A four-member team from SP Jain Institute of Management Research (SPJIMR) sailed through the Mumbai semi-finals and locked a spot in the finals of the BLoC Boardroom Challenge. Chaithra Jayachandran, Jithin Nair, Sivaraman KS and Shikhir Sapra, impressed the jury with their master-plan for a detergent-maker to regain growth and increase profit margins.
The runners-up, also from SPJIMR, were Abhinav Rai, Danish Rehman Saifi, Komal Falodiya and Parth Parekh.
The judges were KS Rao, Senior Vice-President and Head, Investor Education and Distribution Development, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd; Prof RK Pattnaik, SPJIMR; and Vishwadeep Kuila, Founder, Brand Vectors, a Chennai-based marketing consultancy.
Stressing the importance of communications in management, Rao said: “I failed thrice in the civil services examinations because I was from a vernacular board. I always scored highly in the written test but performed poorly in the interviews. As MBA students, you've showcased excellent communications skills, which is of utmost important these days.”
Kuila, who also created the semi-finals case, said: “All of you should remember who you are talking to. Understand and judge the audience. The best part of today’s presentations was that none of the participants forced a format into the case.” Reiterating Rao’s point, Kuila said: “Communication is key. If you can’t convey the message, despite good content, you may lose.”
After the presentations, Neelratna Chowbal, training consultant, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, gave a talk on the importance of saving and investing early in one’s career.
Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Funds is the sponsor of the Boardroom Challenge event, which is powered by Swiss watch brand Frederique Constant. Vizag Steel Plant and One Crest are the associate sponsors.