‘SOA PROXIMA’: 5th Edition of the HR Conclave Organized at SOA Deemed to be Univ

Bhubaneswar: The two-day SOA Proxima-2024 HR Conclave organized by Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOA) on April 26th and 27th, witnessed the participation of over 100 industry leaders from diverse sectors. Serving as a pivotal nexus between industry stalwarts and burgeoning technological talent, the event provided an unparalleled platform for knowledge exchange, insights, and glimpses into emerging trends within the technology sphere.

With a turnout of more than 100 HR leaders, distinguished speakers, and industry experts hailing from sectors such as IT, IT Enabled Services, manufacturing, and core industries, the event facilitated interactions with over 4500 aspiring tech talents. This 5th edition of SOA Proxima-2024 stands as the largest conference of its kind ever held in the eastern region, marking a significant milestone for Odisha.

The conference welcomed esteemed guests on both days, with Dr. Sandipan Chakravorty, former Managing Director of Tata International, and Mr. Satish Kumar Pradhan, Centre Head of Cognizant, gracing the first day as the chief guest and the guest of honor respectively. On the second day, Prof. (Dr.) T.G. Sitharam, Chairman of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), honored the event as the chief guest, while Mr. Bijay Sahoo, President of HR at Reliance Industries, Mumbai, addressed HR professionals and students during the valedictory session.

The participation of leading multinational corporations such as HCLTech, Cognizant, Synopsys, PwC India, Mastercard, Deloitte India, EY India, JP Morgan, Maruti Suzuki, Continental Automotive, British Petroleum, Lenovo, Mahindra Comviva, Emami Paper Mills, and Grasim underscored the significance of the event.

Attended by HR professionals from around 100 industries nationwide, as well as students of the university, the conclave served as a melting pot of ideas and opportunities. Prof. (Dr.) Sitharam lauded SOA for organizing Proxima-2024, recognizing it as a platform for intellectual discourse, innovative ideas, and experiential learning, which would nurture the potential of students.

Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, Vice-Chancellor of SOA, highlighted the university’s commitment to bridging the gap between academia and industry, as outlined in the New Education Policy (NEP). The inaugural session featured addresses by Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean of Students’ Welfare, Mr. Ripti Ranjan Dash, Director of Corporate Relations and Industry Engagement, and Prof. Renu Sharma, Additional Dean of Student Affairs from SOA’s faculty of engineering.

During the valedictory session, Mr. Dash extended gratitude on behalf of the organizers. Eminent speakers from various sessions included Mr. Ashis Bhalla, Director of HR at HCL Tech, Ms. Aswathy Venugopal, Senior Director at Cognizant, Mr. Sudeep Mondal, Senior Director of R&D at Synopsys, and several other industry leaders who shared their insights and expertise.