Being True to Oneself, Being Phenomenal

On this note, the beat of the drums, the cheer of the proud parents, family members and corporate partners, and the fluttering heartbeats of the 76 graduates, we kicked off a celebration that could be heard miles away.  Louder than the hum of the city and louder than the cheers from the IPL stadiums just a few metres away, was the sound of celebration and jubilation arising from the IGTC Convocation Ceremony being held at the The Taj President, IHCL SeleQtions ballroom.

Two batches of proud IGTCians – 29th PGPBA 2020-2022 Batch and the 1st All India EBMP 2021-2022 batch – took their steps into the professional world as strong and independent managers and as bearers of the IGTC flag.  All set to take our director Radhieka R Mehta’s words to heart, they pledged to “raise a banner, where a banner never flew”.

IGCC Director General, Stefan Halusa commenced the ceremony with a warm welcome to the dignitaries, corporate partners, faculty members, parents and graduates. He expressed his immense joy of finally being able to host his 1st IGTC Convocation Ceremony and reiterated the IGCC focus on training, dual mode of education, dynamic curriculum update; all of which add up to the fulfillment of the IGCC mission – Our members success is our success!

The graduating managers of the Executive Business Management Programme, Abhishek Gupta, Dipika Gavankar and Gary Chandy then took the floor to share their learning experience. As a batch that started during the pandemic and concludes in the middle of a war, they have indeed had many opportunities to learn. In their opinion, the class learnings have been force multipliers and have had cascading effects in other dimensions of their lives. Armed with a new VUCA (Vision – Understanding – Clarity – Agility), they find their approach to their careers and their personal lives more organized, more deliberate and more strategic. They have been able to recognize their values and what matters to them; what is the next role they want to target and how they want to grow. This graduation was a milestone in their lives, a milestone that doesn’t show the distance travelled but the distance that lies ahead!

Jumping out of their zoom screens and without any e-notes, the graduating students of the full-time Post Graduate Programme in Business Administration – Adrian Pereira, Hitarthi Somaiya and Vishrut Pande – swept the audience off their feet with their smashing, heart-touching and humorous valedictory address. Reminiscing moments with anecdotes on interdependence and friendships among peers, knowledge and gratitude for the faculty and the IGTC team, indebtedness for their families, and aspirations for the future that awaits them in their organizations, it was a treat to join them in celebrating their success.

As a representative of the teaching faculty, Dr. Harkant Mankad congratulated the Zoom-ers on surviving this VUCA world and left them with one farewell lesson – to learn to recognize pretense, which is all around us in corporate and personal life, and to take a quiet moment to discover oneself and to start loving oneself.

Chief Guest Puneet Chhawal, MD & CEO, The Indian Hotels Company Limited delivered a very personal and touching keynote address. He started by making a special mention of how this ceremony was the perfect embodiment of the Indo-German relations, as he witnessed young Indians wearing a German sash spontaneously singing “Vande Mataram” with an aspiration to make their country proud. He echoed the same pride in his identity as a member of both the German and Indian hospitality industry, with both fraternities accepting him with open arms and allowing him to be the best and truest version of himself.

Through his life experiences, Mr. Chhatwal gave an insight into ‘Intuitive Leadership’, in the face of an adversity such as Covid-19, when the entire hospitality industry had to deal with operating on ‘Zero Revenue’. Most management books were rendered irrelevant and useless. It was the spirit of humanity that emerged significant and true to the test. He talked about how his fraternity, the entire industry, the employees, all came together to tackle the pandemic and it’s aftershocks, how they have truly gone above and beyond the call of their duties to extend their signature ‘hospitality’ to anyone in need.

The audience got an overwhelming sense of faith and belief from his words.

  • How every milestone in his career, built up to where he stands today.
  • How every failure that did not make sense, helped shape his journey down the road.
  • How every time that he chose his values over an opportunity and monetary gains, fate would have it come back to him.

These were lessons, not taught in formal education, but learnt over a lifetime.

He closed his address by sharing the Carlson Credo:
“Whatever you do, do with integrity;
Wherever you go, go as a leader;
Whoever you serve, serve with caring;
Whenever you dream, dream with your all;
And never give up!”

Guest of Honour, Dr. Jürgen Morhad, Consul General, German Consulate General in Mumbai was emotional as he addressed an IGTC event for the last time. Addressing the management graduates as strong, emotionally resilient personalities, he applauded them on their learning journey through the pandemic and reminded them to continue their spirit to survive, to learn, to change and to adapt. He emphasized that education is a valuable asset that does not guarantee instant gratification, but requires patience to learn and to accept oneself to truly find success. He advised the graduates to take smaller steps and to jump smaller leaps so as to not miss the slivers of happiness and good that might pass them by in a blink of an eye.

The applause that echoed after Dr. Morhad’s words rung deep into the night as the Dr. Guenter Krueger Award for Excellence, the Siemens Award for Excellence, the BASF Award for Corporate Governance and Business Ethics and the Graduation Certificates were handed out. The proud parent paparazzi captured every moment of fame of the graduates, while many corporate mentors joined the frame with pride. The evening concluded with a very personal gratitude extended by Radhieka R Mehta and with the IGTC anthem resounding in the venue, IGTCians at heart…phenomenal we will be!!

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‘Living the Human’ in Human Resources

After 2 years of only online meetings, members of the Indo-German HR Partner Forum reconnected on Thursday 17th February 2022 to revive their connections and reset a new path for the post pandemic world. The group consisted of HR Directors, HR Vice-Presidents and HR Country Heads of 16 Indo-German member organizations including Baerlocher India Additives, BASF Group, Bharat Forge, Bosch Limited, Covestro India, DHL Express, Evonik, Fuchs Lubricants, Häfele India, Knorr-Bremse Technology Centre India, LANXESS, Siemens Limited, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India, Thyssenkrupp India, TUV India and Wacker Chemie.

With some familiar and some new faces in the room, the HR partners began by introducing themselves, and sharing the strengths and current challenges of their HR function, and the solutions that they were seeking. This opened the dialogue and brought a lot of knowledge, information and pain points on the table.

As an over-arching theme, it emerged that reorganized and transformed businesses have been taking the great resignation head-on. Although varying in the range of 5 to 15%, attrition has definitely affected most of them. Customer centricity has been the new buzzword. Business lines have been getting stronger. With forays into the mobility and electrification, some predominantly industrial companies have been transforming themselves into technology companies, breaking through traditional hierarchies to emerge with flat organizational structures.

HR teams have been focussing on creating better and more personalized employee engagement s, retaining current employees, finding suitable talent, virtually integrating new team members, sustaining culture through the hybrid mode and empowering people not to be reactive and to deliver to the last mile. On the other hand, employees have been focussed on evaluating what success means to them, seeking new definitions by aligning business and personal growth.

With this background, it has become essential that the HR teams continue to innovate how to up their talent game, develop and deliver a talent strategy based on the segmented needs of the employees, continue to keep learning and development alive, and remain sensitive to touch the hear and minds of the employees.

Given the high levels of empathy and confidentiality in the room, the HR partners shared their pain on the loss on some of their close colleagues, their complexity in rolling out the voluntary retirement scheme and their difficulty in dealing with the upcoming labour codes.

Post the tea-break, one of the HR partners as well as IGTC faculty member Dr. Anita Bandyopadhyay facilitated the S-O-A-R Exercise. All the HR professionals came together to brainstorm and list down inputs regarding the Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and Results of the Indo-German HR Partner Forum on a common whiteboard. Setting straight the vision of the forum, 5 years from now, HR partners concluded this exercise by voting their desired future aspirations and envisaged results. The day concluded with a decision to meet once a quarter and continue professionally supporting each other and working together for the benefit of the Indo-German fraternity.

To know more about the activities of the Indo-German HR Partner Forum, please connect with Radhieka R Mehta, Director, Indo-German Training Centre on igtcdirector@indo-german.com

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Executive Education: A Powerful Investment

February 2022 has been often called the month of twos. One could call is serendipity that IGTC had 2 Executive Business Management Programme batches being inaugurated in this month. A never-before phenomenon.

Dual Education and Training has been a forte of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce for over three decades now. However, the last few years have undoubtedly seen a thrust in its extremely powerful and transformational Executive Business Management Programme (EBMP) for middle level managers. From a city-specific programme in Mumbai and Pune on alternate weekends, this has grown to a national programme in a quarterly block format and the response has been overwhelming.

The 8th Pune EBMP witnessed a euphoria as the course was inaugurated on Saturday 9th February 2022 at a new location; the Taj Vivanta Hinjewadi. The 50 seats were filled across 25 diverse organizations sponsoring their high potential talent for an in-person, classroom learning experience: completely breaking away from the fatigue of the online world! With a cumulative experience of 8,550 months and an average work experience of 14 years, the newly born IGTCians are sure to keep the veteran faculty, quite literally, on their feet for the entire course and thankfully not behind the screen!

Managers belong to the following organizations; A Raymond Fasteners, Axa Business Services, Behr Hella Thermocontrol India, Bosch Chassis Systems, Bosch Limited, Brose India Automotive Systems, DesignTech Systems, EDAG Production Solutions, Ethosh India, Ford Motor Private Limited, HUF India, Jacobs, Knorr-Bremse Technology Centre, Kongsberg Automotive Technology Center, Kuebler Automation, Mahindra and Mahindra, Minda Industries, MTU India, Renata Precisions, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India, Tata Elxsi, Vulkan Technologies, Wirtgen India, Wuerth Industrial Services and Ziehl-Abegg India.

The 2nd Quarterly Block EBMP was inaugurated a week later, on Saturday 19th February 2022. Unexpectedly but excitingly, 20 managers from diverse states such as Haryana, Karnataka, Kerela, Tamil Nadu and Telangana flew down to Mumbai and arrived at IGTC to attend the first block of nine days incorporating modules on Economics for Managers, Financial Management and Management Accounting, Marketing Management and Emerging Leadership. They belong to the organizations; Basell Polyolefins India, Decimal Point Analytics, DHL Logistics, Lavazza India, Lorch Welding Products, Sartorius Stedim India, SMS India and Voith Turbo. 

Both batches were warmly welcomed and inducted into the programme at their respective venues by Radhieka Mehta, Director IGTC and the IGTC team. Although the month was extremely hectic and demanding, it was gratifying to see 100% attendance in class thus bidding adieu to the online and hybrid world, to see new friendships emerge during the coffee breaks, to see books being borrowed again from the library and to hear the genuine applause and followership for the faculty at the end of the day!

Given this trust and faith by the participating managers and their organizations, IGCC stands committed to delivering excellence in management training and recreating the ‘phenomenal’ IGTC experience. To attend a demo class or to nominate high performing managers please connect with Nehan Barodawala on igtcebmp@indo-german.com

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International Trade 2022: Challenges and Interdependency

Following the pandemic, international trade has faced numerous challenges. All our lives were affected by grave changes, from shortage of medicines to the increased prices of transportation and energy. However, the target set for merchandise exports is at an all-time high of $400 Billion by 31st March 2022.

Past values of India’s export / import figures are as under (trade in goods)

Values in US $ Bn
Particulars 2019 – 2020 (FY) 2020 – 2021 (FY) 2021 – 2022 (Apr – Dec)(FY)
Export 313.36 291.80 305.02
Import 474.70 394.43 440.92

Source: https://tradestat.commerce.gov.in/

While export shows an increase; our trade deficit has widened substantially. According to figures released by the PIB, the trade deficit for April-Jan 2021-22 was $160.38 billion, we therefore need to critically analyze the situation. Growth in exports is of prime importance for economic development and to increase our global footprint, a widening trade deficit can impact future trade. With a very ambitious target for future set at US $ 1000 bn, it is important to understand ground reality.

In this connection it is important to highlight three chapters (as per HS Code) which are of significance to India in terms of foreign exchange outflows and its impact on logistic & livelihood since we import huge quantities of Petroleum Products (Chapter 27), Gold and Silver (Chapter 71) and Edible Oils (Chapter 15).

The first serious impact on the economy is the import of Petroleum Products (Chapter 27). Our total imports are dominated by one single commodity, accounting for 30.7% in value terms. As of February 2022, crude oil was trading at US $ 88.20 per barrel and may reach $100 per barrel by March 2022. Though the price of crude oil is rising; Saudi Arabia is no longer the number one supplier: crude oil is being imported from USA and natural gas from Russia. Approximately 70% of our nation’s energy is produced by coal & fossil fuel; thus, fuel price increases would threaten businesses with rise in transportation & energy costs. The year 2021 was known for natural disasters and environmental impact, future policies of various countries are likely to evaluate carbon footprint with a possibility of levying carbon tax mostly by developed countries, this could be a critical issue for India as far as export pricing is concerned.

The second impact on economy is the import of Gold and Silver (Chapter 71) and India is the world’s second-largest gold consumer after China. Compared to the export of US $29.03 Billion (April – December 2021-22), import of Gold/Silver and related products is US $ 63.03 Billion (April – December 2021-22). While export provides substantial employment in India, our attitude towards gold is not purely as a commodity for the purpose of trade but is also seen as an asset and security. All said and done, Gold and Silver occupies an emotional place in the hearts of our citizens, this is one commodity which impacts trade seriously.

Third Commodity to be considered is Edible Oils (Chapter 15). While we are not self-sufficient in oil production and continue to import, edible oil is likely to become more expensive. Indonesia, one of the world’s largest palm oil producers, issued a regulation requiring export permits for all palm oil products fulfilling its domestic market orders first, raising speculations of a global supply disruption. “Vegetable oils” is one of India’s major imports (US $14.29 Billion: Apr-Dec 2021-22). Since demand continues to far outpace domestic production, Indians are likely to buy expensive cooking oils from overseas for at least another 5-7 years. Unless we plan to reduce these imports in a specific way & its feasibility to implement the plan within two years. Moreover, with oil prices increasing, the trade deficit is likely to increase exuberantly in the near future, continuing to affect our economy.

These three chapters 27,71 and 15 are likely to dominate the imports for next five years. There are no immediate solutions, and the widening trade deficit will continue to be a serious concern for the Indian economy.

Schemes like PLI offering incentives for investment and subsequent increase in sales also aims at a more active engagement with global economy and India would like to play an important role in Global Value chains. Considering this we aim to negotiate Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with UK, EU, GCC, Israel, Australia etc. which will give us marked access, while also acknowledging these countries to want master access in India. The ultimate situation must be a “win-win” for both, which is not possible without certainty and effective interdependence.

What do we expect from all FTAs?Investments, technological exchange, better access for goods & services, better R&D and of course employment generation. Is this a serious issue? Yes! Our policies & working models would have to be rethought, to provide adequate coverage & find innovative ways to reduce energy & transportation costs to increase competitiveness of exports. Let us expect future initiatives by the Government to addresses these issues. “Interdependence” is the key to today’s globalized world which should not be forgotten. At the end we need to co-exist.


The writer Mr. Sudhakar Kasture, a faculty at the Indo-German Training Centre, is accredited stalwart in International Trade, he serves as the director of Helpline Impex Pvt. Ltd. and EXIM institute. He has been the advisor/ consultant for some reputed organizations such as HUL, Siemens, Godrej Group, Blue Star, Marico, Thyssenkrupp, etc., in the field of foreign trade policy and WTO related issues.
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The Subtle art of Self-management for young adults

As the fastest growing economy today, India houses nearly half of its population below the age of 25, and a quarter below the age of 14, providing a unique demographic advantage and making India’s young population it’s most valuable asset.

This is a good enough reason to believe that Self-management must start early in a person’s life, the best time being in school if not in college life. Self-management is our ability to manage our behaviours, thoughts, and emotions in a conscious and productive way and much required skill in this fast paced world. 

While on this journey of young adulthood, where identities are shaped by many others, where important choices are being made regarding their future life, career, and other significant aspects which shape their identity, just how well prepared are they to make them? How these choices are both a milestone and an inflection point, which can be transformative. At this stage they desire to be independent and be able to make life’s decisions and ought to learn to wean themselves from parents and other elders who have been influencing their lives so far.

The most critical questions in a young adult’s life is how much do they know about themselves and what they really want? And they are yet to learn to take accountability for life’s decisions, which then makes Self-efficacy and Locus of Control important factors in decision making. Self-efficacy is where an individual believes in himself and Locus of control sets to see how internal and external factors play a role in an individual’s decision making process. 

In the young adult life’s journey, learning Life & Self-management skills becomes critical. These are very important workplace skills as well and it is important to learn them at a much younger age. Can we embed them in our education system? Self-managed individuals require the following abilities:

    • Ability to understand themselves better and make independent choices

If young adults are expected to make critical decisions for themselves, adults around them must wean themselves and allow independent thinking, help them to factor in different viewpoints to consider the numerous variables for thoughtful decisions and learn to separate the emotions from the conversations they have with people that’ll influence their decision-making.

    • Self-care Ability:

While young adults might sometimes think they’re invincible, taking care of physical well-being including keeping good health, through planning and preparing healthy meals, tracking and, and finding a type of exercise that is engaging enough to want to do it regularly. Also caring for themselves emotionally and mentally.

    • Ability to manage Time

Possibly the most important skill for young adults to master time management. When parenting teens, it’s natural to fall into the habit of creating a calendar for them and enforcing appropriate times for college, sleep, appointments, and recreation. How can Freedom be balanced with Discipline is the skill?

  • Ability to communicate effectively

Effective communication is the ability to listen to others, as well as successfully relay one’s own ideas and opinions in a persuasive manner to the audience. This is even more important in this Digital world where a lot of communication happens virtually and very little in-person
    • Manage environment and citizenship

Keeping a living space liveable is a surprisingly complex process. Managing laundry to waste, dealing with incoming mail to maintaining a clean home environment is quite a challenge. While it is overwhelming, with self-awareness and coaching this can ease the transition to independent adult.. At this stage, young adults also need to know how to educate themselves about national issues, and laws that are applicable to them and the potential consequences if they ignore them and how to respond to the call to serve their community.

No parent, teacher, or friend, no matter how well-meaning, can take on the responsibilities of citizenship for another person.

    • Stress management & Management of Change

Youngsters face stress in their life due to catching up with their career choices, relationships, transition to independent living, and above all, learning to navigate that reality is an important skill for all young adults moving towards independence. While money, work, relationships, and prospects for the future can all cause anxiety, learning one’s own triggers and how to cope with them is a highly individualized process. Based on their likes and interests they may use breathing exercises or meditation, also journaling. Exercise, music, and spending time in nature can be therapeutic.

If only Life skills orientation is given at the right time to youngsters, there is no doubt that they will be able to develop and exhibit an accurate sense of Self, develop a deep understanding of personal motivation to take up personal and professional responsibility. And finally they will be able to demonstrate their personal beliefs and values and a commitment to continuing personal reflection.

The writer Dr. Lakshmi Nadkarni, a faculty at the Indo-German Training Centre, is an acclaimed and accredited stalwart in the field of Human Resources. She has been the Head of HR for some reputed organisations such as Dow Chemicals, Pfizer before she retired as Director HR at BASF
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Bottom Line – The Leaders GPS

Ravi had to go to a client office. He was late for the client meeting already. The route he generally took was likely to be closed today due to repair works. He was stressed about making it on time. Ravi quickly checked on Google Maps and realised that there were two other parallel roads that he will be able to take. The map also indicated the shortest and the fastest route. Ravi decided the alternate route he would take and started driving. As he was approaching the alternate road, he realised there was a massive traffic jam. Ravi thought for a moment and decided to park his car and walk through the traffic to reach the other side. Once he crossed the road and steered away from the heavy traffic, he quickly took a cab and reached his client office, just in the nick of time.

We use the GPS every time we book an Uber or Ola. Our very first step is to input the exact destination. And only then the GPS suggests the fastest and the most efficient way to get to your destination. Gives you various options of vehicles as well. While you are on your ride, you can constantly monitor whether you are on course. And if not, the GPS helps you reroute around roadblocks. However, at times, the GPS gives wrong directions and we go off track, they are not always accurate.  Thankfully, very soon it steers us back on track. Leaders displaying similar attitude at work are perhaps more likely to achieve their goals and aspirations despite all odds. 

The Results Focused Leader uses the Bottom Line GPS in exactly the same manner. They are constantly rerouting to reach their destination.  All of us like it when we see a well-finished product, a bug-free gadget or a well-made film for that matter. What does it take to achieve such levels of perfection and results? 

In my experience, Results Focus is perhaps a key differentiator for Successful Leaders. They have the Bottom Line as their GPS. They first get complete clarity about their destination – the final result / outcome they want. They are able to do so because they set goals for themselves and others, prioritise and focus on what is critical and important. They plan the entire route, gather and manage resources required to reach their destination. They can take calculated risks when required, try different approaches and overcome roadblocks.

But what if the Bottom Line territory and the map both change! Like it did during the Pandemic. Each and every company is revisiting their vision statement. Its obvious that no one has Lockdown as a possibility in their Vision 2020 / 2021 document. The value of Business Continuity Plans became evident. Learning agility, flexibility, adaptability, resilience and a host of other skills had to be displayed to be able to tie over such a different and difficult time.

Think for a moment – Is it ok for Deutsche Bank to send PCs and Workstations home for employees to work on? What happens to security? Take the case of the Manufacturing organizations. How do they maintain social distancing and productivity on the shop floor.  What should be the best way to launch a new product?

If you look around, I see different ways in which companies have reacted. There was a nervous reaction of cost cutting through various means. Salary Cuts, layoff, zero or low increments pinched the employees quite a bit. And then there were others who decided to rise to the occasion. One company I know, started having a weekly digital bonfire with the leadership team to ensure employees do not panic and train on digital skills and attitude to prepare themselves for the new future. Another company, revisited their entire business plan to recover and rebound.

Results Focus is a complex competency. A leader skilled at this competency, is also adept at Planning, Organizing, Reviewing, Monitoring Work, Motivating & Inspiring Others as well as Process Management at the Operating Level. At the individual level they have high EQ and are absolutely driven and ambitious. 

The good news is that, once you know what it takes, the Results Focus Competency can be developed through coaching and other Developmental Interventions. As Paulo Coelho Said “No one can hit their target with their eyes closed”. Developing this competency is well worth the effort. Afterall we will be able to sustain, only when we have a robust bottom line.

The writer Dr. Anita Bandyopadhyay, a faculty at the Indo-German Training Centre, is an IAF Endorsed Facilitator and an HR consultant with extensive expertise in Facilitation, Coaching, Leadership development, Talent Management, Performance Management, and HR Processes. In a career spread over two decades, Anita has worked with large corporate houses like Raymond, Pidilite Industries and the Ajay Piramal Group, as well as a number of small and medium sized companies.

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Dreams come true!

Believe me, dreams do come true, they come true at IGTC, you should only have the persistence and drive to pursue them.

Simple or complicated, we are all dreamers. Fuelled by dreams IGTCians are challenged to turn these dreams into happy realities. From being acquainted with industry stalwarts to trainings at mammoth partnering companies to working on projects challenging yet exciting, the world here is a playground. By striking the right balance between theory and practice IGTC has moulded young trainees to fit seamlessly into the corporate world.

Here is one look at the roads and the destinations of the Post-Graduate Programme in Business Administration Batch of 2019-2021.


I was looking for a learning platform which inculcates business knowledge and strategies and gives a practical approach. IGTC was the perfect platform that gave me an exposure to intern at Bosch Auto Electronics, Bangalore. As a management trainee, I was tasked to scout and recommend smart manufacturing technologies for the logistics department, to implement the ‘Daily Leadership Routine’ digital tool across value streams and to assist with productivity improvement projects. By the end of the internship, I realised that Bosch is where I want to be; a place so young, fresh and innovative. I was recently offered a job at Robert Bosch in the manufacturing co-ordination department, where I get to be on full-time projects and work with various stakeholders first-hand. None of these incredible opportunities would be possible without IGTC.

Abhinav BS
Management Trainee, Bosch Automotive Electronics India Pvt. Ltd.

As a supply chain and operations enthusiast, my training stint at Baerlocher Additives was a rich learning experience. I could apply statistical tools taught at IGTC to scientifically calculate minimum inventory levels, which helped in optimizing the inventory management systems. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, I received a pre-placement offer from Baerlocher for a role in core operations and production planning. The sheer scale of complexity, dynamics and skillsets the current job demands is unparalleled, and a management course like PGPBA prepares you for such a role. I say with certainty that IGTC gave me a holistic cognizance to elevate myself in both my professional and personal life.

Chitrang Narkar
Operations Executive, Baerlocher India Additives Pvt. Ltd.


Some experiences in life encompass situations where routine interaction serendipitously leads to opportunities in your career. This statement came true for me, because my everyday actions reflecting integrity, values, trust and responsibility were keenly observed by my mentor, Radhieka Mehta. Before I knew it, I had made the transition from being an IGTCian to a valuable resource of the IGTC administration team, wherein I am going to be responsible for ensuring academic excellence and smooth delivery of the programmes. Now, my profile at IGTC has given me a greater purpose in life, wherein I can make a difference to many other lives. Being a young leader myself, I will now help groom the leaders of tomorrow!

Rashmi Rao
Executive, Indo-German Training Centre


My story begins in school; where I wrote a short article for the school weekly, a small drop box was my window to putting my thoughts in the most creative way; this small drop box has now transformed into the big canvas of Siemens Smart Infrastructure’s Corporate Management function. Over the years, I realized I was a communicator with a dream to work for an innovative organization, the opportunity came knocking at my door with one such organization that has been revolutionizing technology over 100 years – Siemens Limited! My job role allows me to be the bridge between the business and the world through content creation and communication. I am eternally grateful for the values IGTC has imparted, it has taught us to – aim for the stars while staying true to our roots.

Shreya Shah
Communications Executive, Siemens Limited.


From contemplating whether to interview with a company which required me to change my domain of expertise to admiring the people, processes and atmosphere of the company; GEP was the place to be. Over the course of my internship I executed projects given to me by the team and made it a point to gain an experience in sourcing as a function. By bid summaries to supplier management and strategic sourcing, I realised that the procurement industry was highly dynamic and strategic and that is where I wanted to be and grow. GEP has always been a people’s company and I am grateful to be part of this organization. I look back at my journey at IGTC and realize that the teachings imparted in the classroom prepared me for a corporate life at GEP.

Shweta Deshmukh
Senior Sourcing Analyst – GEP


Bajaj Allianz was my first step into the corporate world, my internship there allowed me to implement concepts like functional and emotional marketing through content creation and product sales. At IGTC I was surrounded by individuals with significant industry experience across verticals, and this gave me an opportunity to learn from them and to work with different teams on different projects thus allowing me to further build on my interpersonal skills. Working with BAGIC helped me realize that it was a people-centric organization which made me keen on continuing as a full-time employee. Due to my performance and the skills demonstrated at BAGIC, I was ecstatic when I was offered a role as Management Trainee. IGTC has helped me grow by imparting knowledge and inculcating in me the confidence to achieve this dream

Simran Gupta
Management Trainee – Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd.


German has been a part of my life since high school and working at Deutsche Bank has been a dream. I pursued my master’s degree and while working for a Financial broker, I came across IGTC and realised the road to my German Dream. Through IGTC I have seen myself grow professionally and personally. From living alone in a new city to working on a series of projects and assignment; finding opportunities to improve my analytical and soft skills. My internship at Deutsche Bank was the highlight of my experience at IGTC. The positivity and excitement at the company was infectious and this was topped with the support and guidance by our mentors. My elation increased multi-fold when I received an offer to continue working at DBOI. I want to thank IGTC for being the bridge to my dream, connecting me and my dream company.

Tanaya Dindore
Financial Analyst, Deutsche Bank of India


My journey started 13 years ago, when my father took me to VT Station to see the ‘Science Express’ organised by BASF. On the train I witnessed innovations of the future one such innovation I recall was a music system which identified songs when hummed. An hour later I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in science and one day I would work at BASF, the company responsible for my interest in science. My actions from that moment on were directed towards this goal and when I came across IGTC, I believe I had found the path. Discussions encouraged by professors along with innovative assignments transformed the way I thought. My internship at Merck Life Sciences Ltd. gave me invaluable industry experience, it allowed me to travel across the country and interact with customers. Each of these experiences helped pave the way to be selected by my dream company. I am immensely grateful to IGTC for helping me tick off the top-most item on my bucket list!

Vanalika Bhuta
GROW Trainee, BASF India Ltd.


Training with Siemens Ltd. gave me opportunities to work on diverse projects and a wider scope for learning and understanding the way businesses work. During my internship there I interacted with internal and external stakeholders for vendor development projects and this experience helped me to crack the Mercedes Benz interview for the Network Development department. I feel fortunate to be placed with Mercedes Benz as a Management Trainee and have fulfilled my dream of being a part of two most renowned German companies. Additionally by adhering and demonstrating the values of IGTC and Siemens Ltd. – Excellence, Responsible & Innovation I won the “Siemens Excellence Award”. This was truly a day to remember, “Thank you” doesn’t quite capture the magnitude of indebtedness that I have for all that IGTC has done for me.

Yashashree Borse
Management Trainee, Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd.

 

Emotions run deep when we look back at the journey of the last 18 months and IGTC is an experience that must be lived; a story that must be shared! As the batch stands at the brink of leaving IGTC, we can only urge them to break free from the shackles that constrain their minds.

We wish the graduating batch all happiness, prosperity and success; allow your dreams and ambitions to take flight and come to life!

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Against All Odds…Dreams Remain Fulfilled at IGTC!

For any management school, final placements of the graduating batch and their acceptance by the industry is the final verdict. This year, one of the biggest fears looming large was whether the students will stand true to the industry requirements, after having completed the programme almost 60% in an online format. Would the same amount of knowledge, competencies and skills be gained and demonstrated across a digital screen? It was a question that was playing on the minds of the IGTC faculty as well as management team. Through continuous class briefings, assessments, group work, and vivas; no effort was spared to ensure that the students were stretched to develop all the facets required in this ever-changing world: Intelligence, Emotional, Social and Adversity Quotients.

With this preparation, the IGTC team pumped in relentless effort to ensure that the rigorous IGTC learning journey culminated into a sustained career for every IGTCian. It was very important to maintain a transparent, fair and well-communicated process, across the 100 deserving graduating students. Morale and team-spirit had to remain high throughout all the emotional upheavals, not only posed by a tough and closed job market, but also by the severe physical and psychological impact of Covid’s 2nd wave. IGTC Director Radhieka R Mehta anchored the class together with determination, faith and positivity as they underwent a roller-coaster of experiences; a time of acceptances and rejections, failures and improvements, celebrations and disillusionments.

With the placement drive spanning from January to July 2021, IGTC stands proud of its outstanding record of having placed 92% of the students till date. This has only been possible due to an important stakeholder group: the IGTC Alumni, who not only continue to thrive and demonstrate phenomenal progress in the organizations, but also maintain true allegiance to their Alma Mater. One look at the placement statistics below will give you a perspective into the ensuing Joys@IGTC

We have achieved the unimaginable; making sure that every student is placed at the right time and at the right place. By bridging the gap between the industry – oriented curriculum and the existing skill sets of its students; IGTC has ensured that employability remains its way of life. With over 37 companies recruiting IGTCians this academic year, 65% of our students were placed either in the companies that they interned with or via the official Open Placement Process hosted by IGTC. 25% students found opportunities best suited to their candidature on their own efforts.
The placement process at IGTC commenced with Bosch Ltd. recruiting the first student. The second wave of the pandemic being at its peak in April and May placements saw a small dip in hiring process. The placement process saw a sizable intake by leading organizations like; Behr Hella Thermocontrol India, Dr. Oetker India Pvt. Ltd., Ethosh Designs, GEP, Knorr Bremse Technology Center India, LANXESS India, MothersonSumi INfotech & Designs Limited, Revergon Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Schaeffler Group, Siemens Ltd., Wuerth Industrial Services to name a few.
Our Partnering Training Organizations; Mercedes-Benz India, Siemens Ltd. and GEP, have regularly shouldered the responsibility of training and recruiting students. These organizations, not surprisingly, are among the top recruiters at IGTC having placed 17 students across various functions.
Rank Company Students
1 Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd. 7
2 Siemens Limited 6
3 GEP 4
Having studied a general management curriculum at IGTC, students have been placed in organizations across various functional areas. The most sought-after profiles have been Sales & Marketing and Supply Chain & Operations with over 60% students employed in these functions.
IGTC has also been delighted to witness the return of 2 major Partnering Training Organizations: DHL Express and BASF India Ltd. for the placement process. Both these organizations have recruited 2 of our finest students, along with being the highest paying recruiters at IGTC.
Rank Highest Packages Offered by•••
1 DHL Express
2 BASF India Ltd.
3 Deutsche Bank of India
4 BrowserStack Limited
5 Drip Capital Services India LLP
6 Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co.Ltd.

With a successful placement season approaching its finale, IGTC is deeply grateful to all its Partnering Training Organizations for their steadfast support during such uncertain times. Recognizing talent, grooming young professions and providing a cornerstone to realize their dreams; these companies have done it all. Building careers…one dream at a time!

The PGPBA Batch 2019 – 2021 will go down in the history of IGTC for its resilience and endurance; a batch that has surmounted all odds, and we can only wish them the very best as they usher in a new phase in their lives; a corporate life!

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IGTC: A Metamorphosis

“The beginning of a new month, the turn of a new leaf.  The air of learning; the time of transition and belief.”

In September 2021, German precision and excellence combined with Indian agility and innovation, marked the commencements of the two flagship programmes at IGTC.  Keeping all safety protocols in mind, the digitally and acoustically upgraded IGTC classrooms magnificently welcomed students in the physical mode, along with keeping an ongoing live-stream for the virtual audience.  

The Post-Graduate Programme in Business Administration, Batch 2021 – 2023 was inaugurated on 1st September 2021, while the Executive Business Management Programme, Batch 2021 – 2022 was inaugurated on 4th September 2021.  Both ceremonies commenced with the traditional lighting of the lamp followed by a short prayer to bless the learning journey. To ensure full participation from those on the virtual window, a provision was also instated to light the lamp virtually.  

As a part of the induction to the PGPBA Batch, faculty Dr. Anita Bandyopadhyay engaged the students to understand faculty expectations from the batch. The simple hand clasp exercise highlighted that life was about to change and that change makes one uncomfortable and uneasy. Acceptance and a vision of new order will enable the class to readily accept challenges. In the second exercise, she placed various images on the floor in a spiral form. Students had a look at all the cards and pick 1 that they resonated the most with, in terms of their current feeling. Post which students were asked to talk personally with their batch mates and share why they selected the picture, how they felt and what has worked out for them in their life till date? This helped the students to understand each other better.  

In the last activity, she explained the IGTC Spirit and Values though the concept of ‘when you flip two negatives, you get a positive’. Negative actions were to be deleted and final positive actions to be adopted were penned down by 12 groups on 24 colourful hexagonal cut-outs. The placement of these cut-outs resulted in the shape of a beautiful butterfly.  Dr. Anita explained that the process of change will result in a lot of struggle, challenges and transformation, much like a butterfly undergoing metamorphosis.  The IGTC journey is replete with ups and down, and constant pressure just like the larva in the cocoon.  But finally, the promise is that they will all emerge and transform into butterflies.

As a part of the welcome to the EBMP Batch, IGCC Director General Stefan Halusa emphasized on the seniority of the IGTC faculty and the richness of content that makes him long to be student again.  Faculty, Shuaib Fakih, Dr. Harkant Mankad, Dr. Suhas Rane and Rajeev Chawla also addressed the incoming managers and congratulated them on their decision to adopt a student life amid the bustling corporate life.  The inauguration was followed by the first Economics lecture delivered by Dr. Harkant Mankad, who took the batch through the history of global economics. 

 

With the hustle of students, managers and faculty back in class, the charm of IGTC is now back at its peak. With continuous learning and engagement, we hope that the nexus of knowledge, behaviour, skill and challenges fosters the educational environment further. We wish the new learners continued support and success during their journey at IGTC.

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Dedication – Reflection – Celebration

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try

Between the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020, a group of 100 PGPBA students and 41 EBMP Pune managers took on the roles of learners at IGTC. An unrestrained journey; involving constant changes of various degrees at IGTC, collaborating with peers, exploring new perspectives and learning from their mistakes; they were really confronted with the precipice of life. However, with sheer resilience, they have truly evolved.

41 managers of EBMP Pune Batch 2020 scaled mountains to finally reach the academic summit on 3rd August 2021 at the Oxford Gold Resort, Pune. For the Certificate Awarding Ceremony, faculty Dr. Anita Bandyopadhyay engaged the graduating managers to reminisce their academic journey. She used a tree as a metaphor and symbol of growth and advancement to represent their experience with various dimensions encountered during the programme.

  • The roots symbolise IGTC as an institute; the heart, soul and strength.
  • The soil represents the IGTC Team; the anchors and nurturers.
  • The trunk signifies the EBMP; the fortress and support system. 
  • The leaves embody the Faculty; the builders and drivers.
  • The flowers denote fellow IGTCians; the learners and troublemakers.

The other prominent messages coming out of this activity included transformation, challenges, friendship, lifelong learning to capture a few. The highlight of the ceremony was the Victory Drum Circle: a Drum – Strum – Hum session, where the rhythm of the beating drums, the metallic jingle of the tambourine and the roars of joys marked their triumphant voyage.

The Post-Graduate Programme in Business Administration

Close to 70 students gathered personally at the Hotel Intercontinental, Mumbai while the rest joined online on Saturday, 7th August 2021 to witness the culmination of their 18-month PGPBA journey.  With over 97% placed, every student’s face told a different story: stories of successes, triumphs, growth and hope for a brighter future.  While all of them were overjoyed to finally receive their graduation degrees, the greatest underlying emotion was euphoria to meet their peers, faculty and the IGTC team.

The ceremony included the distribution of awards to the various student recipients: 

  • IGCC’s Dr. Günter Kruger Award for Excellence to Rashmi Rao and Yashashree Borse
  • Siemens’s Excellence Award to Ronak Contractor and Yashashree Borse
  • Bayer’s Championing Success Award to Mrunali Jadhav, Rashmi Rao and Vanalika Bhuta
  • BASF’s Award for Business Ethics and Corporate Governance to Durgesh Kaushik

IGTC in its most personalized ceremonies invited the esteemed faculty to be Chief Guests, and give out the truly deserved certificates and trophies. The pride on the face of every PGPBA student and EBMP manager donning a cap and a gown was a sight to behold.  

From engaging presentations in class to asking whether their voices are audible on zoom, the two batches have come a long way. The journey of the two batches ended here on an emotional yet cheerful note. The bond, affection and love continues forever.  We wish all the students and mangers every success on their continued personal and corporate journeys.

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IGTC Alumni Talks: An Electric Horse Meets a Diesel Dinosaur

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Henry Ford

Necessity often drives inventions, whereas imagination is the crucible for innovations. Today we are witness to a whole new phenomenon of Electric Horses galloping alongside traditional cars. Soon, these new Electric Horses will be operable as smoothly as the Next Gen Smartphone – intelligence and intuitive.

At IGTC we aspire to be phenomenal in everything we do and achieve. To carry on our spirit of real world learning, our host and Director, Radhieka Mehta invited our Alumni Mr. Magesh Srinivasan of Batch 1998-2000 to present his worldview on the upcoming Connected Car & Future Mobility industry. We had close to 130 participants of IGTC students and the alumni body.

With a unique topic: ‘An Electric Horse Meets a Diesel Dinosaur’, the story of the past, present and the future of mobility, found a curious and engaged audience amongst us.  The discussions centered around the theme of ‘The Next Mobile is The Automobile’. This concept enraptured the audience and Magesh enthusiastically explained the basics of a software-defined car and highlighted the key insights for the benefit of the participants.

The In-Vehicle and Closed Loop Architecture: The mechatronic car of yesterday comprised assembled sub-systems represented by the acronym BICEPS: Body, Interior, Chassis, Electronics, Powertrain and Software was added recently to indicate the evolution of software defined vehicle platforms.  As explained during the discussions, this new breed of software defined vehicles are evolving to mimic the Smartphone App ecosystem, that can be configured remotely via OTA (over-the-air) updates on in-vehicle embedded intelligence.

Branded Connected Services: Connected Cars, Trucks, Buses, 3-Wheelers, 2-Wheelers are increasing adopting TCUs (telecommunication control units) with built-in GPS modules that enable bi-directional flow of data between the Cloud to the Edge (vehicle). This provides opportunities to create, capture ad deliver value through Connected Service offerings to B2B and B2C use cases across all market verticals. Therefore, differentiation of vehicle OEM brands has shifted from hardware-based feature benefits to connected services-based delivery of unique experiences that enable real time and dynamic customer value. OEMs are transforming their Digital capabilities akin that of Google, Apple, Amazon, Uber, Facebook and Ola.

Business Model Innovation: Future of mobility and its growth is driven by Planet Action and the need to actualize Zero Carbon Footprint in human society. This will usher the need for integrated Multimodal Smart Mobility Solutions to move people and products from point ‘A’ to ‘B’. Furthermore, OEMs are likely to offer ‘product as a service’ to allow adoption of ‘pay per use’ and ‘pay per month’ subscription based service oriented mobility services that will ensure comprehensive fulfillment of mobility needs across B2B and B2C segments of the market. This will involve OEMs creating an ecosystem of collaboration with Insurance, Financial and Banking organizations to deliver a reliable connected experience: 24x7x365.

Q&A Session Highlights: 

Dr. Harkant Mankad asked about, the long-term impact of the ‘Diesel Dinosaur’ going extinct. Disruption is Nature’s way to create new from the old, the 130-year auto industry is transforming into a software platform driven Future Mobility organizations said Magesh.

Another question that stood out was the challenge that faced this ‘electric horse’ and what should it be wary of?  Unsurprisingly, the answer was the Big 5 tech giants. As Steve Bank mentioned, “It’s worth noting that everything – from the Internet to electric cars, genomic sequencing, mobile apps, and social media – was pioneered by startups, not existing companies.” This monopoly is both threatening and currently sheltering the newer waves of change.

Thus, with its challenges and its work all cut out for it, the automation revolution is set to find its way to the automobile industry. What eases this change? What greases its wheels? How much turbulence can we expect? As we progress further on this journey, we find out more about just how suited this ‘faster’ electric horse is to gallop ahead in the 21st Century.

Article contributions:

Magesh Srinivasan, IGTC Alumni 1998 – 2000

Anjani Miglani, IGTC PGPBA Student Batch 2021 – 2023

Nikhil Anandsekar, IGTC PGPBA Student Batch 2021 – 2023

Follow Magesh on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqfKefAlHMt8QdDkm5VgoyQ

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Learning Beyond the Classroom

The German Dual System of Education has been the cornerstone of the IGTC Post-Graduate Programme in Business Administration (PGPBA). Internships, whether physical or virtual, play a significant role in the PGPBA curriculum, as the joint educational responsibility is shouldered by our Partnering Training Organizations in grooming young management talent into Corporate-Ready Professionals. Students gain an exposure to the organizational culture as well as magnified learning and networking opportunities.

After 4 months of intense curriculum at IGTC, the students proceeded for their 1st Practical Training Term from January to March 2021. Here are some sharings of their experiences:

“Integrating lean principles into digital transformation helps achieve radical simplification of the process. As an intern in Bosch Automotive Electronics India Private Ltd, I worked in the Strategic Planning team to study Inventory Visualization, Capacity Planning and set up appropriate standards for the processes. The current analogue process was converted to digital solutions to reduce the man-hours required.

The daily routine at BOSCH, starting with GEMBA walks, helped me to observe the shop floor’s operational reality, and allowed me to raise the relevant questions and work with the team on process optimization. I learnt one prime principle of operation management: Of course, data is important, but place the greater emphasis on facts.”

Chetan Chaudhari, Bosch Automotive Electronics India Private Ltd

“In my first internship, I was tasked with data analysis and market research about sales productivity. With the help of Visual Analytics tools learnt at IGTC, I was able to analyse and present the data to my reporting manager in the most effective way. It helped me to know my organization more deeply especially in terms of its products, the various functions and the operational branches. It also helped me to strengthen my analytical skills. In return, it also benefited the organization as they could draw out the volume of sales according to regions from the data submitted by me.”

Rahul Nair, Bayer India Pvt Ltd.

“I had the privilege of working with a team of financial professionals in the Accounting Close department supporting Private Bank Clients for Germany Head Office. I gained a profound understanding of daily cash and bank Monitoring, external audit support for disclosures process in term of preparing a summary of disclosure under IFRS and HGB GAAP and sharing working file with auditors.
I was also responsible for preparing Master Key Operating Processes for various disclosures as per International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This was a novel task and served as an interesting learning for me.”

Shriya Kansara, DBOI Global Services Private Ltd.

“In today’s marketing era, products are designed and manufactured based on customer’s feedback. Post marketing surveys help us understand the proper positioning of products. As an intern at B|Braun Ltd, I conducted a market survey for a comparatively newer concept in the IV Fluids market, Balanced Crystalloids. My learnings from B2B Marketing and Business Communication helped me to establish the right network with the organizations’ clients and vendors. My learnings from Research Methodology and Market Research came to test while collecting and presenting the data to my mentor. This helped the company to understand the scope of IV Fluids in the market and the perception of the product in the minds of the doctors.”

Kanira Patel, B|Braun Medical India Pvt. Ltd.

“At Siemens, I was entrusted with packaging supplier transformation, by connecting new packaging suppliers, searching different vendor bases and raising Requests for Quotations (RFQs). I could communicate professionally with the new and existing suppliers to enhance the business network. It built my confidence and also helped the organisation source new suppliers. The practical exposure of Supply Chain Management helped me to relate further to the subject at IGTC in Term II. The different concepts such as Kraljic Model, Quality, Price and Service ratings have further enriched my knowledge and experience.”

Shambhavi Chalke, Siemens Ltd.

“In the Sales and Product Development department, I had the opportunity to explore the North-Eastern market, spanning Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya, for the road construction equipment of the organization. I learned how to approach the right audience, the art of selling, showcasing appropriate market information, building and valuing new connections. The expectation was to gain a sense of the market and the positioning of its competitors along with assimilating as much knowledge as possible without worrying about targets.”

Siddhesh Phulaware, Wirtgen India Pvt. Ltd.

With every Partnering Training Organization giving their respective trainee the best corporate exposure, the students learnt to make the most of their most valuable internship experience, despite the pandemic. By learning and training under business mentors, the German Dual Education System flourished to give great benefits to both, the students and the organizations.

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