Latest news with #JKLakshmipatUniversity
Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
HSB Appoints Former IIM Lucknow Director Prof. Archana Shukla as Director
NewsVoir Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], August 13: Hari Shankar Singhania School of Business (HSB), a pioneering, technology-driven business school at JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur, has appointed former IIM Lucknow Director, Prof. Archana Shukla, as its new Director. She took charge on August 1, 2025, succeeding Prof. Gregory Dunn. An IIT Kanpur alumna with a PhD in Psychology, Prof. Shukla is an eminent academic specialising in organisational behaviour and knowledge management. She brings to the new role more than three decades of experience in teaching, research and academic leadership. Prof. Shukla served for six years as Director of IIM Lucknow, and prior to this, she had also served as the Dean of the IIM Lucknow Noida Campus for more than 3 years. She was the first chairperson of Dr. Ishwar Dayal Chair for futuristic Issues in the Behavioral Sciences for the period of 2015 - 2017. She has designed and delivered Management Development Programmes (MDPs) on leadership, strategic thinking, team building, and managerial effectiveness, along with process consulting in culture building, coaching, mentoring, and assessment centres for organisations such as KPMG, Mahindra & Mahindra, Samsung, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, and the GMR Group, among others. At HSB, Prof. Shukla will lead the flagship two-year UGC-accredited residential MBA programme with specialisation tracks in digital product management, artificial intelligence and business analytics, and entrepreneurship and organisational foresight. Warmly welcoming the appointment of Prof. Shukla, Shri B.H. Singhania, Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University, said, "Her appointment as the Director of our premier business school will advance HSB's mission of blending academic rigour with real-world relevance. Her remarkable track record at IIM Lucknow and her expertise in organisational behaviour will be instrumental in nurturing global business leaders who are ready to shape tomorrow's enterprises." HSB, founded in 2024 on the JKLU campus, is already making strides in nurturing leaders who can successfully steer organisations in the face of rapid technological advancements and global disruptions. Commenting on her appointment, Prof. Archana Shukla said, "I am honoured to join HSB at this pivotal phase. The institution's vision is perfectly aligned with the demands of a rapidly evolving global business landscape. I look forward to working with faculty, students, and industry mentors to elevate HSB's impact internationally." HSB was established in memory of Hari Shankar Singhania, a visionary industrialist and philanthropist who was the Founding Chancellor of JK Lakshmipat University and Former President of JK Organisation.
News18
3 days ago
- Business
- News18
HSB Appoints Former IIM Lucknow Director Prof. Archana Shukla as Director
NewsVoirJaipur (Rajasthan) [India], August 13: Hari Shankar Singhania School of Business (HSB), a pioneering, technology-driven business school at JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur, has appointed former IIM Lucknow Director, Prof. Archana Shukla, as its new Director. She took charge on August 1, 2025, succeeding Prof. Gregory IIT Kanpur alumna with a PhD in Psychology, Prof. Shukla is an eminent academic specialising in organisational behaviour and knowledge management. She brings to the new role more than three decades of experience in teaching, research and academic Shukla served for six years as Director of IIM Lucknow, and prior to this, she had also served as the Dean of the IIM Lucknow Noida Campus for more than 3 years. She was the first chairperson of Dr. Ishwar Dayal Chair for futuristic Issues in the Behavioral Sciences for the period of 2015 – 2017. She has designed and delivered Management Development Programmes (MDPs) on leadership, strategic thinking, team building, and managerial effectiveness, along with process consulting in culture building, coaching, mentoring, and assessment centres for organisations such as KPMG, Mahindra & Mahindra, Samsung, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, and the GMR Group, among HSB, Prof. Shukla will lead the flagship two-year UGC-accredited residential MBA programme with specialisation tracks in digital product management, artificial intelligence and business analytics, and entrepreneurship and organisational welcoming the appointment of Prof. Shukla, Shri B.H. Singhania, Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University, said, 'Her appointment as the Director of our premier business school will advance HSB's mission of blending academic rigour with real-world relevance. Her remarkable track record at IIM Lucknow and her expertise in organisational behaviour will be instrumental in nurturing global business leaders who are ready to shape tomorrow's enterprises."HSB, founded in 2024 on the JKLU campus, is already making strides in nurturing leaders who can successfully steer organisations in the face of rapid technological advancements and global on her appointment, Prof. Archana Shukla said, 'I am honoured to join HSB at this pivotal phase. The institution's vision is perfectly aligned with the demands of a rapidly evolving global business landscape. I look forward to working with faculty, students, and industry mentors to elevate HSB's impact internationally."HSB was established in memory of Hari Shankar Singhania, a visionary industrialist and philanthropist who was the Founding Chancellor of JK Lakshmipat University and Former President of JK Organisation. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Fashion Value Chain
3 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
HSB Appoints Former IIM Lucknow Director Prof. Archana Shukla as Director
Hari Shankar Singhania School of Business (HSB), a pioneering, technology-driven business school at JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur, has appointed former IIM Lucknow Director, Prof. Archana Shukla, as its new Director. She took charge on August 1, 2025, succeeding Prof. Gregory Dunn. Prof. Archana Shukla has been appointed as the Director of Hari Shankar Singhania School of Business (HSB) at JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur An IIT Kanpur alumna with a PhD in Psychology, Prof. Shukla is an eminent academic specialising in organisational behaviour and knowledge management. She brings to the new role more than three decades of experience in teaching, research and academic leadership. Prof. Shukla served for six years as Director of IIM Lucknow, and prior to this, she had also served as the Dean of the IIM Lucknow Noida Campus for more than 3 years. She was the first chairperson of Dr. Ishwar Dayal Chair for futuristic Issues in the Behavioral Sciences for the period of 2015 – 2017. She has designed and delivered Management Development Programmes (MDPs) on leadership, strategic thinking, team building, and managerial effectiveness, along with process consulting in culture building, coaching, mentoring, and assessment centres for organisations such as KPMG, Mahindra & Mahindra, Samsung, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, and the GMR Group, among others. At HSB, Prof. Shukla will lead the flagship two-year UGC-accredited residential MBA programme with specialisation tracks in digital product management, artificial intelligence and business analytics, and entrepreneurship and organisational foresight. Warmly welcoming the appointment of Prof. Shukla, Shri B.H. Singhania, Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University, said, 'Her appointment as the Director of our premier business school will advance HSB's mission of blending academic rigour with real-world relevance. Her remarkable track record at IIM Lucknow and her expertise in organisational behaviour will be instrumental in nurturing global business leaders who are ready to shape tomorrow's enterprises.' HSB, founded in 2024 on the JKLU campus, is already making strides in nurturing leaders who can successfully steer organisations in the face of rapid technological advancements and global disruptions. Commenting on her appointment, Prof. Archana Shukla said, 'I am honoured to join HSB at this pivotal phase. The institution's vision is perfectly aligned with the demands of a rapidly evolving global business landscape. I look forward to working with faculty, students, and industry mentors to elevate HSB's impact internationally.' HSB was established in memory of Hari Shankar Singhania, a visionary industrialist and philanthropist who was the Founding Chancellor of JK Lakshmipat University and Former President of JK Organisation.
Hindustan Times
25-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Add to cart: A Wknd chat with award-winning product designer A Balasubramaniam
In the sheen of a flashlight's reflective rim. In the distance between two steps in a staircase. In the way a newspaper folds so readily to fit into the hand. 'And yet there are no fixed rules,' Balasubramaniam says, smiling. 'One doesn't have to work with pre-established choices. In fact, design, especially product design, compels one to reimagine the status quo.' Over five decades, Balasubramaniam, founding director of the Institute of Design at JK Lakshmipat University (JKLU) in Jaipur, has helped shape hundreds of products: torches, trucks, hospital trolleys, pedestal fans for outdoor venues, headphones, refrigerators, table lamps. He has worked with companies such as Hero, Eveready, Usha, Singer and Eicher, as well as with state crafts councils, handicraft enterprises and the NGO Oxfam. A graduate of the National Institute of Design (NID), he has also taught at NID and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). Earlier this month, Balasubramaniam became the first Indian to win the Hills Millennium Award. Presented annually by the UK-based Institute of Engineering Designers, past winners have included a car designer for Ford, Ferrari and McLaren, and the creative director of Ikea Retail. Balasubramaniam has won for his tireless campaign to get India to focus more on how form influences function. He has been pushing for a Ministry of Design, which he believes would help superlative but languishing sectors such as the handicrafts industries fare better in the 21st century. He has been arguing for greater emphasis on design in a changing world of increasingly scarce resources. Simple questions like 'Can this cistern save more water' can have a deep impact, he says. How does he feel about the award? He sees it not just as a personal win but as a nod to an early batch of product designers in the '70s and '80s, he says, who laid the groundwork in what was then barely recognised as a profession. 'We were hopeful and driven,' he adds. 'We believed that design could make a difference in the world.' Still, the award came as a big surprise, Balasubramaniam says, laughing. 'I first thought perhaps it was a hoax. I still can't quite believe it. But I do think it is also recognition of the design practices emerging out of India, and how these ancient and modern ideas are influencing the world.' Excerpts from an interview. * How did you end up studying industrial product design at NID? I was 16 and had just finished school. I was considering studying architecture, when I came across an advertisement for NID's design courses in the newspaper. A few days later, I read that the institute had won a few awards, so I went back to that advertisement. The application fee was just ₹2, so I decided to just apply, on my own. The application process itself drew me in. The form encouraged applicants to think of design in new ways. There were questions like: 'Who is closest to a designer — a potter, tailor or textile weaver?' The exam involved hands-on activities such as sorting multiple grains into various kinds of packaging. At the interview too, I was asked questions such as 'How would you improve the chair you're sitting on?' and 'What colour would you paint a chimney?' What intrigued me was that there really weren't any pre-set choices or right or wrong answers. Till today, it thrills me that design compels you to question what you can see, challenge the status-quo. My parents were thankfully supportive, although none of us really had any idea about the course. I was 16 when I stepped into NID for a five-year course. I feel like I grew up there, as a person and a professional. That place taught me that confusion is a good thing. It means that you are thinking. * What was it like entering the industry as a fresher, in the mid-1980s? This was a new profession in India. Not a lot of companies understood the specialisation. For instance, my first job was with a Bhopal-based company that manufactured TV screens. They were only willing to hire me as a management trainee. I convinced them to let me work and be paid as a full-time industrial designer, helping them make, improve and market their products. Thankfully, they took me in. That taught me to ask and fight for what I wanted and deserved. When that company shut down, I landed a freelance gig in Delhi, as a product design consultant with Fedders Lloyd. At the time, freelancing wasn't a popular option. But, together with a few of my peers and seniors, we managed to establish freelance consulting as a viable way to approach companies, conduct audits of their products and pitch ideas on how they could be improved. Across the country, we were a tight-knit group, looking out for each other. And we avoided treading onto each other's portfolios. You don't see that so much now. * You've said that there was a sense of idealism attached to the profession... Yes. We truly believed that what we did could make a difference in the world. We believed that excellence in this field mattered. Our professors, people like my gurus Mohan Bhandari and MP Ranjan of NID, taught us to chase problems, think of solutions, work on them, market that design, and then just drop the whole approach and think about how else it could be done. How it could be done better. * The Eveready flashlight you drew up is still talked about. Can you tell us about it? Well, it was a product meant for rural India in 1989-90, so it had to be durable and affordable. But the company didn't want it to look cheap. It was also meant for a place and time when a power cut or even just nighttime could mean complete darkness. One had to be able to spot the torch in the dark. So, I designed the rim of the flashlight so that it would glow. The switch also had a zinc-and-sulphur-based coating that glowed. It was available in different colours, cost the company only ₹7 to make, and sold for ₹35. Lakhs of the flashlights sold over 15 years. If only I had asked for royalty! * Do you think it's strange that a culture as ancient as ours doesn't really have a modern design philosophy? One of the reasons we rarely acknowledge good design or the lack of it around us in modern India is that, as a people, we are constantly adjusting. A corner seat made for two on the metro will inevitably be taken up by three, if not four. But India has an underlying design philosophy, and it is a beautiful one: functional, frugal, aesthetic but also circular. A sari or a bedsheet turns into a razai or quilt, which then turns into a mop or a hand-towel. We are seeing a resurgence of these ideas in certain areas, and this is what the world is drawing inspiration from too, in certain cases. Part of the problem in India and around the world, of course, is corporate greed shaping the smallest of things. We can't even register a complaint on a call with a customer helpline anymore. Apps are designed in a way where we are just passed on to a bot and have to wait days for any response. * That certainly isn't great design, from the customer's point of view. What do you think makes a good designer? Empathy, creativity and ethics. That last one is perhaps most crucial in today's world, because designers do have a lot of power, and should know how to use it responsibly. A good designer also needs the ability to think critically, so that their solution doesn't end up creating a problem for someone else. Product designers today are contributing significantly to the climate crisis. We aren't stopping to think about what impact a slightly different version of the same product could have. The future hinges on sustainable design. I think the younger generation is more mindful of this. Hopefully, they will build a more human-centric and planet-centric design philosophy for our world. * Is that the kind of legacy you aim to leave behind too? While pitching myself as a consultant to companies, even in the early years, I realised I was educating them. Education became an extension of my love for design. I like to think that I created products, and product designers. I would like to leave behind a legacy of good designers who will make this world a better place.
Business Standard
23-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
JKLU Professor First Indian to Win Hills Millennium Award for International Designers
NewsVoir Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], June 23: Prof. A Balasubramaniam, the founding Director of the Institute of Design at JK Lakshmipat University (JKLU) in Jaipur has become the first Indian to win the Hills Millennium Award 2025, a prestigious award for international designers presented annually by the UK-based Institute of Engineering Designers (IED). Prof. Balasubramaniam was selected for the award in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field of product design. He will be felicitated on 12th July in Birmingham, UK. The Hills Millennium Award is given annually by IED to an international designer who has made major contributions to the professional areas of Engineering Design, and/or Product Design. Prof. Balasubramaniam has designed market-leading products, as diverse as tractors and torches, for industry leaders such as Eveready, Eicher, Usha, Hero Motors, Bajaj, and intergovernmental organisations such as UNDP. He was a consultant to National Innovation Foundation and NIIT. He also writes a popular blog on Design practice in India. The selection of Professor Balasubramaniam for Hills Millennium Award 2025 is a testament to the growing influence of Indian designers at the world stage. "India's design ethos - rooted in centuries of craft, innovation, and cultural heritage - has long shaped global sensibilities, often without due recognition. That is why it is heartening to see the international design community acknowledge this legacy by honouring Prof. Balasubramaniam with the Hills Millennium Award," said Professor Alka Mahajan, Pro Vice Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University. An alumnus of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, he had served as the National President of ADI (Association of Designers of India) from 2022-24. Before joining the Institute of Design at JK Lakshmipat University, he was the Dean of IILM School of Design in Gurgaon from 2007 to 2010 and has also been a member of the Academic Board for several design institutes, including the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (SPA New Delhi) and Nirma University. "I am deeply honoured and humbled by the Institute of Engineering Designers' recognition. This prestigious award is not just a personal achievement, but a reflection of the collective effort to expand the global design dialogue. I truly believe this recognition signals a critical shift toward a more inclusive narrative in design - one that values and amplifies the diverse voices and traditions shaping our field," Prof. Balasubramaniam said on winning the award. Past winners of the Hills Millennium Award include the legendary automative designer Frank Stephenson, the designer behind some of the world's most iconic cars, including the 2001 MINI Cooper, Ferrari F430, and McLaren P1, among others. Other awardees include Dorian Marjanovic, Professor Emeritus at University of Zagreb; veteran engineering design professional Crispin Hales; and Marcus Engman, Creative Director at IKEA Retail. The Institution of Engineering Designers is a British professional engineering institution founded in 1945. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
