D. Shivkumar – MD & VP Nokia India

D. Shivkumar is IIM Calcutta’s successful man of the year. He was one the prominent alumni at the ‘Batch of 84’s Alumni re-union and has now spoken at what is surely one the highlights of “Reverberations”, Intaglio’s guest speaker series. Shivkumar chose ‘Answers in an uncertain world’ Intalgio’s theme for this year and showed us what 25 years of experience gets you – sharp insight into the business world combined with an unmatched level of articulation. Uncertainly is not risk, Shivkumar said, and harped on the point that it is uncertainty that creates opportunities for growth.   As he addressed an enthralled and packed auditorium, members of audience left with one tangible takeaway – the state of the business world today, fraught as it is with uncertainties is a huge opportunity for future business leaders; its only disguising itself as a challenge.

JokaTimes talked to some students after the keynote speech and this is what they had to say:

“I think everyone thought it was a brilliant presentation, he definitely has stage presence and that made the address even better!” – Sriram, PGP2

“One of the key things was that he spoke from an industry perspective rather than just a Nokia perspective, and that was really good” – Anand, PGP2

A bus down memory lane

When D.Shivkumar got down from the bus outside IIM Calcutta’s main gate he achieved two things. First, he relived dusty memories of old times as a student at Joka when he would take the famous Calcutta buses with batchmates. Secondly, he made a point. In supporting Intaglio’s green theme this year, Shivkumar told us that it’s never too late to change our habits. Every little drop saved, every unit of electricity conserved and every mile walked makes a difference to our world. We at Intaglio thank Shivkumar by planting a sapling in his name. You too can support Intaglio in this initiative by taking a bus to come to SBI Quizzical, Intaglio’s flagship quiz event and plant a sapling to take another small step to protecting our planet. Large, policy level decisions at the global scale take remarkable tact and determination as the Copenhagen summit has shown. But following in Shivkumar’s footsteps requires only a bus ticket!

Click here for an interview with Mr. D.  Shivakumar