Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) organised a virtual convocation for 596 graduating student from five of SPJIMR programmes. The participants, their families, faculty, alumni and staff attended the event on a custom-made virtual platform.
Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson and CEO, Salesforce India, was the chief guest for the occasion. The convocation was chaired by corporate leader and author R Gopalakrishnan, Member, Governing Council, SPJIMR. He was standing in for Deepak Parekh, Chairman of SPJIMR’s Governing Council. The students were also addressed by Dr Vasant Sivaraman, Associate Dean - Academics and Full-Time Programmes.
Key lessons
In his opening address, Gopalakrishnan emphasised the importance of sharing knowledge, which in turn will help them grow as business leaders. He said, “Knowledge is the only commodity which the more you share, the more you enjoy and the more you develop.” He also said managers should be ready to swim in tough waters to become socially responsible leaders.
Arundhati Bhattacharya impressed on students to keep learning and having an entrepreneurial mindset. “There is no alternative to hard work, you make your own luck … failures … teach more than success. Believe in yourself to reach the pinnacle of your career,” she said, adding that businesses have to be agile and have “hybrid ways of working.”
Acknowledgements
Dr Sivaraman congratulated the outgoing students and urged them to enjoy their careers and give it their best. He said, “My wish is for you to achieve your dreams, follow your heart and be the best that you can be on a day-to-day basis.” He also spoke about some of the key initiatives taken by SPJIMR in these challenging times and highlighted the prestigious recognitions the institute has received in recent months.
Chairpersons of five graduating programmes — two-year PGDM, 21-month PGEMP, 15-month PGPM, 11-month PGMPW, and the 24-month alternate weekend PGPGM announced the names of students and showcased their virtual graduation certificates. They also announced the list of participants who made it to the dean’s merit list and the gold medal awardees.