Bhubaneswar: The Foundation Day Lecture of Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar was held on December 5th, 2018 marking the successful alliance between the Odisha State Government and the Jesuit Society. On this day, every year renowned business personalities and leaders are invited to deliver business and leadership talks, as well as encourage the next generation of students to excel in their field of business management. In the past, business connoisseurs like Ms. Vinita Bali, Mr. Madhur Bajaj, Mr. Lalite Gupte, Mr. Ashok Soota, Dr.Preetha Reddy, Dr.B.Muthuraman, Mr. D Shivakumar and Dr. Naushad Forbes, had delivered lectures on the Foundation Day.
This year XIMB welcomed Shri. Adi Godrej, Chairman of Godrej Group – Godrej Industries Limited. The event was presided over by Mr. Rajive Kaul, Chairman, XIMB and XUB and Dr. Fr. Paul Fernandes, S.J., Vice Chancellor and Director, XIMB and XUB.
Adi Burjorji Godrej is the Head of the Godrej family, and Chairman of the Godrej Group. He is an MBA degree holder from MIT Sloan School of Management. He has made a lifetime of contribution to Indian business by shaping the Godrej Group as a diversified multinational conglomerate, which has created value for all stakeholders while maintaining the highest standards of governance and ethics. His contribution has been widely acclaimed and globally recognized. He was also elected as the president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2012-13. He has been a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the MIT Sloan School of Management. Over the years, he has been a recipient of several prestigious awards and appreciations, which includes the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Award (2002) and the Padma Bhushan (2012) and the lifetime achievement awards by Forbes India in the year 2017.
This year, what added glamour to the function was that Xavier University Bhubaneswar was pleased to confer Honorary Doctorate in Management on Shri. Adi Godrej. This is the first honorary degree conferred on anyone by the University since its inception in 2013.
Mr. Rajive Kaul, the chairman of XIMB and XUB, welcomed the students and faculty of the institution with a glowing testimony towards the achievements of the university and the people behind the ever-growing success of XIMB and XUB. He further put light on his long-standing friendship with Shri. Adi Godrej, the chief guest of the event and heaped praise on Mr. Godrej’s immense achievements both as an academician and an industry stalwart.
Finally, with much pleasure, he announced that on this auspicious day, Mr. Godrej would be the first recipient of the honorary Doctoral degree from Xavier University, Bhubaneswar.
Shri. Adi Godrej spoke and highlighted about the future of consumer goods in India. He stressed on adapting the “consumer first” thinking and approach in the booming and lucrative sector of FMCG.”
He also spoke about how focus has been increasing on our digital media and social media strategy. He also laid stress on how consistent innovation requires a lot of things to put into place – structured processes, systems and tools, but most important-commitment from senior leadership and in some cases even a major cultural shift.
This is an interesting time for consumer goods industry and the right time for companies to seize the opportunity at hand.” was his closing words which was indeed well taken by the students of the University.
