Commit to your dream and give it all, and some more, to succeed: Nykaa Founder & Alumna Falguni Nayar at IIM A Convocation

After a break of two years, the 57th convocation ceremony of IIM Ahmedabad saw 584 students being awarded degrees and medals at an in-person convocation ceremony on April 13. The chief guest on the occasion was Falguni Nayar, IIM Ahmedabad alumni and founder-CEO of Nykaa. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIM Ahmedabad and Errol D’Souza, Director, IIM Ahmedabad were also present on the occasion. MBAUniverse.com presents key highlights from Falguni Nayar’s talk.

Five key takeaways from Falguni Nayar’s Talk at IIM A Convocation
Before we talk about key takeaways from Falguni Nayar’s talk at IIM A Convocation, a few words about her. Falguni Nayar is the founder of the beauty and lifestyle retail company Nykaa. Soon after Nykaa went public, Nayar became the wealthiest female Indian billionaire, with her net worth rising to the tune of $6.5 billion, and entered the list of top 20 richest people of India. Falguni Nayar was born and raised in a Gujarati family in Mumbai. She is a graduate from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics and completed her MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

So here are the key takeaways from Falguni Nayar’s Talk at IIM A Convocation.  

1. Pause and Think: “I'm sure there are certain expectation about how well you need to do in life. This pressure will put you on a treadmill, which is just not worth it. I would urge each of you to pause and think about why you are doing what you're doing.”
2. Commit to your Dreams: “It’s very critical for you to understand what your dream truly is and then pursue it. First, commit to your dream. Nothing in life comes easy, you will have to give it your all, and then some more, to succeed.”
3. Not a smooth journey: “The journey will never be smooth. Take the roller coaster ride in your stride, the highs should not make you arrogant and the lows should not get to you.
4. Take Risks: Don’t be afraid to take risks along the way. Spend the early years of your career taking the right risks and make some bold bets on yourself. Take on roles that will put you outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Discover new interests and hone your skills.”
5. Trust Your Gut: “Taking decisions will not be easy always, and often there will be no straightforward answer. So, trust your gut to an extent, it will guide you well.”

Coming from someone whom young IIMA MBAs can closely relate to, and aspire to be, these takeaways will long be treasured.

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairperson, Board of Governors, IIM Ahmedabad and Errol D’Souza, Director, IIM Ahmedabad were also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion Kumar Mangalam Birla said, “This is a moment to seize. We are at an exceptional juncture. Youngsters are now able to transform their creative ideas into reality. The fundamentals of business building are perhaps now truer than ever.”

Director Prof Errol D’Souza added, “Ever since the financial crisis, soft skills such as compassion and collaboration are going to be a top requirement. Your views on corporate strategy will be important but so will those on climate change, discrimination, human rights, culture wars and a host of other issues.”

IIMA convocation was held at Louis Kahn Plaza after a gap of two years. This year a total of 584 students from the Two Year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP); Two Year Post Graduate Programme in Food and Agribusiness Management (PGP-FABM); One Year Full Time Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX) and PhD Programme in Management (PhD) graduated from the Institute.

The toppers of each batch for each programme were awarded gold medals in recognition of their academic accomplishments. Mr Shubham Goyal, Mr Vaibhav Agarwal and Mr Nitin Kulshreshtha from PGP and Mr Amit Kumar from PGPX were recipients of the scholastic medals.

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