Bhubaneswar: Operation Association of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) hosted its annual Business Conclave Ashwamedh 2026, here in the campus on Sunday.
The theme of this year’s Conclave was “Beyond Borders: Building Operations for a Geopolitically Fragmented World.”
Settin the tone of the event, Prof. Arijit Mitra spoke about the changing world of operations, the impact of globalisation, and global events that have contributed to uncertainty and changes in operations. He emphasised that the challenge is no longer only to make operations efficient, but also resilient.
Ms. Suman M, Migration Sales Lead, Startups India, AWS, an XIMB alumnus, discussed the four phases: The Great Rewiring, Supply Chain Under Siege, The Splinternet and Data, and Operating in the New World Order. Using the example of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, she highlighted supply-chain vulnerabilities and the impact of global events on operations. She also discussed resilient supply chains under geopolitical tensions, the importance of assessing geopolitical exposure, and the AWS approach to resilience, including operations across 34 countries.
Manoranjan Mohapatra, Chief Investment Officer, DATOMS, and an alumnus of XIMB, discussed the five strategic fault lines and the cost of fragmentation versus resilience. He presented a five-pillar operating model based on diversify, regionalise, digitalise, modularise, and scenario-plan, along with a case study.
Gyanendra Nath, Director, Project Operations and Technical, Vedanta, and an alumnus of XIMB, focused on building future-ready operations in a geopolitically fragmented world. He highlighted resilience as the ability to anticipate disruption, protect continuity, recover, and continue creating value. He emphasised combining efficiency, agility, and resilience, while stressing the importance of ethical conduct, stakeholder communication, supply-chain alternatives, and data-driven decision-making.
Sovit Biswal, GM, Revenue & Operations, Home Easy, and an alumnus of XIMB, drew on his experience across SaaS, FMCG and operations to discuss the challenges of managing borderless businesses. Through examples from leasing, restaurant SaaS and automation for SMBs, he highlighted how fragmentation often emerges at operational handoffs, stressing the need for strong systems and adaptable operating models. He encouraged the idea that businesses should “sell outcomes, not products as a service,” and remarked, “Whatever you’re doing, there is someone building an AI to do it,” urging students to focus on differentiated value creation in an increasingly automated workplace.
Prof. Arijit Mitra and Revanth R, Coordinator of X-Ops, also spoke on the occasion.
