It’s
not very often that students from B Schools get to interact with industry
stalwarts with over three decades of experience. But that’s exactly what
happened during the Industry Institute Interface (III) session held recently at
SCMS Cochin School of Business. Students had an opportunity to listen to and
gain from the experiences of Mr. Prem Kumar, CEO of
Eastern Condiments. And needless to say they utilized this opportunity to the
fullest.
Eastern
Condiments is one of the biggest brands in Kerala and as the CEO of the
company, Mr. Kumar works towards building its reputation further. An MBA
graduate with 33 years of experience in Sales & Marketing, he has worked in
different industry sectors including Trade & Rural Marketing, Training
& General Management. He has also worked with several global brands like Gillette,
Horlicks, Aquafresh, Panadol, Lucozade and Ribena, Sundrop and Dainik Bhaskar.
Hence it
was only natural that there was a lot to gain from his experiences, which is
one of the major aims of these sessions in the first place. They are designed
to ensure that students get an exposure to real industry dealings and trends,
which broadens their horizons to a great extent. Mr. Kumar on his part did just
that by offering students insight into the secrets of sales and marketing. “You
have to make a difference. Secondly, you have to understand your consumers,
only then will you be able to convince them,” he said.
Mr. Kumar
talked about his own experiences with different noteworthy brands he has worked
with and helped students understand the difference between classrooms and real
world corporate life. He also stressed on the fact that the time of academic
learning was important for students and they should make the most out of it.
“Quantitative skills are important and you need to understand the business
environment as well. That means you have to get your basics right and now is
the best time to do that,” he emphasized.
As Mr.
Kumar was talking of his own journey from a management student to a successful
corporate professional, his words resonated with the gathering and had a deep
impact. But he reminded the students that their personal life journey was of
importance too. “You need to build on your skills and evolve every day to
change the environment we are living in. Communication and storytelling are two
important aspects of management and they can only be learned through personal
life journey,” he said thoughtfully.
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