Third of March, 2018, was one of the most memorable days in my recent past. It was the day the second edition of TEDxBocconiUMumbai was conducted, a culmination of 6 months of planning and organizing, arguing and fighting, brainstorming and researching, and so much more. For those of you who are not as well versed with the world of TED and TEDx, TEDxBocconiUMumbai is an independently organized event by the students of SDA Bocconi Asia Center. We bring together inspiring individuals and provide them with a platform to share their unique and powerful ideas and stories with not just a room full of hundred people, but the entire world, through the power of the internet. You can find all 12 stories at this
link.
Being curator and content co-lead for this edition of TEDxBocconiUMumbai taught me a number of life skills, most importantly, self-awareness. Through this platform, I realized that I am a terrible writer but a decent editor; that I pay a lot of attention to detail, some might even say too much; that sometimes, I am more idealistic than pragmatic. However, TEDxBocconiUMumbai was not just a journey of personal realizations, it also gave me valuable managerial lessons, for example, how to make decisions for commercial/marketing reasons due to budget and time constraints; the importance of scheduling tasks and delegating duties at the right time, and most importantly-- that we do not have to do it all by ourselves! Working in a team, especially one as talented as the core organizing committee of TEDxBocconiUMumbai, taught me how teams can balance out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Through all the screaming, sulking, pot-painting, cake-cutting, and sleepless nights, we kept each other in check and remembered to hug off any bad news.
Receiving our license, finalizing our 12 topics, receiving the first speaker’s acceptance to our invitation, mutually agreeing on the final scripts with our speakers, and finally, seeing our speakers go up on stage and share their stories (which ranged from the art of frugal innovation to changing the world through the power of fiction) -- each milestone brought us closer to our end goal. And what was this end goal you ask? Simple. Finding ideas worth spreading, and people worth keeping.
Which ABGP company will you like to join and why?
As President of the Luxury Club at SDA Bocconi Asia Center, and an aspiring brand manager, I would be proud to work at Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited’s India’s multi-brand luxury retailer, The Collective, as it offers the chance to be involved in launching an array of international brands (multi-brand retail stores as well as standalone stores) in India, offline and online. However, the key reason why I would like to work for an ABG company is due to their value system, specifically, their dedication to implementing sustainable business practices by balancing economic growth with environmental and social interests.
-Kritika Singhania
PGPB (2017-2019)