• Over 1800 national and international delegates participated ; Employee recognition landscape in India’ 2019 report launched
• Discussed the role of corporates in achieving PM Modi’s vision of $5 trillion economy by 2025!
New Delhi, India, October 21, 2019 : Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management, concluded the 8th edition of ‘SHRM India Annual Conference & Exposition’ recently. The two-day conference and exposition brought together 1800+ delegates, including mid & senior level HR professionals, corporate leaders and over 150+ acclaimed thought leaders from all over the world.
The key agenda of the conference drew on the theme “Elevate”, offering a platform that empowers and enables HR personnel across all industry verticals to elevate their performance in line with continuously evolving HR industry.
In a very insightful opening session Elevating India, The journey to a $5 Trillion Economy, the panellists, Rathin Roy, Director and Chief Executive, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy; Mr Sumant Sinha, Chairman and MD, Renew Power and Ms Ila Patnaik, Economist, and former Principal Economic Advisor to Govt. of India, acknowledged that while there is no doubt that India has the potential to be a world leader, key structural reforms must be effected in the financial systems, judiciary and regulatory mechanisms. Policy formulations is also needed to achieve the target of $5 trillion economy and enable India to gain its rightful place in the world order. The discussion also called upon the government to take immediate steps to boost internal demand, strengthen the financial sector and possibly privatise PSU’s to enhance productivity. Policy uncertainty is hurting industries and a rethinking of our institutions in a necessary panacea.
Suresh Narayanan, Chairman & MD, Nestle India, in his session Staying Elevated: Winning every moment, drew upon personal experiences and quotes from ancient sages to uncover the secret of winning every time. Drawing upon the Japanese philosophy of IKIGAI, he spoke of how one must clearly identify one’s purpose early in life and hone it over time so that every action and every decision can be geared towards achieving that purpose.
The tone of the second day of the event was set at the Fireside chat; ‘Dismissing the odds: a story of relentless determination’. Hosted by Emily M Dickens, the discussion with participating super achievers Navin Gulia internationally acclaimed author and social worker, Nupur Jain Learning and development leader and Man Mohan Bhagat Chairman of the Bhagat Global group, discussed disability, inclusion and discrimination.
Speaking about the conference Ms. Achal Khanna CEO, SHRM – APAC and Middle East said, “SHRM India is pleased to deliver the region’s biggest and most coveted HR platform where top thought leaders from across the globe shared key insights and best practices concerning the business. The platform also facilitated interaction amongst the business community at large. We will continue building the platforms for more such interaction within the HR community and also recognize and reward excellence in the HR Domain”
The conference also witnessed in-depth sessions and discussions on critical aspects of businesses in general and the practice of HR in particular with topics such as, ‘Elevating women in leadership roles – What works? ‘Who’s skilling the skill master: is HR elevating itself?’ and ‘Leveraging technology for employer branding and recruitment marketing’ amongst others. A series of concurrent knowledge sessions also addressed myriad topics from diversity and inclusion, leveraging technology, employee benefits, wellness, and productivity, to creative leadership and effective collaboration. Eminent speakers from top leadership of corporates and industry experts shared insightful thoughts and ideas on the various panel discussion, special talks, and knowledge sessions. The common thread binding all these sessions together is the focus on elevating the workplace and the role of HR in doing so.
Some of the eminent speakers at the event were, David Windley, SHRM Board Chair & CEO of IQTalent Partners; Emily M Dickens, Corporate Secretary and Chief of Staff, SHRM; Shiv Khera, Author, Educator, Business Consultant, and Global Thought Leader; Suresh Narayanan, Chairman & MD, Nestle India; Rohit Thakur, HR MD, Accenture India and Apurva Purohit, President, Jagran Prakashan Limited; Anand Shankar, Partner, Human Capital, Deloitte India
The conference ended with a closing keynote session ‘A story of Survival and Triumph”, wherein, Lisa Ray, Actress, Model, Philanthropist talked about what it takes to be true to oneself and triumph over odds.
