Testimonials

It takes an indomitable spirit to beat the Mumbai rains, and on Saturday 3rd August 2019, this is exactly what the incoming IGTCians demonstrated. Undeterred, they made it for their inaugural ceremony and opening lecture. The common thread binding all of them was an aspiration to enrich their lives with a new learning experience. 20 managers, the most experienced one being only 50 years young, converged from diverse industry backgrounds to constitute the 10th EBMP Mumbai Batch 2019 – 2020.

The inauguration ceremony began with a short prayer and the lighting of the lamp by Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General, Indo German Chamber of Commerce along with Radhieka R Mehta, Director IGTC and faculty members Dr. Harkant Mankad, Suhas Rane, S M Fakih, and Sagar Narsian. The incoming managers felt very privileged and honoured to have Mr. Steinruecke’s presence on a Saturday morning, especially to welcome them. On the other hand, Mr. Steinruecke found it refreshing to interact with the curious minds and generously appreciated them for investing their time in education, especially during a difficult business cycle. Faculty Dr. Harkant Mankad emphasized that the participants should inculcate a habit of lifelong learning to keep pace with the current environment, as what has been learned today will become invalid or void in 3 years.

There was a contrast of emotions, as alongside the inauguration was the 9th EBMP Mumbai batch appearing for their final capstone presentation. It’s the circle of life that continues at IGTC, where one batch ends and the new one begins!! The 10th batch walked in with subtle apprehension and anxiety whilst the participants of the 9th batch had a growing sense of achievement by projecting excellence in their capstone projects to the judging faculty panel.

The 10th batch comprised of managers from the following companies – Abbott India, Arusha Jewels, BASF India, Bosch Limited, Connell Bros Company India, Ensinger India Engineering Plastics, IDIADA Automotive Technology India, LANXESS India, Link Logistics, Orange Business Services India Technology, Preetam Springs, Primetals Technologies, Siemens Healthcare, Siemens Limited.

On a euphoric note, here is what the managers had to share on Day 1:
Sharukh Khatrak, Managing Partner, Link Logistics said “IGTC EBMP will help me grow as a leader and develop better structures to be India’s best logistics company.”
Menaka Kulkarni, Associate Project Manager, LANXESS India Pvt. Ltd. mentioned “On a personal level, I am looking forward to getting mentored by the esteemed IGTC faculty and to increase my network within the German organizations. Professionally, I would like to get a bird’s-eye view for my role and contribute to the organization.”
Shailendra Singh, Zonal Manager, Bosch Ltd mentioned “I want to improve my managerial and analytical skills so that I can reach the next level in the organizational hierarchy and also add a qualification to be a more sought-after sales professional.”

Let the circus leave sweet memories ‘Life is a circus’ is an often-used metaphor! It is mostly perceived to reflect the chaos of life, the pressure of handling too much, too much happening at one time, too many plates to juggle, too many challenges to face, and of course one ringmaster who cracks the whip! Most of us have heard this before, but were we trying to convey that this is what is similar to IGTC? While building the theme for the event, our team was a little perplexed, confused and clueless. Nevertheless, as we started putting the acts together, we started discovering some amazing similarities between the Circus and “Life at IGTC”. We started recognising the elements that were omnipresent in both these amazing and magical worlds.

Our esteemed dignitaries Sunil Mathur, President, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Ravneet Gill, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Bank – India, Dr. Jürgen Morhard, Consul General, German Consulate General and Bernhard Steinrücke, Director General, IGCC joined us to witness this magical night. The century-old glorious Royal Opera House was the chosen venue for the big day on 18th February 2019. A dream and a vision that every student and parent had seen came to life.

It would be incongruous to say that people were putting together pieces of this circus- themed convocation ceremony. There were little surprises in store at every corner of the venue. At the Karaka Circle, the Rangbhumi Playback Theatre group made all the guests play a fun- filled game before they walked inside the Royal Opera House to collect their tickets for the show. At the Bandmann Black Box, the parents were taken through an emotional journey, as they heard a gratitude message from their child. It was delightful to see the parent’s reactions of pride, love and happiness. At the Maurice Box Office window, the parents were handed over personalised tickets with a caption that best described their child.

The show began with a playback performance from the students of the junior and the graduating batch. The theatre was filled with pride as the PGPBA students performed and gave a musical tribute to their journey and life at IGTC. Despite no words, the audience was able to connect and relate to all the characters of the play and what they were trying to narrate. It was very interesting to see all the pieces of the puzzle weave in together as the story unfolded.

Following the act, Mr. Sunil Mathur, President, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce was invited to give his welcome address to all the guests. He began his speech by looking back in time to 1991 when the first batch was started at the Indo-German Training Centre headed by a General Manager at Siemens, who wanted to introduce the dual vocational training programme. According to him, this was a unique concept at that time and is still today. He shared his three personal goals with the graduating batch which can be used in everybody’s career.

• Don’t plan your career – how you evolve is much better than how you plan
• Think 10% differently from other people
• Be ethical.

With great learning and unique thought, we moved ahead with the ceremony. It was time to narrate a compelling story on IGTC. In this beautiful piece, Radhieka R Mehta, Director, Indo-German Training Centre illustrated how IGTC was built with different pieces coming together. As she stood zealously speaking about IGTC, a deconstructed collage kept emerging. Just like how we put together the pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, the audience saw a flawless picture collage of IGTC emerge behind her. Adding to this performance was a classical song in the background sung by the talented graduating student, Kaustubh Shaligram. The entire amalgamation of her speaking, the collage wall being built and Kaustubh singing created a larger-than-life experience for the evening.

From behind the collage wall, the graduating students emerged to narrate their story. Vidhi Anam, Sanat Munot and Devesh Nair put together their focus point – Choices, Outlook and Influencers – which they feel passionately about and which have paved their way toward their growing careers. Whilst Vidhi spoke about her choices in life that has made her stand tall today, Devesh showed how an outlook in life can help make the right decisions. Sanat explained how getting influenced by the right people can have a positive impact and motivate one to achieve one’s goals.

The address by the Chief Guest Ravneet Gill, Chief Executive officer, Deutsche bank – India struck a chord in the minds of the students graduating. He stated that the quality of a really good education can be told by the fact that it teaches you that there’s no finishing line that you continue to learn all the time, you remain, students, all your life. IGTC has the whole endeavour to bring academia and industry together, and it prepares youngsters for a successful career that will be gratifying and fulfilling. He concluded by saying, “Having worked for a German organization for 28 years, besides everything else that you may have learnt on academic and technical skills, an education with a very strong German background to it, I am sure also subconsciously brought into you, a commitment to quality, excellence, precision and punctuality. Very few cultures embody it and amplify it the way Germany does. Having such a strong influence of such an empowering and liberating culture is something that will hold you in good stead going forward.”

Guest of Honour Dr. Jürgen Morhard, Consul General, German Consulate General in Mumbai was invited on stage as a Storyteller. “Life is a Circus! There is a lot of things to learn about the circus; you showed us tonight a lot of magic a lot of mystic, a lot of enchantment. It was quite thrilling and brought us back to our childhood, to a time when you had time to relax, enjoy theatre, dream and dive into other things that you cannot find time to do in life. He gave an example of how he tried to use tennis balls to create a juggling act. One that juggles work and the second that is health. However, these cannot be in individual compartments and have to overlap to form a pattern. The third ball is relations and the pattern gets more and more complicated. By the time, a fourth ball is added, it spells disaster! Through the performances, you taught us that one should never be a one-trick act only. Many of you can do multiple things. This is what the students must master. A very important slogan that I have learnt from the circus is that if you push too hard to be the ringmaster, you will end up to be the clown.”

Before moving on to the felicitation of the graduating students, IGCC chose to celebrate and felicitate the graduation from corporate life, 40 years in HR of Ramesh Shankar, Executive Vice President Human Resources, Siemens Limited. As the Founding Partner (2011 – 2019) and President (2014 – 2017) of the Indo-German HR Partner Forum, his professional expertise, unconditional involvement and passionate engagement was deeply appreciated by all the forum members.

As he retires, Ramesh was warmly awarded a silver plaque by the current Indo-German HR Partner Forum Chairperson, Santanu Ghoshal, Vice-President HR, Schaeffler Group along with the other dignitaries. In his parting speech, Ramesh gave a very lucid perspective on what the HR looks for in new graduates by aptly relating it to the theme of the Circus, wherein he defined it as Conscience Keeper, Integrity, Rigor, Commitment, Umbilical Cord and Synergy.

The most awaited moment for the PGPBA batch arrived when they were called up on stage to receive their certificates and trophies. This was followed by special awards to recognise the talent of some meritorious students by the partnering companies BASF India, Bayer Group and Siemens Limited.

IGCC Director General, Bernhard Steinrücke gave the closing, finale speech. He thanked the dignitaries for their time and congratulated the students. His farewell words were “life is a culmination of long and challenging hardships, but ultimately it’s a rewarding journey.”

The proud graduates now embark on their careers with organization such as Ambica Steel Ltd., Ascent Intellimation, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd., Bosch Automotive Electronics India, Brose India Automotive Systems Pvt. Ltd., Carborundum Universal Ltd. (Murugappa Group), Covestro (India) Pvt. Ltd., DB Schenker, DBOI Global Services, Eskay Engichem Pvt. Ltd., Ethosh Designs Pvt. Ltd., Evonik India Pvt. Ltd., Extentia Information Technology, FEV India Pvt. Ltd., Forbes Marshall Pvt. Ltd., General Mills, GEP, Häfele India Pvt. Ltd., Hirschvogel Components India, Indo-German Training Centre, Kion India Pvt. Ltd., Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd., Neilsoft Limited, Phoenix Mecano India Private Limited, R-Biopharm Neugen Pvt. Ltd., REINTJES Middle East, Schott Kaisha Pvt. Ltd., Shakai Packaging Pvt. Ltd., Siemens Ltd. and Supreme Universal.

IGTCians at heart…phenomenal we will be!

“Manager Ready”, a customised programme was organised by the Indo-German Training Centre for Hamburg Süd on 28th and 29th of March 2019. Hamburg Süd is a strong brand in the international logistics service sector. As a container shipping company, Hamburg Süd stands for quality, outstanding customer service, and a personal point of contact in 250 offices in over 100 countries worldwide.

The idea of training incepted with the thought process of having the managers equipped with the vital leadership skillset when they transform from being a colleague to being a “BOSS”. In an organization, this is perhaps the most challenging issue and has rarely been recognised. As a manager of a single employee or a group of employees, one suddenly transforms into a “Boss”. Mr Heiko Mohn, General Manager, Hamburg Süd expressed the need to have a Manager Ready Programme to synergise the energy of his managers so that they demonstrate the right character for effective leadership.

This program was thus designed to explore the various facets of Managerial Responsibilities and develop skill sets to be Manager Ready. Dr. Anita Badyopadhyay facilitated the two-day workshop. She is an acclaimed expert in leadership development, talent management, performance management and HR processes. 20 managers handling key functions at various levels were nominated by Hamburg Süd to be a part of this exclusive programme.

Key objectives of the tailored two-day workshop covered the following points:
• Managers Role – The challenge of responding to expectations of stakeholders
• Communication – Being perceptive and developing relationships
• Setting Objectives – Inspiring teams to achieve their objectives
• Leadership Style – Task Vs. Relationship

Mr Heiko Mohn opened the 1st day of workshop by inducting his team, he expressed that he envisages his team members to grow not only professionally but also stimulate their personal growth by being a part of the programme. Radhieka R Mehta, Director of Indo- German Training Centre welcomed the team to the IGTC learning environment. Team Hamburg Süd then was geared up to spend the next two days with the expert Dr. Anita.

Team Hamburg Süd then set on a journey of exploring what exactly is leadership? They spent insightful two-days filled with answering retrospective questions and engaging in meaningful discussions and exercise. They were exposed to the fact that qualities, characteristics, and skills required in a leader are determined to a large extent by the demands of a situation in which he has to function as a leader.

A few key takeaways by the participants were –
• Right communication is vital for leadership
• Planning, organising and optimising resources at work is essential
• Understanding and handling situations with subordinates

Some of the testimonials generated after the training were “It was good learning and changed my perception towards the company. The tools and techniques provided have challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and I am sure I can apply this to my personal and official interactions and ensure things work in my favour.” Another one says “I am very thankful to my management for having me enrolled in the training; it has helped me identify the key stakeholders involved and then channel my communications in the direction”.

Mr Heiko Mohn closed the workshop with a small but warm speech in which he thanked his team for the strong support rendered. He conveyed his gratitude towards IGTC for helping him bridge the gap. Radhieka R Mehta also shared her experiences briefly and gave the managers a few vital tips on implementing the new skillset learnt before the group parted.

“Horizon Redefined”, the HR Capability Building Initiative designed by the Indo-German HR Partner Forum for the HR community was delivered with a high level of engagement and importance by the Indo-German Training Centre from June 2018 to February 2019. Approximately 125 employees from the HR teams of 23 German organisations built their competencies by undergoing training on various topics, which the Indo-German HR partners fondly named as the ABCDE modules of HR.

• A – Analytical Mindset
• B – Business Acumen
• C – Consultative Mindset
• D – Digitalization
• E – Employee Relations (ER)

Employee Relations

Employee Relations being the need of the hour, it was decided that this would be the first programme to be conducted. The employee relations module was facilitated by an industry expert, Mr. Suman Mitra, Senior General Manager – Human Resources, Bosch Ltd. With his 24+ years of work experience in the field of Human Resources and Employee Relations, the programme was more practical and industry related than theoretical. Live examples from industry were discussed during the programme. Participation for this programme was so over whelming that 2 batches were held over consecutive months of June and July. The participants also gained tremendously from Mr. Mitra’s vast experience and knowledge.

Analytical Mindset
The participants then revisited basics of Analytics with the Analytical Mindset programme. The programme was conducted over 2 batches of 25 participants each. The facilitator for the analytical mindset programme was facilitated by Jigsaw Academy. The objective of the programme was to enhance the analytical ability of the HR employees and ensure that they proactively leverage analytics through various frameworks and tool. It also taught them the business application in their organizations.

Business Acumen
The Business Acumen programme was conducted in November for 30 participants by TOPSIM. This programme which was a business simulation was an extremely interactive session. Participants were divided into groups of 5-6 where each group was competing with each to see who has the highest profit at the end. The objective of this simulation was to give the participants a holistic picture about management and a comprehensive understanding of business realities. It encapsulated and connected all functions of business to achieve a common goal. It aimed at improving the understanding between the various stakeholders involved in business, the marketplace and the market dynamics, which in turn would increase efficiency and performance.

Consultative Mindset
Red Wisdom facilitated the Consultative Mindset programme in January 2019. This engaging programme made use of experiential games and role plays to create an impact on the participants. The programme was designed to discover and acknowledge the why, what and how of Consultative Mindset in the HR capability development context. It showed the participants what to expect as HR and stakeholder and also how to apply consultative engagement in situations in the organization.

This programme of Horizon Redefined is a testimony to the quote said “Beginnings are even more beautiful, when our combined efforts and collaboration culminate into a reality” where a joint collaboration of the HR partners has resulted in a wonderful 9 months of training and upskilling the HR partners. We also work towards making the digitalization module a reality while continuing to conduct such programmes regularly for the HR partners.

Indo-German HR Partner Forum Meeting Performance Management

Siemens Limited hosted the first Indo-German HR Partner Forum of the year 2019 on 19th February at their Kalwa-Thane Plant. The meeting was conducted at the Training and Skill Development Centre of their oldest but digitally transforming plant. Ramesh Shankar, Executive Vice-President and Head – Human Resources played the gracious host before he bids adieu to the forum due to his retirement end of March 2019. His team members – Satish Mohapatra, Rupesh Basu, Meghna Joshi and Anusha Madan ensured that the day was extremely well organized for all the participating forum members. This meeting was attended by partners from Baerlocher, Bajaj Allianz, BASF, Bayer, Bharat Forge, Bosch, Covestro, DHL, Evonik, Knorr-Bremse, Man Trucks, Siemens, Volkswagen, Wacker Chemie.

For this year, the HR Partner Forum had decided to use the highly effective method of the Community Dialogue Process as a facilitation tool for all its meetings. The theme for this meeting was chosen as “Performance Management” and Anu Sethi, Head HR from FEV was the chosen facilitator for the day. Anu, in her very calm, composed but firm demeanour ensured that the participants remained in the right frame of mind.

The day began with all the HR attendees divided into pairs, wherein they had to discuss about one fantasy that they would like to accomplish but have not been able to accomplish it. The responses received varied from personal targets and hobbies to one’s professional goals in life. Following this, they were asked to determine a turning point in their life that changed their outlook, perhaps something that significantly moved them in life. This ice-breaker session gathered the right energy for the day as they moved into more meaningful discussions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the Performance Management System in their organisations.

Each group presented their discussion on flip charts and after an open dialogue in the room, the below mentioned points were concluded by all the attendees. Organizations should:

• Establish a feedback culture, where feedback is received from all sources.
• Define the purpose of Performance Management System (PMS)
• Role of the HR should be toward integrating target setting in the PMS
• Role of Manager and Employees should be to eliminate biasness
• Ensure a positive overall experience for all stakeholders during the process
• Build trust of all the stakeholders towards the established system

Anu concluded the dialogue process by making the partners focus on what is the heart of the Performance Management System and how it can it be achieved. Some very creative outcomes emerged from this discussion. The best definition emerged as the “Organization being the soil, the employee being the flower and the managers being the gardeners” for the performance management system.

After lunch, the HR Partners were given a tour of the impressive digital factory of Siemens. The afternoon continued with a detailed discussion of the onward plan for the HR Forum for the year 2019. The upcoming themes finalized were Managing Talent in a Digital Age with focus on multi-generations, The Best Employee Experience, Transactional v/s Transformational HR, Human Resource Management v/s Human Resource Development, Diversity and Inclusion.

We look forward to an enriching 2019!

What gets measured gets analysed, and everything that gets analysed, is acted upon! And hence 12th of January 2019 was an exceptional day for Indo-German Training Centre (IGTC) Team as we felicitated the 52 experienced managers who put in a lot of dedication and devotion all through the last year. The New Year, 2019 began on a happy high note for these 52 participants of 5th Batch of Pune Executive Business Management Programme as they all gathered together, along with their Families, Dignitaries, Corporate Partners, Mentors, Faculty and Alumni at the venue Crown Plaza Pune for their Graduation Ceremony.

Yuliya Ivashyna, Manager Production Systems and Industrial Engineering, Volkswagen India Private Ltd. hosted the show and introduced the dignitaries on the dias as Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. Marja Einig, Deputy Consul General, German Consulate General, Shrikrishnan Yogi, Regional President, Brose India Automotive Systems Pvt. Ltd. and Radhieka R Mehta, Director, Indo-German Training Centre.

The celebrations began with the IGTC anthem followed by a welcome address by Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General IGCC. He shared the excitement of being with the wonderful audience on the occasion. He emphasized the year 2019 as a special year for the Indo-German Industries for a lot of reasons such as Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. celebrates 25 years, Brose India Automotive celebrates 12 years of their 1st plant in India and soon to have the 5th plant in Pune. He pointed that Siemens is building the metro in Pune. The year 2019 is also indeed remarkable for the Chamber Network worldwide, as it celebrates 125 years. The first Chamber was inaugurated in Brussels in 1894 and now serves 140 offices in 92 countries and aids to 95% of German foreign trade.

After Bernhard Steinruecke’s inspirational welcome address, the evening proceeded further as Marja Einig was invited to address the audience next. Marja Einig said that the consulate is proud of IGTC, as leanings are put into practice immediately after the classroom sessions and there is an evident spirit of sharing, supportiveness and confidence. She concluded by saying that “this is the moment to celebrate your achievements and also express gratitude towards your excellent mentor Radhieka Mehta, Bernhard Steinruecke and the competent faculty”

In continuation of the evening, the centre stage was taken over by the passionate participants Aditya Vaze, Lead Manager, A Raymond Fastener India Pvt. Ltd. and Gurmukh Kehlani, Finance Manager, Wirtgen India Private Ltd. as they encapsulated their EBMP journey. It was a laughter riot as they nostalgically mentioned anecdotes of the day-to-day class nuances. They notably thanked IGTC and the renowned faculty for all the learnings imparted. Aditya and Gurmukh fondly recalled how the jargons learnt over the last year have become a part and parcel of their life now.

Kapil Rai, Executive Vice President, A Raymond Fastener India Pvt. Ltd. introduced the audience to the 2018 EBMP world. He candidly confessed that he has become two years younger after joining the course because of the knowledge diet intake and the mental workout. Kapil Rai was pleasantly surprised as his co-speaker was none other than his son Kakul Rai, who is an existing student of the full time PGPBA Batch 2018-2020. Kakul has taken up the IGTC course after recommendations from his father.

Dipti Bhalerao, Manager, Puja Fluid Seals Pvt. Ltd. was the next speaker, who held an impressive record of 100% attendance. Dipti shared her experience about how a commerce student like her was made to understand the concept of value engineering by the IGTC professors. She said “After this EBMP experience, while making any professional decision, I learnt to ask myself, am I adding value or cost to the company?”

Kiran K P, Senior Manager, Mercedes-Benz India Private Limited and Shyam Gyanani, Director, Trident International Pvt. Ltd. enlightened the audience by explaining their Capstone Project and how phenomenally it changed their perspective to business and their work profile. Shyam Gyanani contributed that the Capstone project is like a handle to the briefcase where the briefcase is the EBMP course. Shyam owns a business and has participated in management programs of other management schools and according to him other management schools use case study-based learning method which is backward looking, but at IGTC, capstone method is proven to be a forward looking approach. Kiran admitted that he learnt different things by doing the market research for the capstone project; the process of converting an idea into a successful business plan is a hard but wonderful process.

Vinay D’Souza, Alumni, 2nd EBMP Pune Batch 2015 – 2016 and Regional Business Unit Head, Bosch Chassis Systems India Pvt. Ltd. shared the “EBMP learning experience ‘’. He expressed that the impact of the training at IGTC has never left him. All the teachings proved to be practical and helped him get grounded. He confessed that he still refers to his IGTC notes and implements those learnings at work. He claims that this has time and again produced fantastic results and has proven to be the basics to help him grow in life.

Shashidhar Pasupulati, Alumni, 1st EBMP Pune Batch 2015 and Sales and Marketing Manager–EU, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions shared his EBMP experience. The captivating speaker Shashidhar advised the now successfully trained IGTCians to start questioning everything and refuse to believe in things blindly. He stated that questions always lead to answers resulting in a change for improvement. He further added that “your approach towards job should always be customer centric.”

The audience was addressed by Chief Guest, Martin Schwenk. He put the cherry on the icing for the participants by addressing them as the Future CEO’s of their company. He said “You are stars of today and its commendable how all of you have completed the course by balancing job and personal life.” He shared the key message to learn, unlearn and relearn, and to have a pioneering spirit always. He also spoke about looking out for new ways to raise the bar for oneself. He confessed that Mercedes Benz is proud of its association with IGTC as it has befitted in shaping their employees year after year.
The other Chief Guest, Shrikrishnan Yogi, Regional President, Brose India Automotive Systems Pvt. Ltd value added his address by sharing his own personal learnings. He inspired the audience to believe in themselves and to work beyond boundaries. He benefited in his career because he believed in continuous improvement and has always had a vision for it. He finally concluded by saying that challenge the best, because the best is always changing.

On such a wonderful note now the participants could not wait any longer to hold on to their certificates and trophies. This happened after a short address by their beloved Director Radhieka Mehta. The enthusiastic participants came on the stage in their capstone groups to receive the certificates and trophies. They were also accompanied by the mentors from their company. They cherished the occasion with their families by cutting the cake along with the faculty as without their significant support their journey looked difficult.

The young at heart batch then gathered in their gowns and hats for a wonderful group picture and the most awaited activity of tossing their hat in the air as an official closure to their EBMP journey and experience.

The 6th batch of Executive Business Management Programme in Pune was inaugurated at the onset of the New Year. Brand new year and brand new start of unlearning, learning and relearning began. The enthusiastic batch of 55 participants arrived unknowing of the exciting journey in the coming year. Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce addressed the new IGTCians. He explained the significance of ‘Makar Sankranti’ a celebration of beginning of New Year similar to their commencement of a new year their beautiful journey with IGTC. Marja Einig Deputy Consul General present at the auspicious ceremony wished the new batch success and mentioned that the course will enhance their professional as well as personal growth.

Faculty Rajeev Chawla, Dr Harkant Mankad, Anant Amdekar, Sagar Narsian, S.M. Fakih, and M. Hariharan were present to congratulate the batch for taking the right step ahead. They collectively concluded that theory is born out of practice and not the other way. They advised participants to believe in actions and apply one idea that they learn over the weekend in their jobs, thus for an enriching EBMP experience.

The lamp was illuminated by the Radhieka Mehta Director IGTC, faculty and the current participants. The chanting of Vakratunda Mahakaya was played to invoke the benevolent Lord’s blessings, followed by the first lecture on financial management and management accounting.

On 20th November 2018, the Indo-German Training Centre hosted the final meet for the year 2018 for the Indo-German HR Partner Forum. The theme for the day was rightly selected as ‘Design Thinking and Community Dialogue Process’. Thus the context for the day also was appropriately set as a dialogue about Current State of Changes in Organizations & Design Thinking’s Role for HR Community. The trainer for the day was Mr. Raj Mali from Red Wisdom.
• To understand the basics of Design Thinking
• To give a taste of challenges and opportunities of a community dialogue process
The meeting was attended by HR professionals from organizations such as Baerlocher India Additives Pvt. Ltd., BASF India Ltd., Bosch Ltd., Brose India Automotive System Pvt. Ltd., Covestro India Pvt. Ltd., Evonik India Pvt. Ltd., FEV India Ltd., Häfele India Pvt. Ltd., KSB Pumps Ltd, LANXESS India Pvt. Ltd., Schaeffler India Ltd., Siemens Ltd., and Wacker Chemie AG
The day commenced with a brief introduction of each member where they had to introduce themselves stating something they are proud of in their lives. The workshop then began with the trainer clarifying the do’s and don’ts of a Design Thinking & Community Dialogue Process. Members of the group were asked to pick cards with certain guidelines on them. The guidelines that were given to the forum were:
 

These guidelines have to be practiced throughout the day without any intervention from others.

The next session was the role of senior HR leaders during a group dialogue process. The session commenced with a practice session for the members for facilitating a meaningful dialogue. Each person had to suggest a topic for discussion. Two topics were unanimously decided upon – ‘Change Management and Performance Management’. For the afternoon session the discussion was on Change Management. The HR partners discussed on mergers and acquisitions, cultural assimilation, how do leaders address doubts of employees during mergers and also how do companies maintain gender diversity. The topic of Performance Management will be covered in the next meeting in 2019.

After the discussion, a reflection was done to see if the guidelines were followed, if everyone was given an opportunity to speak and also on how the members felt when their topic was not picked. It helped the partners understand what to expect & to be prepared for during group dialogues.

The workshop ended with each member sharing their learnings from the day and promising to implement them in their organizations.
• Let others feel what they want to feel. Own your feelings.
• Create a safe space for people to feel. Feelings don’t always have to be positive.
• Power of structured dialogue
• Power of planned silence
• Close system v/s open system of communication
• The 16 guidelines followed during the day
• Approach of empathy to define problems.

After the workshop, a new chairperson was appointed for the Indo-German HR Partner Forum for the year 2019 – Santanu Ghoshal, Vice President – Human Resources from Schaeffler India.

On the 17th and 18th of November, Indo-German Training Centre held a customized programme on International Project Management for all their stakeholders – PGPBA and EBMP current students and alumni – together for the first time. The faculty for the lecture was Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Project Director at Siemens, Karlsruhe and a guest lecturer at the Duale Hochschule Baden- Wuerttemberg (DHBW), Karlsruhe. Dr. Kumar has personal acquaintance with this subject which enabled him to speak in more than usual interest upon it.

The programme consisted of 5 modules to give the participants an overview on the subject.
• Leading and managing international project teams
• Planning and structuring an international project
• Project controlling
• Project financial result reporting methods
• Management review and reporting

He shared with the participants many practical examples and challenges in planning and structuring an international project from his work experience at Siemens. The programme concluded with the participants giving a final presentation on the case studies discussed in the class. Thereafter, the participated were felicitated with a certificate by Dr. Rajiv Kumar and Radhieka Mehta on successfully completing the two day intensive programme.

Ms Marja Einig Deputy Consul General & Ina Lapel Ambassador Director General for Asia and the Pacific
Indo-German Training Centre commenced 2019 with a lot of positivity & hope. The story began when IGTC saw a lot of visitors. Radhieka R. Mehta, Director at Indo-German Training Centre was pleased to give an insight into what she does best at the training centre as the visitors got a chance to see & experience the entire set-up of the training centre. They listened to the dedicated staff & took note of the whole range of subjects that the students learn. They felt the enthusiasm of the students present there and thanked the dedicated Director Radhieka Mehta and the Faculty for sharing their vast knowledge & experience with this wonderful programme with the participants.