The 2nd IISM HR Conclave

IISM hosted the 2^nd HR Conclave on 28 February 2020 on the campus. This annual meet brings people of sports industry on one platform to discuss the HR-specific issues that exist in the evolving sector of sports. The event was attended by industry professionals from more than 50 renowned organizations.

We invited esteemed speakers to touch upon their experiences of working in India’s sports industry and the HR-specific challenges faced and tackled by them over the years. Stalwarts like Mr. Ashish Chauhan, CEO- Bombay Stock Exchange, Mr. Syed Saba Karim, GM, Cricket Operations- BCCI, Ms. Mamta S., Senior Manager-HR, DNA Entertainment Networks, Mr. Shamik Shah, AGM- Sports For All & Ms. Shruti Mishra Senior Manager, People & Organization- Puma Sports India Pvt. Ltd were the speakers at the Conclave. They focused on the way forward for the Sports industry, in terms of managing human resources.

The host for the event, Mr. Devendra Prabhudesai, Head- Corporate Relations, IISM, let the conclave set in motion with his welcome speech.

Mr. Nilesh Kulkarni, Founder Director- IISM, addressed the audience and emphasized on the need for having platforms like the HR Conclave. He cited that this conclave is an initiative to create awareness in the industry and the space pertaining the business side of sports in India. Sports is a sunrise sector in India and is evolving rapidly. With the advent of multiple leagues, sports events and aligned organizations the sports sector awaits competent professionals. With this, there is a need to shift the sphere from unstructured to structured to streamline the sports sector.

The first speaker of the conclave was Mr. Ashish Chauhan, MD & CEO- Bombay Stock Exchange. He apprised his journey of being IT Head at Reliance and Mr. Mukesh Ambani entrusting him for being in charge of IPL team- Mumbai Indians. Addressing on the challenges faced by him, he encouraged the budding sports managers to be prepared to face the adversities and accept challenges that come their way.

Ms. Mamta S., Senior HR Manager- DNA Networks, was the second speaker. She shared her experience of coming from a corporate sector to sports sector, which is ‘a work in progress’ to be a fully organized sector. DNA networks is a sportainment company. Ms. Mamata stated that there are three levels of challenges faced by the company- Environmental, Organizational and Employee level which are addressed with requisite solutions. She also stated that to acquire right talent for the right work we collaborate with institutes like IISM to achieve the best results.

The third speaker, Mr. Shamik Shah, AGM- Sports For All, highlighted that The Government is taking new steps towards the development of sport in India. Moreover, there is an increase in the investments in sports which will contribute tremendously for its development. He emphasized that there is a need for having Sports Management professionals at grassroots level for an overall development of the sector. Mr. Shamik encouraged the future sports managers to avoid having a pessimistic approach and have faith in themselves while accomplishing their tasks.

Ms. Shruti Mishra, Sr. Manager- People & Organization- Puma Sports India Pvt Ltd, was a mechanical engineer who landed herself in to retail & sales sector. She shared the journey of Puma rising from 40 to 1300 employees. Ms. Shruti emphasized that Puma ensures that its employees are glued together as human resources help an organization achieve its goal.

Mr. Dhanraj Pillay, Indian Hockey Legend, cited that, ‘during my playing days there was no professionalism in terms of Management as well as business of sport. All that we knew was to hold the hockey stick and start playing. I believe it’s just because of professionalism that numerous leagues are developing and business side of Sports is evolving. A lot of brands sponsor a lot of at athletes which showcases faith in Indian sport and growth in professionalism.’

Mr. Syed Saba Karim, GM- Cricket Operations- BCCI, appreciated Mr. Nilesh Kulkarni for training sports management professionals who will raise the graph of Indian sports sector. He mentioned that the biggest stakeholders of Indian cricket are the fans, Cricket associations, Media & Government agencies. Mr. Saba Karim stated that sports is developing rapidly and it is going to be a major industry in the future.

Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, Sr. Cricket Administrator, apprised that BCCI is different than the other sporting federations and bodies because the founders of BCCI took firm decision that it will be an autonomous body and will not come under government. under many situations they didn’t have money but they never went to government for the same. People assume that BCCI is a rich body but they aren’t aware about the struggles faced by BCCI. The board has gone through adversities and after constant effort it is where it stands today.

The Conclave ended with a Vote of Thanks by Mr. Amit Gupte, COO, IISM.