IIM Sirmaur organizes panel discussion

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 27: To mark the occasion of National Tourism Day a Panel Discussion was organised at IIM Sirmaur on the theme “Embracing Change & Unpacking Leadership Agility”.
The invited panelists included Dr Subhash Goyal, Chairman, STIC Travels; Shashwat Sharma, Senior Director, Treebo Hotels; Prashant Singh, Director of Revenue Management, Roseate Hotels; Vikram Sharma, Director of HR, The Westin Gurgaon, Mariott International and Rajesh Rakheja, Vice President, Global Commercial and Strategic Alliances, Dream Folks Services Pvt Ltd.
While speaking on the occasion, Professor Neelu Rohmetra, Director, IIM Sirmaur, accentuated on the need of effective alignment of leisure and career. She stressed the need of positioning sectoral programme of Tourism and Hospitality with the industry requirements. In doing so, the Director called upon industry leaders to offer insights to create opportunities for students to gain deeper corporate perspectives and become industry ready.
Professor Rohmetra also touched on the potential of the Himalayan States and relevance of tourism industry and newer emerging dimensions. She also shed light on the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry. She emphasized the need for identifying the region with historical importance and heritage to leverage tourism opportunities. She talked about the role of tourism in the Himalayan States like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Dr Vikrant Kaushal, Area Chair Tourism and Hospitality Management also spoke on the occasion and shared his insights on the theme of the conclave.
Dr Subhash Goyal, Chairman, STIC travel, initiated the Panel Discussion with the emphasis on having the necessary attitude to enter and sustain in the travel sector. Shashwat Sharma, Senior Director, Treebo Hotels, shared the pre-pandemic apogee and the turbulence that the organisation faced. He reflected on the need of developing leadership acumen to identify solution in the face of major crises.
Prashant Singh, Director of Revenue Management, Roseate Hotels, stressed on the agility needed among the industry actors. He stressed on the need of instilling soft skills and discipline and lauded those who have survived the blow of the current pandemic. Rajesh Rakheja, who excels in strategic decisions in travel, talked about the leadership resilience. Vikram Sharma, Director of HR, Marriott International, stressed upon the need of innovation toward creating brands and proposed workforce management to be among the areas where newer transformations are expected in the next few years.