University Business School successfully concludes 4-day panel discussion event

Chandigarh September 2, 2024: University Business School (UBS) successfully concluded a 4-day panel discussion event “Unleashing Business Synergy”, under the leadership of Prof. Parmjit Kaur and with Prof. PurvaKansal and Dr. PoojaSoni as coordinators. 

Prof. ParmjitKaurinaugurated the event on30th August, 2024.She emphasized on the importance of involvement of alumni in a business school. Prof. PurvaKansal introduced the themes for the event and emphasized  the students with the opportunity to interact with alumni in a more informal and open setting. Dr. PoojaSoni highlighted that the panel discussions were a platform for students to demonstrate their true capabilities.

Over a period of 4 days the event  comprised of nine clusters, out of which the themes for the first day (August 30, 2024)was “GenZ in the Workforce: Entitled or a Generational divide?” and “Transitioning from Academia to Industry: Bridging the Gap Between Knowledge and Practice”, attended by renowned alumni namely, Amit Anand (Infosys), Manish Bansal (Wealthverse), Sachit Jain (Emprise HR), Suman Goel (PNB Bank), Amar Deepika Kashyap (X-Piramal), Anu Sehgal Dua (Mass comm.), Himmat Singh (Vodafone Idea Ltd.), Yogesh Mehta (DLF), Newish Khurpa (Small Finance Bank) Subahyu (Kotak Mahindra), and Kirat Brar (Topan).

The themes for the second day (August 31) was “Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a Key to Success in the business landscape” and “Mastering Success in the Modern Workplace: The Balance Between Hard Work and Smart Work”, attended by Nikhil (Priority), Gagan Jain (Panasonic), Harmanjit Singh (JCBL Group), BalramBaral (Mondelēz International), Saksham Diwan (Anand Rathi Wealth), Amrit (BD group) Agam Sehgal (Wipro), Pritosh Gharu (EY), Puneet Aggarwal (EXL Services), and Saurabh (Cisco).

On the third day (September 1)of the event, discussions were held on “Transforming the future of Work: Unleashing the Power of AI, IoT and Cloud Technologies” and “Flexible work Arrangements: Enhancing Work-Life Balance or Encoding Professional Boundaries?”, attended by Dr. Payal Goel (UBS), Pankaj (Venus Remedies), Jasdeep (Jupitice Justice Technologies), Jyotdeep (Crisil), Parul Jindal (Infogain) and Vishal Dabra (SCL), Hiritansh Vashishta (Adani Logistics) with the panel members Amit Prabhakar (Mondelez), Kshitij Arora (IndusInd Bank), Arjun Nanda (Tynor) and Ankit Gupta (IDFC First Bank).
 
The fourth day (September 2) of the event comprised the discussions titled “Rise of Cashless Societies” and “Industry 4.0: The Evolving Role of Leadership in Managing Digital Transformation, Fostering Innovation and Navigating Change in an increasingly Automated and Data-Driven Environment”.

First panel discussion moderated by Kunal Raheja (Fin Bucks) with panel members Harleen Guron (Yes Securities), Devika (Finxera), Tarun Verma (Aditya Birla Finance Ltd.) and Prabhujeev (HDFC). Kunal Raheja focused on the challenges of rural financial inclusion and the critical need for changing authentication passwords regularly to combat fraud at a personal level. Tarun Verma highlighted the growth potential but emphasized that achieving a 90% cashless economy is unlikely without significant efforts in financial literacy. He stressed the need to educate the masses to drive this transition. Devika added that educating the population must be paired with robust data security measures to ensure safe transactions.  Prabhujeev emphasized that risk mitigation must evolve alongside technological advancements. Harleen Guron concluded that India is on a high-growth trajectory in the cashless economy space and is not far behind global leaders. She stressed that sharing experiences can enhance awareness, enabling collective growth and learning.

Second panel discussion moderated by Shagun Rana (Monte Carlo) with panel members Gunjan Joshi (Trident), Harvendra Katiyar, Karan Singh Chauhan (Hyundai Motors), and Ajay Sharma (Kuantum Papers Ltd.). Shagun Rana initiated the conversation by tracing the evolution from Industry 1.0 to 3.0, setting the direction for the discussion. Gunjan Joshi provided an industry perspective, emphasizing the importance of balancing data-driven decision-making with the development of emotional intelligence in the changing workforce. Ajay Sharma compared the shifting industry needs and stressed the urgency of adaptation. He said a successful leader must embrace a digital mindset to drive transformation, understanding that effective change management requires patience, clear communication, and balance to ensure employee buy-in and sustainable progress. Karan Singh Chauhan echoed this sentiment, highlighting that adaptation is both necessary and inevitable. He underscored the importance of balancing current and future needs through the integration of AI. Harvinder Katiyar focused on the evolution of the banking industry, noting that while the core products remain consistent, the methods of delivery have significantly transformed over time.
 
On September 2, closing the event by Prof. Parmjit Kaur, Chairperson of UBS, Chandigarh, expressed her pleasure at the active participation of both panelists and students.  She expressed her gratefulness to all 60 alumni for their commitment to UBS and contribution to making this event a success.