Before I joined FLAME
University, I was told there will be opportunities to interact with industry
stalwarts and meet them up-close. Since commencing my education at FLAME, they
kept every bit of their promise. Recently we, the students of FLAME got a
chance to attend ‘The INDIA 2020 STARS, Annual India Conference 2015‘ organized
by Axis Capital. It gave us an opportunity to interact with Promoters / CEOs of
eminent companies who through their keynote speeches shared with us their
business insights and strategies.

Through the two days of the
conference, we got to hear and learn from a fantastic composition of speakers
that ranged from diverse industries of the Indian Economy. The experience was
surreal. We got to discuss a variety of topics and ask questions to the who’s
who of the Indian corporate world.

CxOs of various companies, like
Axis Bank, Balaji Telefilms, K. Raheja Group, JSW Steel, Bank of Baroda, Dalmia
Cement, and Infosys, among others were present at the conference. There was
also a session from Mr. Anil Swarup of the Coal Ministry. Needless to say the
experience and interaction was extremely enriching. Merely just listening to
these dignitaries, their views, knowing their experiences and opinions amounted
to a wealth of knowledge. It was overwhelming at first, but by the second day
of the conference we felt slightly more confident to have gained a lot more insights
into the workings of different industries.

Below are few important points
discussed by the keynote speakers:

·
Axis Bank’s CFO shared insights
into how technology is changing the banking industry.

·
JSW Steel’s CFO focused on growth in value added steel
products and the usage of steel in new upcoming industries – citing solar as an
example.

·
The CxO from Dalmia Cement
discussed  how the company is focussing
on higher output and reducing process costs. He also discussed the scope of
automation in reducing costs.

·
Infosys’ CFO and COO emphasized
on the security of data becoming increasingly critical, as malwares and spywares
increase with every innovation. By preempting it they can solve many problems
and stay market leaders.

·
Bank Of Baroda’s CxO discussed
how the new team is changing the company internally by benchmarking operational
parameters and globalizing to compete with international banks.

·
K. Raheja Group’s CxO presented
his views on the real estate sector. He highlighted various possible
opportunities in India and how the K. Raheja Group was focused on exploiting
the opportunities to the fullest.

·
Balaji Telefilms’ CXO spoke
about advancing in the space of content creation and coming out with quality
projects. He also discussed their international strategy and insisted on the
value of existing content.

·
Mr. Anil Swarup, from the Ministry
of Coal, enlightened the audience on the process of ‘decision making’
undertaken by the ministry. He also talked about the evacuation of coal and increasing the purity
of the commodity by installing washeries.

Apart
from these keynote interactions, there were panel discussions on India’s
infrastructure progress and behaviour of India’s consumers. At the end of the
sessions we felt abundantly supplemented with knowledge. I specifically felt, I
can discuss various topics in depth. All of this would help me in my projects,
research, studies as well as my career. It was an unforgettable experience.
Every minute was spent learning and soaking information. I will always cherish
this experience and it will go a long way in shaping my future.

Vikas
Gupta,

FLAME