Bangalore: “Transformation is possible in every walk of life. As thought leaders, ask yourself are you leaving behind a legacy or will you be a have-been,” said Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines in the Government of India Piyush Goyal, who was the chief guest on Day 1 of IIMBue 2016, the second edition of the global leadership summit organized by the Alumni Association of IIM Bangalore, being held here on 17 and 18 December 2016.
Sharing his thoughts on ‘Energize and Transform – the leadership mantra for a mature institution’, the minister described IIMBue as an opportunity to inspire innovation, instigate disruption and provide invigoration. He described his own journey in the power sector as a journey of disruption and change, saying management principles taught in schools such as IIM Bangalore, where he had done a short programme, helped him bring in positive results in the ministry.
“From a situation of perpetual shortage of energy we have come to a situation of assured supply and even energy surplus thanks to decisive leadership and timely decisions,” he said. “Root cause analysis of any complaint, forging strong partnerships with stakeholders and prioritising are management principles that have helped me and, in the process, policy amendments have also been made,” said the tech-savvy minister who listed and demonstrated various apps developed by the Power Ministry for the benefit of the citizens. “Put everything in the public domain, why should there be an RTI?” he said to loud applause.
Dwelling on innovative financing such as reverse bidding for projects as a smart way of saving public money, he said: “By adopting such principles, I have been able to reignite the power and coal sector.” Piyush Goyal’s speech was followed by a Q&A, where audience posted questions on an app, which the minister gamely took, egged on by the moderator, well known journalist Shekhar Gupta.
The morning of IIMBue 2016 started with a fun quiz for the alumni, the deans, the distinguished guests and the faculty. There was also a short video on how the IIMBue team put the mega event together. Professor R. Srinivasan, Director Incharge, IIM Bangalore, in his welcome speech, spoke about the recent accomplishments and rankings of IIM Bangalore. “The world sees us through our alumni. Our pillars of strength are our accomplished faculty, committed students and a strong alumni network. I am particularly delighted that a constant in the life of IIM Bangalore has been the support of our alumni. No matter your career path or long-term time constraints, the annual Alumni Meet, IIMBUE, now in its second year, offers you a chance to strengthen a sense of community and have fun, too. Welcoming you to IIMBUE 2016, I wish you continue to be a vibrant part of IIMB’s proud heritage.”
President of IIMB Alumni Association Saif Qureishi, in his welcome address, described the event as an opportunity to “Have a blast from the past in the present”. He added that the aim was to take IIMBue to a place where it can benchmark the world economic forum in the future.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson, IIM Bangalore Board of Governors, and Chief Patron of IIMBue, gave an overview of the theme of IIMBue 2016, which is ‘Start, Scale & Disrupt’, a theme which she described as “apt” because Bangalore is the undisputed start-up capital in the country. “It is a city with immense start-up frenzy and entrepreneurial spirit. IIMBue, in sync with that, gives us the opportunity to deliberate how to make the country innovative and how to make technology drive our economy and country. I do hope this event becomes a ‘must attend’ event in years to come”.
Lauding IIMB’s illustrious alumni, she said, “Without the alumni we cannot build a great brand and make an impact in the global landscape.”
