Testimonials

The German fraternity has always worked and synergized with each other. Hence, when the Max Mueller Bhavan announced its two-day ‘Step up with German – Study & Job Fair 2017’ in Mumbai, it was natural for the Indo-German Training Centre (IGTC) to extend its full support.

On Day 1, IGTC held a presentation session about its Dual Study Program for a Career in Management along with a helpdesk as a part of the job fair. The help desk was packed with a lot of curious students, job seekers and professionals wanting to enquire on the programs and how they can get enhance their career opportunities in Germany.

On Day 2, IGTC organized and moderated the panel discussion on ‘Work Culture in German Organisations’. The distinguished panellists were chosen keeping in mind age and gender diversity along with their experience in diverse functional areas of German organizations.

• Rupesh Basu, General Manager – HR, Siemens Ltd.
• Neena Nikam, Head – Marketing Communication, Wirtgen India
• Alok Badamikar, Manager – Aftersales Strategy, Mercedes Benz India Ltd.
• Sapna Ashar, Business Analyst, Deutsche Bank Operations International

The panel discussion was moderated by Radhieka Mehta, Director, Indo-German Training Centre. And the aim of the panel discussion was to create a more detailed awareness about the unique and universal work culture prevalent in German organizations. All the panellists focussed on the pride of being associated with a German brand in their roles as being the interface between the German headquarters and the Indian operations.

The first part of the discussion revolved around the strengths of a German organization. Here the first buzzword emphasized by all the panellists in the opening remarks was ‘structured approach’. They focused on some of the key behavioural strengths of Germans – punctuality, division between private and professional lives, directness of communication, value structures and complete focus on the task at hand.

Sapna Ashar explained how direct are Germans in their communication where the answer is either ‘Yes or No’ with no scope for ‘Maybe or All Most Done’. She spoke about Positive Impact, an initiative followed by Deutsche Bank to make their colleagues responsible and accountable for the work that they are performing.

Rupesh Basu quoted, “We Indians are more forthright and share everything but don’t expect that from Germans in the first meeting. Don’t ask too many questions on the private side.”
Alok endorsed “99% of the problems in an organisation are because of communication.” He further stressed on the advantage of knowing the German Language, which can bridge the communication gap between colleagues from both countries and then things can become easy. He also said that something being ‘Urgent’ or ‘Top Most Priority’ is not understood by German colleagues as it only denotes that you did not plan something well enough.

The panel also focussed on the strengths that Indians bring to the German organizations – flexibility, innovation, hard work, working with their hearts, warmth, openness and hospitality.

Neena Nikam narrated the incident of organizing trade fairs in India, wherein she often faces various challenges and hurdles but the Indian approach of ‘Jugaad’ comes to her rescue. She calls the night before the event as the ‘magical night’ when everything falls in place. In her opinion, her German colleagues are equally understanding of the Indian circumstances as long as the results get delivered.

The panel discussion concluded on a note that working professionals must take the best of both the countries / worlds and try to live by the Indo-German way. It’s ironical how it fits in with IGTC’s philosophy of ‘Nurturing management professionals with an Indian heart and a German mind!’

IGTC students understand the true meaning of Triple Bottom Line
60 students engage in a two-week CSR immersion

July 2017 brought in the most inspiring experience for 60 PGPBA students at IGTC Mumbai, as they participated in a two week Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) immersion from 17th July to 28th July, 2017. Education, healthcare, hygiene and sanitation, skill development and livelihood were some of the spheres that the students worked on, with tremendous support from the various partnering organisations.

BASF India
15 IGTC students were associated with the landmark CSR project at BASF. This project was initiated to commemorate the company’s completion of 150 years. A detailed presentation about the project and the role they had to play was given to the students.

For the 1st week, they were split up into teams to penetrate stores at Turbhe – the slum earmarked for the project. A 10-minute walk from BASF office, Turbhe is home to about 74,000 people and touted to be the second largest slum after Dharavi in Mumbai. The objective was to reach out to residents, doctors, chemists, schools, NGOs, etc. and find out as much as possible about the existing water supply, sanitation facilities and women’s hygiene practices. They also had to assess the impact on health and overall well-being of the people owing to poor facilities, how the residents perceived the provisions and amenities given to them and their willingness to opt for better solutions provided by BASF.

Armed with very useful data and compelling insights, they stepped into the 2nd week of the project where the task was to analyze the data they had and create three consolidated modules on Finance, KPIs and Awareness- all ultimately required to produce a successful and self-sustaining model for three sub-projects namely; Water ATM, clean refurbished toilets along with a sewage treatment plant and a unit producing bio-degradable sanitary napkins.

Bosch Ltd.
Bosch has a very prestigious 3-month, short-term CSR program called Bosch’s Response to India’s Development and Growth through Employability Enhancement (BRIDGE), which focuses on enhancing employability and life skills to school dropouts – youth between the 18 – 25 age group. This specially designed program is delivered by Bosch through BRIDGE centres across India. After completion of the BRIDGE program, Bosch provides 100% job placement assistance to the candidates in finding job in semi-organized or organized sectors.

The Bosch CSR team visited IGTC and gave the PGPBA students a detailed briefing on the BRIDGE program. 21 IGTCians volunteered to work with the Bosch team for this important project. They were divided into three groups for different locations – 6 students for Nasik, 5 students for Pune and 10 students for Mumbai.

The CSR immersion began with a more detailed orientation for all students at the respective Bosch offices. They were briefed on mobilization pitch, strategy, and new centre sign-up pitch to be made to the principal. Also all the supportive promotional materials – banners, pamphlets, brochures – were provided to everyone. A detailed schedule was prepared for the next 10 days. After resolving the queries, all the trainees visited to an ongoing batch of BRIDGE class, as they wanted to understand the content and effectiveness of it.

The IGTC team in Nasik generated more than 70 enquiries, out of which 34 enrollments happened in 6 days and 2 centres showed interest to support the BRIDGE program. The Pune team managed to mobilize 7 communities, out of which more than 65 interested students gave their details. In Mumbai, IGTCians visited 45 colleges in various localities such as Nerul, Borivali, Vashi, Panvel, Khar, Navi Mumbai, Dadar and Thane out of which 15 colleges showed interest. Also 15-20 employers were contacted in retail and service domain to support employment of the students completing the program.

Evonik Industries
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has proposed 17 goals for steady and environmentally sustained development of organizations to be achieved by 2030. As a member of WBCSD, Evonik Industries has taken up the responsibility for Sustainable Development of Society by concentrating on 5 of the 17 goals – Eliminate Poverty, Quality Education, Sustainable Cities, Gender Equality and Good Health for all ages.

Keeping this is mind, IGTC students brainstormed and proposed ideas to achieve these goals. Some of the ideas suggested were distribution of packaged food bags in slum area, voluntary teaching in semi-urban area of Mumbai, cleaning certain areas in Mumbai to support our Prime Ministers Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and arranging health checkup camp in schools. The students also visited an NGO in Saki Naka who provided quality education for underprivileged children, along with giving vocational training and basic software education like Microsoft Word Document, Excel, Tally etc. to young adults.

At the end of their 2 week stint, they proposed a strategy for the CSR team of Evonik which will be executed in November 2017.

Siemens Ltd.
Siemens involved the IGTC students in two projects –
‘Sanjeevan Mobile Clinic’ in Thane with the NGO SNEHA
‘Education Livelihood, Healthcare and Governance’ for the people of a small town called Jawhar with the NGO AROEHAN

The Sanjeevan Mobile Clinic has a doctor, a pathology lab, an x-ray machine and an ECG machine, all provided by SNEHA. The objective was to create an awareness that even the underprivileged sections deserve a good and a healthy life. The students visited various communities in Mumbai and researched the problems faced by the residents of these communities. They found out there are no solid waste disposal solution and clean drinking water available in certain areas. The communities are financially vulnerable and cannot afford to retain a normal healthy lifestyle. Then they had to propose a plan on how Siemens can help these communities. Team IGTC helped SNEHA do the cost benefits analysis and study of mobile healthcare services around the cities.

Siemens and the NGO Aroehan work collaboratively to improve the standard of living of the people in Jawhar in four main verticals – Education, Livelihood, Healthcare, and Governance. To begin the IGTC students carried out a Tree Plantation Drive with some other trainees at Siemens. Post the drive, these students worked closely with Aroehan to help them in their initiative. The first project was to create a brochure that would help them advertise their initiatives in the various verticals to the outside world. Then, the students identified a new problem; Jawhar had the only government hospital amongst 19 villages, which resulted in patients travelling from far to reach the hospital. IGTC students met with local drivers and helped Aroehan sign a rate contract with them, so that these drivers would transport pregnant women to the hospital, free of cost, whenever required. The students also helped to create an awareness about the importance of sonography. They created and showed a documentary to pregnant women and encouraged them to do sonographies, so that corrective actions could be taken at the right time. By the end of the project, IGTCians helped Aroehan create an MIS software using MS Excel to capture and combine data of all villages which would help in the efficient working of the NGO. This eliminated the manual recording of all data and made analysis related to availability of resources and implementation of strategies much more scientific and effective.

Students of IGTC Mumbai
“We felt honored at the thought of being able to work with such prestigious companies on their various CSR projects. The experience was indeed enlightening and educative on how value cannot always be in terms of profit, but can also be in terms of encouraging the well-being of the society. This could have never been taught in any classroom, but only when we go out in the field and understand it for ourselves. We sincerely thank IGTC for this wonderful experience.”

One day, One trophy, Eight teams, 72 players, a fierce battle for glory!!!

Sometimes there are events that make one wonder, “That’s too coincidental to be a coincidence”. When IGTC announced Saturday, 7th October 2017 as the day to host our first ever ‘Football Meisterschaft 2017’, little did we know that it would synchronize with the opening of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India and the culmination of the German Days in Mumbai hosted by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. And hence, when such coincidences happen, they end up raising the spirit of the game to a different level altogether!

The IGTC Football Meisterschaft was conceptualized to celebrate the IGTC Anniversary and to bring the current students and alumni to bond together over their most loved activity! With all fervour, the IGTC management and current students brainstormed to plan it as a ‘6 vs 6’ league with 8 teams captained by IGTC alumni. Voluntary participation was welcomed from all PGPBA and EBMP alumni and students. And to select the final players and teams, an official IGTC Auction was organized on Saturday 16th September 2017. No one would have ever envisaged the intensity, seriousness and strategies with which the 8 captains engaged in the auction. Every captain desired nothing but the best players. By lunchtime, we were ready with the 8 teams – Outta Shape FC, Despacitos, Die Schwarzgelben, Team Bonita, Green Blazers, White Hawks FC, Footbrawlers and Team Charles.

On the chosen day, teams marched onto the Cooperage Turf amidst sounds of delighted cheer followed by frequent thuds of the football as the teams warmed up. The ground was packed and the rules were set by the referees, who blew their whistle to begin the knockouts between both the pool teams. 12 league matches were played with all determination. Adrenaline levels rose as over a dozen goals were scored during the day. Points started adding up on the score board, and finally we had identified our 4 semi-finalists – Outta Shape FC and Despacitos from Pool A and Team Charles and Die Schwarzgelben from Pool B. The supporters cheered crazily as the semi-finals began. Everyone had their favourites and they didn’t spare any efforts to express themselves. It was the survival of the fittest. Outta Shape FC and Team Charles defeated Despacitos and Die Schwarzgelben respectively to march into the finals.

As scheduled, Mr. Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General, IGCC joined the IGTCians to witness the grand finale. The two captains – Krishna Raghavan (Outta Shape FC) and Sanket Shinde (Team Charles) joined the referee for the final toss. Mr. Steinruecke and Radhieka Mehta did the formal handshake with the entire team, wishing them well for the finale.
It was the moment of truth for all the IGTCians present on the turf, as the referee blew the whistle for the final match. The match was intense from the first minute with Outta Shape FC dominating it significantly. The bar was raised when Dirk Gonsalves scored the first goal for Outta Shape FC. Team Charles remained focused, gave them stiff opposition and played an attacking game. The score was 1-0 in the first half.

At half-time, the teams converged to revisit their strategies and boost their levels of motivation and team spirit. Team Charles intensified their level of attack but unfortunately in vain. In the last few minutes, Tejas Pinto scored the second goal for Outta Shape FC to establish the fact that no one could come close to friendships established during IGTC years – the trio of Krishna Raghavan, Dirk Gonsalves and Tejas Pinto from Batch 2013 – 2015. As the time ran out and the referee blew the whistle, IGTC had the first team champions for their Football Meisterschaft 2017 trophy – Outta Shape FC!!

The trophy was awarded by Mr. Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General, IGCC along with Ms. Radhieka Mehta, Director, IGTC to the team captain, Krishna Raghavan from the winning team. Dirk Gonsalves was declared the top goal scorer with 7 goals in the tournament. Certificates were handed out to all the participants of the winning and runners-up team.

The glory shall lie in the name of Outta Shape FC until IGTCians find another team next year to hold the prestigious trophy.

I have always seen smart people eagerly waiting for opportunities which offer them an ‘exposure’! These activities are usually off the track and also not found in top charts of people who keep calculating return on investment in a conventional way. I was in a search of same magical experience called ‘exposure’ which will enrich me and broaden my horizons.

A four week intensive German language course offered in Germany is the award one gets for securing the first rank in a management post-graduation course at Indo-German Training Centre, a division of the IGCC! “Let’s bag one more Deutsches Zertifikat for free and make friends jealous by uploading Kaffee-Kuchen photos from the black forest simultaneously” was the initial thought came into my mind when I heard the good news. This was not even a tip of an iceberg; I was fully unaware that a fantastic ‘exposure’ opportunity, I was searching for long, was approaching towards me.

On a beautiful sunny morning in June, about a hundred enthusiasts from more than 35 countries were attending a simple but warm welcome in few hundred years old Hospitalkirche at the renowned Goethe Institute Schwäbisch Hall in South West of Germany. We were all connected by a single common bond and that was a love for the language Deutsch. For me, Goethe became the live gallery showcasing the world culture!

How can we learn language in isolation? Language escorts people, thoughts, emotions, lifestyle, culture, art, history and much more! By living on German land, eating German food, visiting German monuments, relaxing in Bier gardens, watching German theatre, traveling in Deutsche Bahn and spending half of every day to learn new vocabulary and grammar from highly devoted teachers along with friends around the globe, we were absorbing millions of things unknowingly. I was pleased to experience this kind of well- planned fun-filled multidimensional learning process at Goethe. Mere preparation for certificate exams is too shallow was something I could term as happy realization!

People were very curious about the unique land called ‘India’ and used to bombard me with many difficult questions about Indian lifestyle, people, religion, festivals, judiciary system, the reason for gap between rich and poor, furthermore they were curious to know about the Government’s stand on prostitution and migrations just to name a few. I became an undeclared Indian ambassador in this informal international conference and this made me to rethink about my own motherland.

People here celebrate life! No one can say that they don’t have any problems or difficulties. Without much philosophical chaos, they live happily, work sincerely and party hard of course! DB officer tries his best to explain me the easier route in English even during busy hours, subway waiter asks me whether my day in Nürnberg is going comfortable, young guide beautifully unfolds the history of Ludwigsburg though I was just a single person in her tour, 70 years old teacher climbs on chair, jumps, sings, dances so that we can understand the meaning of new German words! This wholehearted approach along with expressions and a bit of humor is easily noticeable everywhere, time wise micromanagement beforehand goes without saying. Disciplined freedom, clear boundary between personal and professional life, clarity in day to day communication with decent etiquette are few salient attributes of Germans I soaked up in my one month stay there. High tech infrastructure, excellent facilities and systems, use of poka-yoke (mistake proofing) principle without disturbing aesthetic beauty and simplicity facilitate easy life which improves efficiency of every German who ultimately contributes to the nation’s development. Understanding the German way of doing things is the key to strengthen the Indo-German relationship and not just learning their language, was a thought revolving in my mind along with the list of friends waiting for German chocolates while boarding the flight to India!

I was not a first timer in Europe; but I tried to decode Europe for the first time. I kept my top-end camera aside and started capturing, I reduced calls to India and started communicating more with people there and I defrosted my firm opinions and started perceiving everything a fresh. After having self-cooked dinner, I used to get lost while seeing the colours of sunset and bong of old church bell in the background used to add a little more depth to my self-talk! Learning language was just a mere door handle to explore a new style of living and ultimately to discover me, my choices and my concepts of happiness!

On 8^th August 2017, the Indo-German HR Partner Forum Meet was hosted by its youngest entrant, FEV India amidst the picturesque setting of Talegaon.  At a time, where business realignment and simplification has become the need of the hour, the theme of the day for discussion was appropriately chosen as Change Management, Organizational Development and Innovation Culture.

It was attended by the HR professionals from the following organizations: BASF India, Bayer Group, Bharat Forge, Bosch, Brose Automotive Systems, Covestro, FEV India, Hӓfele, Kion Group, KSB Pumps, Lanxess India, MAN Trucks, Schaeffler India, Siemens, Volkswagen, Wacker Chemie and ZF India.  The meet was hosted by Mr. Neeraj Gupta, DGM HR, FEV India and Ms. Smaranika Mohanty, Deputy Manager, FEV India.

The day commenced with an extremely sharp and detailed presentation on FEV India that was passionately delivered by Mr. Vijay Sharma, Director, FEV India.  He introduced the audience to the organization, its management and its services in the field of engineering, testing and instrumentation. He elaborated on their vision, mission and core values, while proudly claiming that FEV satisfies all requirements in the field of automotive powertrain and vehicle development. Their Technical Centre is already under expansion mode, adding more number of containerised test cells and other equipments.

The HR partners also visited the Vehicle Application Centre of FEV India, wherein they personally witnessed the testing being conducted on a track.

The forum avidly discussed some areas that hold the attention of the HR partners in changing times such as:

• relooking at HR policies
• working on future design based projects
• using quantifications to build business cases
• changing performance management systems
• doing away with merit matrix
• setting performance improvement plans,
• creating an open, listening and feedback culture
• building trust and transparency in the organizations
• ensuring fairness
• coaching managers
• moving to cloud based solutions

The highlight of the day was the live chat with Dr. Lakshmi Nadkarni, Director – Human Resources, BASF South Asia on her professional and personal journey till date.  She exemplified a woman of substance with passion, grit and achievements on one hand and poise and grace on another.  Her words “Life is an inspiring canvas of possibilities” touched the hearts of all the colleagues, as she concluded the day on a sweet, musical note.

After four months of rigorous coursework between February to May at IGTC, the months of June – July involved “going beyond the curriculum” for the IGTC Mumbai students.

‘Silega – An Expedition to Mount Everest’
Sumit Joshi of Silega Global

Sumit Joshi of Silega Global
Bayer, the founding partner at IGTC, decided to re-introduce a management simulation for the IGTC students, which was one of the highlights of the course curriculum in the decade of the 90s. Keeping pace with times, a Business Simulation Game ‘Silega – An Expedition to Mount Everest’ was organized by Bayer India at Bayer House, Thane.

Everest has always been the supreme symbol of man’s personal struggle to achieve excellence, no matter the conditions. Succeeding on Everest depends totally on spirit, discipline, and will. And as in real life, there are only two possible results: success or failure. Silega placed the IGTC students in a challenging and inspiring experience of climbing Mount Everest in order to win a prize offered by an eccentric millionaire. Time was crucial; students must reach their goal in just a month by working and competing in teams of 7 each. Students had to play one of the five different roles within the team of hikers attempting to summit the mountain. How well each team member shared information and made sound decisions determined if they could make it to the next camp and survive the climb.

Together they had to make decisions about how to work together, how to use their personal strengths, which route to take, what equipment to use, and what risks to run.  They had to embrace challenges such as uncertain weather conditions, depleting oxygen levels and limited resources. These decisions affect speed, health, and ultimately the team’s success in summiting the mountain.

The day-long game taught the IGTC students some key lessons in the importance of how to create a common vision for success, evaluate and implement a business strategy, analyse risks and plan for contingencies, cultivate discipline in order to survive and thrive in difficult times, focus on efficiency and orientation towards results, manage tangible and intangible assets, improve interpersonal and inter-group communication skills, work and make decisions under stress and tight time constraints and achieve a flawless execution.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the learning process and reflected on the competencies honed during the day.  As quoted by the winning team, Wind Changers “Silega, an expedition to Everest, was nothing in comparison to what we expected it to be! Our team started out at the very last since our strategy required us to wait out while others trooped ahead. The teams core strength was in accepting one another’s views and if need be altering plans to accommodate unforeseen difficulties. Come storm, snowfall or hail, the forecasting techniques adopted by the team saw us some challenges. The whole experience gave us  good understanding on forecasting, backups on life and most importantly Team Work. All that we conclude with is ‘Together we can, together we will, and together we did!!”

IGTC remains indebted to Bayer for creating this special thrill and euphoria for the IGTC students.
 

Design Thinking
Bipasha Roy, Managing Director and Sameer Shah, Director of Mobius Space Consulting, Pvt. Ltd.

Mobius Space Consulting Private Limited conducted a day-long program titled design.FOUNDATION on ‘The Fundamentals of Design Thinking’ for the students at IGTC. The day-long workshop focused on giving students an insight into some of the methods of the Design Thinking approach. Students seemed to rediscover their creative confidence with the easy to remember frameworks and techniques for problem identification, problem framing and ideation introduced.

The workshop included hands-on activities for breaking fixed mind-sets and giving students new perspectives to reimagine the existing. Students engaged in groups through the day in teams of six to eight. They watched inspiring videos of best practices in design thinking from varied industries and worked on a few inspiring case studies.

Below are some of the learning outcomes of this workshop:

• What is Design Thinking and how to apply to practical problems?
• How to identify opportunities and understand human needs from a deep level of empathy?
• Ways to channelize the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration & foster a culture of creativity and innovation

According to the overall evaluation, most of the participants found the contents and structure of the program relevant and practical.

Experiential Marketing
Janak Vadgama, Director of Taal Rhythmic Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

There are so many products and services out there that companies need to market in a way that will grab consumers’ attention and stick in their minds.  Experiential marketing is a form of advertising that focuses primarily on helping consumers “experience a brand”.  It is typically a real-life event that the consumer can participate in thus creating an impression in the mind of the consumer.

The session is designed to introduce the students to the experiential aspects of brands, how do they think, experiential messages are consumed, and how can organizations use experiential marketing to connect with the target audiences of various brands.  Using live as well as contemporary examples, the lecture engaged the students through all the senses and made them aware of the different aspects that constitute an experience.

Unleashing your creativity
Ashok Karnik, Founder and Creative Director of Spacebar Creative

‘Unleashing you Creativity’, an interactive session designed to give students a different aspect of the advertising industry today.  It taught the student how to reach out to their target consumers based on the product and the brand being sold.  It also gave the students an insight into the various changes in the advertisement industry from the kinds of advertisement being made to the modes of communication being used now days to communicate with the consumer.

After the brief on the innumerable innovations in the advertising industry, the students had to work on a group project where they were required to create an advertising campaign for ‘Mahindra SUV’ keeping in mind the consumer, the brand, and the various modes of communication which would be used. This had to be presented to him within a span of a few hours.

Current Trends in Human Resources
Dr. Anita Bandyopadhyay, Director, Talent & HR Solutions

No business can function without its people. Human Resources plays a very important role in this aspect to empower its people, engage them while keeping a check on the organization environment. The lecture gave the students an idea of the Current Trends in Human Resources. The lecture began with defining the current challenges faces by the Human Resources department in managing people.

he session included the Evolution of Talent Acquisition in organizations, various changes that have taken place on the Performance Management System in Companies, How companies are now moving away from the concept of Talent Management and moving towards the concept of People Management which ensures Empowerment of the people, Engagement of the People and the Environment. The current trends in Employee Engagement were defined and lastly emphasis was given on the importance of Human Resources as a strategic business partner in today’s world.

The 4th Business Environment Germany 2017 to the Duale-Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW), Karlsruhe was not the usual IGTC delegation to Germany.  It was an extraordinary group of 25 curious, learning enthusiasts – some young PGPBA (Post Graduate Program in Business Administration) students, some eminent EBMP (Executive Business Management Program) managers in respectable positions in German companies in India, entrepreneurs and some passionate IGTC alumni, along with Radhieka Mehta, Director, Indo-German Training Centre – who were passionate about imbibing every little detail like an sponge.
It was not only this eclectic mix that brought the spark to the 12-day Studienreise (Study trip), but more importantly the precise planning and unfathomable warmth of the DHBW faculty – Prof. Dr. Stephan Schenkel, Prof. Volker Ihle, Prof. Peter Lehmeier, Prof. Dr. Birgit Franken, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Herold, Prof. Dr. Dirk Eidam, Prof. Eric Zimmerman, Dr. Anita Dreischer, Ms. Birgit Schlenker, Prof. Dr. Angela Diehl-Becker and Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schäfer, along with respected Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Mengele from IHK Karlsruhe – that made the trip a truly, intensive intercultural learning experience.  This proudly titled “IGTC team” was nothing less than our family in Germany.  They did not leave any stone unturned to give us the opportunity to see, know and understand a new culture and a new country in the right perspective.  They made the trip the most exhilarating experience!
The roller coaster ride was a jam-packed schedule that ensured we extracted maximum learning with equal amounts of fun and thrill from this program.  We gained some key insights through our visits to educational institutions such as DHBW and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), official institutions such as the Rathaus (Town Hall) and the Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK) Karlsruhe, and the various German companies such as dm-drogerie markt, Siemens, Daimler-Benz and SEW Eurodrive.  Some critical insights included:

• The mechatronics lab and application-based innovative student projects at DHBW Karlsruhe
• The commitment towards green energy by the scientists and researchers who were developing fuel from straw at KIT
• The depth of collaboration in the areas of smart cities and technology exchange between Germany and India at the Wirtschafts­­för­­de­rung, Stadt Karlsruhe>
• The impact of dual vocational education and training at IHK Karlsruhe
• The 100% automation in the body shop and 70% automation in the assembly shop at the Daimler factory at Rastatt
• The apt use of Autumated Guided Vehicles (AVG) and the synchronisation of the robots at SEW Eurodrive, a gear-drive manufacturing company
• The use of automation and technology to ease employees’ work and to make processing fool proof and efficient at the central warehouse of Germany’s most preferred retail giant dm- Drogerie Markt

Beyond the company visits, the important other half of the story was the people, the food and the places that made the trip so memorable!  Did we ever imagine being a part of the first-time ever-organized “India Summer Days in Karlsruhe? But it seemed like the most perfect welcome organized for us. Within minutes, it had all of us dancing on stage amidst a pure German audience on authentic Marathi and Bollywood songs.  The visit to Heidelberg, the Bruchsal Palace and the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments made us all feel like we had entered a fairy tale.  The two most mesmerizing days of the trip were the visits to Strasbourg and Baden-Baden, and the leisurely Sunday in the Black Forest.  The eternally peaceful mass at St. Petersburg, the live demonstration of making a Black Forest cake, the cuckoo clock with Edelweiss playing in the background will be memories that we will all cherish for a very long time.  Visiting the local street festival, rowing boats on a beautiful pond, jumping into water fountains and enjoying a toy-train ride at the scenic and beautiful Schlossgarten, hiking up to Michaelsberg, balancing ourselves between tree tops and coming down zip-lines at the Kletterpark and indulging in maultaschen, spätzle, langos, crêpes, apfelstrudel flammkuchen and varieties of beer…we just did it all.

We realised that the best Studienreise in another country does not only come from visiting the companies, but only from the people and places we get to know during the trip! Each day, the company and guidance of the enthusiastic DHBW professor made the places come more alive. They explained the history and significance of the places, while also indulging us in retail therapy and fulfilling every little demand.  The cheerful, warm and welcoming nature of the natives in Karlsruhe, who helped us whenever we needed it – whether on trams or in restaurants or with directions in the city streets – made the journey tremendously fascinating.  As we learnt to look outside of pre-conceived notions, we could not help but admire the German way – their dedication towards discipline, cleanliness, freedom, efficiency, perfection, time management and partying!

We realised that the best Studienreise in another country does not only come from visiting the companies, but only from the people and places we get to know during the trip! Each day, the company and guidance of the enthusiastic DHBW professor made the places come more alive. They explained the history and significance of the places, while also indulging us in retail therapy and fulfilling every little demand.  The cheerful, warm and welcoming nature of the natives in Karlsruhe, who helped us whenever we needed it – whether on trams or in restaurants or with directions in the city streets – made the journey tremendously fascinating.  As we learnt to look outside of pre-conceived notions, we could not help but admire the German way – their dedication towards discipline, cleanliness, freedom, efficiency, perfection, time management and partying!

“The value of the IGTC program is not the one year that it lasts, but the intensity with which it occurs. That is why there are unforgettable learning moments and unique friendships created. However, everything must come to an end and that is why everything is so beautiful!”

On Saturday 12th August 2017, IGTC bid ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to the 7th Mumbai EBMP Batch 2016 – 2017. Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce was the Chief Guest for the warm and intimate evening ceremony.  29 managers from different organizations received their EBMP completion certificates amidst the love and cheer of their most admired faculty and loved family members.

The customary speeches were given by the senior most member of the class – Nilesh Atale, Sr. Manager, Mercedes Benz India Pvt. Ltd.; the best capstone project presenter – Yogesh Gidwani, Sr. Manager Regional Support Centre, Siemens Healthineers; and the first-time ever married couple in the IGTC classroom – Jamila Kottakkal, Senior Vice President, Reliance Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. and Ananth Subramanian, IT Consultant and Entrepreneur.  All of them relived their experiences in class over the last one year – anecdotes and management concepts learnt and imbibed.  They expressed their heartfelt gratitude to all the faculty members, who had made the learning experience so meaningful and memorable.

However, there is always a ‘highlight’ to every IGTC occasion.  This evening, it was the most innocent and almost poetic speech given by Tanusha Bhattarcharya, the 8-year old daughter of Jayanta Bhattarcharya, Manager Projects and Engineering, BASF India.  Undisputedly, she stole the limelight, the heart of every person in the audience and carved a place for herself in IGTC’s book of memoirs.  The back to school days narrated by her and Nilkil Atale, son of Nilesh Atale, Sr. Manager, Mercedes Benz India Pvt. Ltd. about their fathers, was without a doubt the main feature of the evening.

Like an awards night, the certificates were given out with a customized song for each graduating manager, making them really feel honoured, privileged and special on his/her achievement.  The cheers among the batch-mates were overwhelming.  IGTC had once again succeeded in fostering the genuine friendships and timeless bonds among the batch.  Swinging to the tunes of Bollywood songs and the IGTC anthem, the happy evening lasted long enough to let the 7th EBMP Batch cherish their moments and smoothly transition into the wonderful league of IGTC alumni with a promise –

Together we aspire, together we achieve, IGTCians at heart, phenomenal we will be!!

Since there can never be a dull day at IGTC, and every ending has to be the mark of a new beginning, it is no surprise that IGTC has welcomed its 8th Mumbai EBMP Batch 2017 – 2018, with 26 managers from many of its partnering training organizations such as BASF India, Bosch Ltd, DHL Express India, Evonik India, Lanxess India, Orange Business Services, Reliance Industries Ltd., Siemens Ltd, Siemens Healthineers and Volkswagen Group Sales India. It also has a member from the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mumbai and the VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd. We wish them all the very best for their learning journey!!

After celebrating the Silver Jubilee in December 2016, IGTC Mumbai did not anticipate that the next milestone was just round the corner.  However, the positivity generated among the corporate partners and alumni took everyone by surprise, and sure enough June 2017 witnessed the admission of 100 meritorious students in the 26th Batch of the 18-month, full-time Post Graduate Program in Business Administration based on the German Dual Education System.  A new record was established.  The process had begun in January 2017, when approximately 350 applicants filled out their forms in hopes of becoming future IGTCians.  A written examination and group discussions in end April 2017 ensured that only 200 deserving students were selected to attend the interviews with the 37 Participating Training Organizations, most of them being German conglomerates.  The tension at IGTC was palpable since all the 200 applicants wanted to give their best and impress the companies.

The companies that participated included ACG Pan Pharma Technologies Pvt. Ltd., B|Braun Medical India Pvt. Ltd., Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd., BASF India Ltd., Bayer Group of Companies, Bosch Automotive Electronics India, Bosch Chassis Systems India Pvt. Ltd., Bosch Ltd., Brose India Automotive Systems Pvt. Ltd., Cerebrus Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Covestro (India) Pvt. Ltd., DBOI Global Services Pvt. Ltd., DHL Express India, EPCOS India Pvt. Ltd., Evonik India Pvt. Ltd., Extentia Information Technology, FEV India Pvt. Ltd., Forbes Marshall Pvt. Ltd., Häfele India Pvt. Ltd., HDFC Ergo General Insurance Company, Helpline Impex Pvt. Ltd., Hirschvogel Components India, Kion India Pvt. Ltd., KSB Pumps Ltd., LANXESS India Pvt. Ltd., MAN Trucks India Pvt. Ltd., Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd., NRB Industrial Bearings Ltd., Schaefer Systems Intl. Pvt. Ltd., Schaeffler Group, Schott Glass India Pvt. Ltd., Schott Kaisha Pvt. Ltd., Siemens Financial Services, Siemens Healthcare Pvt., Siemens Ltd., SMS India Pvt. Ltd. and TÜV India.  They made requisitions for interns in an array of functions including Sales and Marketing, Finance and Controlling, Operations, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Human Resources and Corporate Communication to name a few.

What stood out during the entire admission process, was the infinite contribution of the current IGTC students, PGPBA Batch 2016 – 2018, who teamed along with the IGTC administration to ensure a smooth run of the entire process.  From answering emails of prospective students to clarify the smallest and silliest of doubts and apprehensions to handling nervous wrecks entering the interview rooms, they participated fully and shouldered every responsibility with a smile!

“We had a tough task ahead of us but we were extremely excited and optimistic to carry out the three-day admission process. The main goal of our team of volunteers was to make sure that each applicant gets a fair chance to prove themselves before the participating organizations. On each of the scheduled days, we had to deal with over 18 different organizations, who were conducting different interview processes. Some conducted excel and psychometric tests, group discussions while some engaged in skype and telephonic interviews. We had the freedom and opportunity to discuss and interact with the senior panellists from the organizations, and in many cases we were pleasantly surprised and inspired to know that they were our alumni! The process flowed seamlessly, and we did not require any of our back-up plans for certain unwanted situations. Like a game of Sudoku (as often mentioned by Radhieka ma’am), the right candidates fit into the right organizations and within 72 hours, admissions to IGTC Mumbai were closed.”

Volunteers from PGPBA Batch 2016-2018 

Siemens Scholarship for Management Students

As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, Siemens Ltd. introduced the Siemens Scholarship for Management Students at IGTC.  As a part of this valuable initiative, Siemens sponsors the entire tuition fee at IGTC for 10 meritorious students from less privileged backgrounds (with annual family income less than 4 lacs).  The practical training for these students as a part of the dual education program will also be undertaken by Siemens.  Three business panels from Siemens Ltd. interviewed the applicants before selecting their final, most deserving trainees.

Inauguration and induction of the Centurions (as IGTC now calls them)

As per tradition, on 1st August 2017, Bernhard Steinruecke welcomed the “centurions” at IGTC to the world of Indo-German relations and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce with his fascinating narrative that left everyone enthralled and speechless.  He emphasized on the similarities between Germany and India, especially when it comes to culture and concluded his session with his essential German speech, which was by default the first lesson in German language for the incoming students.

Following his address, Radhieka Mehta inducted the newcomers to the IGTC family and emphasized on the next 18 months as being a ‘lifestyle change’ as they embark on this intensive learning journey.  She spelt out her vision to create the very best leaders, who will aspire, work and achieve together to emerge phenomenal in every aspect of life.  The IGTC team – Sajita, Veena, Rashmi and Tisha – then firmly laid down the rules of the game at IGTC and the expectations from the batch to adhere to strict discipline and no compromises.  Undoubtedly, the message was loud and clear – IGTC was the first step in training them for the fast-paced rigmarole of corporate life.

The current students and alumni also had their share of contribution to ensure a seamless transition for the newbies.  The spirited and fully empowered ‘seniors’ made various presentations and hosted games such as ‘Speed Meeting’, ‘Rhythm Makers’ and the traditional ‘Treasure Hunt’ which ensured that the ice was broken, and everyone was comfortable in their new learning environment.  On a lighter note, advice was also given about the restaurants they should visit, faculty they should beware of and recreational places in the vicinity.

Alumni Arun Roy, Chief Financial Officer, Chervon USA (he was earlier with Bosch Power Tools) took the students through his two-decade journey from being a student to a top management professional in the international business world.  His humility, gentle demeanour and presentation on leadership styles left the batch awestruck.  It was amazing to see his connect with the institution even after so many years.  Ekta Dusija, Project Manager – Marketing at Bayer Group systematically imparted her success mantras to the students, focusing on the dos and donts not only at IGTC but also in the corporate life.  On a completely different note, multi-talented Karthik Shivshankar (Dr. Guenter Krueger Award winner from Batch 2010 – 2012 and Bayer Scholar) spoke about quitting his thriving career in technology, innovation and chemicals at BASF to follow his passion of being an upcoming vocalist and entering the world of music.  It also endorsed the fact that the IGTC doors were open to all alumni despite their personal ambitions and choices made in life.  All the alumni sessions were extremely interactive.  They gave every word spoken at IGTC a deeper perspective and a reality.

IGTC has always emphasized on the difference between introduction and induction.  The wheels have now been set in motion for PGPBA Batch 2017 – 2019 and we hope for a beautiful ride here on!  IGTCians at heart, phenomenal we will be!

I chose to join IGTC because it came highly recommended. Its ethos and unique dual education system with its focus on both theoretical and practical training is very attractive. I hope IGTC’s PGPBA will give me a great practical edge, a strong theoretical foundation and an excellent introduction to the business world. 

Rohit Padmanabhan, inducted as a trainee with Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd. 

The thing that intrigued me about IGTC was its innovative and hands-on approach towards management studies. What an opportunity to work and study in equal measures. Having a flavour of how German organizations work while I was at Siemens, I believe IGTC will help me rise to my full potential and help me polish my skills and make me a good professional. I am thrilled to be a part of the IGTC family and very excited about the next 18 months of my life and its outcome! 

Vidyanshi Rajkrishna, inducted as a trainee with FEV India Pvt. Ltd. 

IGTC is known for its distinctive way of training and the German Dual Education System. The benefit from the dual system is that we graduate, not only as qualified MBAs, but enter the industry to contribute from day one. IGTC pays attention in enhancing communication and presentation skills, encouraging initiative and expression of creative ideas, maintaining a healthy positive attitude, assuming responsibility and leadership roles. The knowledge and skills gained at IGTC will go a long way in accelerating my career graph in the corporate world. 

Ketaki Sanjay Deshmukh, inducted as a trainee with Indo-German Training Centre