The ceremony was graced by XLRI leadership Fr. S George who is the Director of the institute, Prof. Kanagaraj A. the Placement Convenor, Prof. Sanjay Patro who is the Dean of Academics, and senior faculty. Accenture was represented by Lakshmi Chandrasekharan the Senior Managing Director & Chief Human Resources Officer of the company and Suresh Nanduru who is the India Lead of Strategy and Consulting Global Network.

Key Highlights of the XLRI–Accenture Collaborative Partnership:

• Improved student opportunities: Accenture will increase hiring via summer internships, live projects and pre-placement offers (PPOs).

• Co-research and case studies: XLRI and Accenture will jointly develop research papers, case studies and knowledge-sharing sessions.

• Learning and development programs: The partnership will encompass guest lectures, workshops, faculty development programs and executive education as per industry requirements.

• Thought leadership events: The collaboration will include CXO speeches, roundtable sessions and collaborative working on innovation and sustainability projects.

Prof. Kanagaraj A. led the MoU initiative with Placement Head Rajni Ranjan providing coordinating support.

Following the MoU a Leadership Talk was held at the Tata Auditorium attended by over 1,000 students from XLRI’s BM, HRM and GMP programs along with faculty and staff. Speakers Lakshmi Chandrasekharan and Suresh Nanduru discussed key leadership lessons, the impact of artificial intelligence on business and workforce strategy and the future of digital transformation and consulting. They emphasised the importance of values-based leadership and purpose-driven growth.

Students found the session insightful offering a clear understanding of current industry trends and leadership expectations. This collaboration supports XLRI’s mission to develop responsible, future-ready leaders who are prepared for the dynamic business environment.