Top industry leaders launch 'SOIL School of Inspired Leadership'

Company Brief

New Delhi, January 27, 2009

Today - more than ever - in the bad times, uncertainty, and change we all face - organizations need more integrity and emotional intelligence - and our leaders have far too little of it. The world today is standing at a crossroad, where we need ethical leaders who can create and build sustainable organizations while managing the ever changing socio-economic environment, to create value for stakeholders. To address this need, Analjit Singh, Chairman Max India Ltd, KK Nohria, former Chairman of Crompton Greaves, Anil Sachdev, former Director Eicher and Founder ECS Ltd and Grow Talent, Yogesh Andlay, founder Nucleus Software, Vikram Lal - former Chairman Eicher Group, Dr. Pradip Khandwalla, former Director IIM Ahmedabad and K. Balasubramaniam, Member GMR Holding Board have come together to launch "SOIL - School of Inspired Leadership" - a leadership and management institute. Says Anil Sachdev, Founder and CEO, SOIL "We have a leadership crisis globally. This may be the greatest limitation on our ability to navigate the trepid and unclear waters we all seem to be treading in currently. We have joined hands to create this institution to develop leaders that create sustainable organizations of consequence".

While India emerges as a significant world resource of intellectual capital, the need for true leaders will intensify in the coming years. According to SOIL's President, Nishchae Suri, "Business enterprises have to transform from a transactional intelligence of demand and supply economics to emotional intelligence of building, nurturing and caring that allows the benefits of economic growth to sustain ecological and social environment. It is keeping these very aspects in mind that our leadership development programs include a special focus on ethics, values, community partnerships, inclusiveness, diversity and personal mastery".

SOIL will offer two inaugural programs, "HR leadership" and 'Business Leadership", with a student intake of 60 each- one for developing business oriented and compassionate HR professionals and the other, for mid level managers to prepare them as holistic business leaders. Both these are full time one-year programs and are targeted at graduates and experienced managers respectively. The Gurgaon based city institute will enroll its first batch of students in July 2009. Admission to the courses will consider the results of existing management entrance tests, but SOIL will go beyond the traditional entry requirements. While it will be important that entrants possess reasoning and analytical skills, the focus will be their inherent capacity to lead, to create a vision and carry teams with them. SOIL will use a proven testing instrument that will provide insights into the individual's potential and motivation to be a leader.

The curriculum has been designed with detailed inputs from industry leaders and emphasizes a comprehensive understanding of global business and transdisciplinary skills to deal with complexity and uncertainty, including skills in systemic thinking, change and risk management, stakeholder engagement and problem solving. The differentiating experience at SOIL will be the social innovation project designed to provide a natural meaningful circle of productivity between the students, respected industry leaders and committed NGO's.

For further information please contact:

Rediffusion Y&R

Sheetal Singh

Mobile: 9891462813

Email: singsheetal@gmail.com