The 2nd HR Conclave, 2016, organized by Department of Human Resources, FLAME University was held on 22nd October, 2016. The theme for this year’s conclave was: “Navigating the VUCA environment: Evolving responsibilities of HR professionals.”
The Conclave was attended by HR leaders of various reputed companies who shared their expertise with the audience. The chief guest of the event was Mr. Satish Pradhan, Ex. Chief - Group Human Resources, Tata Sons Ltd. The event was attended by students, faculty, MDP and Placements team, and alumni of FLAME University. A few external guests from colleges in Pune were also among the attendees.
The event was inaugurated by Prof. D.S. Rao, Provost, FLAME Univeristy, and Dean School of Business. In his brief speech, he welcomed the guests to FLAME University and highlighted the liberal education principles of our institution. This was followed by a keynote address by Mr. Satish Pradhan. Mr. Pradhan introduced the theme of the conclave and talked about the meaning of VUCA in the current organizational scenario. With his wide expertise and experience, he provided multiple facets of the issue and set the context of the panel discussions.
The first panel discussion was on the topic: “Challenges and imminent changes for HR function in the VUCA world”. The panel members were:
- Ms. Anuradha Das, Head HR, Car Plant, Tata Motors
- Mr. Chander Thapar, VP-HR, Hiranandani Group of Companies
- Mr. Devendra Dixit, Director - HR for South Asia, Kemin Industries
- Ms. Jaya Pathak, HR Director and Head of India HR, NICE systems
- Dr. Rajiv Noronha, VP-HR and Head Organization Effectiveness, Tata Consultancy Services
- Mr. Sachidanand Kulkarni, VP-HR & Culture, Webonise Lab
The discussion was led and moderated by Mr. Sachidanad Kulkarni. Each speaker presented their organization-specific and industry-specific challenges. This was followed by a discussion on strategies which they used to handle the VUCA environment. The panellists addressed audience questions and provided deep insights to them on the skills and preparation required to handle the VUCA environment. There was also a detailed discussion on the role of learning and development in managing this context. Bringing together experiences from multiple industries, the discussion led to a comprehensive understanding of the VUCA environment in which different industries operate.
The second panel took the theme forward by discussing: “Innovative people management practices in the VUCA world”. The panel members were:
- Mr. Abhijeet Shah, VP-IR & Admin, Bharat Forge
- Mr. Ajay Bakshi, Director-HR, Vodafone India Services Pvt. Ltd
- Dr. Maninder S. Khalsa, VP-HR, ATC Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd (Viom Networks)
- Dr. S V Bhave, VP-HR, Bharat Forge
- Mr. Siddharth Tiwary, Chief Business Officer (HR Practice) & Chief People Officer, Mahindra Business Solutions
- Mr. Srinivasan Varadarajan, Lead - HR, Reliance Digital
- Mr. Vishal Kukreja, Executive VP-HR, RBL Bank
Dr. S. V. Bhave led and moderated the discussion. The panel members shared their company specific practices and captivated the audience through their insights. There was a lot of emphasis on going back to basics and making change the “new normal” way of life. They stressed on managing each employee as an individual and creating practices to support each employee individually. The panel concluded after addressing audience queries.
The 2nd HR Conclave resulted in serious and fruitful discussions between the academic community, students and the industry experts. It gave us an opportunity to showcase our students and our infrastructure. We received good and positive feedback on the event. The guest speakers were impressed with our students, who managed the whole event on the final day, as well as our arrangements and infrastructure. It is hoped that this event will facilitate a long term relationship between the corporate world and FLAME University.