IITians told to stay relevant, connected

Graduates of IIT-T Tirupati receive degrees at convocation

Saint Gobain chief executive officer (Asia Pacific and India region) B. Santhanam has advised the IITians to stay immersed in their core area of expertise, stay organised in prioritising their goals, stay relevant through continuous learning and stay connected in this networked world.

Addressing the graduates at the second and third (joint) convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Tirupati (IIT-T) at the Yerpedu campus here on Saturday, he said ‘chance favours the prepared mind’ quoting Louis Pasteur, and asked them to stay prepared for opportunities. “Passing out from the premier engineering institution will not automatically guarantee success in life. You have to navigate in this world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity with some of the above organising principles,” said Mr. Santhanam, who is also a global executive cCommittee member of Saint Gobain (France).

On managing men, situations and emotions, he spoke on the challenges in store beyond their area of command. “Today my job involves understanding the motivations, biases of my colleagues and competitors. It is cognitive sciences all the way. So, suspend judgment and immerse yourself. You don’t know what you don’t know,” he averred.