Speaking on occasion of the first ever-international conference organized by XIMB, Director, Fr. E Abraham said, “It is high time for all entrepreneurs as funds are pouring in from all sides and resources are following the ideas.” Addressing the budding entrepreneurs, Fr. Abraham said, “We at XIMB believe in integrity, honesty, transparency, commitment, passion, social and ethical responsibility, which entrepreneurs must possess to build high performing organisations.”

Participating in the conference as a keynote speaker, the youngest CEO in the world, Suhas Gopinath of Globals Inc. said, “Age and looks hardly matter in this fast changing world. To be successful in entrepreneurial venture you must focus on your product and customer satisfaction. Following this dimension, we have developed an open source ERP software for SME and we would earn money through its maintenance and services.” Mr. Gopinath has earned the rare distinction of being the youngest CEO & President at 14-years of age in 2000 through his California based entrepreneurial venture. Within six-year, he has expanded his business to eleven countries with 600 employees and clients like Airbus and BMW.

“In the morning, I attend lectures and in the evening I talk to my clients and employee taking full advantage of the time difference between India and the US,” said Mr Gopinath, who is also pursuing his engineering degree. Talking about the future plans, he said, “Though Indian companies are not allowed to open office in Pakistan but we are establishing an office there in September this year, as Globals Inc. is a US based company.”

Different aspects of entrepreneurship and innovation were discussed during the conference. “I wanted to become an entrepreneur because I wanted to change the way business is done. The hardest part of running business is commercializing it and making it scaleable. Money has never driven me towards being an entrepreneur. Raising money is like dealing with the devil, as all investors want their money back within 3-4 years time,” said Joseph Sigelman, Co-President, OfficeTiger. Mr.Sigelman, a graduate from Harvard Business School, is the recipient of Annual Star of Asia Awards from Business Week Magazine in 2006. “Now the business scenario is changing and the economy is growing faster than resources. The opportunity is bigger and better for entrepreneurs now. The challenge now lies in selecting right people, forming a team to share your vision and professionalism,” he added.

The two-day conference would also witness the presence of Dr.Atanu Dey, leading economist and founder of Deesha, Rashmi Bansal, founder-editor of popular youth magazine JAM and Rohit Awasthi, Head of Marketing/New Business Development at PaGaLGuY.com, India’s largest and most comprehensive MBA forum. These key speakers would be talking on topics ranging from e-entrepreneurship and strategy for growth to social entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurship. The conference is being attended by academics, entrepreneurs and students from China, Malaysia, Australia, the United States, Spain and Muscat.