This year the speakers will include Mr. Arun Maira (Chairman, BCG India), Mr. Deepak Parekh (Chairman, HDFC), Mr. Gurcharan Das (Noted Columnist, The Times of India), Mr. Jerry Rao (Ex-Chairman & CEO Mphasis), Mr. Ketan Patel (Founder Partner, Greater Pacific Capital), Mr. O. P. Bhatt (Chairman, State Bank of India), Mr. Praful Patel (Minister of State for Civil Aviation), Mr. S. Ramadorai (CEO and Managing Director, Tata Consultancy Services), Mr. Shashi Ruia (Chairman, Essar Group), Mr. Swaminathan S. Ankalesaria Aiyar (Noted Columnist, The Economic Times) and Mr. R. S. Sharma (Chairman, Managing Director, ONGC).
Confluence 2007 will consist of four sessions. These are as follows:
Challenges to Opportunities: This session will look at the challenges India faces in the current economic scenario, how these can be approached and transformed into beneficial outcomes and opportunities.
Sustainability and Inclusive Growth: The session will examine how best to incorporate the principles of sustainability, conservation and inclusive growth while still retaining the focus on economic growth.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: This will look at how, in a dynamic business environment, innovation, the spirit of entrepreneurship, cutting edge practices and thoughts and leadership need to be cultivated in order to succeed.
Global Footprints: The recent development of Indian companies using an acquisitive inorganic route to expansion is analyzed and the importance of this approach to becoming an economic leader is examined.
Apart from the session specific competitions, Confluence’07 will include events like MasterPlan: A Business Plan Competition, MouseTrap: an Online Strategy Simulation Game, LiveStock: a Live Trading Game and BizQuizitive: the Business Quiz.
The primary attraction at Confluence 2007 will be the workshops by the crème de la crème of the Indian industry landscape providing hands-on experience and Management Simulation Games which model real world business scenarios including market conditions, industry events and external factors.
MasterPlan:
The flagship business plan competition was launched on October 10th in association with Reliance Industries Limited. In addition to the total prize money of US$ 12,000, the involvement of top notch professionals in academia and industry have made this event a coveted launching pad for aspiring managers. MasterPlan provides participants an ideal forum to run their own show by scanning favorable business opportunities under constraints, brainstorming to generate and evaluate options, and finally devising a strategy providing the perfect balance between risks and returns. In this year’s edition, contestants have to submit a plan based on one of the 6 sector themes by October 28th. The entries will be evaluated by the event knowledge partner, KPMG and the top teams will be flown down to Ahmedabad for a final presentation during Confluence.
In order to promote involvement of industry representatives, Confluence pioneered the formation of an advisory committee. This includes some of the top business and industry leaders in India who provide counsel and guidance for success of the event. The members of this year’s advisory committee include:
Mentor Mr. Deepak Parekh Chairman, HDFC Ltd.
Chairman Mr. Ramadorai, CEO and MD, Tata Consultancy Services
Member Mr. Ajay Piramal Chairman, Nicholas Piramal Ltd.
Member Mr. Arun Maira Chairman, BCG India
Member Mr. Bakul Dholakia Director, IIM Ahmedabad
Member Mr. Deepak Satwalekar MD, HDFC Standard Life
Member Mrs. Elaben Bhatt Founder, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
Member Mr. N Ravichandran Faculty Advisor, Confluence 2007
Member Mr. O. P. Bhatt Chairman, SBI
Member Mr. R.S. Sharma Chairman and MD, ONGC
Member Mr. Sumant Sinha CEO, Aditya Birla Retail
Further details of the event can be accessed at
http://www.iima-confluence.com/masterplan.html
/>