It was inaugurated by Prof. B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu through an online address by the dignitary. Arup Kumar Mallick, Executive Director, HAL Management Academy (DPSU), physically graced the occasion, while Prof. Jabir Ali, Dean of Faculty and Research, IIM Jammu and Prof. Sanjeev Pathak, Chairperson of Executive Education and Consulting, IIM Jammu joined online.

Arup Kumar Mallick welcomed the participants and underlined the program's strategic value in boosting leadership competencies and improving effective communication within HAL. He spoke about the rich past of HAL, its crucial position in national development and its contribution to India's aerospace and military ecosystem. He stressed how important an industry-academic partnership was in solving evolving leadership and communication challenges.

Prof. B.S. Sahay welcomed the participants. He praised HAL for its contribution to national development and said that working with HAL Management Academy has been a truly inspiring experience. He emphasised the importance of continuous learning, innovation-driven leadership and knowledge co-creation for developing globally competitive public sector organisations.

Prof. Jabir Ali said it was a one-of-its-kind program because it mixed the best academic pedagogies with modern industry models. He highlighted a discussion-oriented, experiential learning approach aimed at converting ideas into organisational impact. Prof. Sanjeev Pathak echoed the commitment of IIM Jammu to creating a sustainable long-term relationship with HAL through executive education and consultancy initiatives.

The training focuses on developing strategic communication of leadership professionals, executive presence and high-impact presenting. It extends beyond classical presentation strategies to incorporate the use of pictorial storytelling, behavioral insights, technology and AI-enabled platforms such as Canva, Prezi, Power BI, Tableau and Gen AI technologies. Delegates will be able to develop skills in the area of compelling communication, data visualisation and influencing at the executive level.

The course is offered by a remarkable faculty team headed by Dr. Gaana J. and Dr. Sundar R. (Program Directors) and Drs. Apurva and Chinmaya Kumar Swain.

The first session ended with a discussion and outlook on the program framework and interactive session with the executives in attendance, highlighting the commitment of IIM Jammu to industry and the nation's needs for leadership development.