You are here: Home » Events » Visiting Wisdom & CEO Quest

Visiting Wisdom and CEO Quest...contd.

PAGE 2

Guest speaker: Mr. Mark Walker Designation: Platform Strategy Manager, Microsoft Technology, Middle East. Lecture Topic: "Key drivers of technology in the Gulf" Date: 22nd May 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Walker explained the way technology is driven by customer choice. That is, how companies map what customers want and what the present technology can achieve. He also explained the importance of interoperability in today's environment. Finally, he also spent a considerable amount of time giving an economic overview of the Gulf region, the strengths and weaknesses of the market and dominant market forces present in the region. He highlighted some of the issues/challenges facing the business like -availability of talent wiz, engineers, scientists etc., market sophistication and ability to innovate.

Guest speaker: Mr. Prakash Davey Designation: Financial Director, Invensys, Middle East. Lecture Topic: "An Insight into Gulf countries" Date: 22nd May 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Davey informed us about the strong links that exist between the UAE and Singapore. How schemes like road taxation, Maid services etc have been borrowed from Singapore. He then went on to give us a brief socio-political view of the Gulf countries. He also informed us about the natural resources availability in these countries. Further to this, we also learnt that while there is no direct taxation in Dubai, there are a lot of hidden taxes that people may not realize. Mr. Davey also spoke briefly about the various kinds of duties that exist which the companies have to pay here, for e.g. Customs duty. Finally, he also informed us that there are some major projects in Dubai which are now running behind schedule -what are the reasons for these delays and what maybe the impact of such delays. Mr. Davey also enumerated the challenges facing the Gulf countries, some of which are : - Lack of infrastructure in Dubai (especially public transport), lack of local skilled population which requires that foreigners come and manage their companies, fear in monarchy that an educated population may pose a threat to their rule.

Guest speaker: Dr. Armen Papazien Designation: Vice President, DIFX, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Capital market development in Dubai" Date: 22nd May 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Dr. Papazien educated us about the Dubai stock exchange and how NASDAQ has just bought 33% share of the Dubai stock exchange. He also informed us on how the Dubai stock exchange (DIFX) has been the first in many of the things as far as the GCC countries are concerned. This includes being a 100% paper free exchange, treating all traders (local or international) at the same level etc. Dr. Papazien also educated us about the fundamentals of capital markets in Dubai and how Dubai has created free zones which are self legislating in nature and follow the UK common law. Finally, Dr. Papazien informed us on how structured products work and their intricacies. At the end of the session, Dr. Papazien opened the floor to the audience and answered the questions posed by the students.

Guest speaker: Mr. Matein Khalid Designation: Advisor, Capitol Markets, Bin Zayad Group, Dubai Lecture Topic: "of global financial markets with an emphasis on the Middle East" Date: 22nd May 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Matein spoke about the impact of high crude oil price on the global economy. He also informed us about what drives the finance market in this region and the state of the mortgage industryin the Middle East. The importance of counter party risk, cash liquidity, market risks etc was also highlighted. Mr. Matein also spoke on how he perceives the current real estate bubble in Dubai to behave in future and its possible impact if/when it breaks. Mr. Matein also spoke about what we should try to gain from this GMBA program and explained to us the relevance of experience which complements the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom.

Guest speaker: Mr. Vivek Kudva [Click for detailed profile] Designation: President, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Ltd. Lecture Topic: "Leadership and Success in Business" Date: 23rd February 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr Kudva gave an inspirational talk to students on a wide variety of topics related to leadership and success. He quoted many examples both from his personal experiences and that of business leaders from the world over. His talk provided a ring side view to the challenges, stress, politics, and internal/external conflict situations a modern day leader confronts. The talk was followed by an intriguing question answer session during which Mr Kudva gave candid answers to questions ranging from a wide variety of issues.

Guest speaker: Mr Girish Bapat [Click for detailed profile] Designation: - Supra Electronics, Jumbo Group, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Value Innovation" Date: 21st February 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr Bapat had an interactive session on the topic Value Innovation; a concept derived from the book "Blue Ocean Strategy". Value Innovation is the way forward for every business in the dynamic and competitive environment that it exists in. Underlining the importance of this concept, Mr Bapat explained the evolution of this philosophy with the help of pertinent industry examples. Encouraging a lot of application and participation from the students, he ensured active engagement of the audience. During the Q & A session following his presentation, Mr Bapat also talked about the electronics consumer durables market in the UAE and Supra's strategy for business development in the region.

Guest speaker: Mr Flemming Ravnsborg Andersen [Click for detailed profile] Designation: General Manager, Maersk Logistics. Lecture Topic: "Chemical and Green Logistics and Role of Business Intelligence in Supply Chains" Date: 18th February 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr Fleming discussed the role of business intelligence in supply chains. He shared insights about global practices in the polymer supply chains and their needs. He talked about the latest concepts in green logistics. Nations today are being more intolerant about the rising pollution and its ill effects like Global Warming. Companies can move up the value chain and make its operations more process oriented and thus save huge money. These savings can be utilized in implementing the concept of Green Logistics. By strict adherence to the Norms of MARPOL for pollution and by implementing ISO 14001 in the company, a company can effectively implement Green Logistics. This concept is always viable in the long run, since the cost to adopt green logistics need not be passed on to the end user. He was accompanied and supported by Ms Julie Chang, who is a chemical logistics expert at Maersk with prior experience handling logistics at BASF.

Guest speaker: Mr. Shiva Kumar [Click for detailed profile] Designation: VP & Managing Director, Mobile Phones, Nokia India Pvt Limited Lecture Topic: "Mobility in India and Nokia's Role" Date: 15th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Inarguably one of the best guest lectures in SPJCM, Mr Shiva Kumar dazzled and enlightened the audience with his wonderful insights on the telecom sector in the emerging markets. He started off the guest lecture by stating that one of the key aspects which has been overlooked by the most of the foreign players in Indian Mobility market is the fact that mobiles are used as a bridging medium for relatively poor infrastructure facilities. Mobile phones are not just a communicating medium. It stands for the safety, security and emotions and in totality forms an integral part of the life of a person. Nokia is one of the most recognized and admired brands in the world. Towards the Question and Answer session, a number of questions ranging from the strategies of Nokia in India to the future path for Indian Telecom Market were discussed. The students left the session with a great deal of accomplishment and pride of having the privilege of attending a brilliant session.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rahul Malhotra [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Head of Asia Pacific Advisory-Global Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch Lecture Topic: "Singapore-Asian Financial Hub- The Making of It" Date: 14th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Malhotra began his talk by sharing his knowledge on the Singapore economy and the ingredients that go into making any place a financial hub. He then went on to compare Singapore with Hong Kong and other financial hubs around the globe (Switzerland, London, New York etc.). He outlined how Singapore has grown as a financial hub and how it is positioned in the global financial markets. He also shared the vision that Singapore has for its growth and how it aims to achieve it and the challenges that lie ahead for it. Mr. Malhotra very patiently answered all the questions from the students at the end of his presentation. The session was interactive and a great learning experience for all.

Guest speaker: Mr. David Lim [Click for detailed profile] Designation: SAEEK Graduate Recruitment Lead, Accenture, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Grabbing the right job opportunity" Date: 13th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The high profile speaker from Accenture started discussing as to what are the methods recruiters resort to so as to track potential applicants. He went on to discuss the various methods recruiters use like portals, referrals, agencies etc. for this purpose. The speaker also mentioned the importance of cultural fit in an organization and it is very important on one's part to have a clear view of his/her career path before joining any particular organization. He also touched on the important aspects of salary negotiation, the common mistakes one should avoid during interviews and the compensation levels for MBAs in Singapore. Overall, it was a very informative session and the participants benefited a lot from Mr. Lim's experience and expertise.

Guest speaker: Dr. Carsten Tautz [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Director, Project Office and Product Management, MITSCo-Seekport FZ-LLC Lecture Topic: "Process improvement through project-based learning" Date: 11th Feb 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Dr Tautz started the discussion by highlighting the importance of information management systems in the software industry. While projects may be shortlived and temporary, the underlying framework of the processes followed can be utilized for future projects as well. Thus it becomes very important to document these processes and experiences in a central database or repository within the organisation. This database of "experiences" is called the Experience Factory. Dr Tautz explained the structure of this database and how it interfaces with the rest of the organisation. He also talked about the top-down and bottom-up approaches to design processes and discussed the GQM (goals, questions, methods) approach to implement them. At the end of his presentation, the professor was happy to answer questions from a keen audience.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rohit Dixit [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Head, Internal Management Consulting, Corporate Strategy Group, HP, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Strategic Management consulting" Date: 11th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Rohit Dixit made an enlightening presentation on Strategic Management consulting which was extremely insightful.Mr: Dixit kicked off the session by posing an interesting question on what exactly is Strategy Consulting. He followed up the explanation by taking the students through a day in life of a strategic management consultant. He also outlined in detail on the key to successful management consulting. Students were also provided insights on the means to chase a management consultancy of their choice. The session helped in bringing an in-depth perspective on Management Consultancy and various facets of the same.

Guest speaker: Dr. Barbara Degorge [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Academic Consultant Lecture Topic: "Economic Slavery in UAE" Date: 7th February 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Dr. Degorge shared her experiences and research on the history of slavery in general and economic slavery in particular. The focus of the discussion was on various types of economic slavery practised in this region and its modern day manifestations. Examples from diverse contexts and multiple countries made the session highly relevant and knowledgeable. Dr. Degorge also provided insights into the corporate culture of the region and discussed emerging economic trends in UAE and the Middle East.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rohit Diwan & Mr. Ravi Shankar Designation: Head campus recruitment & Head HR respectively, HCL Technologies Ltd., India Lecture Topic: "HCL Case Study Competition" Date: 4th February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The HCL case study competition was one of the fiercely fought events in the campus in the recent past. A total of 19 teams with an average of 4-5 members per team participated in the competition. The competition entailed the candidates to go through a case study on HCL which detailed as to how HCL was evolving as a major player in the global arena and designing strategies for the future. Each team made a detailed presentation in front of the panel comprising of Mr. Rohit Diwan & Mr. Ravi Shankar (Head campus recruitment and Head HR respectively).The presentations were evaluated and prizes were distributed to the top two teams. The event provided a wonderful insight for the students about the trends in Indian IT sector in general and HCL as an organization in specific.

Guest speaker: Mr. Lokesh Datta Designation: Founder, Datta Associates, USA Lecture Topic: "Interviewing Successfully with Consultancy firms" Date: 3rd February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: This lecture was conducted for both the IT and Finance batches. It was primarily aimed at making the students understand what management consulting is all about and how to approach consulting interviews. The speaker explained some key aspects with respect to the field of management consulting, the basic skill sets that a management consultant should possess and the top management consulting firms of the world. He also explained the difference in roles between a management consultant and an IT consultant. He then went on to provide some basic guidelines that need to be understood to successfully tackle the case studies that form an integral part of any consulting interview. He also discussed some case studies with the students and the approach that needed to be taken for each of those. Overall, it was a great learning experience for the students and a very interesting session.

Guest speaker: Mr. Soumitro Gupta Designation: Head Human Resources, Franklin Templeton Asset Management, India Lecture Topic: "Franklin Templeton Asset Management" Date: 2nd February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Soumitra Gupta, Head - HR and CEEMEA, Franklin Templeton Asset Management, gave insights about how to choose your career anchor, the tools recruiters use while assessing a candidate, etc. He discussed in detail the various job profiles available in the Investment Banking and Wealth Management areas. He met the students from the above two streams in groups of 4 and gave them personal feedback on their resumes and how to go about preparing for interviews. Overall, it was a great experience having him on the campus and giving feedback at a time when it was most needed.

Guest speaker: Mr. Debi Prasad Designation: Head of Recruitment, ATOS Origin, India Lecture Topic: "Future of Indian IT industry" Date: 2nd February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Debi Prasad enlightened the IT management batch with insights on the current state and trends in the IT industry. He also spoke on the various avenues where IT makes an impact and where the potential for good job opportunities is high. He explained in detail the various profiles one can aim for in the IT arena by leveraging one's work experience and an MBA degree. Towards the end he discussed about ATOS Origin and its operations. The talk by Mr. Debi Prasad brought in new perspectives and cleared many a doubts of the participants.

Guest speaker: Mr. Badrinivas Designation: Vice President, Treasurer Global consumer group, Citibank, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Treasury Simulation Game" Date: 1st, 2nd, 3rd February 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr.Badrinivas was here, from Citibank, India for three days to conduct a simulation on treasury management. This was the first time Citibank was conducting a simulation for students. This simulation until now was strictly for in-house training of the banks employees. The workshop consisted of lectures given by Mr.Badrinivas, followed by the simulation exercise. Some of the topics covered were: Introduction to treasury management Treasury management instruments Forward rate agreements Interest rate swaps Designing treasury products It was a very educational and enriching experience for the students as they had an opportunity to understand the treasury operations of the bank, firsthand.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rakesh Vij Designation: Business Head - Middle East, Turning Point Training & Assessment Systems FZ LLC Lecture Topic: " Building High performance organizations" Date: 27th January 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Vij began his presentation by describing the core philosophy and dimensions of High Performance Organisations. He then shared with the students necessary strategic initiatives needed to make high performance a part of organisational culture. He articulated how the concept of high performance teams have evolved over a period of time and where he believes this is headed. He gave a ringside view of his experiences with high performance teams and shared industry examples of the same. He also presented his insights into the competitive advantage organisations with high performance teams posses vis-a- vis others. The lecture was a wonderful learning experience and concluded with an intriguing Q&A session.

Guest speaker: Mr. Manoj Matthew [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Vice President Marketing & Corporate Communications, Real Media-Zee Network Lecture Topic: "Getting and Keeping Customers: Strategies for Customer Engagement, Experience Management, Loyalty and Retention" Date: 17th January 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr Matthew began his lecture with a brief introduction of the media industry as a whole and how it operates in the gulf region. The main theme of the lecture was how to retain customers and strategies for customer engagement. The experiences and learnings from his work were shared with the students. He gave examples from different industries ranging from airlines to hospitality, media to FMCG and explained how customers can be retained through continuous innovation and services provided to them as in case of the airline industry, or value additions as in case of the FMCG sector.

Guest speaker: Mr. Vasih Khan [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Cargo Systems Analyst NGCS, Emirates Airline, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Proof of Concepts with live Pilots across the supply chain at Emirates Airlines" Date: 16th January 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Vasih Khan from Emirates Skycargo spoke about the role of IT in Supply Chain Management. Speaking about operational challenges and distribution networks he stressed the need for implementation of RFID technology on supply chains today. The main thrust of RFID usage today is in enterprise supply chain management, improving the efficiency of inventory tracking and bringing in visibility in the supply chain. According to him RFID technology investments have justified returns.

Guest speaker: Mr. Himanshu Gupta [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Director, Local Corporate Sales, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Carry Trade" Date: 11th January 2008 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The guest for the day, Mr. Himanshu Gupta began the session with a comparison of the spot rate between EUR VS USD; GBP VS USD; USD VS JAPAN and AUD VS USD.He went on to explain that the carry trade takes benefit of the interest arbitrage factor. The reasons why carry trade itself has emerged as a big industry was also explained. The whole process was explained by means of a simple carry trade between Japanese yen and Australian dollar. The guest also explained the concept of forward rate bias. Overall the session gave an excellent insight into the working of carry trade and its finer aspects.

Guest speaker: Rajendra Sisodia [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Renowned author and Professor of Marketing at Bentley College Lecture Topic: "Firms of Endearment" Date: 7th January 2008 Campus: Dubai Key Learning:Dr Sisodia shared a unique perspective towards business and marketing during his presentation, the theme of which was woven around his book - Firms of Endearment. "Firms of Endearment" as a concept is the most fundamental transformation in capitalism since Adam Smith. It's about gaining "share of heart," not just share of wallet. Dr Sisodia during his presentation stressed that FoE is not about Corporate Social Responsibility. It's about aligning the interests of all your stakeholders, not just juggling them. It's about understanding how the "new rules of capitalism" mirror the self-actualization focus of our aging society. It's about great companies like IDEO and IKEA, Commerce Bank and Costco, Wegmans and Whole Foods: how they've earned powerful loyalty and affection from all their stakeholders, while achieving stock performance that is truly breathtaking. An inspirational talk by a leading thinker, it was a great learning experience for all students.

Page 1 | 2 | 3

Related Links