Raphael Warjri

IIM Shillong successfully concluded the 14 th edition of Learning on the Green Turf in
tandem with the 6th chapter of the Business Leadership Summit, 2023. The theme of
the conclave was “Evolving Horizons of the Global South: Navigating the Confluence
of Technology, Talent, and Transformation in the Indian Context.” The theme sets
the platform with India leading the charge and the role of enterprises in contributing
to this new international order.

Learning on the Green Turf, a one-of-a-kind event that IIM Shillong pioneered 13
years ago brought together the corporate realm and professional athletes to network,
share ideas, and engage in strategic discussions on the green. The Learning on the
Greens provides an opportunity for the institute’s students to hone their leadership
skills by engaging first-hand with the most accomplished industry leaders, while also
contributing to the region by bringing such corporate executives to experience the
abundant nature and potential of Northeast India. 30 Industry leaders/ corporate
executives from all over India, diplomats of Northeast, officials of the armed forces,
and an exchange of dialogue and ideas between all of them; shared with the
fraternity of IIM Shillong through one-on-one dialogues, interactive sessions, panel
discussions and imbibing the culture of Shillong through Immersive visits.

On 17 th Nov, The annual leadership summit was inaugurated by Shri Dinesh Kumar
Khara, Chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI), who engaged with students
virtually, delivering a compelling keynote address. He emphasized India as a
promising market poised for substantial growth in today's evolving economy. He also
elaborated on how India's hosting of the G20 has firmly positioned it within the
landscape of revamped global progress.

The most awaited Learning on the Green Turf was inaugurated by Ms. Sudha
Natrajan, Director Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. (Times Group). The keynote
speaker, spoke about how India is in a prime position with all of the main drivers of

growth to drive the economy of the Global South. She expanded on how India plays
a pivotal role in the Global South, and encouraged the participants to be change
agents. She pointed out that when one is asleep, India is expanding with enormous
potential to grow and flourish.

Prof. D P Goyal, Director IIM Shillong while delivering the welcome address,
highlighted the objective of the conclave to engage, invent, and create an influence
on the community that distinguishes IIM Shillong students from other
contingents in the country.

Shri. Atul Kulkarni, Member BoG, IIM Shillong, spoke on the theme, "The North
East is the gateway to the South East countries, and Academic institutions are the
right place for "churning," experimenting, and interacting with various leaders and
leading experts in their fields." He further added,” The vision of IIM Shillong - Deeply
rooted in Indian ethos, with a Global vision is synonymous with the Business
Leadership Theme and how the institute can act as an ideal platform to offshoot
more human-centric economy with a focus on society-centric development and how
to integrate the students of tomorrow into the society.”

The 14 th Season of Learning on the green turf witnessed participation from ten
distinguished individuals who tried their shots in the scenic Shillong Golf Course. The
Corporate golfers includes Harpreet Duggal, Co-founder & Managing Partner at
Vivtera; Dr. Hrishikesh Damle, Managing Director & CEO of Atrimed
Pharmaceuticals; Krathish Bopanna, Founder Director of SalCorp Health
Technologies Limited; Manpreet Sachdev, Founder and CEO of Elite Group; Pratik
Potnis, CEO & CTO of BrainCellls; Rakesh Rajora, SVP-Transformation at Intelligent
Automation Wells Fargo; Sachin Khanna, Director at SHIKRILDS; Shalini Sankar,
National Head at Laqshya Media Group; Sriman Naarayan S, Partner-Technology
Consulting at E&Y; and Vignesh Hebbar, Founder and CEO of iLeap.

The Leadership summit witnessed participation from many industry luminaries:
The Finance panel featured industry luminaries such as Anshul Arzare, Managing
Director, Yes Bank Securities, Vinod Keni, Managing Director of Peachtree
Ventures, and IIM Shillong's own Associate Professor of Economics Amit Prakash

Jha, along with moderator Pankaj Doval, National Editor, TOI. They delved into a
crucial discussion on "Advancing Financial Inclusion Through Technology:
Opportunities and Challenges." This session explored the potential of technology in
enhancing financial inclusion and how India has the first mover advantage.

The Systems and Analytics Panel featured Ranjani Mani, Global Analytics Leader,
Atlassian, Mr. Amitkumar Srivastava, Head, AI Unit, Fujitsu India, Shwetabh Sushil,
Director, Myntra, Vignesh Kumar, Director, Cisco, and Mr. Rachit Pradhan, Director,
Zee5. The panelists engaged in a discussion on “AI Renaissance: Navigating
Generative Intelligence.” The session highlighted the importance of adopting a
problem-first approach, ethical considerations in AI applications, and the integration
of AI with Quantum technology.

The Operations Panel included industry experts such as Atul Kharate, COO, Indian
Oil Adani Ventures, Lijosh Jose, Supply Chain Analytics Lead, Mars APMEA,
Soumov Kundu, Operations Director- East, DHL, and Nishant Srivastava, Chief
Manager-Projects, Siemens, Mobility. The discussion was centered around the
theme 'Global South’s Role In the Fourth Industrial Revolution,' They outlined three
key aspects: the use of dashboards for efficient information flow, integration of
artificial intelligence and machine learning for automation, and the incorporation of
robotics.

The marketing panel included industry figures such as Shweta Srivastava, Chief
Customer Experience Officer, Mahima Garg, Marketing Head India at T&C Amazon
Web Services, and Aradhana Mehta, former Head of Marketing at Tasva Aditya Birla
Group, Tarun Tahiliani. The focus was on" Crafting Connections: Weaving Stories in
Marketing Mastery." The conversation emphasized how narratives redefine brand
identities and shape consumer perceptions.

The Consulting X HR Panel ignited a compelling dialogue on "Synergy for the future:
Unleashing the Global South's Potential in the Tech-Driven Economy," The panel
featured stalwarts from the industry: Dr. SL Raj, Executive VP, Global Business
Strategy and HR, Newgen Software, Dr. Rupesh Kumar Singh, Partner & COO, EY
India, SAP Practice, Prasanth R Krishnan, Director, Avalon Global Research,

Sreethala Ganapathy , Vice President, HR JP Morgan Chase, and Vishal Sharma,
National Managing Director Deloitte Consulting India Pvt. The panel conversation
outlined the immense potential and challenges inherent in leveraging technology for
the Global South's growth, emphasizing the need for balanced, inclusive, and
personalized approaches in embracing the tech-driven future.

The Business Leadership Summit, 2023 & Learning on the Green Turf, concluded as
a success by leaving the audience a lot to ponder on. The perspectives gained and
connections forged during this summit are poised to steer the course of the business
landscape, shaping a future marked by inclusive growth and technological
advancement.