Students of Jaipuria, Lucknow recently had the privilege of listening to Ms. Grace Arun, Zonal Head, of Vodafone (Distribution). Ms. Arun, who has over two decades of experience in the world of sales, delivered a talk on “Distribution in the Telecom Industry” on the 12th of September. She has climbed the ladder of success in the corporate world throughout her career, which includes stints with big names like Times Group and Bharti Airtel Services. Thus, there was a lot to learn from her experiences and achievements, especially for students interested in sales careers.
It was a highly interactive session and Ms. Arun set the tone for it right at the onset by asking the students how the sales domain was different from marketing. As the audience presented its views, she naturally, and effectively, highlighted the main differences between each field. She then shared anecdotes from her own prolific career to emphasize the competencies and skills required for professionals: according to her, B2B (Direct), B2C (Retail), and Distribution (Channel Management) are the three main streams of sales.
Ms. Arun covered different areas of sales in her talk, right from misconceptions about sales to what it takes to have satisfied customers. She then went on to shed light on the qualities one should possess to thrive in a sales job, which she believes is a great first job for a recent graduate. “High levels of intelligence, empathy towards customers, listening and communication skills, and the ability to learn are some of the prerequisites for a solid career in sales,” she explained, giving the students some encouragement as they continue their education. “You also need to have respect for your profession and whatever you do.”
Ms. Arun’s journey as a sales professional is also interesting because she made it into what was definitely a male-dominated industry just two decades ago. There were challenges along the way, and the way she surmounted them can be an inspiration to students. “When I first got into sales, I didn’t think it was my cup of tea; but, I somehow convinced myself to carry on and that was the turning point in my life,” she explains. “People wonder whether a woman can handle the rigors of sales or whether she has it easy because of her gender, but you should just let your performance speak for itself.” This last comment was met with a round of applause from the gathering.
According to Ms. Arun, the power of convincing her customers gives her a deep sense of fulfillment. But, she was also excited about talking to students, as they were buzzing with energy and filled with hope for the future. She offered them thoughtful advice, seen in her concluding remarks: “We have the asset of manpower, how you take it to the next level depends on the youth in the country. If each one of you has the right ideology and thought process, life in this country will suddenly turn out to be very different. Do whatever you want to do with tenacity and be truthful to yourself in everything you do.” Thoughtful and important words form an accomplished individual – Ms. Arun’s talk surely energized and inspired the students in attendance.
Student Contributor: Akansha Mishra, Sumit Chatterjee

Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow celebrated its Twenty Years Of Excellence in the field of management education with a three day extravaganza. The celebrations held between 6th and 8th September marked its 20th Foundation Day and brought together practically everyone from the Jaipuria family, Directors, faculty members, past and present, alumni, students and their loved ones.

Such was the magnitude of the event that Shri Ram Naik, Honourable Governor, Uttar Pradesh was the Chief Guest for the final day celebrations that also had several leading lights from the industry and academia in attendance. He gave an inspirational speech where he said “While appearing for job interviews, it is not your score, but your personality which becomes the selection criterion. I would like to share some tips I learnt as a student- Smile; smile a lot but also keep in mind when not to! Next is, to Learn to Appreciate others, Do not belittle anyone and lastly, There’s always a better way of doing things. In this age of information technology Indians are facing global challenges and stiff competition but these can be overcome with our innate confidence, time management and ability to excel.”

From sporting activities to a fete that made everyone go down the memory lane, an emotion filled Jelfie (Jaipuria Selfie) to a Flash Mob; a wide range of activities started the revelries on a high note. The flash mob held at the Wave Mall, Gomti Nagar to raise awareness about Women Empowerment and the Twentieth Foundation Day in particular got a stunning response as it drew more than 800 visitors. As Vinay Singh Pundir, alum of 1997 Batch said, “Jaipuria doesn’t just prepare to be successful management professionals but fills you with a positive attitude and tells you that there’s a solution to every problem in the world.”

The same positive energy and camaraderie was on display when the alumni interacted with first and second year students on the Founder’s Day. Several fun filled activities including a cricket match, that the Alumni team won bragging rights for, were organized to strengthen their bond. ‘A business tea party cum interactive discussion’ with MIDCOM Group in the presence of alum Mr. Anand Narayan Kapoor, Vice Chairman and Mr. Akash Kumar, Managing Director was held to offer students insight into the corporate world. The gathering also served as a networking platform for present and future professionals in the midst.

Of course, the alumni were relishing the opportunity to come back to the institute and interact with their friends, peers and present students. As Mrs. Mamta Kumar, alum Batch 1998 said, “It’s great to see how my institute is growing and nurturing the future of so many students.” The alumni themselves had their part to play during the Alumni Mentoring session where they shared their experiences with the students. At the session Teri Meri Baat, the discussion veered around Success Vs Happiness, which had important lessons for students. The alumni panel was also chosen as the celebrations continued.

Dr. M. Ashraf Rizvi, Director, Jaipuria, Lucknow thanked the alumni for their contributions as he delivered the welcome address on the 20th Foundation Day. Shri. Sharad Jaipuria, Chairman, Jaipuria Group delivered a rousing speech where he reaffirmed his commitment for learning, adapting and improving to attain excellence. The Honourable Governor gave away the cash prize of Rs. Five Lacs to the winning team of MIDCOM Business Challenge Competition. The meritorious students of three programs of the 2016 Batch were awarded with scholarships. Speeches by Shri. Naik and Shri. Shreevats Jaipuria made further impact on the gathering.

Sagarika Bharadwaj, Sakshi Agarwal, Shikha Gupta, the first, second and third rank holders for the PGDM batch were the big winners of the night. Several of the faculty members were given Loyalty Awards for their commitment and untiring efforts. Dr. N.K. Dhooper, Founding Director and Prof. Subrata Chakraborty, Former Director were warmly felicitated for their contributions to the institute. Alum Smita Singh, from Batch 1999 had the last word on the celebrations when she said, “Jaipuria has given us so many wonderful memories throughout our academic years. Today it has given us another special memory that will stay etched in our minds.”

Students of Jaipuria, Lucknow recently had the privilege of learning from the experience of Mr. C. V. Singh, Ex Vice President, Tata Motors Ltd. He is a much respected named in the corporate world, especially the automobile industry with over 40 years of experience under his belt. He was the special guest for the session on “Importance and value of operations in Business Management” held on 9th of September that had many important lessons for the students.

The session was held under the supervision of Prof. Vinod Kumar Chib, who welcomed Mr. Singh, a big draw amongst the participants of the session. And the corporate bigwig, who has handled several crucial projects in different capacities did not disappoint. He began the talk by emphasizing on the major challenges that an enterprise is faced with, its capabilities and places it can go to in the future through best strategies.

It was interesting to listen to Mr. Singh who tried to keep things simple and relatable for students by sharing episodes from his own, vast professional experience. His talk offered insight into the practical applications of operational processes while he also stressed on two types of costs; visible and hidden costs. Students were held in rapt attention as he introduced different concepts including six sigma, supply quality and improvement processes.

According to Mr. Singh, “Professionals need to update themselves constantly because operations of any enterprise require constant improvement. It’s also important for any young manager to come up with a product or a service that not only meets the expectations of customers but exceeds them too.” He thus offered students and future professionals in the gathering a success mantra that will hold them in good stead in their careers.

Mr. Singh believes that while the design of a product has to be backed up with processes, we live in times where markets have gone global. That’s why it’s important to think about International customers too. “For any operation, your process must make sure that you are meeting the primary dimensions of expectations of quality, cost and time in order to delight the customer. That truly becomes the main challenge for professionals in the industry,” he added.

It was an engaging and interactive session, which had several crucial lessons for students. Mr. Singh admitted that he relished the opportunity as well since passing on his knowledge to the younger generation offers him great satisfaction. He left the students with his final words of advice. “For the next two years you can learn from your teachers and peers so that you stay updated for the next 30 odd years. How you learn things and how much you learn will help you find your ground in the industry,” he concluded.