Oldest Management School Shaping Leaders of Tomorrow

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Wednesday, 19 July 2023

They say tall trees have deep roots. The phrase perfectly exemplifies the legacy of India’s oldest management school, XLRI Jamshedpur. Founded back in 1949 by Fr. Quinn Enright, S.J. and Fr. Bill Tome in the Steel City of Jamshedpur, the management institution gauged the future needs of the world. It has since been successful in shaping some of the most prolific management talent to come out of India.

While building XLRI, Fr. Enright’s vision was to build an institution that could become a partner in the liberation and development journey of the independent India with a vision of "renewing the face of the earth".

XLRI is today counted among one of the top management institutes in the world. It began however, with offering management-centric courses for trade unions. 1953 saw the addition of a two-year, day programme in Industrial Relations and Welfare was started, which eventually became Human Resource Management. Since then, several other courses have been added to align with the evolving requirements of the modern corporate world.

XLRI has to its credit some of the top management talents the country has seen. This edition of WE magazine brings to you the professional stories of a few such successful women leaders. The issue features Smitha Raghunath, a distinguished alumna of XLRI Jamshedpur, who has risen to the position of Director at Autodesk, a software company.

She is joined by Fabiola Mendes e Rodrigues, Director & Human Resource Partner, Bennet and Bernard, a visionary leader with a diverse corporate background and a passion for excellence, she prioritizes people, embraces change, and fosters a culture of continuous learning, inspiring others to reach their full potential.

Next up is the story of Krishna Peesapati, Co-Founder & Director, Covalense Global, a seasoned business entrepreneur in the IT industry, driving long-term success through strategic expertise and a refined leadership approach.

Devika Bajaj, Founder & CEO, Daivik Moringa also joins the coveted list. She is committed to improving millions of lives through natural herbs, and aims to make Daivik Moringa a household brand globally. She is joined by another entrepreneur, Shippy Sharma, Founder, Earthling. Shippy’s brand Earthling, is a domestic distribution and export company in the FMCG sector.

Sunanda Banerjee, Director, Innolead is another leader who has walked the halls of XLRI. She is a high impact consumer consulting professional with 30 years of experience in understanding consumer behaviour across industries

Last but not the least, we tell the professional story of Swati Bhaskar, Director & Founding Member, Melvin Jones Fashions. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English (Honours) from Delhi University, a Post Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from XLRI, and an M.Sc in Human Resource Management from Strathclyde Business School.

Do read on and let us know your thoughts.