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Jindal Global Business School hosted the 5th HR Conclave - ‘Industry 4.0 and the Human Resource Challenges’ - on 6 September with participation from leading industry experts. The Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 looks at Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, Big Data Analytics, and other new age disruptions that impact HR. The conclave witnessed professionals and specialists from the field sharing their views on the topic and mapping out Smart HR 4.0 practices.

The Inaugural Session of the conclave focused on “Industry 4.0: Change is the Only Constant” and “How Industry 4.0 changes Business? Fourth Industrial Revolution”. Dr. Rajesh Chakroborty (Vice Dean, Jindal Global Business School) and Professor C. Rajkumar (Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University and Dean, Jindal Global Law School) represented the academia. Dr. Chakroborty reminded the audience that these are exciting times where HR jobs can be replaced by technology. Professor Rajkumar observed, “The future is going to be more complex and technology will solve and create problems.”

Mr. Nishcae Suri (Partner and Head, KPMG Learning Academy) delivered a thought-provoking Keynote Address where he presented an important question: “Are we actually advancing the quality of life or the standard of life?” Ms. Harshita Chaudhury (CHRO, Nestle India) and Ms. Usha Srivastava (CHRO, Vodafone–Idea) delivered the Inaugural Addresses. Ms. Harshita Chaudhary explained some of the challenges for HR professionals in the retail business. Ms. Usha Srivastava spoke about empathy, communication, critical thinking, and other factors, implying there are some jobs that AI cannot do better than humans.

The first session of the HR Conclave addressed “Industry 4.0 and the Knowledge Economy” and “Industry 4.0: State of Art and Future Trends”. Ms. Preeti Khare Das (Founder, Gennextpro Advisory Service LLP and Former CEO, Birlasoft), Mr. S. Viswanath (Global HR Head, NIIT Limited), Ms. Neeta Mathur (Founder, People Solutions), and Mr. V.P. Singh (Advisor, Organization Development, Patanjali Ayurved Limited) shared their thoughts during the discussion moderated by Professor Manisha Mishra. Mr. Singh urged the students to have a well-rounded life by developing an interest in the arts, music, and literature. Ms. Das reminded the gathering, “Business disruptions happen because organizations believe what got us here, will get us there." While learnability and risk appetite were presented as key skills to have by Mr. Viswanath, Ms. Mathur recommended keeping one’s curiosity alive to continue learning and growing in the field.

The second session delved into “Smart HR 4.0 for Industry 4.0” and “Employee Experience for HR Synergies in Industry 4.0”. Mr. Biren Anshu (AVP, HR, JCB), Mr. Anmol Grewal (Head HR, ITC Ltd.), Mr. Shashank Saxena (DGM - GAIL), and Mr. Hitesh Sachdeva (AVP, HR, BSES-Rajdhani) were on the panel moderated by Professor Gunjan Mohan Sharma. Mr. Grewal set the tone for the discussion by saying, “The key resources of HR are people, and as long as they are doing their job well I don’t need technology for it.” Mr. Anshu then shared his four steps on the success ladder: spark, rise, leap, and lead. Mr. Saxena described the ground reality and shared his belief that a large part of India still thinks of Industry 2.0: “It’s where imaginative India meets Indian reality. The real challenge for HR professionals today is to understand the business.” Talking about the trends and transformation in the industry, Mr. Sachdeva advised students to stay agile and have the ability to learn and unlearn.

“Managing Digital Talent” and “Incorporating Industry 4.0 in Corporate Strategy” were the topics in focus during the final session of the conclave. Moderated by Professor Anshu Sharma, the discussion involving Mr. V.B. Lal (CHRO, Moser Baer), Ms. Neeru Mehta (VP, HR, Globallogic), Mr. Yogesh Mishra (Head, Thomas Assessment Pvt. Ltd.), and Mr. Siddharth Das (General Manager, HR, Quattro) offered plenty of food for thought for the audience. While Ms. Mehta observed that HR has weathered previous revolutions, Mr. Das stated, “The question that we HR professionals face is how to manage the talent pool that we keep receiving and the one that we have.” Mr. Lal spelt out the latest digital trends in HR for the benefit of the audience. Mr. Mishra explained the concept of crystal intelligence and fluid intelligence. In the Valedictory Session, Mr. Rajeev Bhadauria (Director, Group HR, Jindal Steel and Power) said, “In the VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world, you never know who your competitor is and where your competitor can come from. Don’t be afraid, accept the change.”  The perfect advice to end a day that saw a wide-ranging discussion on a theme of tremendous contemporary relevance.