ISB Leadership Summit (ILS) 2013 hosted more than 45 speakers across 15 panels in the two-day event at the Hyderabad campus. The Summit hosts some of the boldest, most innovative reflections on leadership from across countries and sectors year after year.

This year, ISB celebrated the 11th year of ILS by “Breaking the Myth”. With global incidents in the recent past having forced us to rethink what was once believed to be true, “Breaking the Myth” was a fitting theme which subsumed the plethora of topics discussed at the Summit.

The event started with a keynote address by Vineet Nayar, Vice President, HCL Technologies. Nayar busted many popular myths and kept the packed audience engaged with examples from his rich and diverse experience. He outlined the importance of making the right choices, taking risks and creating a deep-rooted conviction. He encouraged students to experience “magic” by thinking beyond the boundaries of logic and reason and thus, emphasised on not limiting their aspiration to a degree such as an MBA but instead nurture intense passion and commitment that drives long-term success.

Following Nayar’s inspiring talk, the students and delegates were addressed by Banmali Agrawal, President and CEO, GE South Asia. Agrawal brought to the fore the challenges faced by modern day managers in the event of rapid globalisation. An interesting point raised by Agrawal was that businesses need to start thinking more locally and collaborate with the government, while the government itself had to become more proactive and global in its approach.
ILS 2013 witnessed fifteen thematic conclaves organised by student clubs on a variety of topics.

The Media and Entertainment conclave debated on Creatives vs. Suits - an underlying debate in the advertising circles, while the Women in Business conclave deliberated on the issue of the Glass Ceiling - Exploding myths and crashing stereotypes. The Retail conclave saw the panel debate a question retailers have been asking for some time now - Does India need a Wal-Mart? The Marketing conclave discussed if rural opportunities perceived by marketers are indeed an oasis or mirage?

All the themes discussed by various panels were both enriching as well as thought provoking as the luminaries from diverse industries gave varied and critical perspectives on these issues. As discussions went forward the groups debunked and sometimes even validated some of the myths.

On a lighter note, one of the biggest myths the event managed to shatter was - the near impossible task of bringing together the best thinkers in the business fraternity under one roof and host a glitch-free ILS 2013.