Mimamsa 2025: IIM Indore's HR conclave explores ethics, technology and the future of leadership
MUMBAI: The Post Graduate Programme in Human Resource Management (PGPHRM) at IIM Indore hosted the latest edition of its annual HR conclave, Mimamsa, a gathering that has over the years become a forum to test ideas at the intersection of business, education and society. The 2025 edition unfolded on Saturday with a series of conversations that spanned leadership ethics, the role of artificial intelligence in workplaces , the evolution of universities, and the changing nature of mentorship .
The day opened with an inaugural address by IIM Indore’s director, Prof. Himanshu Rai, who chose to move beyond corporate tropes. Leadership, he argued, cannot be reduced to the power to influence. Drawing upon historical and mythological figures, Rai reminded the audience that leadership must rest on moral responsibility. Truth and righteousness, he warned, are not always the same. His Be–Know–Doframework — Be responsible and value-driven, Know one’s identity beyond titles, and Do what is right even when inconvenient — set the tone for a conclave designed as much for introspection as for policy debate.
The first panel, on “Reimagining Learning and Culture: Empowering Agile, AI-ready Talent,” was moderated by Prof. Jatin Pandey. Senior leaders from Citi, HSBC, KPMG and ITC examined how workplaces will balance artificial and human intelligence. With automation already displacing transactional roles, the panel agreed that human advantage will rest less on skills and more on mindset — contextual judgement, creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence. These, they suggested, will likely define tomorrow’s leaders in an AI-driven economy.
The second session shifted the lens from corporations to classrooms. Titled “Universities of the Future: Balancing Tradition, Technology and Global Relevance,” it brought together principals from Madras Christian College and Thiagarajar College. The discussion pushed back against viewing education as instruction alone. Instead, the panel advocated a move from rote to reflection and from curriculum delivery to context-driven discovery. In their view, universities must graduate citizens who are locally rooted, globally aware, and capable of interpretation rather than imitation.
A third panel, “Building Future-Ready Organisations: Harnessing IR, Technology and People-Centric Leadership,” was moderated by Prof. Ranjeet Nambudiri. Speakers from Maersk, the ILO, GAIL and Reliance Nippon Life Insurance acknowledged that as workforce expectations evolve, organisations must find ways to humanise systems without losing efficiency. They underlined that technology, governance and workplace culture must evolve in tandem — ensuring that agility is not purchased at the cost of dignity.
The final conversation turned the spotlight on mentorship and student life. Dr. Kanika K. Ahuja of Lady Shri Ram College, Dr. Jossy P. George of Christ University and Dr. P. B. Harathi of PSGR Krishnammal College for Women noted that while pedagogy and infrastructure are evolving, what young people increasingly seek is emotional scaffolding. Mentorship, they argued, must move beyond supervision to partnership, enabling students to navigate aspiration alongside anxiety.
Mimamsa 2025 concluded not with tidy answers but with searching questions. Can organisations be technologically advanced and deeply humane at once? Can agility coexist with reflection? Can ambition thrive without empathy? In leaving these provocations unresolved, the conclave reaffirmed IIM Indore’s conviction that leadership must be measured not by what it controls, but by what it enables — in institutions and in individuals alike.
The day opened with an inaugural address by IIM Indore’s director, Prof. Himanshu Rai, who chose to move beyond corporate tropes. Leadership, he argued, cannot be reduced to the power to influence. Drawing upon historical and mythological figures, Rai reminded the audience that leadership must rest on moral responsibility. Truth and righteousness, he warned, are not always the same. His Be–Know–Do
The first panel, on “Reimagining Learning and Culture: Empowering Agile, AI-ready Talent,” was moderated by Prof. Jatin Pandey. Senior leaders from Citi, HSBC, KPMG and ITC examined how workplaces will balance artificial and human intelligence. With automation already displacing transactional roles, the panel agreed that human advantage will rest less on skills and more on mindset — contextual judgement, creativity, empathy, and emotional intelligence. These, they suggested, will likely define tomorrow’s leaders in an AI-driven economy.
The second session shifted the lens from corporations to classrooms. Titled “Universities of the Future: Balancing Tradition, Technology and Global Relevance,” it brought together principals from Madras Christian College and Thiagarajar College. The discussion pushed back against viewing education as instruction alone. Instead, the panel advocated a move from rote to reflection and from curriculum delivery to context-driven discovery. In their view, universities must graduate citizens who are locally rooted, globally aware, and capable of interpretation rather than imitation.
A third panel, “Building Future-Ready Organisations: Harnessing IR, Technology and People-Centric Leadership,” was moderated by Prof. Ranjeet Nambudiri. Speakers from Maersk, the ILO, GAIL and Reliance Nippon Life Insurance acknowledged that as workforce expectations evolve, organisations must find ways to humanise systems without losing efficiency. They underlined that technology, governance and workplace culture must evolve in tandem — ensuring that agility is not purchased at the cost of dignity.
The final conversation turned the spotlight on mentorship and student life. Dr. Kanika K. Ahuja of Lady Shri Ram College, Dr. Jossy P. George of Christ University and Dr. P. B. Harathi of PSGR Krishnammal College for Women noted that while pedagogy and infrastructure are evolving, what young people increasingly seek is emotional scaffolding. Mentorship, they argued, must move beyond supervision to partnership, enabling students to navigate aspiration alongside anxiety.
Mimamsa 2025 concluded not with tidy answers but with searching questions. Can organisations be technologically advanced and deeply humane at once? Can agility coexist with reflection? Can ambition thrive without empathy? In leaving these provocations unresolved, the conclave reaffirmed IIM Indore’s conviction that leadership must be measured not by what it controls, but by what it enables — in institutions and in individuals alike.
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