From being a very successful welfare officer with a charming smile, to becoming a no-nonsense IR manager, and then climbing to the heights of success by becoming one of the most renowned HR Practitioners in the country, Mr. Rama Babu has had a very invigorating career, replete with challenges. By personal example, he inspired XLers, to sometimes give up comfortable leadership positions, in the pursuit of something new. Mr. Rama Babu, went from being the best in HR to experiencing the Sugar Industry at it’s very grass roots, and today he has turned around EID Parry from a turnover of 40 Crore to a 700 Crore company.

He explained, how by using just plain reasoning, and by taking decisions from his heart, he has obliterated IR issues from every organization he has worked for. Ethics is one quality, which he said is one of the pillars of managerial excellence, and only by pursuit of the same, and by providing highest job satisfaction to employees, does an organization survive. He emphasized on the importance of Systems being in place, to run huge organizations.

He observed that the entrepreneurial spirit is high among today’s generation, especially among graduates, which will go a long way in building a great nation. He advised XLers to maintain a perfect balance between gut feel and data, while taking any decision, and not base them purely on ‘ratios and graphs’. Finally, giving a very simple, but oft-overlooked tenet of life, P. Rama Babu, advised XLers to follow their heart. He ended the session by lavishing praise on our esteemed faculty member Prof. E.M Rao, India’s foremost authority on law and also his senior in college.

Vineet Jain, a first year Business Management student said, “I found the lecture to be a highly enriching experience. The lecture made us aware of the significant HR challenges faced by managers in the brick and mortar companies, a sector which contributes to 25% of India’s GDP”

“He stressed on ethics, which according to me is very important in today’s corporate world. The importance of following the right system in an organization as pointed out by him cannot be overemphasized” Shraddha Rajani, a second year student majoring in Finance said. “I also liked the way he used different approaches for tackling different types of situations in his company”.

While Anand Chandak, a first year student, appreciated Babu’s enthusiasm in the lecture saying, “He had a great sense of humour. His entire journey was very inspiring. Starting from an entry level position to becoming an MD!” Shiv Rohira described Mr. Rama Babu as a dynamic person and said, “Knowledge and gut feeling as well as their combination gives you an idea about the importance of creativity in management and its not just the bookish knowledge that helps, as pointed out very well by him”

The third lecture coming up as part of the CEO Forum Series next week, is by Mr. Sanjiv Bhasin, Managing Director of ROBO Bank. The informality of the lecture, combined with the generosity of these eminent personalities, shown by their sharing the treasure trove of their experiences, is what is making this unique initiative by XLRI, a runaway success; A perfect practical complement to the unmatched academic excellence practiced here.