Recognising industry contribution
SIESCOMS holds a special event to express gratitude to mentors from the corporate community via the Project Guide Felicitation Programme 2013 in association with The Free Press Journal. RADHIKA JHAVERI reports
SIES College of Management Studies (SIESCOMS), Navi Mumbai, played host to an unusual event on last week under the leadership of Prof Vikram Parekh, Dean (Marketing Specialisation). In collaboration with The Free Press
Journal, the marketing and operation specialisation students of this institution held a ceremony to felicitate a number of mentors who guided them during their summer internship project.
During his welcome address, mentor of the institution Dr A K Sen Gupta, spoke at length about the benefits of the internship programme and how it has helped transform the students. “An internship experience gives a glimpse into the corporate world, it gives you an idea as to how the corporate sector works,” he said, addressing the gathering. Calling this ceremony a virtuous and pious occasion, he offered his sincere gratitude to all the mentors and stepped down handing over the dais to the guest of honour - Srikanth Dahagam, GM, HR, Abbott Healthcare.
In a short and illuminating address, Dahagam described how interns are valuable in bringing a new perspective to the organisation. "Students bring new ideas which the mentors may not be aware of,” he said, adding, “we feel proud that people are willing to work with us.” He also spoke about how the quality of interns helps gauge the quality of the institution they represent. He concluded by saying, “Corporate houses will always give an opportunity to those who are willing to learn, willing to explore and those who are hard working.”
In another short address, Bhupesh Sawantdesai, Director, HR, The Nielson Company, called for a round of applause for the students who came up with the mentors felicitation idea. He said, “I have been travelling to different management colleges for over 13 years looking for management trainees but I have never come across this kind of an idea of inviting mentors and recognising their efforts. It reflects the culture and values of the institution.” He also expressed concerns over the fact that only 15% of the management trainees are employable. He urged students to focus on their behavioural traits and to try and align themselves with the culture of the corporate world.
Soon after the speeches, the felicitation round began. Various mentors were called upon the stage along with their prodigies to be handed over mementoes as tokens of appreciation and gratitude. The round also saw very inspiring and passionate speeches by mentors and students alike.
S Sreekanth, alum of SIESCOMS, currently working with Possibilities Lab Pvt Ltd, and part of the mentor programme, shared his experience as an intern and how it prepared him for the corporate environment. “Books are very important,” he said, “but they can only give you a framework. You need to apply and keep learning new things. You need to go that one bit ahead, do something crazy, do something innovative and try finding your own ways.” While concluding, he added, “A college brand can only give you an initial jump but after that it’s all about you and what you bring to the table.”
Litin Purohit, a London Business School graduate who now works with Every Media Technologies shared his experiences as well. “The message I want to give to you is: Don’t be a manager. What an MBA teaches you to be is a manager, but the challenge I want to present each of you today with, is to be a leader. Do not confine yourselves to text books,” he said to the students, adding, “Knowledge is power, however, what separates a manager from a leader is the ability to put away the academics and translate that to actually doing. That's the tough part. Learn the skills, learn everything you need to learn, but find your place and once you have found your place - excel!”
Trustee of SIES Mr. Vishwnathan also highlighted the importance of such important events and assures all future support to the institute for all such future endeavors. Umesh Chaudhary, CMO, The Free Press
Journal, spoke briefly about the Newspaper. He also encouraged students to keep themselves abreast with the happenings around the world. “Keep yourself updated and well informed. It is a quality that will help you in your career," he said.
The speeches were greeted with enthusiastic applause all around. The concluding address was delivered by Parag Amin, Associate Dean (Innovation & New Initiatives) at SIESCOMS. The ceremony ended with a vote of thanks by the hosts and by calling attention to the fact that they needed to work on the low employability percentage of management trainees as pointed out earlier during the programme.