XLRI Summer Internship 2013; Largest ever batch size of 303 students gets placed in record time

From India Education Diary

Report by India Education bureau, Jamshedpur:

XLRI, India’s premier B-School successfully places its largest ever first year batch in a record time of 3.5 days. 105 companies participated in the process and made 336 offers to 303 students.

The top 5 recruiters on campus in terms of numbers were Vodafone, Microsoft, ITC, TAS and Standard Chartered.

While it continued to remain as one of the top notch destinations for talent in Human Resources and Marketing, the number of offers made in Finance saw a steep rise with 33% of the Business Management students getting offers in this domain. Placements at XLRI is a tremendous team effort with the entire exercise being carried by the student run Placement Committee along with help from other support committees: CRISP, Controls, Services and Logs.

Fr. E Abraham S.J., Director of XLRI commented “We are overwhelmed with the success in summer placements and I congratulate all our first-year students. This is an affirmation of the high academic standards that we pursue that even during an economic slowdown, our students are sought after by firms across industry sectors. The placement process at our campus concluded in a record time of just 3.5 days, with 100% of the batch of 303 students getting meaningful offers for internship from major conglomerates.”

3M India appoints Amit Laroya (BMD88) as Director and MD

From MoneyControl.com

3M India approved the appointment Mr. Amit Laroya as a Director and Managing Director of the Company with effect from October 1, 2013 for a period of 5 years subject to the approval of the shareholders in general meeting to be held next year and further subject to the approval of the Central Government.

33M India Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Company through a Circular Resolution dated October 4, 2013 have:1. Approved the appointment Mr. Amit Laroya as a Director and Managing Director of the Company with effect from October 1, 2013 for a period of 5 years subject to the approval of the Shareholders of the Company in general meeting to be held next year and further subject to the approval of the Central Government.2. Accepted the resignation of Mr. Ajay Nanavati as a Director and Managing Director of the Company with effect from October 1, 2013 upon his assuming responsibility within 3M Group outside of India.Source : BSE

Obituary. Sorry to Inform you of the passing away of our Batch Mate Joe Colaco (76)

Joseph Colaco

May 23, 1954- August 23, 2013
Resided in Monroe Township, NJ

Obituary

Joseph Colaco died on Friday August 23, 2013 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. He was 59 years old. Mr. Colaco was born and raised in Mangalore, India. He came to the US in 1980 and settled in Flushing, Queens, NY. He later lived in Parlin before moving to South Brunswick in 1984 and finally to Monroe Twp. in 2005. He was currently employed as the vice president of business development for OHM Labratories, Inc./Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals in Princeton where he worked for over 30 years. He was a member and mentor of MCA-EC and was a parishioner of Immaculate Conception RC Church, Spotswood.

He was pre-deceased by his parents, Harold C. and Assumption (D'Sa) Colaco and two siblings, Gerard, and MaryLou.

He is survived by his wife of over 33 years, Purnima (Sheth) Colaco of Monroe Twp., two children, Premal Joseph Colaco and his fiancée Kieran Jayne of Philadelphia, PA, and Christine MaryLou Colaco of Hoboken, four siblings, MaryAnn Sequeira and her husband Eric of Denver, CO, Michael Colaco of Abudhabi, UAE, Philip Colaco and his wife Vijaya of Wantagh, NY, and Eugene Colaco and his wife Tina of Fort Lee, and many other extended family members.

Funeral services will begin at 9:30am on Wednesday August 28, 2013 from the M. David DeMarco Funeral Home, 205 Rhode Hall Rd. Monroe Township, NJ 08831, 732-521-0555. A funeral liturgy will be 10:15am at Immaculate Conception RC Church. Disposition will follow Mass. Visitation will be 5-9pm on Tuesday at the funeral home.

For those who desire, memorial contributions may be made in Joseph's name to the charity of one's choice.



I got this news from our Junior Kaushik, who got it from Gerald Tellis BMD77.
Confirmed through Google.

David D'Costa

Our Light and Our Life – Bishu Da by Vinoo, XLRI

Philips launched Philips Campus Journos - a contest for current B School students to write stories - and an XLer wrote this about Bishu Da! :)

http://campusjournos.com/2013/07/09/our-light-and-our-life-bishu-da-by-vinoo-xlri/

Do share and like it for an XLer to win the contest ;)

There are lovely pictures too at the link, it will take you back to your days at Jampot.

A sampling of the article :

"From 11 pm to 4 am, there is a never ending stream of students looking to either catch up after an exhausting day of case studies. Bishu da has a flexible credit system and the cheese maggi is probably the most famous item of the menu, more so because it can also be served up the quickest.

The gossip and rumours exchanged at Bishu da’s shed light on the many happenings inside campus. Bishu da is more than a person, he is part of the XL culture, an integral part of the legacy and an institution in himself."

Read the whole article and see the pictures on
http://campusjournos.com/2013/07/09/our-light-and-our-life-bishu-da-by-vinoo-xlri/

and don't forget to "Like" it

My first week at XLRI – Vinoo Kurian Thomas

From CareerAnna.com

Vinoo Kurian Thomas, XLRI (2013-2015)

In perspective

The blue frothy waves crashed onto the shore again and again, never ending, never ceasing. I always preferred the solitude of the beach. The Marina beach is Asia’s longest and one of the most famous attractions in the city. Today, to my surprise, I found that I was the only one in the beach. I couldn’t spot a single other soul on the shore. Come to think of it, I could not see anyone else anywhere. Maybe, it’s my lucky day I figured and began to ponder about the many intricacies of the path that I had chosen. ‘Can I get you something sir’ the voice said, measured, smooth, calm. But there was no form to it. I looked around and spotted no one. ‘Sir? Excuse me sir?’ I snapped out of my reverie and found myself bang in the middle of a pretty airhostess’s inquiries on my general wellness state. ‘No, I’m good’ I replied. I would be at 30,000 feet mid-way between Chennai and Kolkata. I was on the way to Jamshedpur, or Jampot, as we lovingly call it. The end destination was XLRI Jamshedpur, the no.1 private B-School in the country.

The long journey

The journey to XLRI had been a long one and I had often dreamed of visiting the campus. I had decided that even if I had converted other institutes, I would make it a point to surely visit XLRI once for an academic or cultural competition. The one thing that distinguished XLRI wherever one goes is the mention of a culture. It is ever prevalent, ever present. XL Culture was spoken of in public online forums and among friends, but no one ever really knew what it really was except the students there themselves. My journey into XLRI itself was a highly comic one involving the only breakdown of my Honda Activa in a 7-year ownership period about 45 minutes before the test and subsequent breakdown of the autorickshaw  I had hired after my scooters breakdown about 30 minutes before XAT 2013. I alone know the story of how I finally managed to reach the venue in time, regain some semblance of composure and get ready to give my all during those crucial hours inside the hall. But I got through. I had a good score and aced my GD/PI stage leading to a direct convert. I was finally on my way to my dream B-School and one of the very best at that. The journey from Chennai, other than for my occasional day dreaming, was fairly uneventful and a quick train hop later I was at Jampot. The immediate impression could be summed  in one word: TATA. The Tata Group ensures that Jamshedpur is never short of anything. It is a beautifully maintained city. As the taxi rolled in to Circuit House Area, I stared wide-eyed like a kid in a candy store. I wanted to assimilate every moment and store in my mind’s hard drive. I knew this would be my home for 2 years. Once at the campus, I signed in to the MDP Residence block as I had arrived a couple of days prior to the official start when students could move in to the hostels. The MDP residence primarily functions as apartments for top executives who come to experience the very best of management education, compressed into a 4-day or week-long event. The facilities were wonderful and I quickly settled down.

The Campus

The next day was mostly spent getting my documents in order. I roamed around the campus a lot, trying to understand the way to and fro different blocks. I spotted Dadu’s which had been around for almost as long as the institution itself. The hostel was maintained really well and to my surprise my room was among the largest in the entire block! Lucky me! The pride forever XLRI store was a definite surprise where one can get branded and quality XLRI merchandise ranging from photo frames to t-shirts. There are two convenience stores, one within campus and other just 2 minutes walk away for the benefit of the students. Overall, I was impressed by the huge expansive campus, with a world class library and fantastic gym. The facilities have all been provided. It is up to the student to manage his time everyday in an optimal manner and develop his own self into a well rounded personality adept at both physical activities and academics. During the first week of orientation here, I often ran into the Jesuit priests who run the college administration. Brought up in familiar waters back in Chennai, I built a good rapport with the priests here who are ever willing to come to the aid of the student community. The next day onwards, slowly students started settling in to the atmosphere. I made a lot of quick friends, thanks in part to our Facebook admits group because of which I already knew a lot of them.

Getting started

The first week comprises of several orientation courses which brought us up to the speed with the case study methodology of learning. XLRI is indeed blessed with departments rich in learned and experienced professors stresses the importance of class participation. The case study method gives a real time experience of the problem in hand, the various options available , helps to create a decision matrix and to choose the best solution to the given problem .Of course one needs to make many assumptions and this helps to enhance learning. My experience has been that since students come from varied back grounds and profile one can learn from their experience and helps peer rating as well.

The Committees

XLRI has been traditionally known for its various committees and the pioneering work they do in their respective areas. There are many to choose from according to one’s ability, skill and aptitude. These provide suitable launching pads for future managers.   There are a number of Committees on campus aimed at fine tuning the leadership skills of students. The few notable ones are

FIRE@X(The Forum for Industrial Relations at XLRI) aimed at bringing about a greater level of interaction between students, faculty and the industry and to create awareness and passion about the field of industrial relations and labour laws.

MAXI(The Marketing Association of XLRI) the oldest committee on campus is designed at popularising the field of marketing at XLRI.

DRACULA (The Dramatic and Cultural Association at XLRI)hosts events providing high quality varied entertainment thereby stimulates the creative potential in the diverse student fraternity on the campus

Welcome

The welcome ceremony on 14^th June 2013 at the state of the art TATA Auditorium that can boast of a fine acoustic system and accommodates 1000 people was a solemn as well as an enriching experience for both students and parent’s community. The introduction of the faculty gave an insight into the diversity and experience  XLRI faculty possess. The address by Fr E Abraham,SJ,  Director was inspiring and thought provoking and outlined  the road map for next two years.

Hectic and fast paced

Life moves at a fast pace at campus .Often 24 hrs is not sufficient to live a day. Yes, here one has to go miles and miles at this speed before one can sleep. I really enjoy this fast pace as there is no single dull moment and there is always something yet to be attempted and completed. Group discussions enhance learning and the joy and satisfaction one get when an idea or suggestion is accepted by the group is an achievement in itself. Of course one learns to accept divergent views and see others point of view.

Home away from home.

One quickly adjusts to hostel life on campus with excellent mess and kitchens with  friendly seniors who are  very approachable and very helpful. Every interaction is enriching and rewarding. The food is tasty and satisfying. The primary lessons of community living by sharing the available resources in this already shrinking universe and brotherhood is rewarding. The motto “ Service before Self” is best learned in such conditions.

Green Campus

Often one hears about ecology and greenery but fails to see these often. A visitor  to the campus is at once thrilled by the sprawling and green campus in the idyllic setting of the Dalma Hills and TISCO. The long sightedness and long term planning of the institution’s founders and their worthy successors needs praise and needs to be emulated. The buildings are not mere concrete monsters but a blend of modern and traditional architecture. Good drainage system is in place to prevent water logging and flooding.

Facilities many

Sir Jehangir Ghandy Library is vast storehouse that caters to the information needs of all and is treasure house of literature related to labour laws and management.

XLRI has many sports and recreational facilities including a multi gym, Badminton, Basket, Football , Tennis , Volley Ball courts and a Recreation and TV Hall.

XLRI has excellent LAN and WIFI connectivity. Undoubtedly XLRI is the most e-enabled business school in our country.

Your Grace is enough

As a devout Catholic I consider myself lucky as there is a beautiful chapel close to my hostel where I can go anytime and spend time in the company of Jesus. Prayer  and worship have come close like never before.  Attending Sunday Mass has also become more convenient

In short Life is good

 My experience is more rewarding as I have a very friendly and helpful room mate. My experience so far has been more than satisfying and rewarding. There are more events I look forward to .One such is the village programme. I have always believed that unless our semi urban and rural population is economically uplifted the battle is not won. Education and health care are the two focus areas where much needs to be done. To eradicate poverty our country should  spend more on these two critical areas. Infrastructure  spending need to be increased so that power and clean drinking water no more remains dreams for our villagers. Management schools have a lot to do in this area as future corporate executives  need to understand where  the soul of India lies .

Vinoo Kurian Thomas is from XLRI 2013-15 Batch and we appreciate him for taking out time for sharing his first week experience at XLRI with all of us.

Kimberly-Clark Lever appoints Calvin Lyngdoh (PMIR 99) as the new HR head in India

From The Economic Times


NEW DELHI: FMCG firm Kimberly-Clark Lever has appointed Calvin Lyngdoh as director, HR for its Indian operations, the company said in a statement.

Lyngdoh joins Kimberly-Clark Lever from Nokia where he was head of development, leadership and talent acquisition, responsible for streamlining and expanding the sales and marketing team.

In his new role, Lyngdoh will oversee Kimberly-Clark Lever's signature human resource programmes and initiatives in India and will report to managing director Prakash Iyer. Kimberly-Clark has a 50:50 joint venture with Hindustan UnileverBSE 0.01 % in India.

""Calvin's experience in attracting, developing, rewarding and retaining top talent is vital to Kimberly-Clark Lever and the people who make our brands among India's most trusted," Prakash Iyer, MD, Kimberly-Clark Lever said in a statement.

Speaking on his new role, Lyngdoh said: "Kimberly-Clark Lever is a leading player in the FMCG sector and is already engaged in rich and diverse employee engagement programmes. I look forward to bringing my experience in driving leadership development programmes, succession planning and talent acquisition to the human resources team here."

Sad Demise : Simon (Shiva) Bala - BMD 72

It is with great sadness that I wish to inform the group the Simon (Shiva) Bala, BMD (72), passed away on Saturday April 13, 2013. He was 61 years old, and his career spanned India, Qatar, UK, Bahamas and finally Toronto, Canada which he strongly considered to be his home.

I have personally known Simon since childhood and for me he was the closest thing to immediate family in Canada. Xlers who met him at the XL picnics (he came only 2/3 times) are aware of his amazing and rich journey through life. His kindness and help was experienced by a large number of people and he gave selflessly asking for very little, if ever, in return.

I will keep the group updated of funeral plans.
Regards,
Siddharth

Singapore reunion - April 27th

Dear Excellers based in Singapore & Around,

I write to you today to personally invite you all to the Singapore Alumni Reunion on April 27.

You will be happy to know that Prof Sarin, Mr. Rana Sinha (MD, Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. & National President, XLRI Alumni Association) and I will be present in Singapore to meet and interact with you all.

As Kulshaan has already informed you all, the venue for the meet will be : Nosh Bar & Restaurant.   The reunion will begin at 6.00 pm.

In the Dubai Alumni Meet held on February 16, nearly 60 alumni participated.   However, we look forward to meeting at least 100 alumni who are based in and around Singapore.    May I request you all to kindly contact alumni you are in touch with, both in Singapore and around,  to ensure that we have a good attendance and a productive reunion.

We look forward to meeting you all.

E. Abraham, S.J.

DIRECTOR

------------------------------
E. Abraham S J., Ph.D.
Director
XLRI School of Business & Human Resources
C H Area (East)
PB no. 222
Jamshedpur 831001,INDIA

RIP Prof Ashok Mukherjee

Got this sad news from Sanjay Sankar Maitra 69batch, that Prof Ashok K Mukherjee (batch of 61 PMIR) passed away last evening in Bangalore. Prof Mukherjee also taught in XLRI during 1967-73.

He had been ailing since long, and was living with his daughters (Shampa – 91PMIR and Shamita – 93PMIR) in Bangalore.


May his soul rest in peace
Madhukar

Sonalee Panda (BMD 96) : The growth is in the Rs 5-10 crore segment

From The Hindu Business Line

The growth is in the Rs 5-10 crore segment

Parvatha Vardhini C.

Sonalee Panda, Group Head, Private Banking and Wealth Management, ING Vysya Bank. 

 

Having access to a whole lot of SME clients through their lending relationship is ING Vysya’s niche, says Sonalee Panda, Group Head, Private Banking and Wealth Management at ING Vysya Bank. After all, it is this segment of the market whose needs are becoming more sophisticated but not many are paying attention to it, she says.

What are the services you offer under private banking?

We have been in the private banking business in India since 1995. We offer investment advisory across equity, debt and structured products through non-discretionary Portfolio Management Services (PMS). We also offer what is called the investment banking service. For example, most of our private banking clients are entrepreneurs.

 

So when they want to grow bigger and move to newer markets, they are looking for strategic investments - something like a private equity deal or a venture capital function. We do it for them, but in a small ticket size of Rs 25-50 crore. 

The next thing we do is estate management. Say a client has built a business and made a lot of money, we help in protecting the wealth. Then if the second generation is not interested in it, through our investment banking practice we find a person who can take over the business. A fourth service is structured credit.

How do you distinguish the wealth management services from private banking?

The typical wealth management customer is mass affluent and he begins thinking of creating wealth for his future needs as he touches 30-35 years of age. 

So wealth management is when you look at this customer, understand his profile, his requirements and then do the asset allocation accordingly. This we started doing in 2007. 

Besides equity and debt, in wealth management, we offer structured products, PE deals and also real estate investment options. But the transaction sizes there will be about Rs 25 lakh. When we talk about the same in private banking, we are talking about Rs 25 crore. 

Who is your typical customer?

Before ING exited private banking business in Asia, except India, in 2010, we were catering primarily to the global Indian. Many customers were from UK, Malaysia, South America. So we could offer a lot of offshore products. After the exit, our focus is more domestic. 

If you see where the growth is happening in India, it is probably among those who have about $1- 2 million liquidity (Rs 5-10 crore approximately). You can see wealth growing among entrepreneurs.

But this segment is not getting the service it needs. Most banks are treating these customers as wealth management clients but their needs are changing and there is a niche available right now. Secondly, because of Vysya Bank legacy, we have access to SME relationships.

This is our USP. These customers are not very big; they need transactions in the Rs 25-50 crore bracket and nobody is catering to that segment right now. We have 527 branches and SME lending happens across these. So we are able to see the customer’s need and offer services accordingly.

Have you seen the risk appetite of Indians changing after 2008?

Completely. Till 2008, everyone was putting money only in equity. Now everyone wants only gold, real estate to some extent and obviously debt. We tell our customers, “If you buy gold and the price falls, don’t sell it; keep it for 15-20 years. 

Similarly, if you enter equity markets at 21000 levels then why should you sell it at 8000 levels? Why don’t you hold it for 10 years?” But today, the consumer is much more risk averse.

Second, previously people were not so aware of what you were selling them and they trusted our judgement. Today, they are much more aware. Another big conversation today is about the fees.

Five years back, I would not have written the fees anywhere. Today when I get a signature from the customer, he signs saying that he has read and is aware of the fees.

Do people actively ask for options abroad?

Most people are interested in the $ 2,00,000 free remittance available to resident individuals. They have a relatively positive view on the US. They want to know what they can do to get there. 

However, the maximum that they typically invest offshore will be about 10-20 per cent of the total. The average wealthy Indian believes India is the place. They also understand the markets here much better.

 

Invitation : Singapore Alumni Meet - 27 April

Dear Xler,

I am happy to inform you that Fr. Abraham (Director) and myself will be in Singapore for the Alumni Meet we have scheduled on April 27 at 6.00 pm.

I have formed a core committee comprising of : Kulshaan Singh, Vikram Sud, Ashok Krishen, Alok Sinha, and Prem Kumar.   I have requested them to finalize the venue for the meet.
Fr Abraham and myself propose to begin the meet with an important presentation.   In all, we propose to spend about three hours together with you all.  

Kindly send me any suggestions you may have to make the reunion more meaningful.

We look forward to meeting you all.

Prof Sharad Sarin

XLbang Happy Hours on Friday - Feb-1- Century Club

Dear Xler,

Kindly confirm your participation either on the XLBang events on facebook or by sending the sms per the details here below:

XLers are blessed with intellect, drive, ambition, connections and exposure; yet very few of us ever use these gifts to create our own enterprises. What stops XLers from making this leap into uncharted waters; where success leads to financial independence, a deep sense of fulfillment, employment generation, and a significant contribution to our country economic progress?

Is it because the outcomes of those who have made the leap are mixed? Is it the lack of inspiration despite the presence of XLers that have started extremely successful companies like Mindtree (N Krishnakumar, BM-81) and Ma Foi (K Pandiarajan, KPR, PM-84). Do our MBAs wire us only to serve large organized behemoths? How do we breakout and follow our dreams?

The XLBang Happy Hours on Feb 1 is a special session on Entrepreneurship to try and find out some of the answers to these questions. I will be hosting a discussion with some of our very own alumni who have made it, making it, and helping make it. The panel includes

 

Amit Bansal (BM-97) who started PurpleLeap with two other XLers (Vinay Nijhawan and Hemanth Somani). He first started with children’s education programs before changing track to finishing schools for college grads. His firm was later acquired by Educomp. 

 

Richik Nandi (BM-06) who follows what now seems to be the favoured route of marketing and product management with a leading software company before partnering with a friend to start Poshvine.com, an internet start-up aimed at cashing in on the growing market of food experiences.

 

Bharati Jacob (PM-83) has the envied job of meeting new start-ups every day and evaluating business ideas for investment worthiness. She has invested in some well-known ventures like Vaatsalya, Printo and RedBus; and has an inside track on what drives entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. 

 Are you sitting on the fence with a great idea? Is the economy and business climate right for starting out? Join us to hear from those who have dared to make their dreams come true.

When
Friday, Feb 1st, 7:00 PM

 

  Where

Century Club (Sampige Village)

Cubbon Park, Bangalore

 

Registration
SMS the following details to  8880006603

< Name>

Eg. Vijaya 08 2

 

More Details
Dinner @ 200 per pax

Drinks @ 100 per drink

XLBang Happy Hours

Special session on Entrepreneurship