Jaipur : Leading Engineering, Design and Management education institution, JK Lakshmipat University (JKLU), conferred the coveted JKLU Laureate Award to Smt Arundhati Bhattacharya, former Chairperson of State Bank of India, for her exemplary contribution in governance and management in Banking and Finance and inspiring thousands of women across different walks of life. The event, which was inaugurated through a Lamp Lighting ceremony and Saraswati Vandana, was webcast live on October 30 and witnessed by over 500 people.
While welcoming the awardee, Dr Dheeraj Sanghi, Vice Chancellor, JKLU mentioned, “The Laureate Award is the most important award of the JK Lakshmipat University, and we are honoured to have you as the awardee this year.” He introduced Smt Bhattacharya and said, “She has broken all glass ceilings and, as a result, empowered all women in India and has become a role model for them.”
In his address, Shri Bharat Hari Singhania, Chancellor, JKLU mentioned that, “Since 2014, JKLU has been honouring nationally and internationally acclaimed and outstanding achievers with JKLU Laureate Award, not only to venerate these accomplished leaders from all walks of life but also to facilitate the young minds in our country to identify their role models and emulate them.” He pointed out that Smt Bhattacharya has been credited with ushering digital transformation in State Bank of India and it is in the fitness of all things that she be honoured with the 2021 edition of the award for her exemplary achievements, both in the public and private sector. He urged the youth of India to understand the spirit and expectations of Bharat Mata, listen attentively to the Awardee’s words of wisdom and see how they can be crusaders for a better future for all and model youth for the nation.
Smt Arundhati Bhattacharya, former Chairperson, State Bank of India and currently, Chairperson of Salesforce India, accepted the glittering Trophy and Citation and delivered the Hari Shankar Singhania Memorial Oration, an annual lecture delivered in the fond memory of JKLU’s Founder Chancellor, Shri Hari Shankar Singhania, on “The Role of Digital – an Imperative for Business Resilience”.
In her address, Smt Bhattacharya said that, “Resilience is critical, and maybe we could be better, stronger and different than before, for ourselves surely, but even more for our children and our coming generations. But resilience does not only mean bouncing back to normal. It means being transformed towards a new normal.” She pointed out that Sustainability is something that has become central to everything we do. It needs to be done as systematically as digitisation or strategy development because it will be an important source of long term competitive advantage. She added that, “You need to begin seeing value from digital transformation projects within months, not years, if they are going to be considered successful. It is now about progress, agility and operational resilience towards digital business model. In the new economy, the digital transformation journey will be shared by companies and consumers alike. Both require solutions to the challenges they face today, and resilience, in the event of a crisis.”
Dr Raghupati Singhania, Pro Chancellor, JKLU, in his Vote of Thanks, told Smt Bhattacharya that her address was a great inspiration and beacon for the youth, to take on the mantle of leading the country in the new Digital World. “This will always keep them motivated to achieve their best, as your words have raised the bar for them”, he told her.
The programme ended with playing the National Anthem.
