XLRI School of Management, Jamshedpur sweeps away the first place, SIES School of Business Studies and SIES College of Management, Mumbai and KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai emerged runners-up in this innovative DEI solutioning contest for educational institutes 

MUMBAI, 25 DECEMBER, 2022 (GPN):- Avtar group, India’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Solutions firm, announced the winners of its first-of-its-kind initiative – Diversathon today. XLRI School of Management, Jamshedpur emerged the Title Winner and the SIES School of Business Studies and SIES College of Management, Mumbai and KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai finished as runners-up.

Business schools and professional institutions occupy a pivotal role in the movement towards equitable workspaces. Students studying in professional institutions and B-schools are leaders of tomorrow and being inclusive is critical for overall business success. It was to inspire, ignite and recognize this spirit that Avtar Group designed a first-of-its-kind contest called Diversathon.

Diversathon, a (virtual) Solutioning Hackathon on the theme Towards Big Impact – Creating Inclusive Campuses in India, was conducted as part of Diversity Mahotsav – a string of sessions hosted by Avtar, celebrating the ethos of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion spaced through the month of December. While the sessions have led to immense learning through candid sharing by thought leaders and role models, Diversathon saw teams from educational institutions presenting their unique ideas by way of solutions to inclusion challenges in the country.

Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder and President, Avtar Group said, “The objective of Diversathon was to educate students who are potential change agents of tomorrow, on the realm of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. These students who came up with brilliant solutions to some very pertinent inclusion challenges, are all set to take strategic and tactical action when they become managers at India Inc.’s corridors. Students from across the country participated in Diversathon and presented their views with a lot of conviction. It was difficult for us to pick the winners as each team put their best foot forward. There was a lot of knowledge sharing which happened during the event and lend itself to some memorable discussion points. I congratulate all the participants who made this event a grand success. The participants are budding professionals, and we are happy to have got them initiated in the DEI journey. We are hopeful that in the years to come, they will spearhead inclusive change for a better future.” 

Teams from BIMTECH, Noida; Gitam Business School, Hyderabad; KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai; SIES School of Business Studies and SIES College of Management, Mumbai; TISS, Hyderabad and XLRI School of Management, Jamshedpur participated in the paper presentation. Some of the topics discussed in the papers included the key challenges faced by men and women in Indian society, inclusion related issues faced by male and female students on campuses, measures to be implemented both in campus and society, among others.