The present situation necessitates a complete paradigm shift in doing business in the present world which enables rapid development without compromising on the ecosystem to sustain and nurture the natural and economic development. It is, thus required to measure business success from financial as well as socio-environmental point-of-view so that the growth in GDP, per-capita income, PPP and shareholders’ wealth today is sustained for the years to come for all industries and businesses.
It is with this goal in mind that Department of Management Studies (DMS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi is organising Building India Inc. 2006 – “Sustainable development”. The forum would act as a platform for young managers, senior representatives from the industry and academicians to discuss scenarios and alternative growth paths and encourage debate about India’s future socio–economic and environmental dimensions. Building India Inc. is a step in this direction that concentrates not only on the hypothetical situations but also recommends prescriptions for India’s future, prescriptions that will propel India towards Sustainable Development.
Building India Inc. is an Annual National Conference organized by DMS IIT Delhi. Every year an issue of current relevance for business is chosen and a platform is provided to discuss the topic and develop a roadmap for the industry to follow. It has made the entire corporate world sit and notice, caught the attention of every concerned citizen to be able to contribute, be heard and be able to make a difference and is being widely debated in academic circles for all its dimensions and implications.
On Day one the proceedings would kick off with the inaugural session. Ms. Seema Arora, Head of the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development has kindly agreed to deliver the theme address. Prof. S.S Yadav, Head of Department, DMS and Prof. Vinaysheel Gautam would also address the gathering and open up the topic for discussion.
Marketing session will bring forth the issue of delivering products in collaboration with the communities in which the company operates so as to lead to convergence and sustainable development in future. The session would feature many leaders in the field who would share their views on the topic. Some of those who have agreed to be present are Mr. Prasoon Joshi, Regional Director- Creative, McCann Ericksson; Mr. Gullu Sen, Vice President, Dentsu; Mr. Arun Shanker, Ex-Director, Eicher Consultancy Services and Ms. Padmaja Krishnan, Director-Marketing, Planning and Research, CSC.
This will pave way to another very important functional area of management that is Finance. Addressing the need for a more integrated and sustainable financial system, this session would invite a broad range of viewpoints from different groups and sectors. Mr. Colin J.Warren, Portfolio Manager, South Asia, Global Manufacturing & Services Department, International Finance Corporation and Ms Gerlinde Sturm, Director (Finance), Siemens will share their perspective on the subject.
Next session will focus on HR specific issues. The success in this area can be achieved by making sustainable development part of the employee value proposition, assessing how workforce diversity contributes to performance and working in partnership with employees and communities. Notable speakers include Mr. Y V Verma, Director- HR, LG Electronics; Mr. Vineet Kapila, Vice President, Coca Cola; Mr. Rajeev Rao, Vice President, Bharti Televentures.
Day two would start with a session on Information Technology. Aim of this forum will be to provide a stimulus for knowledge exchange and cooperation that focuses on the application of information technology to Sustainable Development everywhere in this interdependent world and specifically in India. Dr Ashok Wahi, Director (IT Operations), Convergys; Mr. Sunil Mehra, Director Sales, Oracle; Mr. Rajeev K Arora, Sr. Manager, BU Head, e-Busines Applications, IBM; Mr. J Kalyan Raman, Sr-VicePresident, HCL and Mr. Venkatesh Velluri, Country Manager, Agilent Technologies have kindly agreed to participate in the discussion.
Telecom sector in India in growing at an unprecedented pace, it is incumbent upon us to sustain the growth so that future generations can reap the benefits. And the specialists will provide their valuable opinions on the same during the Telecom Session. The whole gamut of industry experts will assemble, right from Mr. Rajat Mukherjee, Director-Country Affairs, Idea Cellular to Mr. Abhay Vaish, Country Head, Ericcson. TRAI will be represented by Mr. Surinder Singh, Advisor, TRAI.
The contribution of the manufacturing industry towards Sustainable Development can be gauged through three main parameters, namely its share in total employment, per capita value added in manufacturing and of course in environmental protection. As a developing country, the industrial sector has a very important role to play in driving India towards progress at an accelerated pace. This sentiment will be echoed and looked upon by academia and corporate during Operations session. Mr. K.J. Gupta, Head- Projects, Dabur India and Mr. Shiva Gulvady, Ex-Vice President, Pepsi Foods would share their viewpoints on the topic.
About 200 participants are expected to attend the conference. The event hopes to serve as a platform to bring together the government, the corporate, the media and the academia to deliberate on issues and challenges facing the nation with regards to sustainable development and share their experiences and views with the larger audience.