@ INSEAD business dialogue

Meera Sanyal: 300 million jobs every year are tough to create. 300 million entrepreneurs easier to support. @ INSEAD business dialogue.

The India Business Dialogue saw its third edition in the city. Professors Paddy Padmanabhan and Prof. Amitava Chattopadhyay steered the day for the 225 strong attendees that comprised Corporate India, alumni and students. Speaking to them were august names such as R Gopalakrishnan, Jerry Rao, Meera Sanyal and  Ashwini Kakkar.

 

Chaitanya Kalipatnapu of Eruditus, organiser of the INSEAD India Business dialogue said, “The theme for the dialogues was very contemporary- as India works its way through what is arguably its most challenging period in two decades, one thing is clear: volatility and uncertainty are increasingly becoming a mainstay of our economic and political fabric. On both fronts, what we need are decisive leaders that embrace the unknown, leaders with the daring and resolve necessary to harness India’s yet-unexploited potential.”

R Gopalakrishnan, ED, Tata Sons started the dialogue by saying, “VUCA is a term coined by the US Army War College in 2002. We all yearn for an SPEC world (Steady-Predictable-Easy-Clear), but face a VUCA world (Volatile-Uncertain-Complex-Ambiguous). Humans are the only species which arrange seminars on a VUCA world.

Key perspectives were shared on leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship and inclusive growth.

So while Meera Sanyal expressed her angst that the Port Trust land is not being returned to the city of Mumbai to build schools, colleges and infrastructure, she also expressed hope that vibrant entrepreneurship will make a difference to India.

Jerry Rao took the audience by surprise when he said, “entrepreneurship is also about being born at the right place at the right time too. If you were born in Russia in the 1920s, even Steve Jobs would not have found any opportunities.”

Ashwini Kakkar spoke about the vectors of leadership, deriving from his own journey as a professional and then an entrepreneur.

Stressing on the need to go out and vote, Meera Sanyal added that “If we lose these 20 yrs, we will lose several generations now. It’s a critical time.”

The afternoon also saw the initiation of the INSEAD India Business Lab, a forum for INSEAD entrepreneurs to discuss and challenge new ideas, get insights on their strategies and get access to alumni networks. 

ABOUT INSEAD

As the Business School for the World®, INSEAD is at the heart of the dialogue around growth and development, leveraging on business and employment creation as the platform for sustainable, long-term prosperity. Each year, INSEAD brings together renowned professors, distinctive speakers and INSEAD alumni from India and around the globe for a few hours of intelligent, insightful and relevant discussions on varied facets of the India story.