Dr. Rajeev Kumra, Director of TAPMI, officially opened the 30th installment of this prestigious series, which was seen by Mr. Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director of Perfetti Van Melle, India and a proud graduate of TAPMI's 1997–1999 class. It is a crucial component of a broader campaign supporting the Manipal Academy of Higher Education's (MAHE) declaration that 2025 would be the Year of Excellence for Industry-Academia Collaborations. These specially designed workshops aim to provide students with first-hand experience of actual leadership lessons, strategic choices and green business practices.

During the lecture, Mr. Nikhil Sharma explained a number of leadership qualities that students need to employ on a case-by-case basis.  He advised the students to practice leadership roles even if the situation was uncomfortable or unexpected, stressing vulnerability as a contemporary leadership quality that was a show of courage and authenticity, especially in challenging situations. In his address, Mr Nikhil pointed out the importance of empathy rather than sympathy, particularly in team-leading situations, and of knowing the ground realities of the team.

Mr Nikhil also highlighted the point of communication in leadership skills which is based on accessibility and not articulation. Mr Sharma also urged the students to craft their own leadership style, learn from mentors but not follow them blindly and keep in mind that even though consistency is crucial not all decisions can be the same – the intention behind action is crucial rather than precedent.

In respect to team conflict, he emphasised that fruitful disagreement is a marker of a healthy team, but post-decision alignment is non-negotiable. He also spoke about dealing with self-doubt, having faith in experts working in teams and designing settings where people are naturally inclined to perform.

The lecture ended with an engaging Q&A session where Mr Sharma frankly responded to questions covering everything from challenging decisions to his daily routines. As a parting remark, he disclosed that curiosity is the most important quality to him and discipline the key to his daily routine.

In this year of Excellence in Industry-Academia Collaborations, we can look forward to more industry leadership talks.