Gurugram, Jun 16 (IANS): Addressing the joint annual Convocation Ceremony of Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon and Murshidabad, as the chief guest, Sanjiv Mehta, CEO and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever limited, urged the graduating students to temper ambition with humility.
"Humility is intertwined with ambition," Mehta said. "I call it humbition."
In the Convocation Ceremony, 514 students from various PGDM programmes and eight Fellow Scholars of MDI Gurgaon received their diplomas. Twenty-four medals were awarded to meritorious students of different courses. From MDI Murshidabad, 132 students from the PGDM 2020-22 batch were conferred their diplomas.
In his address, Mehta exhorted the students to be brave and act right.
"Always do the harder right than the easier wrong," Mehta said. "When the crowd goes one way, you have the right to go the other way."
He advised the students to not fear failures in life.
"What matters is the resilience you demonstrate to bounce back from failures," Mehta said.
Stating that ordinary people do extraordinary things, he said: "This is the power of purpose."
Even as it marks its 50th Foundation Year, MDI Gurgaon, ranked among the top 10 B-schools in India, is set to implement an over Rs 200-crore campus rejuvenation and expansion plan.
Addressing the Convocation Ceremony, Rajnish Kumar, Member of the MDI Board of Governors, said that MDI Gurgaon is focused on redevelopment of its campus with best-in-class infrastructure.
"The Board has approved a Rs 200 crore-plus Campus Rejuvenation Plan to expand the campus and create state-of-the-art infrastructure," he stated in his welcome address. "The proposed construction plan is going to start shortly. A large Sustainability Plan is being discussed to become a green campus complying with the best global standards."
Kumar said that as MDI celebrates its Golden Jubilee, it is now focusing on expanding to other parts of the country as well
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rajesh Chakrabarti, Director of MDI Gurgaon, said that the Institute has reached an agreement with the selected architects to add to and upgrade the campus significantly.
Alluding to the 2022 placement season, Dr. Chakrabarti, in his Director's Report, said that MDI Gurgaon continued to be the institute of choice for newly minted talent.
"You will be glad to know that MDI Gurgaon again achieved a 100 percent placement record," he informed the gathering. "A total of 87 organisations, including 35 new ones, recruited students from MDI Gurgaon."
Dr. Chakrabarti added that the highest salary offered this time was Rs. 1.14 crore while the average salary recorded was Rs. 23.50 lakh.
In his Director's Report, Dr. Atmanand, Director of MDI Murshidabad, said that his Institute is collaborating with institutions of excellence worldwide in order to conduct joint research, programmes, and conferences.
Dr. Atmanand said that his Institute concluded a phenomenally spectacular final placement for the batch of 2020-22 in record time.
"This year, the increase in the average package, new recruiters, and forays into newer industry segments were quite visible and remarkable," he said. "The Institute welcomed 34 new recruiters who onboarded our students in varied industry domains."