Udaipur (The Hawk): The eighth edition of Solaris, the annual management fest of IIM Udaipur, similar to all the events on campus, was organized by the students of IIMU. The theme for Solaris 2022 was 'Alchemizing Innovations.'
IIM Udaipur initiated Solaris (https://solarisiimu.com/) to help the students interact with industry leaders and gain insight from their knowledge and experience. Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur, has always been committed to its students' holistic growth; and via Solaris, it aims to groom the students into future leaders.
The management fest began with the national anthem sung by the student of IIMU, followed by the opening address by the Chairperson, Two-year MBA Program, and the Convener of Solaris 2022.
The event then proceeded to The Leadership Summit (LS) - the flagship event of Solaris where Mr. VipinSondhi (Former MD & CEO, Ashok Leyland, and JCB India), Mr. Vishak Kumar (CEO, Madura Fashion &Lifestyl), Ms. Divya Karani (CEO, Media South Asia, Dentsu), and Dr. Om Manchanda (MD, Dr. Lal Pathlabs) spoke to the community and provided everyone with insights and learnings from their varied experiences. The next summit was Anveshan, which hosted Mr. Sachin Pai (Director - Cloud Scale Analytics, Microsoft), Mr. NagendhranRangarajan (Practice Director - Analytics, Oracle), and Mr. GopalanOppiliappan (Head - AI Center of Excellence, Intel) where the speakers discussed different topics such as blockchain, sustainability, and the innovative AI techniques used in modern industries.
Samvadya - the Consulting Summit, hosted Mr. Rahul Gosain (MD & Lead, Business Intelligence at Alvarez & Marsal), Mr. Brajesh Singh (President, Arthur D Little, India), and Mr. Rajeev Sharma (Chief Strategy Officer, Mitsubishi Electric), who shared their knowledge with students.
The second day of Solaris 2022 started with, Antardrishti, the Economics Summit, which hosted Mr. Bharat Agrawal (Finance Director, Indian Sub-continent, Diversey), Mr. Rahul Kothari (Chief Business officer, Razorpay), and Mr. Dhruv Sharma (Senior Economist (India), The World Bank) who spoke about their vivid experiences and shared insights about how India's economy is well-placed to navigate adverse global economic headwinds.
This was followed by Unmesh, The Operations Summit, which saw Mr. Mahesh Khetan (Global Head - Supply Chain, Grasim Industries Limited - Aditya Birla Group), and Mr. Ajay Sevekari (MD, Prospira India Automotive Products Private Limited, Bridgestone) discussing the importance of supply chain during the difficult times, how the industry optimized its operations in accordance to the new normal. The speakers also talked about data-driven operations to increase efficiency and make operations more sustainable.
The next summit was Samvaah, the Annual Marketing Conclave of Solaris 2022. Mr. Sarthak Seth (Sr VP & Chief Sales and Marketing Officer; Tata Realty And Infrastructure Ltd), Ms. Somasree Bose Awasthi (CMO (India), Godrej Consumer Products Ltd), and Dr. Virginia Sharma (India Marketing Head, Google Cloud) discussed the need to analyze quantitative data with an empathetic touch to gain a deep understanding of consumer preferences.
The day ended with Arth-Samvaad - the Finance Symposium of Solaris 2022, hosted Mr. Satish Gundewar (CFO, DCB Bank), Ms. RekhaTalluri (CFO, Microsoft), Mr. NeeleshVernekar (CIO, IL&FS asset management), and Ms. Meenakshi Mehta (Business leader - VP Financial Services, Patanjali) where the speakers discussed capital budgeting decisions and the role of technology in them. The speakers also discussed the role of a CFO and tried to develop an interest in finance among the students.
Sponsored by Secure Meters, Solaris also included events and competitions for the students, namely, Ingenium, Mantravat, HRidya, VittSangram, The Ultimate Statement, ArthAarth, Auctionnaire, Marcwars, Iconic Scenes, Zeitgeist, KaroVyapar, Econ Writing, Saudagar, BizViz, Mind-Wizz, BrAIniac, OpsEnigma and OpsSamasya.
These interactive and highly engaging events helped the students pitch themselves against each other in simulations of real-life situations, making them think on their feet and also out of the box. Multiple prominent brands including Choudhary offset (Printing Partner), Sau Groups (Merchandising partner), Central Bank of India (Banking partner), Pandora Grand (Hospitality Partner), and Season's Park (Dining Partner) also assisting Solaris 2022.