Past experiences make you do a lot of things, sometimes a good experience give you a lifelong effect and that is what dragged me to LUMS last week (April 17th) and this time reason as LUMS HR Confluence 2010. Ever since I got to know about this event I was eager to be there as it was amazing to be there at LUMS Marketing Colloquium.
HR Confluence was a one day event having panel discussions, workshops and a competition called HR Maestro Competition. When I reached the place I was assure of one thing that I was late but as one of my friend says that you are never late at any event if you are in Pakistan. Here I must thank Tariq Bhai who helped me in getting information and all the process for joining this even and he also helped me on the day for registration process. While I was registering myself for the event I met Usman Latif whom I met at Google Mapping Party last time.
Usman and I made our way to the NIB hall, the event was divided into two parts one was for the corporate + students having the workshops and panel discussions and the other was only for students and it was HR Maestro Competition there were case presentations and a quiz competition. I decided to be in former one that’s why I was in NIB hall. The event was officially started at 10 am with the opening ceremony.
Dr. Anwar Khurshid, Faculty LUMS gave the welcome notes and he said that there are three reason for him to like this whole event, 1. It’s a student led initiative, 2. It is a great opportunity to build linkages, it gives old-timers (like him) to see old students to be back in LUMS. Dr. Zafar Iqbal Qureshi was the next one to come and he described the whole development of HR in Pakistan since the very beginning that how current HR management scenario developed which used to be just controlling administration functions back in 50s and 60s. The third speaker was Mr. Moeez Karim, the Marketing Manager, Consumer Product Division, Packages. He was looking bit nervous during his speech and he himself revealed the reason as he said that he has given so many exams sitting in the very same hall during his LUMS days. He said that at the time of recruitment; Skills, desire, motivation is important but individual goals play the major part.
After the opening ceremony there was a Networking Tea; during this session I got chance to network with the other students how came for the same event from different parts of Pakistan, and I also got chance to meet Saadi Rauf, The President of LMEC and Hammad Qazi, The Vice President of�LMEC. It was nice meeting them again after the LUMS Marketing Colloquium. I must say that I was actually feeling sorry for Hammad as he was wearing Suit on a day which can be given as example of how hot the summers of Lahore are.
Now it was the time for Panel Discussion on Talent Management, Mr. Mohsin Khan (international HR Consultant) was the moderator of the discussion and in panel there were Mr. Shoaib Ahmed�(manager HR, TetraPak Pakistan), Ma’am Zainab Khan (Recruitment, Compensation & Training Manager, ICI Pakistan), and Mr. Umair Malik who was representing Engro Corp. there were few point that were new for me in the presentations but to me and some other fellows (why should only I take the whole responsibility) it was more of a marketing session where the presenters gave the idea about their company more then what actually happening there in for the HR and Talent management however in Q&A sessions many questions somehow overcome this thing as they were quite relevant questions.
“What is Changing” that was the name of workshop on change management by Ma’am Shireen Naqvi, Navitus. One of the best workshops I have ever been in, that’s what I have to say about it. Many things I learnt which I feel now that I never realized before as at one point she said, “If you are a liar, you are not human yet”. She also told us the best school which teaches us all the values required to live a good life and the school is MKG (Maan Ki Goad—Lap of Mother) she also said, “We are great as individuals but can’t play together”. She also collected the points essential for excellence from the audience and told us that change everything but do not let them to change. There was another practice called GHQ and I must say it’s a great frustration buster for me (it has nothing to do with the�general�head quarters).
I don’t know about others but by now I was feeling hungry and at that time the best session was about to start and it was Networking Luncheon. Again got chance to talk to many people and exchange some ideas met some old fellows from PU, met an interesting person, Asif Khan who is a trainer and inspirational speaker. I also got chance to talk to Shaukat A Brah Dean of Salman Dawood School of Business, LUMS. I must say it was really nice talking to him and again I picked up some good points from the chit chat that I know will be helpful throughout my life.
Panel discussion on Use of Social Media in HR, was the next thing to come and I was actually waiting for this as Mr. Adeel Anwar (Netsol) and Mr. Badar Khushnood (Google) was the part of it, I really like these two people and both of them are in the list of those amazing people that I met in last one year. The other panelists were Mr. Monis Rehman (CEO, Rozee.PK) and Ma’am Andaleeb Abbas (CEO, Franklin Covey Pakistan). This panel discussion was more interesting and informative then the previous one and some good facts I came to know during the presentations. However one thing that I learnt was the fact; “there is no problem with the technologies the problem is with the people using them” and it was said by Ma’am Andleeb while answering a question.
It was time for the attraction of the even that’s what I believe about the workshop “Out of the Box Thinking: Managing your own Talent” by Mr. Nadeem Chawhan (Navitus). Brilliant is the word that can possibly describe what I experienced in that workshop. I must say Mr. Chawhan is a great presenter and motivating speaker and his witty style awesome and he actually make us all to think that “What Is Potential”. He presented many complex aspects of HR in his signature style and I must say that I never been able to understand HR as easily as I did during the workshop.
It was the time to close the ceremony and distribute the certificates and shields. One thing I forgot IBIT, Punjab University got 2nd Position in the HR Maestro Competition; and my friend Syed Hassan Talal was the part of it, many congratulations to the team from PU, and FC College University was the winner of the competition.
Networking tea was the final part of the event, and I got chance to talk to Mr. Naweed Masood Ali, President LUMS HR Executive Club; what a humble person he is and he had a reason to be happy because the event goes very well and I want to utilize this opportunity to congratulate him and his team on holding such a wonderful event and I am also thankful to Naweed as he helped me in being the part of the event.
That’s it that was my experience about being in LUMS for the second time, I know this post is really long but that is one thing I do not know; how to precise the things and still do the justice. One more thing before I end this thanks to Usman Latif for all the tips and suggestions he gave.
