Home Competition Stories HUL-The Premier League 2018 National Finalist BIM Trichy's Vibesh Vijayan's Story

HUL-The Premier League 2018 National Finalist BIM Trichy's Vibesh Vijayan's Story

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HUL-The Premier League 2018 National Finalist BIM Trichy's Vibesh Vijayan's Story

That evening felt like a usual November evening. The cold breeze flowing and the winds rustling. Until all of a sudden, I received a message saying “You are the Chosen One”. It was from one of the world's largest organizations, inviting me to be a part of HUL - The Premier League 2018. I was in the middle of trimester examinations but with HUL - The Premier League, I was sure I had to go. Even if it had me convincing the entire batch with regard to postponing the examinations, I won't step back.

After a long journey from Trichy to Mumbai, I reached the guest accommodation at HUL office and discovered a splendid utility-rich HUL hamper and a t-shirt neatly placed in the room, and the surprises had only just begun. The next morning, I got some time to interact with a few colleagues over breakfast. Post a brief introductory note, I was ready for the session.

The room was filled with excitement when we discovered that we will be getting an opportunity to have a one-on-one interaction with Dinesh Biddappa, CHRO, HUL. His humility and conviction, while talking about his life experiences, immediately struck a chord with the group. He also provided insights on his leadership style and its evolution over different stages of his career and role.

In the evening, we were informed that the group will be going out for a little outing to meet a few young HUL managers from various business units such as Axe, Domex and Kwality Wall’s who had been with the firm for 5-6 years. We reached the Taj Mahal Tea House at Bandra and quickly got into an interesting conversation with some very energetic HUL brand managers over tea.

So, the day started with a conversation with a C-level executive and reached an end with experienced professionals. One would think that covers pretty much everything but at HUL - The Premier League 2018, it doesn’t!

The second day started with a trip to Dharavi, Asia's largest slum. A group of local youth arranged a guided tour for us. It was amazing to get a direct peep into the ‘life at Dharavi’. It has facets of an industrial economy, an ecological nightmare, and struggle for growth filled with aspiration.

The local guide was a resident of Dharavi. He shared his thoughts on the opportunities and constraints, people living and working there faced. He also told us about the determination of youths to make their life better through education and hard work. Just when we thought this is the overwhelming end, we were in for another thrill.

We got to interact with the man himself- Sanjiv Mehta, CEO of HUL, who talked about his leadership journey and the challenges a leader faces in a dynamic business environment. He ended his session with a line that is still echoing in my memory. "Do not try to be a leader of the world, rather try to be a leader for the world!"

These two days were exceptionally enriching. I got a deeper understanding of my leadership traits and the broad organizational context. The exceptional efforts of the HUL team, especially the coordinating team, created an experience providing a realization of personal and professional growth beyond the competitive MBA routine.

Do you have your eyes set on winning HUL- The Premier League? Read more about the organizers Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) to cover all your basis. Other competitions organized by Hindustan Unilever Limited are HUL L.I.M.E. Season 10, HUL – IT Reboot, HUL FinAce Season 2, HUL Carpe Diem Season 5, HUL Big Brand Theory.

Edited by

Vibesh Vijayan - BIM Trichy

(Batch of 2017-19)

Vibesh Vijayan, an MBA student from BIM Trichy, is a Computer Science Engineer; is inquisitive, ardent, and energetic; had worked as Senior Application Developer at iNautix Technologies for a period of 3 years.

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MBA Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) B-School HUL The Premier League HUL The Premier League 2018 BIM Trichy