Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman of the Board of Honeywell Automation India Limited, and a distinguished panel comprising Mr. Rishabha Nayyar, Mr. Anuj Bhargava, and Mr. K. (Jay) Jayshankar, along with moderator Mr. Chandan Maheswari, Head of Business Development at Avati Consulting Solutions and Hon. Secretary of IMCI Pune, graced the Knowledge Session organized by the students of SCMHRD in association with The Institute of Management Consultants of India (IMCI) Pune. The topic of discussion was ‘Management consulting opportunity and challenges in the post-digital world.’

During the session, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan shared his insights on various topics related to the future of India, such as the success of the JAM trinity and the UPI system, the need for strong financial institutions to achieve a 5 trillion dollar economy, and the importance of infrastructure development. He also introduced his new book, ‘India’s Pathways To Success: Winning in the Next Decade,’ which emphasized the need for sustainable livelihoods through education and entrepreneurship.

The panelists further discussed crucial topics such as branding, strategic decision-making in family businesses, the digital revolution, challenges in fintech services, and the importance of a T-shaped personality in consulting. These discussions shed light on the need for innovation, education, and robust institutions to achieve sustainable growth in India.

The students of SCMHRD express their gratitude to Dr. Ganesh Natarajan and the panelists for sharing their valuable inputs and insights, which will undoubtedly help them make a positive impact on their careers.

The second day of InfraBlaze 2023 was in online mode where the dignitaries interacted with the students. In the first session of day 2 of InfraBlaze 2023 Hon. Ms. Shalini Agarwal, Municipal Commissioner, Surat Municipal Corporation and Mr. Nilesh Patel from the office of Municipal Commissioner, Surat Municipal Corporation were present and spoke on ‘Cities of Future.’

Mr. Nilesh Patel addressed various infrastructure services provided to its citizen by Surat Municipal Corporation. He shared various features of the Surat Town Planning Scheme. He provided an overview of the budget allocated to the Surat Municipal Corporation. To integrate education services and improve administration, SMC will be launching a centralized education cell, AI-based attendance system and mobile app for pupil monitoring will be offered.

In the second session of day 2 of InfraBlaze 2023. Ms. Saroj Ayush, Senior Transport Specialist, World Bank Group spoke about the topic ‘Contribution of Transportation Sector in Indian Economy’. This was a highly interactive session which gave valuable insights to the students. The speaker shed a light on the policies that have been implemented to maximize the economic and social effects of transportation provision at the municipal and regional levels need to be looked at. She also emphasized the significance of examining how developments in transportation technologies have affected and will continue to influence future development.

The third session of Day 2 of InfraBlaze involved panel discussion themed around ‘Supply Chain Resilience: The New Necessity’. The panelists for the session were Mr. Saurabh Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, GMR Cargo, Mr. Prashant Gazipur, Country Head Operations and Chief Process Officer, Ecom Express, Ms. Pooja Awate, Lead Logistics Solution Manager, West Central Asia, A.P. Moller-Maersk. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Rahul Hiremath, Associate Professor, SCMHRD.

The panelists discussed the significance of the supply chain and the need for resilience in it and how any company that deals with physical goods and items will be extremely dependent on the supply chain as a function. Supply chain management is the only entity that connects the entire world. Panelists gave insights about the advantages of Internet of Things and the Automated Storage System and emphasized on how crucial business ethics are to a company.