The event commenced with the welcome address by Dr. Subhash D. Awale, Director NITIE, who also felicitated the awardees with Lakshya and Empresario awards. He defined the need for Industry Institute interaction as the essence to learn from the leaders of the industry through events like Lakshya.
Mr. Rahul Bajaj, in his charismatic speech, said “the GDP growth rate of 9% is quite sustainable even though the business environment in India is not as conducive as it can be”. It requires some dedicated and focused efforts towards bringing out a significant metamorphosis in hitherto lagging agriculture sector, while small change in industrial policy can provide the required impetus for maintaining high growth rate in service sector. With India becoming the land of new opportunities, the hitherto call of “Go West” is now getting replaced by “Go East”. Accentuating the need for good leaders in India, he said “Leadership is not only about charisma and showmanship. It’s more about forthrightness, consistency, tolerance and most importantly, uncompromising integrity”.
Mr. Harsh Goenka, Chairman RPG Group, who accepted the award on behalf of Mr. R P Goenka, exemplified the significance of good business sense and leadership in attaining faster business growth, quoting the very example of RPG Group of industries. He stated that “A true business leader must not lose sight of innate sense of humanity and goodness”. India is emerging as a new hub for professionals, giving enough space to excel in various dimensions of business.
Mr. Kumar Subramanyan, the first ever alumnus of NITIE to be awarded with Entrepreneurship Award, emphasized that “one must think innovatively and have a contrarian view to succeed in a new business”. He talked about his journey from NITIE to Adventity, a leading financial BPO, and instilled the spirit of Entrepreneurship in the audience by sharing his own experiences and success stories.
Mr. Balraj Singh Parmar, Sr Director, Suzlon Energy Ltd accepted the award on behalf of Mr. Tulsi Tanti. In his address to the packed audience, he said that “the key to any entrepreneurial success is the ability to think BIG”.
The grand inaugural ceremony culminated with the vote of thanks by Prof. Ashok K. Pundir Convener, Lakshya. He commended the concept of Lakshya by saying “Lakshya provides our students an opportunity to develop and test their managerial skills as well as provide a forum for learning and assimilate directly from achievers in the corporate world. He wished that “in coming years, the Indian Business world will witness a new breed of business leaders and entrepreneurs, with NITIE students taking a lead in it”.