Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), celebrating 38 years of academic excellence, inaugurated the 7th edition of its flagship Business Excellence Summit (BES) on September 13, 2025. The two-day event, themed “Leading at the Edge: From Uncertainty to Impact,” brought together distinguished leaders, faculty, and students to exchange insights on navigating change and creating meaningful impact. The summit began with a lamp-lighting ceremony, followed by welcome addresses from Dr. Biswa Swarup Misra, Fr. S. Anthony Raj SJ, Dr. Fr. V. Arokiyadass SJ and Dr. D. V. Ramana, who stressed resilience, adaptability, and purpose, and unveiled the institute’s annual business magazine “Voices of the Edge.”
Delivering the keynote, Mr. Anand Bharadwaj, Vice President & Head of Growth, Tiger Analytics, reflected on his journey from XIMB to global leadership, inspiring students to embrace uncertainty with humility, learning, and ambition. He shared the LEGS framework, the potential of AI, and remarked, ‘Even in the age of uncertainty, if you are passionate, there is nothing you cannot achieve.’ The session also featured discussions on leadership, technology, and AI with a student Q&A.
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The second session featured Mr. Kamal Misra, Senior Director & Head of Banking, Capgemini Invent India, who spoke on decision-making in uncertain times, urging leaders to be adaptive, ethical, and culturally aware, remarking, ‘Decisions today must be faster, agile, and adaptable, yet always grounded in responsibility and human touch.’ Mr. Kartik Subramanian, Brand Head, Raymond Lifestyle Limited, shared his FMCG journey and insights on marketing strategies, product design, and consumer mindset, remarking, ‘Marketing is all about everything, everywhere, all at once.’ Mr. Luna Mohanty, Head of People Development, Reliance Industries Limited, reflected on authenticity, values, and identity, leaving the audience with, ‘The world will ask you who you are, and if you don’t know, the world will tell you,’ and added, ‘A difference between what they think they'll do and what they end up doing, this is the first step of the identity crisis.’ The session ended with remarks by Prof. Soumya Sarkar and a vote of thanks from the BES team.
The third session began with Mr. Titan Nayak, National Head, Jio Point Stores, Jio, who spoke on Jio’s journey as a disruptor, highlighting its focus on rural India and innovation from hardware to cloud-based solutions, emphasizing that while AI creates opportunities, it cannot replace human creativity, empathy, and leadership. Ms. Monalisha, Head Performance, People Analytics, Talent Branding and Head Strategy, Myntra, used Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle to stress priorities and relationships in long-term success, noting that ‘9% of life satisfaction comes from your manager’ and that happy employees are 12–20% more productive, while highlighting diversity and workplace reflections. Mr. Dapinder Singh Narula, Head – Talent Management and Strategic Projects, Mankind Pharma Limited, recalled his experiences at XIM University before guiding students through corporates in transition, stressing aligning roles with life goals and describing AI as the ‘Avengers suit’ that enhances human capability.
The session concluded with discussions on leadership, innovation, big data, and the certainty of uncertainty, with students actively engaging in Q&A. Closing remarks were delivered by Prof. Subhra Pattnaik, followed by a vote of thanks from the BES team, marking the end of a highly insightful final session for the first day of the summit.
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