The School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL), in New Delhi celebrated its 6th convocation ceremony on April 18 , 2015. The convocation was attended by Rajiv Dubey, President HR & Member Executive Board Mahindra & Mahindra and Niren Chaudhary, President, Yum Restaurants India. In a departure from traditional convocation ceremony fare, Niren Chaudhary strapped on a guitar and sang a song he had specially composed for the event.
77 Graduates from the One Year Full Time Business Leadership Programme, HR Leadership programme and Marketing Leadership Programme received certificates at the convocation.
Commenting on the occasion Mr. Anil Sachdev, Founder & CEO, SOIL said, “This school began because we felt we needed to take responsibility for the way we live now. This virtue of seva or service is not seen as important today. Instead of cursing darkness, it is our responsibility to do something about it…and, this batch has proved to us that we have succeeded in our endeavour.”
Rajiv Dubey shared his leadership journey with the audience and urged students to take time to first define success for themselves and then work hard to follow their dreams.
Niren Chaudhary spoke about being happy and bringing happiness to all – a message that struck a chord with the audience.
The highlight of Niren’s convocation address was a song that he had specially written and composed for the outgoing batch – not only did he sing, he made the entire audience join in!
Watch the Complete 2015 Convocation Event
In a departure from the standard convocation ceremony fare, SOIL’s convocation was inclusive and warm – at one juncture the Chairman of the Board of SOIL , Dr. K K Nohria invited members from the audience – parents, alumni, students to come on stage and to share their perspective on what SOIL means to them.
Awards
Chandra Shaker was presented the All-Rounder Award in recognition for remaining in the top 10 of her class in attendance, academics and class participation. The SPV Courage Award, given to those who have faced significant challenges, was awarded to Sarbani Das. The Role Model award of the batch was presented to Amiya Anshu Verma for the Business Leadership Program, Karen D’Souza for the HR Leadership Program and Abhishek Iyer for the Marketing Leadership Program. The prestigious Inspired Leader of the year was given to Ishdeep Singh who not only excelled in academic performance and extracurricular involvement, but also played a crucial role in inspiring the student community to bring out the best in them.
Soil is co-created by a group of 32 companies across sectors. These companies partner with SOIL to design the curriculum, select and mentor students, present live case studies, guide students for Action Learning Projects and lead the placement process. SOIL’s alumni are engaged in companies such as Infosys, ICICI Bank, Taj Hotel, Tata steel, Mahindra and Panasonic.