HUL CEO and JBIMS alumnus Nitin Paranjpe inducts new batch with three Cs of Success

The auditorium bustled with 121 students; each one stepping into a new and perhaps the most important phase of his or her life. Dr. Chavan, Director, JBIMS and Mr. Nitin Paranjpe, CEO of Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) addressed the students at the induction ceremony.

Prof. Chavan welcomed and congratulated the students for secured admission to a premier B-school like JBIMS. He emphasized the growing demand for talented management graduates in industry today. Next, he proudly enlisted the progress witnessed by the institute recently like obtaining UGC approval to start various post graduate courses in areas of retail management, corporate governance, valuations, etc. Dr. Chavan concluded by asking students to leverage on the three pillars of JBIMS viz. students (peers and seniors), faculty (permanent and visiting) and alumni to make the most of the coming two years.

Mr. Paranjpe then took centre stage to address the students on the theme Success and what it takes to succeed in the real world. His message was simple yet vital for todays generation. He stressed on the fact that hard work and intellect only form the necessary but not the sufficient criteria to succeed. Softer aspects like emotional intelligence actually prove to be key differentiators when dealing with real life scenarios, especially in this age of globalization.

He also spelled out the three Cs of success courage, conviction and character; the courage to risk failure for what one believes in, the conviction of knowledge and the character to take the right decisions in face of adversity. He sighted various instances where the character of managers and managements alike had been compromised for want of personal gains. He contrasted this with lives of individuals who had stood their ground and changed entire systems with only courage, conviction and a clean heart as their backbone. He assured the youth that doing well and doing good is not a paradox and urged them to build a strong moral fabric if they are to succeed in life.

By way of true life anecdotes and arguments, Mr. Paranjpe inspired the young audience to sustain their energy and enthusiasm even when they enter the industry and not trade in idealism for convenient pragmatism. He concluded with a fresh take on work-life balance, recommending that ones career or work should be chosen so that it is an integral part of ones long term goals for life.

Later, Mr. Paranjpe answered a few queries posed by the students. He emphasized the need and significance of setbacks and debacles in ones life, and how they go a long way in making a person stronger and more gracious. In an answer to another question on his favorite aspects of JBIMS, he replied by saying that JBIMS gives an exceptional interface to industry, helps students gather varied perspectives through interactions and creates motivated yet grounded managers.