SJIM conducted the annual HR conclave on 8th February 2023. The conclave was held as a round table discussion on “Developing Agile Succession Planning and Diversifying the Bench”.

The panellists for the event wereMr Winston A de Rosario, Director - Global Head of People and Culture at Sliq, MsRituChaubey, Human Resource Director at CommScope, Mr Mathew Joseph, Associate Director Human Resources at Biocon Biologics&MrDileep Chandra, Talent Acquisition Head at HP India.The Director, Rev Dr Manoj Dsouza, welcomed the guests and the gathering with a speech that laid emphasis on inclusivity and diversity not just being a moral obligation but a code of conduct for which SJIM strongly stands on. Mr Winston spoke on how succession planning is very different in startups as there will be a single person as HR who would control the entire operation and the need for hiring competitive personnel who are fully capable to step up when required. Mr Dileep Chandra talked about the main challenges faced in creating agility with respect to the Indian context. The negative perceptions associated with identifying a successor and repercussions along with it. MsRituChaubeygave her insights on the issues faced in the Indian private sector during succession planning and comparisons with the widely practised lateral hiring process.

Instead of viewing the concept as succession planning, a new terminology was put in place “Leadership Talent Planning” which ensures that an organisation doesn’t miss out on its long term strategy. Mr Mathew Joseph mentioned the role of mentoring and coaching in the field of succession planning and strategies developed to avoid biases and promote diversity. The industry as a whole transforming to a role based structure rather than a hierarchical profile, the importance of AI and machine learning, learning interventions assisting in developing proficiencies and the critical goals organisations and the employees as a whole need to work on was discussed. The Q&A session with the audience brought forward the need to acknowledge forms of diversity other than gender diversity. Another question focused on how the succession planning process is integrated across organisations and how it will be affected if any other process deviates from its objectives. The talk ended with how we as future business leaders and as a part of society could create opportunities for diversity, inclusion and visibility.