The IGTC Convocation Ceremony and the IGTC Alumni Association sign off on Saturday 4th March 2023 was all of this and much more. A day full of achievements, pride and nostalgia on one hand, and humility, passion and purpose on the other. The presence of Padma Bhushan Sudha Murty made the event truly phenomenal, and this day will go down as a milestone in the IGTC history.
The Convocation Ceremony was an emotional occasion and a double celebration as the Post Graduate Programme in Business Administration (PGPBA) 30th Batch and the Executive Business Management Programme (EBMP) 8th Batch graduated to take the next big step into their career journey. A sense of pride and accomplishment was palpable as the graduating class received their certificates and celebrated their achievements with their families and peers.
The event commenced with the IGTC anthem, which set the tone for the day. Stefan Halusa, IGCC Director General, delivered the opening remarks, and Anupam Chaturvedi, IGCC President delivered the welcome address. Vasanth Kamath, President, Brose India Automotive Systems, gave the Keynote Address. The event was hosted by Radhieka Mehta, Director IGTC, where she gave the audiences a glimpse into the heart and soul of IGTC, providing a deeper understanding of what IGTC stands for.
EBMP managers Anup Bhosale, Minal Kulkarni and Nesar Kalasur shared their experiences, while PGPBA students Rahul Nair, Medhawi Gupta and Emmanuel Selvaraj presented a video with an extremely candid version of their journey. Both sets of graduates left no stone unturned to express their deepest gratitude and respect to the highly experienced IGTC faculty, from whom they take away a wealth of management and life lessons.
The Certificate Distribution Ceremony involved many of the representatives from the various sponsoring, training and recruiting organizations, who shared equal pride in the developing this human capital. The Siemens Award for Excellence was presented to the PGPBA students, Medhawi Gupta and Yash Dsouza and the Dr. Guenter Krueger Award for Excellence was presented to the PGPBA student, Varda Maydeo.
The traditional hat-toss marked the graduation finale along with a lot of emotions in the audience filled with loved ones! A common sentiment prevailed over everything; being a part of IGTC is a lifelong partnership. And hence, it was logical and sequential to take the evening into an even grander IGTC Alumni Meet.
The theme of the evening “Power of Phenomenals” emphasised the coming together of the alumni, to unleash the power of togetherness. Individually IGTCians have strived to be phenomenal in their respective professions. Now, by combining the alumni strength, IGTC hopes to unleash the Power of Phenomenals to its full potential and aims to be the best version of management training in India.
Over 300 proud IGTCians, faculty members and corporate partners attended the enthralling Alumni Association Formation. Words fall short to describe the energy of this moment. When revered individuals come together, phenomenal things happen. For the alumni, the formation of the Alumni Association marked a new aspiration and a new future for many IGTCians, as they would now create a fraternity of like-minded individuals with a united goal of achieving excellence and making a positive impact on society.
As representatives of the Alumni, Abhishek Gupta, Gary Chandy and Urvil Matalia signed the Memoradum of Understanding with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce to embark on this mission. It was another level of euphoria, when Padma Bhushan Sudha Murty witnessed and blessed the MOU and wished the alumni the very best in promoting the institution’s values, supporting its mission, and enhancing its reputation.
The evening agenda was full of many highlights:
- A candid conversation with Padma Bhushan Sudha Murty on what it takes to “Being Phenomenal” was nothing short of a masterclass in leadership, compassion and resilience. She deeply moved the audience with her simplicity, authenticity, and subtle humour.
- The felicitation of all the legendary IGTC faculty for their incredible contribution, for inspiring generations and for being instrumental in sculpting the future leaders and CEOs.
- The free-flowing alumni panel discussion on “Building Phenomenal Career Journeys” among Manav Adlakha, Chief Financial Officer, C&S Electric Ltd., PGPBA Alumnus 1998; Pallavi Shastri, Vice President – HR, Bosch Limited, PGPBA Alumnus 1997 and Alok Badamikar, Mercedes-Benz India Ltd., PGPBA Alumnus 2015, and anchored by Urvil Matalia, Global Supply Manager, Apple, PGPBA Alumnus 1996. Their stories reflected that success is not just about achieving goals, but also about embracing failures and setbacks as lessons to help one grow and evolve. It is about finding passion and constantly upgrading oneself to stay relevant over the years.
- A presentation on “Your network is your net-worth” by the core Alumni Catalysts, Abhishek Gupta, General Manager, SMS India Pvt. Ltd., EBMP Alumnus 2022 and Gary Chandy, Head – Product Planning and Management, UNO MINDA group, EBMP Alumnus 2022. They inspired IGTCians to come onboard to establish the formal and well-structured IGTC Alumni Association that would aim to engage in activities such as knowledge sharing and mentoring, professional development and upskilling, innovation and incubation, fostering of new business ideas among the alumni.
- The fun-filled finale in the “Court Martial” of the Maverick, Boman Moradian, IGTC faculty by Anuj Sharma, Assistant Procurement Manager, Unilever, PGPBA Alumnus 2018 that left the audience in splits.
The day ended a Vote of Thanks to all the programme sponsors that made this momentous day possible. IGTC stands proud of the partnership, as being truly invaluable, connected, and deep. In conclusion, the Convocation Ceremony and Alumni Association formation were emotional events that marked a significant milestone in the lives of all those involved. The sense of accomplishment, pride, and camaraderie that pervaded the event will undoubtedly stay with everyone for years to come.
