Project Review & Monitoring Committee (PRMC) meeting

The fifth Project Review and Monitoring Committee (PRMC) meeting for the Industry Accelerator Project, sanctioned by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) and hosted by the Indian School of Business (ISB), was held on 24th April 2025 at BatX Energies Private Limited, Uttar Pradesh. The meeting was held to review the progress of five research projects in the electric mobility domain.

Key Discussions and Outcomes

• Project Progress Review: Each industry partner presented updates on their respective projects, including milestones, technical deliverables, and financial summaries. Emphasis was placed on aligning presentations with ISB’s reporting template.
• Fund Disbursement: ISB committed to expediting fund releases, acknowledging delays due to documentation gaps and fund shortages. MHI’s support in releasing ₹2.99 crore in March 2025 was appreciated.
• IP Guidelines Compliance: All partners agreed to adhere to the IP clauses outlined in the MoU, ensuring joint filing and structured commercialization timelines.
• Success Factors Identified: Timely fund release and accelerated project execution were highlighted as critical to success.
• Site Visit: PRMC members commended the progress at BatX and Rane Group following a visit to BatX’s plant and research lab.

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks.

Advanced Management Programme in Operations and Supply Chain

The ninth Advanced Management Programme in Operations and Supply Chain (AMPOS) batch has its fourth residency scheduled from 25th April till 05th May 2025 at Hyderabad campus.

The Tenth Advanced Management Programme in Operations and Supply Chain (AMPOS) batch commenced its first residency on 5th April, 2024 at Mohali Campus.

• Class Strength: 56 (5 Women, 51 Men)
• Average Work Experience: 6 years
• Average Age: 36.4 years
• Graduates: 42%
• Postgraduates: 14%

Distinguished Speaker Sessions Strategic Voices at the Helm: Learning from India’s Transformative Operations Leaders

One of the defining pillars of the Advanced Management Programme in Operations and Supply Chain (AMPOS) experience is the rare and invaluable opportunity to engage with senior industry leaders whose careers are marked not only by operational excellence but by an enduring ability to lead through inflection points. In the first residency of the AMPOS cohort of 2026, we had the privilege of welcoming three such leaders—each bringing a distinct vantage point shaped by decades of navigating complexity and driving transformation across sectors.

• Ganesh Mani, President & COO, Ashok Leyland, delivered a compelling session on “Operations & You.” With more than 30 years of leadership experience across global automotive giants, Mr. Mani offered our cohort not just frameworks but lived insights—on transformation at scale, digital industrialization, and the critical interplay between operational resilience and human capital. His session was a masterclass in marrying strategic vision with on-the-ground execution, a hallmark of future-ready leadership.
• Deepak Thukral, Executive Officer – Supply Chain, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., brought analytical clarity and hard-won wisdom to his session on “Building Resilient Supply Chains for the Automotive Industry.” As volatility becomes a permanent feature of the global landscape, his thoughts on localization, supplier ecosystems, and digital risk mitigation strategies were both timely and thought-provoking—reframing resilience not as a response, but as a design principle.
  

  Guest Lecture by Mr. Deepak Thukral from Maruti Suzuki at the Indian School of Business (ISB), hosted by the Munjal Institute for Global Manufacturing
• L. Venkat Madhav, President – Group Supply Chain at Amara Raja, delivered an insightful session on “Supply Chain Metamorphosis – Tradition Meets Technology.” He shared the “Amara Raja Way,” a strategic framework focused on agility, adaptability, and alignment to build a future-ready supply chain. Highlighting the shift toward digital integration, regionalization, and sustainability, Madhav walked through innovations like the Central Distribution Center and their “Digital Tree” model. The session concluded with a dynamic Q&A, offering students a deeper understanding of digital supply chain transformation and future industry trends.
  

  The Munjal Institute team presented a token of appreciation to Mr. Ganesh Madhav L. in recognition of his insightful speaker session.

  09^th April, 2025
• Ajay Arora, Senior Vice President – Strategic Projects, Hero MotoCorp Limited
  Title: Agility in Strategy: Embedding Speed, Relevance, and Endurance in Leadership As part of the 4th residency of the AMPOS Class of 2024 in Hyderabad, we had the privilege of hosting Mr. Ajay Arora, Senior Vice President – Strategic Projects, Hero MotoCorp, for a deeply engaging session.
  At a time when traditional planning cycles are being upended by rapid technological shifts and market discontinuities, Mr. Arora challenged participants to rethink how strategy is crafted, executed, and evolved. The session offered a compelling view into how modern enterprises—whether century-old conglomerates or digital disruptors—must build agile strategic muscles to stay ahead of the curve.
  Using case studies, historical analogies, and vivid narratives from the world of sports, Mr. Arora drew parallels between business and endurance: “Running a marathon is like running a company—clarity of direction matters, but resilience, preparation, and adaptability determine who crosses the finish line.”
  Participants explored frameworks that balance long-term ambition with short-cycle iteration, drawing from the practices of firms like Panasonic, Lenovo, and new-age digital ventures. The session emphasized that strategy today is not merely about long-range planning—it is about continuous calibration, learning through experimentation, and moving with speed and precision.
  With references to Sun Tzu’s Art of War, new-age metrics like CAC and cash burn, and leadership lessons from CEOs like N. Chandrasekaran and Vineeta Singh, the session left participants inspired to lead with a mindset that values clarity without rigidity, and agility without compromise.
  This was not just a session on strategic thinking—it was a masterclass in strategic doing.
  

  Mr. Ajay Arora sharing his valuable experience with the participants during his session.
• Mr. Vijay Naidu Galla, Former President & CEO Of Mangal Industries Ltd., Amara Raja Group
  Sri Vijay Naidu Galla delivered an inspiring guest lecture on “Passion for Lifelong Learning and its Applications for a Joyful Life,” beginning with India’s current economic status as the 5th largest economy, aspiring to grow to $30 trillion by 2047. He introduced the concept of a "living company," emphasizing financial prudence, adaptability, sensitivity to the environment, and a culture of empowerment. Drawing from his leadership at Amara Raja, he explained how he along with others in leadership team built world-class manufacturing capabilities, set up integrated systems, and achieved market leadership and profitability. His transformative experience at Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships (AOTS) in Japan—exposing him to global best practices—deeply influenced his approach, especially in lean manufacturing and six sigma. Under his guidance, Amara Raja won accolades for 5s, QCC, and became a low-cost leader. As CII Chairman of Andhra Pradesh, he initiated new networks and developmental zones. His contributions include pioneering battery technologies in India, training over 1,000 professionals, and supporting 2,500+ students financially though CSR. He also served as a role model in mango cultivation. Concluding with “my personal kaleidoscope,” he reflected on achievement, joy, learning, legacy, and significance. The session ended with an engaging Q&A.
  

  

  Mr. Vijay Naidu Galla interacting with participants during his session at Hyderabad campus.
• What happens when an AI takes over your class?
  Dr. Chandan Chowdhury conducted a series of experiments to understand how students’ learning experience improves if an AI-professor joins as a co-faculty.
  • On April 28, he tried something radically different.
    After teaching his case “Schneider Electric’s Smart Factory: Creating a Sustainable Value Chain” to over 500 students, he walked into class and announced:
    “Today, your professor is AI.”
    Using the Breakout Learning platform, students:
    -Took a pre-class quiz
    -Were auto-assigned to breakout groups
    -Discussed three learning objectives
    -Were observed, assessed, and scored by the AI professor in real time
    The AI used Bloom’s Taxonomy: from Remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, to create.
    The AI platform analyzed conversations, measured participation (quality & quantity), and provided personalized feedback.
    Dr. Chandan studied the AI-generated insights and conducted a 30-minute debrief session.
    The depth and precision of analysis were impressive.
    What did students say?
    “The AI gave a mirror view of our thinking.”
    “It revealed aspects of our personality not visible in traditional settings.”
    “It made everyone participate, especially those who usually don’t.”
    “A structured and insightful experience.”
    This raises critical questions:
    How do we, as faculty, add value when AI can teach, evaluate, and engage with precision?
    Will the roles of Academic Associates and Teaching Assistants evolve or fade in AI-enabled classrooms?
    The future of teaching isn’t about resisting AI, it’s about reinventing ourselves as curators, mentors, and learning designers.
    In a world where AI can teach, what makes human educators indispensable?
    
    Dr. Chandan’s post on the LinkedIn had 42563 views and 81 comments. Several industry leaders made thought provoking comments.
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  • Faculty, Meet Your New Colleague: The AI Professor On May 29th, Dr. Chandan had the rare opportunity to run an experiment that flipped the traditional classroom dynamic: 185 faculty members became students for an hour. The teacher? An AI Professor. Using the Breakout Learning platform, the AI Professor conducted a full session on my case, “Schneider Electric’s Smart Factory: Creating a Sustainable Value Chain”(available through Harvard Business Publishing) Here’s what made it transformative:
    • Professors were placed into 37 breakout groups
    • A pre-class quiz tested case preparation (this would also solve the puzzle of students showing up in the class without going through a case)
    • The AI monitored discussions in real-time
    • Performance was assessed using Bloom’s Taxonomy, from recall to creativity
    • Individual and group feedback was delivered instantly by the AI
    This was not just an exercise in automation. It was a thought-provoking experience in faculty development. Some reflections from the professors: “Superb. It was awesomely organized and insightful.” “A very impressive and exciting experience.” “We need more of these to adapt and improvise our teaching styles.” We concluded with a rich discussion on the evolving role of educators:
    • How do we differentiate ourselves when AI can observe, assess, and even give feedback with remarkable precision?
    • How do we complement the AI Professor, not compete with it?
    • And most importantly: What new value must human faculty create in AI-enabled classrooms?
    My appreciation to Prof. D. N. Rao, Co-founder and VP at Centurion University, for supporting this experiment in reimagining classroom learning. As AI enters the heart of academia, the question is not if our roles will change, but how fast we can reinvent ourselves.
  View Post
• Why AI Can’t Replace Doctors (At Least Not Yet)- Dr. Chandan Chowdhury- Recently, I visited Dr. Nikhil Pal, a senior ophthalmologist at Max Healthcare, Panchsheel Park, for redness in the corner of my right eye. He prescribed Milflox Plus.
  Later, I experienced a strong burning sensation upon applying the eye drop. Curious and being someone who studies the evolution of AI closely, I turned to ChatGPT to explore whether this reaction was common and whether Milflox Plus contains a steroid. I had mentioned to the doctor that I prefer to avoid steroids, so I wanted to be sure.
  ChatGPT confidently responded that Milflox Plus contains dexamethasone, a corticosteroid.
  However, Dr. Pal clarified that the specific formulation he prescribed does not contain steroids. I double-checked the label myself and even uploaded it back into ChatGPT for clarification.
  What followed was an insightful exchange that reminded me of two key lessons:
  • AI can assist, but it cannot replace human clinical judgment, especially in nuanced fields like medicine.
  • Consulting a qualified doctor is irreplaceable when it comes to patient care and safety.
  This interaction also became an unintentional test of how reliable AI platforms like ChatGPT are when it comes to medical information. It reaffirmed for me that while AI can provide helpful general insights, it often lacks context, nuance, and accountability, all of which experienced doctors like Dr. Pal bring in abundance.
  Thank you, Dr. Nikhil, for your professionalism, patience, and thoughtful care. Let’s use AI to augment, not replace, expert human decision-making.