Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli successfully hosted the first episode of the 2024 edition of its Leadership Conclave, ‘Daksha’, on Monday, July 29, 2024. The theme of this year's conclave – which is spread across a few episodes – is “Leadership Renaissance: Embracing Change, Seizing Opportunities.”
Episode 1 (on July 29, 2024) delved into the domain of technology, specifically addressing the panel theme of “Agri-tech: Opportunities at the Dawn of the Next Green Revolution.” The Daksha series continues to be an embodiment of IIM Tiruchirappalli’s continuous endeavour and focus toward learning. The thought-provoking and insightful discussion equipped participants to think about embracing change and seizing opportunities.
The event commenced with invocation, lighting of the lamp, and welcome of the guests by Prof. Abhishek Totawar (Chairperson, Placements).
Prof. Godwin Tennyson, Director (Acting) and Dean of Administration, IIM Tiruchirappalli, delivered the welcome address. He emphasised the rapid pace of ongoing revolutions, noting that the intervals between successive revolutions have significantly shortened. He highlighted the importance of integrating technology with agriculture in this new era. Prof. Tennyson acknowledged the Green Revolution's role in making India self-sufficient and pointed out that the agricultural sector in India has not yet fully harnessed the benefits of the digital revolution, indicating a substantial untapped potential.
The panel featured distinguished speakers who brought a wealth of experience and insights from the agri-tech sector:
Dr. Peter Quinn is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Branston and AgriTech. He specialises in CPG Food Brands, Agri-Food & Agri-Tech Innovation and has extensive experience as a CEO and MD for CPG food brands. Branston Ltd is the UK's largest integrated fresh and added-value potato business, employing nearly 1,000 colleagues. The company works closely with Tesco to develop a resilient, consumer-focused, and sustainable potato supply chain.
Mr. Jim Windle is the CEO of Branston Holdings. With over 22 years of experience in senior leadership positions, he is responsible for the strategic sustainable growth of Branston. Under his leadership, Branston utilises unique skills and investments in its AgriTech operations to move towards a true ‘end-to-end’ Net Zero supply chain.
Mr. Vidyanath Gururajan is the CEO of Agritech. He is an innovator and chartered Mechanical Engineer who oversees several Agri-tech companies, including B-hive Innovations Limited, HarvestEye Limited, and Root Extracts Ltd. B-hive Innovations provides R&D services across various crops, leveraging robotics, AI, and precision engineering to deliver real-world value to UK agriculture. HarvestEye uses camera-based AI technology for crop insights, and Root Extracts focuses on next-generation protein extraction from root crops, creating high-value, fully traceable protein compounds.
The panel discussion was moderated by Prof. Jang Bahadur Singh, Associate Professor in the Information Systems and Analytics Area at IIM Tiruchirappalli. He holds a doctorate from IIM Bangalore and an M. Tech from IIT Kharagpur. His teaching interest includes management information systems, business analytics and artificial intelligence for managers. His interest also encompasses the application of machine learning techniques for business decision-making.
The session concluded with an engaging Audience Q&A Session, allowing participants to interact directly with the panellists and gain deeper insights into the discussed topics.
Vote of thanks was proposed by Mr Praveen Kumar T (Member, Placement Office).
The event concluded with the mass singing of the National Anthem.