Batch Reunion 2005

A reunion for the 2005 batch was organized by the SIMREE Alumni Committee to celebrate ten glorious years of its graduation on 24th October, 2005. The venue was the college campus, where the alumni relived the magical days of their college life. The meet was graced by the presence of Dr. M.A. Khan, former Director of SIMSREE and by our esteemed professor, Mr. Aashish Pawaskar. The evening began with the alumni touring the college and reminiscing their days together. They spoke of the changes that have taken place in the college since they graduated. The alumni also recounted inspiring stories of their journey after graduating from the college. This was followed by a speech by Dr. M.A. Khan highlighting college affairs and accomplishments around the year. Sir also sent his best wishes to fellow alumni for scaling greater heights and bringing glory to their lives and the institution.

Mr. Pawaskar requested the alumni to contribute to various college activities, in any manner they could; may it be monetary or otherwise. We also witnessed an interactive discussion with our alumni on ways to reinforce the purpose of alumni meets and suggestions to further strengthen alumni engagement.

Informal discussions followed after a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the occasion. Brief photography sessions for the gathered crowd culminated the evening. Delicious food and beverages were served after the session and the alumni had freewheeling discussions with the representatives of the present batch. Mr. Shailendra Jahagirdar, an alumnus from the 2005 batch, concluded the event by congratulating the Alumni Committee for the lovely evening and their unrelenting assistance in making this reunion of the 2005 batch successful evening.

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Coffee with Alumni Mr.Vernon Fernandes

On the 26^th of September, the Alumni Committee welcomed Mr. Vernon Fernandes, an alumnus of the 2014 batch, for a Coffee with Alumni session to address a few students of the junior batch. Mr. Fernandes is an Assistant Manager in the Corporate and Investment Banking Team at Citicorp Services India Ltd. He has experience in the Equity Research markets, Portfolio Management, and Investment Banking sectors and has also been associated with the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, NVS Brokerage Pvt. Ltd. and CRISIL.

The session started with the students introducing themselves and sharing their memorable moments at SIMSREE. Mr. Fernandes then introduced himself as an avid investor and spoke about the prestigious Dewang Mehta National Award that he had won during his college days. He gave a thorough description of the opportunities in the financial sector which include Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Investment Banking, Corporate Banking, etc. Mr. Fernandes then shared a detailed account of a career in different segments like Insurance, where one could opt for Sales or Actuarial Sciences; Asset Management, where people are spoilt for choices between Equity Research and Mutual Fund; Alternative Asset Management, where portfolios like Real Estate Investment or Private Equity are the best choices. The students were also briefed about the types of trading. While sharing the experience of his transition from back end to front end office in investment banking, he stated that the passion to work is of paramount significance in a profile like investment banking which involves strenuous working hours. Students were also given tips to crack their interviews by engaging in crisp replies as expected by any interviewer. A simple lesson of ‘Make an offer that the interviewer cannot refuse’ was what Mr. Fernandes insisted upon, as an interviewee is always judged relatively with the other competitors. The students were encouraged to participate in various competitions which would eventually help them in developing their personality to pave their way to the top. Students were advised to avoid looking at the materialistic aspects of the job during selection as job satisfaction and happiness matters in the long run. Inspiring the students with real life examples, he encouraged them to never feel dejected or give up as hard work is the key to success.

We thank Mr. Vernon Fernandes for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit the campus and sharing his valuable insights.

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Guest Lecture by Ms. Shraddha Khare

In today’s information age, the telecommunication industry has a vital role to play. Considered as the backbone of industrial and economic development, the industry has been aiding delivery of voice and data services at rapidly increasing speeds, and thus, has been revolutionizing human communication. With this, on 30^th September, the Alumni Committee welcomed Ms. Shraddha Khare. Mam, an alumna of the 1994 batch, is the General Manager-Prepaid Operations at Idea Cellular. With over 12 years of experience in the telecom sector, the session revolved around the Telecom Industry: The Enabler of India's Digital Revolution.             

                       

The students were enlightened about the evolution of the telecom industry from 1G to 4G, and possibly 5G in the future. The students also learned about the action that the industry will witness as the players as well as the subscribers gear up for 4G launch in India. The students were awestruck on learning about the facts and figures about the number of telecom users not only in India but also around the world. A proper distribution chart helped everyone gain insights on the reasons behind the growing need for broadband and the leading operators in the world. ‘Adaptation of the new technology is always a challenge, but customers are demanding. So if you as an operator are able to satisfy the customers’ demands, then you have the customers’ loyalty’, was the advice that would help  each person intending to enter the telecom world. Knowledge transfer on the evolution of the telecom industry in India, the importance of having mobile standards, contribution of the telecom sector to India’s GDP, India’s vision in 2020, eKranti, Internet of things, Payment banking, M2M opportunities, and the role of regulator in the telecom industry, were the highlights of the session. The batch’s doubts about Net Neutrality, National Telecom Policy (NTP 2012), tariff deciding factors, 4G, etc. were cleared to everyone’s content.

The session ended on a high note about the possible positive growth expected in the telecom industry with the current ‘Digital India’ project. We thank Ms. Shraddha Khare for enlightening the batch and sharing her valuable time and thoughts.

                                                                 

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Guest Lecture by Mr. Sachin Khandelwal

On 20th of August, 2015, Mr. Sachin Khandelwal, an alumnus of the 1992 batch, was welcomed by the Alumni Committee on campus for a guest lecture to address the junior batch. Mr. Sachin Khandelwal has over two decades of experience in the finance and banking industries and is currently the CEO and MD of Magma Housing Finance and Chief Sales Officer at Magma Fincorp.

Mr. Khandelwal started the lecture by stating the value of management education. Sir, then, opened the floor to questions and students came up with a variety of questions ranging from general questions related to the syllabus and specialisations to specific questions about the finance industry. Mr. Khandelwal answered all of the students’ questions with ease and poise.

Mr. Khandelwal spoke about the causes of financial crises and the importance of sticking to the basics. Sir then emphasised on the value of inter-personal relationships. Sir also mentioned the changing world order and the importance of regulations. Sir spoke about the need to understand every discipline of management as every job requires an interplay of various management disciplines. Sir then underscored the need to know oneself well and encouraged each student to align current opportunities with their dreams. Sir urged students to innovate and watch out for competing products from related industries.

Mr. Khandelwal explained to the students the need to work hard and look for projects that are related to their field of interest to gain experience. Sir stressed on the significance of following one’s passion with conviction. Sir emphasised on the importance of managing people and time, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

The batch enjoyed the lecture and was encouraged by Mr. Khandelwal to introspect regularly and to follow their passion. We thank Mr. Khandelwal for visiting the campus and sharing his valuable insights with the batch.

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Book Donation Drive

The Student Social Responsibility (SSR) in collaboration with Sydenham Management Review Committee organized a Book Donation drive on the 15th of October 2015 on the eve of the 84^th birth anniversary of Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam which was celebrated throughout the state as ‘Vaachan Prerna Diwas’. The objective of the drive was to encourage the culture of extra-curricular reading in children from diverse backgrounds. The event was in sync with the state government’s policy to observe a day of remembrance for Dr. Kalam.

On this August occasion more than 150 books comprising of various genres were provided to 15 students who are presently part of the ‘Lakshya’ initiative started by SIMSREE. ‘Lakshya’ is an initiative wherein the students of SIMSREE are actively involved in educating the children of a local night shelter ’Sparc’ with the ‘Lakshya’ of enabling them to develop a strong foundation for the bright and promising future that awaits them. This is being implemented from July 2015 at SIMSREE.

  

Along with books the students were enlightened with precious words of advice by Mr. Kailash, the coordinator of ’Sparc’. Prof. Agnelo Menezes, Principal of St. Xaviers College was also a part of the event. The children were also addressed by the faculty members of SIMSREE.

 As a whole, the drive acted as a very good introduction for the students to the world of reading.

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Guest Lecture by Mr. Sudio Sudarsan

SIMSREE had the pleasure of inviting Mr. Sudio Sudarsan as a guest for delivering a lecture on 'Unmasking Human Behavior'. He is a Professor of Marketing at Hult International Business School, San Francisco, U.S.A. He is also the Director of Brand Reality and Strategy at 11^N (11PowerN).

He shared his insights on values, perception and identity with in-depth dissemination of knowledge about understanding of human behavior and its importance in branding through various aspects like neurobiology, anthropology and psychology.

With his impeccable sense of humor and vibrant personality, he enthralled the students.

It was an honor having such an esteemed guest on our campus.

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The Corporate Connect - Mr Mohandas Menon

On 19^th of August, 2015, the Corporate Relations Committee of SIMSREE organized a corporate connect session wherein ten students got a chance to interact with Mr.​Mohandas Menon, Director & Commercial Head - CLC & Head Automotive Sector, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics India Pvt. Ltd at Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research & Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE) campus. Mr. Mohandas Menon is an expert in Supply Chain Management with over 28 years of experience working for companies like Exel, NYK Logistics, and Future Supply Chain Solutions and has held various domestic and international positions.

Sir spoke about his journey and shared some of his experiences over the years.The session started with discussion on JIT sequencing techniques in the automotive industry and its impact on supply chain and delivery. Mr Menon stated that the current market is not a supply chain but rather is a demand chain. He stressed on the fact that a good operations manager should have inventory management on his/her fingertips.

Mr. Menon answered questions on the impact of the proposed GST bill on operations delivery. He spoke about how GST will make VAT, service tax, octroi etc. disappear and thereby affect multiple processes from procurement to delivery. Sir stated that due to GST implementation the cost to market focus of supply chain will switch to time to market focus to increase efficiency.

The interactive session helped students in gaining an insight into the world of supply chain management and delivery. Mr. Menon also discussed the differences in supply chain between Indian and foreign markets with specific examples related to delivery. He stated that India still lags behind in terms of proper infrastructure required for efficient operations but was optimistic about future growth. He also discussed the effects of globalisation on operations management.

It was a very fruitful session for the students who got an opportunity to interact with him. We thank sir for his time and invaluable inputs.

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