Mr. Sudheesh Venkatesh, Chief People Officer at Azim Premji Foundation, presided over the C-talk on December 4, 2021. Sir has previously worked as the Head of Human Resources at Tesco India. The C-talk was largely organised to aid students in determining which specialisation is best suited for them. Prof. B.S. Patil, Dean and Registrar of ISBR Business School, gave an opening lecture and a welcoming letter from Pratyusha Dey of the PGDM batch (2021-23). Mr. Sudheesh then gave his address, in which he began by describing his life path and the lessons he has learned from various incidents or moments that have transpired in his life.
Following that, ISBR Business School students posed questions to Mr. Sudheesh in order to gain further insight into the best career path to take and the benefits and drawbacks of picking a certain field of specialty. Mr. Sudheesh discussed the obstacles or adversities that most professionals encounter as a result of a lack of opportunity, lack of self-belief, a rigid strategy that is not flexible enough to be adjusted when needed, and other similar adversities. Mr. Sudheesh also shared his experiences working in various jobs at Asian Paints (where he worked for ten years), Tesco (where he worked for ten years), and the Azim Premji Foundation with the students (presently working).
Organizations, according to Mr. Sudheesh, assess what an individual is competent at and assign him to the job that best matches him. Any employee in the organisation has the responsibility of preparing his or her successor so that he or she will not be bound to the company for an extended period of time and will be able to depart if a better opportunity occurs. The objective of supply chain management is to manage costs; marketing management’s duty is to manage customers; and HR’s function is to be the people’s voice and the link between upper management and lower-level employees. Mr. Sudheesh went on to remark that because he was going from one professional role to another inside the same city of Bangalore, he found it simpler to settle into each of his new roles.
According to him, if not too many things are changed, the transition would be smooth. It is important to remain open to new ideas and not to define a success slogan or a set of standards to follow, as this will lead to unhappiness if the pre-determined and predetermined goals are not attained. A leader, in Mr. Sudheesh’s opinion, generates ideas, organizes resources, and enables the most effective use of those resources. Because people and conditions change, a leader must also be open to handling volatility. Finally, Mr. Sudheesh encouraged the students to be self-sufficient and adaptable to change, as change is the only constant in today’s business world.
About ISBR:
ISBR Business School, Bangalore-based, Top Class B School for PGDM or MBA, Consistently ranked as best B School in India, AICTE-CII Platinum Catagory, with multiple specializations.