Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB) today opened the eighth edition of its Business Excellence Summit (BES) 2026, placing organisational resilience at the centre of a two-day conversation among industry leaders, faculty, students and alumni.
The theme — “Building Resilient Businesses – Navigating Risk to Shape A Sustainable Future” — frames a programme built around 14 distinguished speakers, all XIMB alumni. The summit is designed as a bridge between classroom learning and the pressures of an uncertain economy: risk, technology, leadership and sustainable growth.
The day began with a lamp-lighting ceremony and an inaugural address by Dr. Biswa Swarup Misra. Dr. Fr. K.S. Casimir, S.J., then delivered the theme address, stressing openness, collaboration and the “human edge” as the qualities that allow organisations to stay resilient rather than merely reactive. The inaugural session also marked the launch of *Echoes*, the BES magazine, and *Unnayan*, the alumni magazine.
The keynote came from Mr. Sandeep Bagla, CEO of TRUST Mutual Fund. He set out six pillars of organisational resilience and introduced a 4A Framework — Anticipate, Absorb, Adapt and Accelerate — as a practical way to move from risk awareness to action. Bagla also pointed to AI’s transformative potential, while warning that digital infrastructure, accountability and responsible leadership must travel with it.
Two panel discussions followed. “Leadership – Leading for the Long Run” and “Technology – Build to Bend, Not to Break” brought together Mr. Srinivas Baratam, Mr. Jaydeep Chakraborty, Mr. Sushant Dwivedy, Mr. Bivas Mishra, Mr. Gaurav Chawla and Ms. Jayati Dwivedy. The panels examined how firms can absorb shocks, adopt AI without surrendering human oversight, and still create long-term value through governance and adaptability.
Students did not stay on the sidelines. Interactive Q&A sessions pressed speakers on AI adoption, job displacement, innovation, entrepreneurship, ethics, R&D and the difficulty of leading in volatile markets. The exchanges underscored BES 2026’s stated purpose: to turn industry insight into usable perspective for the next generation of managers.
BES 2026 continues over a second day as a platform for dialogue on organisations that are adaptable, responsible and ready for what comes next.
