The Third Edition of Mahindra Mentors Summit for the doyens of Indian Trucking Concludes at IIMA

22 Transport Industry veterans. Representing 11 & 10 load segments / applications. Owning nearly 3500 trucks. With combined turnover of over Rs. 1100 crores. Employing over 2600 people - MPOWERed at IIM, Ahmedabad.

In keeping with our philosophy of driving positive change in the lives of our customers and various constituents of road transport ecosystem, MTBD had initiated a unique and pioneering step in this direction in 2014. This was based on the feedback of young MPOWER delegates, who often tell us,

“We wish our papa/ mentor is brought here to IIMA for a similar course… it will help us implement our learnings of MPOWER even better!”

The third edition of the 3 days Mentors Summit program concluded at IIMA on 8^th April, 2017. Featuring the veterans, the mentors (papas, uncles and partners) of MPOWER delegates – all of whom are either our customers or our prospects and are basically the who’s who of Indian Transport. The objective of the program, as epitomized by the quote of Mr. Mahindra above, is:

·         Develop an agenda for further professionalization of Indian Transport through a gathering of industry veterans.

·         Facilitate the mentors of Indian Transport to guide and enable their protégés to take charge of the business.

Mahindra MPOWER MENTORSSUMMIT is intended to help industry veterans to take their business to even greater heights by empowering their protégés. Broadly, the agenda of the conclave will revolve around: overview of the transport industry, decision areas and challenges in the trucking sector, managing family business, knowing your leadership style, succession planning and delegation and, attracting investments in transport business. This summit of transport veterans was held at IIM, Ahmedabad from 6th April to 8th April 2017. Below is a picture from the event:

Introductions and context setting (self) and welcome address (Prof. Debjit)

Overview of trucking sector by Prof. G. Raghuram

Prof. G. Raghuram who is one of the MPOWER program mentors (recently took charge of IIM Bangalore as Director) took a session on overview of trucking through video conference.  Professor G. Raghuram spoke about the “Overview, Decision Areas and Challenges in the Trucking Sector” and the need to professionalize the transport sector and how we (they) as transporters could be a part of this value chain. He stressed that road transport is very critical for us at a macro level and making it an organized sector would only mean better supply chain management and logistics framework, thus inducing more prospects to the Transport Industry.

Macro-economic scenario and effect of GST – by V.G. Ramakrishnan

V.G. Ramakrishnan who is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Avanteum Advisor LLP, shared his views on GST and effects on current scenario which was very relevant to the mentors.  Points like – India’s potential to reach a growth rate of 8.0 percent over next 5 years and demonetization leading to a slowdown of industry sector which is more likely to bounce back in FY 2018, were discussed. The session was crisp and to the point which mentors much appreciated. 

Future Technologies from BS IV to BS VI by Dr. Venkat Srinivasan

Dr. Venkat leveraged the new media technologies to connect with mentors - video conferencing from Pune to IIM Ahmedabad. Dr. Venkat shared his views on future technologies i.e. BS IV to BS VI. And, reflected upon how technology can play a vital role in transportation business.

                                      

Experience sharing by the mentors

Professor Debjit Roy using the Q&A format as an ice-breaker to conduct the ‘experience sharing’ session by the mentors that opened animated and healthy discussions. Discussions revolved around ‘challenges that a transporter faces in his business’. 

Panel discussions

Panel discussion between the ex-MPOWER delegates and the mentors. The participants share their learnings and experiences post MPOWER and the challenges they faced in implementing these learnings. The discussion was facilitated by Professor Debjit. He prompted the mentors to share their views and provide amicable/win-win solutions to resolve issues faced by their protégés.

The panel included 7 MPOWER delegates:

Rishab Gandhi - Raman Roadways

Mukta Adityaraj Shah - Shree Hatkeshwara Cargo Movers

Rochak Gupta - RCI Logistics Pvt. Ltd.

Mayank Laul - LTC Logistics Private Limited

Nimit Jalan - Sri Roadlines

Younus M - Jeeth Trucks Private Limited and

Shashank Shamsunder Makkar - Embee Road Services Private Ltd.

Mr. Nalin Mehta’s presence added luster to the networking dinner for mentors where the stalwarts of this industry exchanged their views and learnings, and networked with each other in an informal environ. Mr. Sachin Nijhawan – Business Head – Construction Equipment – Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, also graced the occasion. 

Highlights of the final day - lectures on Leadership and Organisation Behaviour and, IT Enablement followed by a feedback session and valedictory ceremony.

The much-awaited valedictory ceremony

Mentors Summit remains MTBD’s pioneering and unique initiative to spread LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE in Indian Transport ecosystem for fleet owners. We are confident that this will not only help us gain and retain a high share of mind of our customers and prospects but will also help us achieve our volume and market share objectives.