Partners

Associate Sponsor

Dinner Host

Beverage Partner

SPEAKERS

DAYS

SESSIONS

PARTICIPANTS

Agenda

3:30 PM

  • Registration
At the main hall, Alila Diwa
Raise a toast to the weekend in the company of friends and peers from across the country. Situated amidst lush paddy plantations, Alila Diwa is located in South Goa along Gonsua Beach.

4:00 PM

Adit Jain

  • The Global Economy and Trade Wars
Adit Jain, Editorial Director, IMA India
Global growth is today strong and well-balanced. In 2017, the world economy grew by 3.8%, its fastest since 2011. The IMF forecasts similar growth this year and 3.9% in 2019. Barring Japan, all major advanced economies are growing at over 2% with the US at 2.3% in 2017 and the Eurozone at 2.4%. Emerging markets are also rebounding and EM Asia is currently at over 6.5%, led by India and China. However, economies move in cycles and the current upswing has already lasted a long time. It will take just a trigger or two for the cycle to turn again and currently, there are several such triggers. The rules-based order established over many decades is at the risk of being undermined by the actions of a few nations. How are these trade wars likely to evolve and what impact could they have on the global and Indian economy?

The CFO Strategy Roundtable will open with Adit Jain, IMA India’s Editorial Director, providing an over-arching outlook for the global economy in the context of trade and security tensions.

5:30 PM

  • Discussion Break

6:00 PM

Rajat Sethi

  • Elections: Devising a Winning Strategy
Rajat Sethi, Political Strategist, Bharatiya Janata Party
The BJP’s electoral successes of Lok Sabha 2014 and several state assemblies thereafter have put the spotlight on the role of data and analytics combined with marketing and communication capabilities. The victory in Assam in 2016 was particularly important as the state had been dominated by the Congress for decades and the BJP barely had a presence. But thanks to its superior data analysis and electoral capabilities, the party swept to power with an overwhelming majority – 86 of the 126 seats – eventually paving the way for larger inroads in the North East.

Engage with Rajat, a public policy graduate from Harvard and an engineer from II, as he shares an insider’s perspective on the mechanics of modern-day electoral battles with a specific reference to some of the recent encounters he has been involved in.

7:30 PM

  • Cocktails and Dinner
at the - Ballroom Lawns

9:00 AM

Gopal Mahadevan

  • The Role of Finance in a Turnaround
Gopal Mahadevan, President Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Ashok Leyland
When Gopal joined Ashok Leyland (AL), one of India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, in 2013, the company faced an existential challenge – debt-equity ratio at 2.4, negative EBITDA, and the stock price at a low of Rs 12. The company’s turnaround – possibly the fastest in India’s corporate history – was made possible through re-engineering, re-thinking and re-imagining every aspect of the company’s operations. Gopal’s efforts to turn the story around, as it were, together with the rest of AL’s senior leadership team are worthy of a classroom discussion. The numbers tell the real story: today, net cash reserves stand at Rs 3,000 crore; EBITDA has been in double digits in 12 out of 14 sequential quarters; and the stock price touched a high of Rs 167 in May 2018, making it the best-performing auto stock over the last 4 years. This cannot have been possible without the most carefully thought-through strategy, from the Board down, executed across the business – in finance, across the supply chain and in operations.

The session aims to talk through this multi-pronged restructuring plan with Gopal in a candid discussion. The need for greater competitive capability has never been higher and Gopal’s experience and learnings offer an opportunity to identify what works, what does not and what the CFO’s own role must be in these volatile and unpredictable times.

10:30 AM

  • Discussion Break

11:00 AM

Sugata Sircar
Vivek Gupta

  • M&A: New Norms in a New World
Sugata Sircar, CFO and Country Finance Partner, Schneider Electric India
Vivek Gupta, Partner and National Head, M&A/PE Tax at KPMG

The CFO’s role has expanded beyond control, finance and compliance to include M&A to shape the corporate portfolio. His unique position to contribute significantly during an M&A transaction – from target identification through due diligence to post-close execution – requires well-rounded capabilities. Sugata Sircar, CFO and Country Finance Partner at Schneider Electric India, will provide a practitioner’s perspective of the process and share his strategies and tactics for success at M&A.

Vivek Gupta, Partner and National Head, M&A/PE Tax at KPMG will review global and domestic trends to provide a practical framework for M&A in today’s time.

12:30 PM

AV Dharmakrishnan

  • The Digital CFO
AV Dharmakrishnan, Chief Executive Officer, Ramco Cements
Ramco Cements took to IT years ago and today its CEO, AV Dharmakrishnan monitors his entire business out of a single iPad – in real time. Achieving such a high level of sophistication required the company's management to standardise processes across plants and establish the technology infrastructure to monitor and control costs effectively. With over 30 years in the company AV Dharmakrishnan brings both industry expertise and finance experience to his role. In this session, hear from the man himself how he runs a multi-million-dollar business from an iPad.

1:30 PM

  • Luncheon
Ballroom Pre Function Area

2:30 PM

R Jaganathan

  • India's Political Dynamics
R Jaganathan, Editorial Director, Swarajya
A few months ago, any prospect other than a second term for the BJP was not on the horizon, given its successive wins at state polls and the continued magnetism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Today, however, there are signals of the opposition coming together under the umbrella of a ‘united front’ against a towering BJP that rules in 20 of India’s 29 states. The strategy has yielded mixed success so far; that too, only at the state level. Given how strongly policy continues to drive the economy, it is imperative to understand how the cards might play out. The implications for policy making in the immediate term, and post 2019 hang in the balance.

R Jaganathan, Editorial Director of Swarajya, an independent magazine, will provide his perspective on evolving political dynamics in India with a specific emphasis on the 2019 national election.

3:30 PM

  • Discussion Break

4:00 PM

Shashi Kiran Shetty

  • Entrepreneurship: No Shortcut to
    Success
Shashi Kiran Shetty, Founder and Chairman, Allcargo Logistics… in conversation with Adit Jain
Entrepreneurial spirit can help a business build differentiation; it can also enable entire nations to build competitive advantage. Successful firms have at their core this unique spirit – to create, innovate, gain responsibly, individually and collectively. A remarkable, post-liberalisation success story in an unusual sector is Allcargo Logistics whose founder Shashi Kiran Shetty turned a small freight forwarding company into a Rs 5,600 crore enterprise – one of India’s largest private logistics companies.

Engage with Shashi as he shares his journey filled with ups and downs, the lessons learnt, milestones achieved, the wins hard fought, the culture created and the teams engaged and coalesced around a common goal.

7:30 pm

  • Cocktails and dinner
at the Edge Deck, South Lawns

9:00 AM

Jiten Jain
Tanushree Bagrodia

  • Cyber Security
Jiten Jain, Chief Executive Officer, Indian Info-Sec Consortium
Tanushree Bagrodia, CFO and VP – IT, NRB Bearings

In this new era, it is no longer adequate for CFOs to just focus on financial or even business risks. Data breaches and cyber-attacks can measurably affect the company’s operations and bottom-line. With new regulations such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the draft Indian Data Protection Regulation Bill, 2018 the stakes are much high. CFOs, therefore, need to manage these risks by understanding the cyber threat phenomenon in more detail and investing in security frameworks that can cope with the realities of today’s digital business landscape.

Join Jiten Jain, a Cyber Security Researcher, in an engaging conversation on a relevant and compelling subject where he shares insights to prepare for an uncertain and insecure world. His co-panelist will be Tanushree Bagrodia from NRB Bearings will share her experience and provide a practitioner’s real-life perspective on cyber challenges in the modern day world.

10:30 AM

  • Discussion Break

11:00 AM

Ananth Narayan

  • FX and Currency Markets
Ananth Narayan, Associate Professor, Finance, SP Jain Institute of Management & Research
Despite reasonably good macroeconomic conditions, India’s currency has declined by over 11% since the start of 2018. The reasons for this, arguably, stem largely from global considerations including the tightening of US monetary policy and the Trump administration’s tax reforms. Going forward, emerging market currencies including the rupee are likely to remain volatile as the risks of escalating trade tensions and the reversal of the dollar carry trade weigh upon the global economy.

The session with Ananth aims to decode the factors behind the rupee’s nervousness, provide a perspective on likely policy responses, and their potential impact on the currency market.

12:00 pm

  • Luncheon and close
At The Vivo


Download Conference Agenda
Dress Code: Business casual.
Protocol: Children are not permitted in the sessions and formal dinners

Speakers

Adit Jain,
Editorial Director

IMA India



Rajat Sethi
Political Strategist

Bharatiya Janata Party



Gopal Mahadevan
President Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Ashok Leyland



Sugata Sircar
CFO and Country Finance Partner

Schneider Electric India



Vivek Gupta
Partner and National Head

KPMG



A V Dharmakrishnan
Chief Executive Officer

Ramco Cements



R Jaganathan
Editorial Director

Swarajya Magazine



Jiten Jain
Chief Executive Officer

Indian Info-Sec Consortium



Tanushree Bagrodia
CFO and VP – IT

NRB Bearings



Ananth Narayan
Associate Professor of Finance

SP Jain Institute of Management & Research



Shashi Kiran Shetty
Founder and Chairman

Allcargo Logistics



Balaji R
Global Head – ERP Pre Sales,

Ramco Systems



Partner Programme




4:00 PM

  • When Life is Truly Idyllic
Registration and High tea at Vivo Lawns, Alila Diwa
Leave the city behind and join a fun-filled evening with peers from across the country at the opening of the 2018 CFO Strategy Roundtable Partners’ Programme. A pleasant evening in Goa, the company of friends and peers – there couldn’t be better way to bring in a weekend of learning and deep camaraderie. The IMA India team will detail plans for the weekend as we sit down to some scrumptious tea.

6:00 PM

Rajat Sethi

  • Elections: Devising a Winning Strategy
A joint session with delegates at the Ballroom, Alila Diwa
Rajat Sethi, Political Strategist, Bharatiya Janata Party

The BJP’s electoral successes of Lok Sabha 2014 and several state assemblies thereafter have put the spotlight on the role of data and analytics combined with marketing and communication capabilities. The victory in Assam in 2016 was particularly important as the state had been dominated by the Congress for decades and the BJP barely had a presence. But thanks to its superior data analysis and electoral capabilities, the party swept to power with an overwhelming majority – 86 of the 126 seats – eventually paving the way for larger inroads in the North East.

Rajat Sethi, a public policy graduate from Harvard and an engineer from IIT, was instrumental in this process. Rajat and his team, through innovative approaches and the use of new-age analytical tools, took the election management game to the next level. The idea of establishing a unique citizen engagement series to initiate a dialogue with people and reflect on their aspirations became the basis of a ‘vision document’ for the BJP instead of a conventional manifesto. Intensive mining of data, for each constituency, on socio-economic indicators such as health and education lent valuable insights. Engage with Rajat as he shares an insider’s perspective on the mechanics of modern-day electoral battles with a specific reference to some of the recent encounters he has been involved in.

7:30 PM

  • Cocktails and Dinner
at the - Ballroom Lawns

9:30 AM

  • Nature and Its Bounties
A visit to, and luncheon at the Spice Plantation
A visit to one of Goa’s famous spice plantations will make for a trip both enjoyable and informative. Set amidst lush green surroundings, the Sahakari Spice Plantation is an organic farm. A traditional welcome will be followed by a guided tour of the farm where, apart from spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and cloves, there are also fruit plantations. You can observe traditional Goan methods of organic farming and also buy some spices to take back home – what’s available in city markets is nothing like the real thing! The icing on the cake is the experience of typical Goan Hindu cuisine served for lunch in the traditional way – on banana leaves!

Must haves: Sunscreen, sunshades, cool clothing and walking shoes!
Travel time: 45 minutes to the Spice Plantation.
Coaches will depart the porch sharp at 9:30 am – we would request you to be there at least five minutes prior out of regard for the rest of the group.

3:00 PM

  • The Reel Story
Catch a movie at the mini theatre
Films, like any art, have the power to create strong social bonds through a shared experience. It is great to get together with friends and immerse into a fun-filled and relaxed experience at the mini theatre by catching up on your favourite movie. Our team has hand-picked some great Bollywood and Hollywood movies to choose from.

7:30 PM

  • Cocktails and Dinner
at the Edge Deck, South Lawns

10:00 AM

  • The Tastemaker: Chef Edia
At Spice Studio, Alila Diwa at the- The Edge Back
What many trained chefs still struggle to accomplish, Chef Edia, a housewife-turned-chef, managed to do with ease – dish out food with authentic Goan flavours. She is not formally trained, but has what most hotels in Goa look for today – secret ancestral recipes and traditional methods of cooking that brings out the real flavours of India’s party capital. Engage with Chef Edia as she gives you the experience of home-cooked Goan food.

12:00 PM

  • Luncheon and Close
At The Vivo


Download Partner Programme



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IMA Conferences

IMA India's Roundtables are an unrivalled hub of high-quality insight and networking. Our speakers, a mix of domain specialists and industry stalwarts, ensure that these platforms are among India’s leading meeting grounds for industry. Every summer for the last five years - and every winter for the last 23 years - we have taken a close group of a 100 of our members to an offsite location to brainstorm issues relating to the operating and business environment, leadership and management best practices.

Agenda

The CFO Strategy Roundtable will bring to the fore prospects for India, its economy and businesses. It will delve into shifts in the global economic environment and how this would impact India. With India’s next general election less than a year away, the agenda will include sessions on electoral dynamics and political trends and how these would shape the policy regime going forward. At a more functional level, it will explore the CFO’s evolving role in managing M&A, scripting a turnaround and understanding and managing currency risks. Finally, no discussion on financial management is complete without understanding how technology and new-age digital platforms are reshaping - and in come cases, threatening - business and management structures.

All sessions will be interactive with a greater focus on discussions and Q&A. Proceedings closed to the press and other external entities and participants are encouraged to engage in free and frank exchanges.



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