Now that Indian IT industry and other knowledge enterprises are on rise, India can not repeat the mistakes of past. That's the message from telecom czar Mr Sunil Mittal at CII Knowledge Management Summit, being held in New Delhi from Nov 14-16. Said Mr Mittal, "India was a knowledge nation for centuries…but we are bad as preserving our knowledge and heritage. We can not afford to kick off the current advantage we have."
Highlighting the importance of making knowledge accessible to all, Mr Mittal said, "Inspite of various government initiatives a lot of Indians don't have access to education. Soon 25 crore young Indians without any education will be knocking the doors of corporates for jobs. We have to provide these young people with skill training and knowledge; else these potential resources will become a drain."
Offering insights about benefits of Knowledge Management at Airtel, Mr Mittal said, "At Airtel we have run a series on KM initiatives and customer intelligence management programmes over the last many years. We have saved over Rs 100 crores by avoiding duplications and errors."
Summing up his speech on a somber note, Mr Mittal said, "Knowledge management is critical for the future of India. If we don't manage our knowledge and intellectual property well, our future generations will not forgive us."
Mr Sunil Mittal is the chairman, CEO & Group MD of Bharti Enterprises and the current President of CII. He started his career at a young age of 18 after graduating from Punjab University in India and founded Bharti, with a modest capital, in the year 1976. Today, at 49 he heads a successful enterprise, among the top 5 in India, with a market capitalization of over US$ 35 billion employing over 30,000 people. Bharti has recently entered into a JV with Wal-Mart for setting up supply chain, logistics and cash and carry to support the burgeoning retail market in India.
Sunil is an alumnus of Harvard Business School. He is on the Boards of Governors of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai; Harvard Business School India Advisory Board; and INSEAD Global India Council.
CII Knowledge Management India summit, being held from November 14-16 in New Delhi, is organized to create a more robust Indian ecosystem that generates economic value through the effective harnessing of knowledge and intellectual capital, within knowledge-based organizations and industries. The intent is to create a better understanding of knowledge management practices, research and practical applications. Stakeholders in this ecosystem include KM practitioners, policy makers, as well as academicians and researchers.
MBAUniverse.com is the Official Management Portal of the initiative.
