On August 30, 2025, under the Mandapam Auditorium the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu started its first major HR Conclave 8.0. At the Jagti campus, distinguished corporate leaders, HR experts, and academics debated the conference subject, “People-First Organizations: Culture, Capability.” & Change addresses both the future of jobs and how businesses might assess their personnel. The growing importance of human resources in building change-resistant human-centered companies. 

The day started as normal with the lighting of the lights, the Saraswati Vandana, and the felicitation of the chief guest, Ms. Vermeen Kapoor, Managing Director of Risk and Finance. In the Barclays Treasury Technology area, Kapoor discussed her own experiences as a student and the ongoing impact of the famous adage, “Students.” She pointed out that people continue to drive innovation even if technology has changed almost every aspect of business, from mobile banking to advanced risk analysis. Emphasizing the value of businesses that support human-centered ideals in creating psychologically safe surroundings that allow teams to fail, grow, and flourish more rapidly. Successful approaches encourage creativity, resilience, and cooperation. 

Celebrating cultural icons and fostering group success, reskilling, and education are just as important as continuous investments in capacity development, according to Kapoor. She emphasized the need for companies to encourage thorough leadership growth and internal mobility as artificial intelligence swiftly turns into Generative AI. She reminded participants that investing in their people fosters internal mobility and the growth of all-encompassing leadership in thriving companies. Along with talking about change leadership, she emphasized the need of influencers and good management in promoting good change. She created a vision of the future in her conclusion where culture promotes growth and competence, where humans and machines work together to compliment one another. capabilities of one another, etc. and where technological advancement fuels transformation. 

Director Prof. B.S. Sahay discussed the founding of IIM as well as recent developments in Jammu and Kashmir. According to his speech, Jammu is a center of education. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direction, Jammu now boasts three Institutes of National Importance: IIM Jammu, IIT Jammu, and AIIMS Jammu. Taking great pleasure in showcasing the school’s modern Jagti Campus, the Prime Minister officially inaugurated the IIM Jammu Srinagar Campus online in 2024.

Sahay reiterated the importance of resilience, performance, and nation-building as fundamental ideas of IIM Jammu’s mission. He stressed that the role of IIMs is serving society rather than only producing MBAs. Efforts including the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Entrepreneurship Among the projects the Center is supporting are those of CITAG and Mission YUVA along with the Jammu and Kashmir government. He highlighted the institution’s contributions. to government, societal transformation, and all-around development by drawing attention to innovation and the Anandam: Center for Happiness. He also proudly revealed the institute’s success in gaining both BGA Institutional Accreditation and EFMD Programme Accreditation for its MBA course in the same year. Which he dubbed “a spectacular accomplishment.” Making IIM Jammu the only second- and third-generation IIM to achieve this level by placing it among the top five IIMs in the country. At the opening ceremony, senior faculty members also contributed their points of view. Prof. Jabir Ali, Dean of Faculty and Research, told of IIM Jammu’s growth from 46 students. Students from the beginning to be a hub for industry and academic cooperation in its first class. He stressed the need from a single course to five, including executive education and consulting, Dean Academics Prof. Nitin mapped out the growth of the institute. Curriculum alignment with industry needs. Dr. Mahesh Gadekar, Chairperson, underlined the professional rigor of the institute’s placement process in order to enhance management education in the digital age. Co-chair of placements Sanjay Gupta reaffirmed of Placements and Prof. IIM Jammu’s commitment to developing creativity and leadership. Co-chair of placements Dr.Baljeet Singh provided a Vote of thanks brought the event to a conclusion together with the national hymn. Three intriguing panel discussions were held on the opening day of the conclave. The first panel, “Aligning HR with ESG Goals:People & Planet Priorities,” included sector Executives from firms like Emcure, Menarini Group, Techno Brain, IQVIA, RoboSoft, and Bausch & Lomb. The dialogue highlighted the increasing need of HR policies integrating sustainability, diversity, and governance as well as the value of developing next leaders acting as responsible change agents. The second panel, “Workforce 2030: Skills, Mindsets, and the AI Revolution,” investigated the connection between human invention and artificial intelligence. rather than take its place. The panel looked at how artificial intelligence is used in hiring, decision-making, and ethical data handling, highlighting the continuing relevance of knowledge of the subject matter, an entrepreneurial attitude, and emotional intelligence.

The third panel, “Shift to Skills: Rethinking How We Hire and Grow Talent,” explored the growing relevance of talents above degrees in a changing labor market. Leaders from companies including Wipro, Barclays Private Bank, More Retail, and Kalpataru Projects International say that flexibility, emotional agility, and lifelong learning are the foundation blocks of long-run success. Advocating the T-shaped learning model, they urged prospective leaders in an AI-driven society to welcome ethics and innovation. 

A cultural evening and networking event that enabled contacts between students, teachers, and business executives marked the conclusion of the day. HR Conclave 8.0 emphasized IIM Jammu’s growing relevance and its role as an industry-academic enabler through its intellectually challenging seminars and focus on collaboration. synergy: a center for outstanding national and worldwide management.