Inaugural BMI session held on 26 June 2019 – Thiru K. Pandiarajan, Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture
Why a Corporate Leader should become Political Leader
LIBA debates in its Talk Series
Honourable Minister Thiru K Pandiarajan, Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, on 26TH June 2019, spoke to the students and faculty of LIBA, on the merit of corporate leaders becoming political leaders. Inaugurating LIBA’s most popular Talk Series titled Beyond Management Initiative (BMI) for the academic year 2019-2020, the Minister presented a captivating narrative about his life journey of entrepreneurship. From being an ordinary boy of Vilampatti village to becoming India’s most successful head of HR outsourcing company, MaFoi, the road he trekked provided the audience with perceptive insights on the theme of BMI inaugural: “Corporate Management and Political Leadership – Will the Twain Ever Meet?”
Earlier, Fr Joe Arun, SJ, Director of LIBA explained the intent of BMI series and the rationale behind the choice of theme. He wanted the MBA students to think of becoming political leaders that would transform a nation. The gap between politics and business must be narrowed down, he said, by learning from each other. The BMI series, he insisted, should serve as a platform to present creative as well as critical ideas that kindle the fire in every student to envision a future.
Taking a cue from the Director’s introduction, the Minister asked the students to go beyond MBA studies to become leaders who would be able to “see the unseen, articulate the unarticulated.” His journey from corporate leadership to political leadership, he argued, gave a huge power and greater opportunities to make good use of corporate leadership skills in politics that has been transformative. Citing the example of Aam Aadmi Party and Makkal Maiyam he invited the students to see founding a political party as starting a business enterprise and they should make a difference in the lives of people.