Avant-Garde

Avant-Garde, from old French, literally means vanguard. In today's context, it is symbolic of a unit which is innovative and is ahead of the masses.

Organised by the Corporate Interface Team at SIBM Pune, Avant-Garde is a series of guest lectures and case study discussions by those who have been the driving forces of the new-age revolution in India. The event aims to capture some of the game-changing innovations that have transformed the business environment in Indian markets; it aims to bring forth those innovations that will drive the future of our nation, as also the world, tomorrow.

SIBM Pune inaugurated Avant-Garde on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 with an interaction with two stalwarts from Godrej Industries, Ms. Nisaba Godrej, President, Human Capital & Innovation and Mr. Vivek Gambhir, Chief Strategic Officer. The topic for the discussion was ‘Design, Innovation and Godrej.’

Mr. Gambhir discussed at length the different categories of innovation and the taking of innovative ideas from mind to market. He gave interesting examples of companies achieving success by innovating in the marketplace and also of companies who have failed with their innovations. This gave the students a lot of food for thought on the importance of being innovative in business today.

Ms. Nisaba Godrej then spoke on the “Ten Best Practices” being followed at Godrej Industries to drive innovation at Godrej. She also presented an interesting case study on the innovative ideas executed by Godrej to target the hair colour market. The session concluded with an engaging question and answer session where the students interacted with the two business leaders and gained valuable insights from them.

Next on the roster were innovation artists from Marketing Unplugged, Mr.SumanSrivastava, Mr. Saad Khan and Ms. Saloni Singh. They addressed the students on the topic “Principles of Marketing 3.0”, the objective of which is to meet the emotional and rational needs of consumers by asking marketers to think like a consumer for the consumer. Even at the close of Avant-Garde 2011, the Corporate Interface Team will continue to bring many more pioneers of innovation to SIBM Pune.