There are many challenges facing business corporations today-the pandemic we have barely moved on from, economic recession, rapid changes in consumer behaviour and technological and competitive disruptions. These challenges stick out like the visible tip of an iceberg, while culture, the biggest challenge, is like the slow-moving, gigantic mass that lurks deep under the surface. We cannot deal sufficiently with superficial problems if we do not understand the depths that drive them.
'Culture eats strategy for breakfast' is a widely accepted saying in the business world, often attributed to Peter Drucker. This is as true for corporate India as it is for its consumers. Yet, we spend more time and money studying our consumers and their cultures than we do ourselves.
The Company We Keep is a market research-based exploration of Indian corporate culture. It looks beyond the glamour and jargon of the business world to individual stories that share real personal insights into the aspirations, vulnerabilities, pressures and possibilities of corporate careers and lives. These are urgent conversations we need to keep having as we reflect, review and decide where we can go from here.
5:15 PM Registration & High Tea
6:00 PM Welcome Address & Introductory Remarks
Mr Suresh Raman
President MMA
Vice President & Regional Head, TCS Chennai
Launch of the book & Address by the Author: The Company We Keep: Insights into Indian Corporate Culture
Ms Divya Khanna
Author
Author in conversation with the Special Invitees
Mr C Siva Kumar
Director, Roots Industries India Ltd
Q & A Session
7:25 PM Vote of Thanks
Mr G Giridhara Gopal
Director & CEO, Addison & Co. Ltd
Mr Vinay Kamath
Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu BusinessLine
Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM
Executive Director, Madras Management Association
Ms Divya Khanna is an alumna of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB).
Having worked with two of India's largest advertising agencies - Lowe Lintas (now Mullen Lowe) and J. Walter Thompson (now Wunderman Thompson) - She has over 20 years of experience in advertising. She specializes in observing and analysing human lives and behaviour to develop insights and ideas that help build brands.
DivyaKhanna
CSivaKumar
A Strategic thought leader, Quality Driven, Passionate serial entrepreneur, he has nearly redefined the perception of the Small and Medium Industry in the Manufacturing space, especially around Asset Light Manufacturing, apart from guiding his Retail organizations towards an innovative and customer centric excellence model.
A Strategic thinker, he believes in creating and sharing wealth, which he has demonstrated across the group, a mid-tier conglomerate, straddling the domains of Asset Light Manufacturing, Consultancy and Retail.
His trend setting HR initiatives has been featured regularly in most leading business journals like The Business Line, Economic Times, Auto Monitor, The Business Standard, The Financial Express to name a few.
He is currently the Director – Roots Industries India Limited, Skillveri Training Solutions Pvt Ltd, Planys Technologies, Managing Partner – R.V. Industries, Prabha Associates, Partner - Timelinks and Partner & Promoter – Punniamoorthi
Pillai Departmental Stores
He is winner of various national and state awards which includes the “inc india award” for the top 100 people to be watched out for the “Excellence in Hr Practices”.
GGiridharaGopal
Mr G Giridhara Gopal is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy. He is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) from Institute of Cost Accoutants of India.
He is currently the Director and CEO of Addison & Co. Ltd. He is also the Director of LM
Vanmoppes Diamond Tools India Pvt Ltd. Earlier he was a Sales/Product Engineer at Grindwell Norton Ltd, a part of the Saint-Gobain Group in India
VINAY KAMATH is an associate editor with The Hindu BusinessLine based in Chennai. Prior to joining BusinessLine in 1998, he did a short stint in television with TV18, where he was the chief of news bureau, Chennai. He has earlier worked with Financial Express, BusinessWorld, Times of India and Economic Times.
VinayKamath
