The 13th edition of Horizons- the Annual Management Conclave of IIM Kozhikode, being organized Industry Interaction Cell kicked off with a rousing fanfare with eminent speakers from diverse backgrounds addressing the audience on the inaugural day to mark the opening of the event. With a host of speakers from domains ranging from Banking, Telecom, IT, Consulting, Venture Capital, Media, Advertising, Internet to Education, Healthcare, Non-Profit Organizations, Social Activism, Politics and Policy Making, the conclave promises to bring forth a multi-faceted and a fruitful discussion on the theme of the event- Ideate, Innovate and Integrate.
The earlier editions of Horizons have seen several esteemed speakers gracing the event such as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Mr. Kiran Karnik, Prof. C. K. Prahalad, Mr. Steffano Pelle, Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai, Mr. Harsh Mariwala, Dr. Chandan Mitra, Mr. Saugata Gupta, Mr. D. Shivakumar and Mr. K. Thiagarajan among others. As a continuing tradition, Horizons 2012 brings to the institute several eminent personalities including Mr. Ajit Balakrishnan - Chairman & CEO, Rediff, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan - President - Lok Satta Party and Political Reformer, Mr. Mahesh Murthy - Co-Founder & Managing partner, Seedfund among others.
The inaugural ceremony of the event was marked by the gracious presence of Mr. Shyam Srinivasan, MD&CEO, Federal Bank, Mr. Jitendra Kalra, CEO, Dr. Reddy’s Foundation, Mr. Chandan Ghosh, Chief, International Wholesale& Carrier Business, Dr.T.H.Chowdary, Founding Chairman and MD – VSNL and Karthick Sridhar, Director, Wockhardt Foundation.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Srinivasan spoke in length about the components of the future landscape of the industry in India- Capital requirements, Regulations, Governance and Risk among others. On the other hand Mr. Jitendra Kalra shared an inspiring story of how his organization has helped train more than 2,70,000 youths to increase their employability through skills training. A meticulous planning and a vibrant operation have systemically targeted underprivileged youths in the urban and peripheral rural areas to make them work ready.
Mr. Chandan Ghosh was emphatic in laying out strong emphasis on innovation as a strategy for companies looking to make a quantum leap. Through examples from the Fortune 50 companies and drawing from his experience with eminent companies like Xerox, Bharati Airtel and Aircel amongst others, he recounted how companies that failed to innovate bite the dust.
Opening his speech in the middle of a standing ovation to his exemplary achievements in the field of Telecom, Mr. TH Chowdary touched upon the various dimensions of the Indian Telecom Industry. Stating his objections to the current policy of auctioning of spectrum quite frankly, Mr. Chowdary explained in fine detail how this policy would lead to the high user charges in the industry.
The concluding talk in the session was delivered Mr. Karthick Sridhar who touched upon the issues of access, affordability and availability in the context of Healthcare in India. He also spoke about a Portable Bio-chemistry Lab and Remote Monitoring Integrated Medical Advice which have transformed the reach and cost of healthcare in rural India.
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A panel discussion on the topic "Diffusion of Technological Innovation in the Media Industry" involving the speakers in the inaugural session was scheduled later for the day.[/b]