00:27I
00:29receive this honor with absolute humility. An award may bear one's person's names but every achievement is the result of
00:40many hands and many hearts working together. I therefore dedicate this recognition to my colleagues at Martha's City Fund, to
00:49my family and to every employee whose dedication, integrity and commitment have strengthened our institution over
00:58the years. I feel particularly honored because this award carries the name of Professor Jay Phillip, a legendary management educator
01:08and institution builder who believed that education should produce leaders with confidence, character and compassion.
01:18His life reminds us that institutions become great not because of infrastructure but because of the values they uphold and
01:27the people they nurture.
01:29Our generation is witnessing transformation at an unimaginable pace. Artificial intelligence is redefining industries. Automation is changing workplaces. Digital technologies
01:45are transforming customer expectations.
01:48business models are evolving by the day. Knowledge has become available instantly. In such a world, management education cannot remain
01:59confined to classrooms or textbooks.
02:02If education prepares students only for today's jobs, it has already fallen behind. Education must prepare students for tomorrow's challenges,
02:14many of which we cannot even foresee today. That requires visionary leadership and this does not predict the future but
02:23they prepare people to succeed in it.
02:26One lesson I have learned during my professional journey is that no institution can remain successful merely because of its
02:35glorious past. Every institution must continuously evolve. At Martha's City, we have always believed that embracing change is essential for
02:46sustaining excellence.
02:47Today we are investing in digital transformation, enterprise-wide technology platforms, artificial intelligence and process improvements not because technology is
03:00fashionable but because our customers deserve faster, better and more transparent services. Technology should never replace people but empower them.
03:13When technology is combined with human values, organizations get stronger. This is equally true for educational institutions. The classroom of
03:26the future will not be limited by four walls. Learning will become continuous, collaborative and technology enabled.
03:37As it was mentioned, I was about 30 years when my father-in-law said I would be the managing
03:45director of the company which was already 30 plus years. And the company was about 12 branches then and with
03:53100 crores turnover.
03:54But I knew that this company had the potential and it could be leveraged and what it needed is somebody
04:02who is focused and good leadership. So I imagined this company could achieve 10,000 crores turnover and that it
04:12could build a network of 250 branches in the year 1995.
04:17So one needs to have imagination, one needs to dream bigger if you want to achieve something in life.
