Guest Lecture 2526

Presentations to Future Leaders: Mr. Bharath Sondur at SDMIMD

Mr. Bharath Sondur delivered an inspiring session on August 11, 2025, at SDMIMD as part of the Presentations to Future Leaders series, sharing his career journey across public and private sector banking. He emphasized adaptability, continuous learning, calculated risk-taking, and a growth mindset.

Key takeaways included learning from early roles, treating adversity as opportunity, flexibility in roles and locations, startup thinking, continuous upskilling, and self-belief.

He highlighted milestones such as expanding 1,000+ branches, recruiting 100,000+ candidates, enabling 50,000+ placements through Govt. programs, and launching impactful initiatives like the AKKA Credit Co-operative Society for women’s empowerment.

Mr. Sondur concluded by urging students to stay committed, embrace change, and pursue passion with purpose.

Session on Interview Tips for Success

SDMIMD hosted a guest session titled “Interview Tips for Success,” delivered by renowned professional trainer and coach Dr. Anuradha Varma, who brings over 30 years of experience in learning and development. The session was held on August 5, 2025.

Dr. Varma opened the session by addressing the challenges faced by newcomers in the corporate world. She emphasized that success for new employees hinges on maintaining a client-centric focus, collaborating effectively across functional teams, managing internal teams and external stakeholders, leading service delivery transformation, cultivating globally relevant skills, and demonstrating leadership qualities from the outset.

Highlighting the importance of preparation, Dr. Varma advised students to research the company and its interviewers thoroughly, practice commonly asked questions in advance, create a well-structured résumé, and refine both verbal and non-verbal communication skills to make a strong impression. Regarding negotiation, she stressed that candidates should be well-informed about industry salary standards, set realistic and honest expectations, and provide a clear rationale for their compensation requests.

Dr. Varma also guided participants on how to respond to common interview questions such as self-introduction, strengths and weaknesses, and career growth goals. She encouraged students to maintain a positive attitude throughout the interview to create a favorable impression on the interviewer.

The session concluded with an engaging Q&A segment, where students sought personalized advice and deeper insights. SDMIMD faculty members Dr. Mohammed Minhaj and Dr. Lakshmi Narayana, along with students, were present and actively participated in the session.

Bridging Academia and Industry at SDMIMD Mysuru!

At SDMIMD Mysuru, we are committed to shaping well-rounded professionals by facilitating learning beyond the classroom. In our continued efforts to connect academia with industry, we had the privilege of hosting the Infosys Team on campus on July 23, 2025. This engaging session fostered a strong linkage between the corporate world and our academic ecosystem.

These interactions offer students real-world perspectives, sharpen their adaptability, and build essential corporate competencies such as teamwork, leadership, and effective communication — ensuring they’re ready to excel in their professional journeys.

The session featured key leaders from Infosys:

Mr. Shreekrishna N, Group Project Manager – Highlighted Infosys’ footprint across Financial Services, Life Sciences, and Technology sectors and explained the end-to-end recruitment process.
Mr. Sundaram R M, Talent Acquisition Leader – Emphasized how real-world engagement builds essential skills for workplace success.
Mr. Shubham Pandey, Campus Recruiter – Delivered a high-energy motivational talk, followed by a vibrant Q&A session that made the interaction even more enriching.
Ms. Sherly Matcha, Associate Lead – Talent Acquisition – Introduced the Ingenious Ambassador Campaign, a platform for fostering student leadership, and Ingenious One, which offers opportunities for live projects, certifications, and internships.

This visit on July 23, 2025, marked not just a knowledge-sharing experience, but also the beginning of a deeper collaboration between Infosys and our aspiring future professionals.

Invited Talk on Personal Branding by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

On July 12, 2025, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Professor of Marketing at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada, delivered an insightful talk on Personal Branding as part of the Orientation Program for the PGDM 2025–27 batch at SDMIMD. Dr. Radhakrishnan emphasized the importance of building a strong personal brand in today’s competitive landscape, offering practical strategies for self-positioning, credibility building, and effective communication. The session encouraged students to consciously shape their professional identity and align it with their values and career aspirations.

Invited Talk by Mr. M. Nikhilesh, Founder & CEO, Kalisu Foundation

As part of the Orientation Program for the PGDM 2025–27 batch, SDMIMD was privileged to host Mr. M. Nikhilesh, Founder and CEO of Kalisu Foundation, Mysuru, on July 12, 2025. In his inspiring session, Mr. Nikhilesh shared insights from his journey in social entrepreneurship, highlighting the role of purpose-driven leadership and the importance of education in driving community transformation. His talk encouraged students to embrace responsibility, think beyond conventional success, and contribute meaningfully to society.

Workshop on ‘Resilient Leader: Cultivating Wellness for Peak Performance’ by Mr. A.R. Dwarakanath

SDMIMD organized a workshop on ‘Resilient Leader: Cultivating Wellness for Peak Performance’ as part of the Orientation Program for the PGDM 2025–27 batch. The session was conducted by Mr. A.R. Dwarakanath, Yoga Trainer, on July 11, 2025.

During the session, Mr. Dwarakanath stated, “Improving shareholder value is the prime task of any business organization. Therefore, companies need individuals who can think strategically and build sustainable business models, rather than those with cognitive bias.”

He emphasized that healthy individuals are crucial for organizational success and highlighted that resilient leaders must think beyond boundaries and focus on simple actions that can have a long-term impact.

Integrating Ayurveda and Yoga for Holistic Well-being – Talk by Dr. C.S. Anilkumar Dixit

As part of the Orientation Program at SDMIMD, Dr. C.S. Anilkumar Dixit, a renowned expert in Ayurvedic and Yogic practices, delivered an insightful session on July 10, 2025, emphasizing the integration of Ayurveda and Yoga into daily life. Drawing from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Dr. Dixit highlighted the holistic approach of these ancient sciences in promoting physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. He spoke on the foundational concept of Ahimsa (non-violence), the importance of setting clear intentions, and the role of traditional Indian cooking and spices in enhancing immunity. Stressing values such as truthfulness, contentment, and gratitude, Dr. Dixit encouraged students to adopt mindful practices for a balanced and fulfilling life.

Insightful Session on Navigating Technology Evolution and Building Tech-First Organizations

Dr. Navin Shankar Patel delivered a highly insightful talk on Navigating Technology Evolution and Building Tech-First Organizations on July 9, 2025, at SDMIMD. The session explored how technology continues to shape the business environment and emphasized the strategic shifts necessary for organizations to thrive in the digital era.

Key discussion points included the role of foundational technologies in the progress of civilization and a retrospective look at six decades of technological evolution. Dr. Patel illustrated how companies such as Blackberry, Nokia, and Byju's exemplify the risks associated with failing to adapt to rapid technological change. He introduced the concept of the Competitive Gravity Well, using Tesla as a case study to demonstrate how integrated technology ecosystems can create sustainable competitive advantage.

The anatomy of a tech-first organization was further illustrated through examples from Starbucks, Spotify, and Amazon, emphasizing the importance of data-driven decision-making. A detailed walkthrough of the AI and GenAI value chain was presented using the “5 Cs” framework—Capture, Curate, Compute, Create, and Commercialize.

Additionally, Dr. Patel shared the “4 P” framework—Purpose, People, Process, and Platform—citing Reliance Jio as a benchmark example of a tech-first company.

To prepare future managers, he emphasized the importance of competencies such as data storytelling, prompt engineering, change management, Cloud and FinOps skills, continuous learning, and responsible AI governance.

The session concluded with an interactive Q&A, where students explored the discussed themes in greater depth, making it an enriching and future-focused learning experience.

Skill Spotlight Session on ‘Product Design and Innovation’

As part of the Orientation Program 2025, SDMIMD organized a Skill Spotlight Session on ‘Product Design and Innovation’ in collaboration with the Design - Centre of Excellence, Department of Design and Manufacturing, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru on July 9, 2025.

Mr. Allen Paul, from the Design - Centre of Excellence, Department of Design and Manufacturing, IISc Bengaluru, spoke about the importance of skill enhancement that all employees need to focus on in current times.

Talking about product design, Mr. Vijay Murali, also from IISc, discussed the various aspects and significance of product design. He also provided insights into the modules offered at the Design - Centre of Excellence at IISc Bengaluru.

Mr. Puneeth K.S. and Mr. Subrahmanyam C. conducted a hands-on activity on product design. Through this detailed activity, the resource persons helped students understand the step-by-step process of how a product is designed.

As a gesture of appreciation, tokens of gratitude and gifts were distributed to the winners of the pre-event activity conducted by IISc Bengaluru. Faculty members and students actively participated in the session, making it a valuable and engaging experience.

Session on India’s Vision: $30 Trillion Economy by 2047

On July 9, 2025, SDMIMD had the privilege of hosting Mr. Sudhir K S, Head of the Mysuru Cluster at the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM), for an engaging and thought-provoking session on India's vision of becoming a $30 trillion economy by the year 2047.

Mr. Sudhir began the session by reflecting on India’s colonial past and its impact on the nation's economic trajectory. He highlighted the crucial role of today’s youth in reshaping the country's future and emphasized the importance of students becoming “change leaders” in driving India’s growth and transformation.

Encouraging students to explore entrepreneurship in both business and social spheres, Mr. Sudhir inspired them with real-life success stories, including those of Ritesh Agarwal (OYO) and Anshu Gupta (Goonj). He stressed the need for globally aligned skills and innovation-driven mindsets. Urging students to actively contribute to nation-building, he called on them to address pressing challenges through open-source, technology-based solutions.

The session concluded with a powerful message — students must rise to the occasion as future leaders and play an active role in crafting India’s journey towards inclusive and sustainable prosperity.