Eventbuzz
Global HR guru to attend congress

INDIAN business leaders will have a rare opportunity to interact with human resource guru Lynda Gratton, associate professor of management practice, London Business School, at the three-day World HRD Congress 2006, to open in Mumbai on February 2.

Describing the event as ‘the largest rendezvous of HR professionals in the country’, organising committee chairman A K Khandelwal said more than 1,000 delegates from 31 countries would deliberate at the event.

Stating that the HR issue was poised to become the key differentiator for the success of a corporate house, he said the event was meant for provoking thinking, encourgaing interaction and providing direction to the HR community, Chief Executive Officers and those who manage operations.

"India draws focus from all across the world for its quality of HR. But, days are not too far when Indian companies will have foreign CEOs," Khandelwal said, adding the time has come for India to look at the issue with utmost care.

"Finance no longer poses a bigger challenge for the corporate success. It is human resource, ahead of technology, on which future success of corporates will depend upon," he said.

The event will help organisations to prepare and re-position themselves for the 21st century requirement, thinking and working culture, Khandelwal said. — PTI

ISB hosts social venture contest

The Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, hosted the Asia Semi Finals for the prestigious Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) recently. The GSVC is a business plan competition that provides a global forum for student entrepreneurs to showcase groundbreaking social ventures.`A0

The GSVC began in 1999 as a student-led initiative at the Haas School of Business in Berkeley, California, USA. The partners who run GSVC are the Haas School of Business, the Columbia Business School, the London Business School, and the Goldman Sachs Foundation. Last year, the ISB was invited to be the International Affiliate of GSVC. This partnership works to bring together the academic and financial worlds to support the creation of sustainable social ventures.

The Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurial Development (WCED) at the ISB has promoted the competition in the Asian countries, in the run-up to the event. Professor V Chandrasekar, Executive Director of the WCED, said, "We have received as many as 66 registrations from various Asian countries such as the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Australia, and India. We are proud to be the International Affiliate for GSVC, and are delighted to host the first-ever Asia Semi Finals for the competition this year. We plan to carry this forward, and host this event every year."

After a preliminary evaluation at the ISB, 16 business plans were shortlisted for the semi-final.`A0 The panel of judges included Sara Olsen (SVT Consulting), who first took the initiative to launch GSVC as a Haas student.

"We want to create a new generation of social entrepreneurs. We want these chosen leaders to understand that a social enterprise can benefit society, and be professionally and personally rewarding as well," said Professor Chandrasekar.

The finals will be held at the Columbia Business School. — TNS