRI had roped in Water, the branding and design consultancy of the DDB Mudra Group, for designing the new brand identity. 

“The new brand identity represents the institute’s clear focus and direction that allow greater freedom for the brand to grow nationally and globally,” he said.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

XAT 2013 announced

From DNA

The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) 2013 will be conducted on January 6, 2013 in 38 cities across India and three cities outside India. Registrations begin from August 20.

XAT is conducted by XLRI School of Business and Human Resource, Jamshedpur for admission to this and some other reputed management institutes across India.

While there is increase in the test centres this year, some new small towns are added in the centres’ list to provide an opportunity to candidates from such areas.

Similarly, outside India, the test will be conducted in Kathmandu, Dhaka and Dubai.

The test continues to be in the traditional paper-pencil format to help even disadvantaged candidates who are not comfortable with computers.The last date of registration is November 30, 2012, according to the XLRI website.

Saturday, August 04, 2012

Sad Demise : S Nandakumar (BMD 76)

Hi Batchmates:

Just got news that Nandu passed away this morning. Joe Fernandes and Shailendra  Swarup have confirmed the news.

Jaggu --BMD77 ,second cousin spent 2 hours with him yesterday. They were meeting after 35 years. Reminiscing over old photos, Nandu was planning to celebrate his 6oth birthday shortly.

Nandu told Jaggu he was going to Vijayawada for a Consultancy assignment. Apparently he travelled by bus overnight and this morning collapsed in the hotel bathroom and died from a massive heart-attack.

His body is likely to reach Hyderabad this evening.

Has a daughter in the US . Funeral details awaited.

We offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife, daughter and other family members.

Nanda's mobile no was 09849166256

David D'Costa

Monday, July 30, 2012

500 turn up for Jamshedpur Run organised by XLRI

From The Times of India:


JAMSHEDPUR: Jamshedpur Run, organized by XLRI, was a success with more than 500 people turning up on a cloudy Sunday morning to participate in the annual event, which has grown in popularity since it was introduced four years back.

The enthusiasm in the air was palpable in the institute's football ground since early morning as students, schoolkids, athletes as well as professors and executives converged on the field, ready to have a shot at the winner's trophy.

The marathon was held in two legs - a 10km version for athletes and running enthusiasts and a 5km version for others who might not be as skilled. Arjun Toda came first in the 5km men's category while Jai Prakash won the 10 km event.

In the women's section, Madhubala, a doctoral student at XLRI, won the 5km race.

All the winners were awarded cash prizes and mementos. The prize distribution ceremony was attended by faculty coordinator MG Jomon who congratulated all the participants for their spirit and tenacity.

Sanjeev Varshney, faculty of marketing at XLRI, received a special award for being the first among faculty members to finish the race.

The mood was aptly captured by official marathon theme which invited the residents of this city to "run for your dreams".

The run concluded with XLRI planning to organize a bigger and better version of the event next year. It also plans to work with all members of the community to uphold the ideals of social harmony and youth empowerment in the society.

Vlahalla 2012

Valhalla 2012 ended yesterday. The winner of the sports events...
Basketball (M)-XLRI
Basketball (W)-XLRI
Swimming- XLRI
Throwball- XLRI/IIMC
Volleyball (W)- XLRI/IIMC
Volleyball (M)- IIM Raipur
Athletics- XIMB
Table Tennis- XIMB
Badminton- SIBM
Football-SIBM

The finals of Throwball and Volleyball (W) was washed out and hence XLRI and IIMC were joint winners

Monday, July 02, 2012

Ramesh Jayaraman (PMIR 88) named Perfetti MD

From: The Economic Times

NEW DELHI: India's largest confectionery company Perfetti Van Melle (PVM) has named Ramesh Jayaraman its India head. Current managing director Sameer Suneja, who has been holding the position for past four years, has been relocated to a global role at the Italian firm.


Jayaraman has been named the new MD of the 1,500-crore PVM India, which competes with the likes of Wrigley, ITC and Parle. Prior to this appointment, Jayaraman was in-charge of the company's operations in both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, Jayaraman worked in Cadbury, Britannia and Danone before moving to PVM in 2006.

Suneja joins the growing ranks of Indian managers taking on global roles in key positions at multinational firms, especially in the consumer goods space. He has been with PVM for over 15 years and has led the company's foray in the rapidly-growing snacks category with its brand Stop Not- the first time the group diversified into the non-confectionery segment to compete with players like PepsiCo's Frito-Lay and Haldiram's.

PVM, which set up India operations in 1994, has close to 25% share in the 4,000-crore domestic sugar confectionery market. With brands including Alpenliebe and Mentos candies, Chlormint toffee and Center Fresh chewing gum, PVM has doubled its business over the last three years. But the category is fraught with challenges like wafer-thin margins and inability to hike costs because of intense competition.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

B-School Alumni Dinner on Jun 16th at Sterling Club on Sterling Road - Chennai

Dear friends,

The inter iim-Xlri alumni cricket tournament evening get together has been arranged at Sterling Club ,Sterling Road on Saturday June 16th.

The invitation is extended to the spouse and family members also.

So pls do let me know the number of family members coming with you so that the organisers can plan accordingly.


Thanks
Murali

XL CULTURE VULTURE - courtesy- Praveen Jagwani Class of ‘92

OUR CULTURE VULTURE
 You wake up feeling stoned, dead,
Barely manage to crawl out of bed
Brush you teeth with half closed eyes
And mutter friendly abuses to the other guys

You forget about shaving
And lose all interest in bathing
When under every shower there’s a Rafi singing And outside an Elvis impatiently waiting

The mess clock reads five to nine
You just can’t sit down and dine
There’s bread, butter, jam and tea
Or a boiled egg on the way to Room 3

Glide into a back row seat
Settle down and put up your feet
Questions answered, answers questioned
Love notes in wood are fashioned

Marketing, labour and finance
Leave no time for romance

And that’s how the day drags on…..
But at XL the DUSK is our DAWN
Life begins after dinner
For both the saint and the sinner

A guitar on the JLT
Or a late night at Kwality
Write a letter or receive a call
Or play TT in the Enright Hall

Others play bridge near the ‘serai’
Seeking salvation in a cup of chai
An OMAXI meeting near the TATA Audi
Gives pleasure to both soul and body

Some wind up in the library
For others it’s a place imaginary
They prefer the music room to rewind and unwind With Dylan, chess and a cushion behind

Under the glow of the TISCO slag
Puffing deeply on a borrowed fag
One contemplates about feminine charm
And compare the girl back at home with the one on the arm!

Praveen Jagwani
Class of ‘92

XLRI holds first pan-South India Alumni Meet

From The Pioneer

The XLRI Bangalore Chapter organised the first pan-South India alumni meet of the B-school. The garden city played host to this meet with largest gathering of 475 XLers ever from various cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Baroda, Mumbai and of course Jamshedpur. 

Amongst the distinguished attendees at the alumni meet were Father E Abraham, an alumnus from the batch of ‘78, and current Director of XLRI, Prof Sharad Sarin, Endowment Fund Chair, Prof Pranabesh Ray, an alumnus from the batch of ‘77, and current Dean, Prof Madhukar Shukla, Prof MG Jomon, Alumni Chair.
The evening kicked off by David D’Costa of ‘76 batch, and president of the XLBang Chapter introducing Sundari Thyagarjan from the ‘55 batch - the first batch of XLRI- and possibly the first lady Management Graduate in India, who was felicitated by Dominic Thomas of ‘59 batch.

As the evening progressed, the batch mates and friends started to mingle with each other and browse the books that XL authors had sent from across the country for the event. Various fun events were also held where winners were awarded with gift hampers. For XLers with kids a lovely room was available for the little kids to play darts, have yummy food.

Father Abe presented to the alumni on the various new initiatives being taken at XLRI. Prof Sarin updated the alumni on the XLRI Endowment Fund.

Prof Madhukar Shukla was felicitated by the XLBang Chapter for his outstanding contribution to the XLRI alumni committee over the last 14 years.

After all these excitement it was time for the festivities, with the band of the evening striking up music to which XLers from across the batches took pleasure in and had a merry time singing, and dancing on XL hits like “XL ki Kudiyan” and “XL meri jaan” and also enjoying Indian and oriental foods.

Friday, May 25, 2012

26 May 2012 - XLRI Summer Meet Delhi 2012

Dear XLers!

Greetings for the day!! We now have less than 31 hours left for the XLRI Delhi Alumni Meet 2012!

We, on behalf of the Alumni committee, would like to invite you to the Annual Alumni Meet of Delhi Chapter as per the following details:
Date: 26th May 2012
Time: 7:30 p.m. onwards
Venue: Oyster Greens, TIVOLI Gardens, Chhatarpur, New Delhi
Full Address of the venue:
TIVOLI GARDEN RESORT HOTEL
Chhattarpur Hills, Mehrauli
New Delhi – 110074
Tel.:+91 11 26301111, 64691111
Fax: 
26303093

Landmarks: Chhatarpur Mandir, Chhatarpur Metro Station


Kindly fill this online form (Click Here). Filling up the mentioned form serves a dual purpose, namely:
1. Ensuring that you don't have to fill up the registration form manually at the event venue, thus ensuring a hassle free and quick entry
2.  In order for us to take the initiative of formation of XLRI Delhi Chapter forward, we need you to update us on your current details.
NOTEIn case you have filled up the form for the XLRI Delhi Chapter formation already, no need to fill in your details again. 

The Registration Charges payable at the venue are as follows:
Individual: INR 1000/- 
Couple: INR 1900/-
Family: INR 950/- per person (Child above 10 years)

XLRI Souvenirs (coffee mugs & T shirts) will be available at a subsidized rate.

We would also like to offer special thanks to all the sponsors of the event:
Delhi Sponsors: Airtel & United Colors of Benetton
Beverage Sponsors: Kingfisher, Pernod Ricard, Redbull & Pepsico India

Please find attached the Snacks and Dinner Menu along with the invite.

Looking forward to meeting you all at the Summer Meet!



Thursday, May 17, 2012

XLRI - Delhi Meet - 26 May

Dear XLer's!
Greetings from XLRI Delhi Alumni Meet team!!!

It is the time of the year when XLRI Alumni chapters across the country celebrate the same 'XL Spirit' that glues us all together by organizing alumni summer meets.

In the same endeavour we would like to extend a warm welcome to you to join us at the Annual Delhi Alumni Meet on Saturday, 26th  May 2012 from 7:30 PM onwards at the Tivoli Gardens, Chattarpur, New Delhi. We seek your support in making this event a huge success. 

We are also in the process of revamping the Delhi Alumni Chapter and make it the most happening chapter around. In order for us to take this initiative forward , we need you to update us on your current details .

Kindly fill up your current details by (clicking here)

Please do join the Delhi Chapter Facebook page too at (FB Delhi Alumni Chapter).



Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Pan South India - XLRI Meet in Bangalore on 19th May


Hey there,


Have you booked your tickets yet? Be sure to be in Bangalore this weekend, for the Big Bang on the 19th of May at ITC, Gardenia.


The summer trainees are working hard to organise a memorable evening under the guidance of the Bangalore XLRI Alumni Committee.

Spot prizes, wet nite nostalgic music, OMAXI style bar, and an assorted menu to boot. Our Beverage Sponsors Pernod Ricard (Seagrams), Pepsi and UB - United Spirits will ensure that inspite of heavy graxing and trying to hold conversations louder than the music, your throats will not run dry.

The Diamond Partners for Bangalore: P4P consulting, Sobha Developers;
Platinum Partners : Wipro and Nokia ;
Gold Partner : PCI and Pylon ;
And ITC with their super subsidized rates are helping us keep the entry charges low
Further Sponsorship (as usual) is always welcome :)


Thanks to Madura garments for the special XL T-shirts and offering of free Loyalty Club membership to all attending Alumni.



Those attending also stand a chance of winning a 2 day (one night) Bed & Breakfast package for 2, from Windflower Resorts & Spa at Wayanad (Kerala).
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Windflower-Spa-and-Resorts/100367822757


Metro has sponsored assorted  gift hampers for some lucky XLers!!


Other than Sponsorship leads and offers, what we would really like from you is to get talking, emailing, calling and motivating other XLers in your office and batch/friend circle to attend. Its Herculean for us to reach out to everyone. email addresses are dynamic and not everyone in Bangalore is signed up on xlbang, we would really appreciate your spreading the word. Please forward this invitation to all your XL based groups.

Sad Demise: Fr John F Guidera, S.J

From: Prof: Madhukar Shukla

I am sad to inform you that Fr John F Guidera, S.J. passed away early this morning [May 16, 2012] in Mercy Hospital.

He had served XLRI in various capacities as Director, Dean [A&F], Administrator and Admissions In-charge. He was also the President of Jamshedpur Jesuit Society.


Thursday, May 10, 2012

XLRI Alumni Meet in Pune - 12 May 2012

Hello Xler's!

We are pleased to invite you to the XLRI Pune Alumni Meet on May 12, 2012 going to be held at

Royal Orchid Central,
Marisoft Annexe,
Kalyani Nagar,
Pune-14

Registration Fees -
Individual : Rs.950 only
Couple : Rs.1800 only
Family : Rs. 800 per person

Timing : 7.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m.


Regards

Priyanka Shanbhag
XLRI-HRM (2011-13)
7276368709

Abhinay Jain
XLRI-BM (2011-13)
9604694305

Thursday, May 03, 2012

XLRI-XITE coaching initiative for SC/ST students to enable admission without reservation

From PagalGuy.com

First batch of XITE’s MBA coaching program

Neha Badrai (22), currently pursuing a Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) from Xavier Institute of Tribal Education (XITE), had never considered doing an MBA. Originally from West Singhbhum in Jharkhand, this Scheduled Caste (SC) student decided to give it a try since her institute in collaboration with XLRI School of Business and Human Resources, Jamshedpur started a new SC/ST MBA coaching class last September. For Neha’s batchmate, Anupama Soreng, on the other hand, the new course was like a dream come true since she always wanted to do an MBA. Born into a family of farmers, Anupama is keen to break the mould and take on a corporate life. Both the girls are eagerly awaiting a chance to do well in the ensuing MBA entrance exams.

Neha Badrai, Final Year BBA student at XITE

The primary idea of these classes was to secure SC/ST students entry into MBA institutes sans the ‘reservation’ route. According to Father E Abraham SJ, Director, XLRI, and one of the pioneers behind the idea, the idea is to help SC/ST students achieve dreams on their own. “Jharkand has a huge number of SC/ST students who do not have the best of opportunities in life. Though the government has provided them  reservation in government b-schools, as an educational centre, it is our duty to help these students to do well in life on their own terms.”

Towards this end, XLRI has given XITE a grant of Rs 1 crore to be used over a time-frame of 5 years. These funds have been allocated to set up the infrastructure for running the coaching classes, building a computer centre, and towards creating publicity through advertisements. The actual coaching is carried out by a set of enthusiastic PGDM students of XLRI, in a bid to give back something to society.

Having finalised the plans for these classes during the second half of 2011, the authorities had  little time to advertise or promote the course amongst students of the state. Thus, the first batch of 24 students, were those pursuing their third year in BBA from XITE itself and are now in the final year of their course. In addition, the coaching classes began in September 2011, which gave the candidates little time to prepare for the entrance exams. Yet, the students took the exams but none of them fared too well.

According to Father EA Augustine SJ, Director for Xavier Institute of Tribal Education, the idea this time is to expand the advertising range of the course not only to heavily-tribal infested places like Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Chaibasa and Dumka in Jharkhand but also other states like Bihar and Odhisha.

Praising the efforts made by XLRI students in lending a hand towards training of the SC/ST students, Father Augustine said, “The XLRI students put in a lot of work towards this project.  While a couple of teachers from XITE had been asked to look in on the classes, everything from the course structure, to the teaching sessions as well as individual mentorship had been provided by the XLRI students.”

The concerned XLRI group of students are as enthusiastic about the coaching classes as the SC/ST students are.  One such, Chandrani Bhattacherjee,  said that the proposal to start such a project was received well among the students. “We sent in a group mail about the project to the batch and were overwhelmed with the number of students willing to work on it,” Chandrani told PaGaLGuY.

Initially, a few XLRI students interacted with SC/ST students to understand their requirements. “While most of them seemed comfortable with Quantitative Aptitude, English seemed to be the weak point for many,” Chandrani said. She added that once a rough idea had been formulated about the requirements of the students, a core group of about 20 students was formed to handle the coaching classes in its entirety, including deciding a formal course structure.

Sneha Joshi, another XLRI student connected with the project said that the core group drew upon their own coaching lessons while preparing for MBA to form the course schedule. “We asked for regular feedback from the students and altered our teaching methods accordingly,” Sneha said. She added that each one of the SC/ST students in the coaching classes had been provided with a personal mentor from amongst the XLRI student community.

XLRI has also approached a number of coaching institutes to help with the mock test papers for this year’s classes. “We have finalised a deal with one of the coaching institutes. It will provide us the mock test papers at a fee. However, staff members at XITE will be in-charge of conducting the mock tests,” Father Augustine said.

In the first stint, classes were held five times a week and students travelled from XITE to XLRI and back by a bus specially arranged for them. A similar schedule will be put in place this year too. As yet, the coaching provided was free of coast but the idea is now to levy a minimal fee of  Rs 1000-1200 per month. “If we do not charge a fee,  students will not take the classes seriously,” said Father Augustine. He also specified that while the  coaching provided to students will be XAT-specific, they are free to appear for the other MBA entrance exams too.

The enrollment process for the classes will begin around the second week of May. The new session of the coaching classes is scheduled to begin from 2 July, 2012.

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