XLRI conducted its first sustainability and ethics-themed debate on a virtual platform. The Fr. McGrath Memorial Debate is an initiative by the XLRI batch of 1985-87. The event was organized in association with Fr Arrupe Centre for Ecology and Sustainability (FACES) and PEACE, a student group responsible for promoting sustainable and environmental conservation practices in XLRI.
The event witnessed C K Venkataraman, managing director, Titan Company Limited as the keynote speaker. He addressed the young leaders, highlighting the importance of responsible leadership in business.
The debate presented an opportunity for young turks to showcase their awareness underlined by their leadership prowess to the masters-of-business across industries. The winners of the Debate would be given a chance to spend time with industry-leading CXOs and imbibe sustainable leadership's greatness.
XLRI, under the directorship of Fr. McGrath, became what it is today - a pioneer of business ethics and managerial communication studies in India.
In the light of short-term orientation and intense competition, ethics and sustainability often take a backseat. For responsible businesses, it is imperative to look after the triple bottom line. Hence, to expose young leaders and youth to these aspects of the business, we brought for you this debating event on the theme: Be a responsible leader for the greater good.
With the best talent picked from across 40 colleges and more than 180 participants, the top 16 teams were seen competing in the semi-finals round. From this pool, four winning teams emerged to compete in a debate in the finals (structure similar to that of the semi-finals) adjudicated by industry stalwarts and previous debaters from the XLRI batch of 1985-87 and professors in the field of business ethics and sustainability.
The finale was contested between 4 teams from IIM Kozhikode, IIFT Delhi, IIM Trichy and SPJIMR, Mumbai.
The debate was won by the duo of Vignesh Kamath and Sukriti Jhingta from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode in the closely contested finale with Mohammad Salman Hossain and Syeda Farheen Fatima from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai taking the runners up spot. Maya Nagasunder from XLRI, Jamshedpur, was declared as the best individual performer.
