The 16^th The Annual Finance Conference will focus on the theme ‘Financial Stability in a Volatile World: Risks, Resilience, and Regulation’, and will be inaugurated by the Deputy Governor of India’s Central Bank, the Reserve Bank of India, Shri T. Rabi Sankar. The conference will feature a panel discussion and the release of two white papers by the centre’s faculty members: one examining the market efficiency in the sale of non-performing assets (NPAs) by banks and the other on equity market microstructure issues.

The book A Sixth of Humanity: Independent India’s Development Odyssey by economist Arvind Subramanian and political scientist Devesh Kapur was launched at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, as part of The Federal’s Voices That Count series.

In a wide-ranging conversation with the centre’s chairperson Prof Vidya Mahambare and The Federal’s chief editor Mr S Srinivasan, the authors unpacked India’s distinctive development journey. They examined the country’s unusual sequencing of democracy before sustained economic development, the tensions between state capacity and political ambition, and the shifting role of institutions in shaping outcomes.

The discussion moved beyond theory into sharp, contemporary questions about growth, equity, governance, and India’s place in a changing global order. What followed was an engaged exchange with students and faculty, turning the book launch into a thoughtful dialogue on the challenges and opportunities that will define India’s next chapter.

On 7 March 2025, we hosted a special event in collaboration with the Madras Management Association to mark International Women’s Day, centring the conversation on strengthening women’s leadership and expanding their role in business and decision-making.
The evening brought together industry leaders, academicians, and professionals for a focused dialogue on what still holds women back and what institutions and organisations must do differently. From leadership pipelines to access to capital and board representation, the discussion was grounded in both data and lived experience.

A key highlight of the event was the release of our report, Women @ Work: Powering Progress, Shaping the Future. The report was widely appreciated and went on to receive strong coverage across multiple media platforms, reinforcing the urgency and relevance of building more inclusive and future-ready workplaces.

You can watch the whole event @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iJBPZhnqZw

The 15^th Annual Finance Conclave 2025 brought together market practitioners and academic leaders to explore India’s Secular Growth Story—the structural forces shaping India’s long-term economic expansion beyond short-term cycles. The conclave features a masterclass on Valuation Beyond Numbers, followed by a panel discussion with leading voices from capital markets, asset management, and venture investing. Together, the sessions offer a practitioner-led perspective on valuation, governance, and growth in India’s evolving financial landscape.

Masterclass Speaker - Bhupendra Tiwary – AVP Research, ICICI Securities

Session: Valuation Beyond Numbers

Panel Discussion

• Ranjitha Ajay – Associate Professor, Finance, Great Lakes Chennai
• Bhupendra Tiwary – AVP Research, ICICI Securities
• Renjith Sivaram – Fund Manager, Mahindra Mutual Fund
• Ramesh Kuruva – CEO, VIVOS Venture Engine

The conference theme focused on the integration of environmental, social, and governance considerations into investment decision-making and their implications for risk management, portfolio performance, and long-term value creation. It covered socially responsible and impact investing, green finance instruments, and climate finance, with attention to their effectiveness in mobilising capital toward sustainable outcomes. The theme also emphasised corporate governance, transparency, disclosure, and the evolving regulatory landscape in building investor confidence and accountability, alongside the role of financial inclusion and development finance institutions in advancing sustainable development goals.

Keynote Address by Mr. Lalit Taneja [Head, GARP India (Delhi Chapter)]

Theme: Nurturing a Sustainable Future

Masterclass by Mr. Pralabh Bhargava [Principal Consultant, ERM Delhi]

Theme: Mechanisms, Frameworks, Instruments and Impact Measurement

Panel Discussion

• Dr. Archana Pillai [Resident Mentor, NSRCEL, IIMB and Director, Social Audit Network (SAN) India]
• Impact Investing Climate in India Mr. Lalit Taneja [Head, GARP India (Delhi)]
• Risk Management perspective Mr. Pralabh Bhargava [Principal Consultant, ERM Delhi]

The conference focused on how individuals, institutions, and economies can build and protect wealth amid volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. It explored India’s macroeconomic rise in a disrupted global environment alongside practical personal finance strategies for long-term financial resilience. The discussions bridged policy, markets, and household finance perspectives.

Inaugural address - Gautam Chikermane, Vice President, Observer Research Foundation; Author of Reform Nation and India 2030 (Inaugural Address: “The Rise of India in a World of Disruptions”)

Masterclass - Monika Halan, Personal Finance Expert; Author of Let’s Talk Money

(Keynote Address: “Let’s Talk Money: How to Get Your Money to Work Hard for You”)

• Sanjoy Sircar, Area Chair (Finance), Great Lakes Institute of Management
• Vishwanathan Iyer, Senior Associate Professor of Finance, Great Lakes Institute of Management
• Vidya Mahambare, Professor of Economics, Great Lakes Institute of Management

The conference examined the challenges policymakers face in managing macroeconomic and financial stability, drawing on central banking experience in India. It also explored long-term wealth creation strategies through disciplined investing and institutional capital management. Together, the sessions bridged public policy perspectives with market-driven investment approaches.

The keynote address - Duvvuri Subbarao, 22nd Governor, Reserve Bank of India; Former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Government of India (Inaugural Talk: “Dilemmas in Central Banking: Experiences from the Reserve Bank of India”)

Session on Wealth Creation Strategies

• Mohan Lakhamraju, Chairman, Great Lakes Institute of Management; Founder and CEO, Great Learning
• Saurabh Mukherjee, Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Marcellus Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd.
• Rakshit Ranjan, Salil Desai, Marcellus Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd.
• Suresh Ramanathan, Dean and Principal, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai
• Vidya Mahambare, Professor of Economics, Great Lakes Institute of Management

The conference focused on auction theory and its practical relevance for Indian markets and public policy, particularly in sectors such as telecommunications. It brought together global theoretical insights and Indian policy applications, highlighting how well-designed auctions can improve efficiency, competition, and economic outcomes. The discussions bridged Nobel Prize–winning economic theory with real-world regulatory and market challenges in India.

Robert B. Wilson, Nobel Laureate in Economics (2020); Adams Distinguished Professor of Management (Emeritus), Stanford Graduate School of Business (Inaugural Address)

Rajat Kathuria, Director and Chief Executive, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi

Bala V Balachandran, Founder, Chairman and Dean (Emeritus), Great Lakes Institute of Management

Suresh Ramanathan, Dean and Principal, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

Sanjoy Sircar, Professor of Finance, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai (Context Setting: Indian Telecom Sector at a Crossroads; Moderator)

Vidya Mahambare, Professor of Economics, Great Lakes Institute of Management

Across economies, gender gaps in work persist in ways that are structural, not incidental. The pandemic exposed how fragile progress had been. Globally, women exited the workforce at higher rates due to caregiving burdens, job losses in contact-intensive sectors, and limited social safety nets. In India, female labour force participation continues to remain among the lowest for major economies, despite rising educational attainment among women.

The barriers show up at every stage. During job searches, women are often filtered into lower-paying or informal roles. In wage negotiations, social conditioning and bias can suppress earnings. Career progression slows at the middle-management level, where leadership pipelines narrow sharply. Access to capital for women entrepreneurs remains costlier and more restrictive, limiting scale and sustainability. Many of these constraints are subtle, embedded in norms, networks, and institutional design, yet their cumulative effect is significant: they restrict women from fully realising their economic and leadership potential.

Against this backdrop, on 9 and 10 December 2022, we hosted an international conference that brought together leading academicians and practitioners to examine these challenges through data, lived experience, and policy insights. The discussions moved beyond diagnosis to solutions, exploring pathways to build more inclusive workplaces, strengthen institutional support, and reimagine systems that enable women not just to participate, but to lead and transform the future of work.

To know more about the conference, click @ https://www.greatlakes.edu.in/chennai/inspiring-change-indian-women-and-paid-work