Media Release
Bengaluru, Feb 18: Kanara Entrepreneurs (KE) members met at The Grand Magrath, Bengaluru, for the first members’ meet of the year on February 13. The theme of the meeting, ‘Businesses Collaborate, Communities Grow’ was well considered and the agenda that followed met the brief completely.
Lead member George Timothy led the members with the KE prayer, after which, KE president Pramod D’Souza delivered a poignant eulogy on the untimely passing of KE member Nikhil D’Costa. He recollected this active participation at all KE events throughout his membership.
KE director mentoring, Sunil Attavar, presided over the next segment – the formal induction ceremony of ten new members who had joined the KE family representing diverse industries including law, travel, design as well as choral music.
In the president’s address, Pramod emphasized the importance of collaboration. He shared key examples of collaborative successes between KE Bangalore and KE Dubai members – amalgamating online and offline businesses and overcoming geographical boundaries. In local context, he reaffirmed the book launch of Waves of Grit earlier this month that was a tangible consequence of collaborated execution – an idea planted by Immediate past president, Claudius Pereira, and nurtured by former KE director memberships James Coelho and supported to publication by Nigel Fernandes (ATC Publishers) and Peter Anil Rego (Brilliant Printers). In his reflective anecdote, he showcased the value of 1 + 1 being greater than 2 for entrepreneurial mindsets and those who knew how to collaborate. In a short slideshow on a recent survey of KE members, Pramod also highlighted the compounding effects of networking and the underlying value of KE: ‘Giving’.
President Pramod D’Souza also took the opportunity to remember all the departed souls of KE family members.
Guest speaker for the evening, Rajeev Krishnan, former MD & CEO - Spar Hypermarkets and fomer EVP - Walmart India, had the members in rapt attention with his superlatively inspiring life journey. The warmth and authenticity with which he chronicled his experiences rang true with everyone – both personally and professionally. The human connection which threw perspective on his experiences from childhood to professional years of success, and more importantly, on loss, grief, hardships and failure were a recurring touchstone to his account of collaborative history throughout the various conglomerates he headed – from humble beginnings to strategic leadership.
Some key thoughts from Rajeev included:
• Value systems cannot be bought – the room was full of power!
• Connect x Collaboration = Growth. Make something happen.
• Learn something cool.
• Make a difference to someone, somewhere.
• Don’t try to do everything by yourself; it is a waste of time.
• Don’t put yourself first.
• Connect with community – be a part of it.
• Fail fast; listen and learn faster. Surround yourself with the right people to overcome the failed experience.
Next, KE member Rishika Miranda (Kyrah Design Studio) and lead member Nigel Fernandes (Catholic Connect) succinctly presented their business pitches. Rishika, while highlighting the 5-year mark of her studio, presented a neat array of her work, target audience and USP alongside collaborative history, especially through the KE network. Nigel highlighted the growing success of Catholic Connect not just in India, but also the pipeline for global utility especially in Dubai, Philippines and Bangladesh.
KE members, Deon Gomes and David Istacky brought home their heart-warming testimonials narrating their experience with KE and the growth and benefit they had experienced. While Deon expressed the generous technical expertise from KE members that equipped him with knowledge to perform in a completely new domain, David described the soft hearts of hard-core KE businesses when it came to supporting his NGO consistently.
Sunil Attavar made key announcements about the upcoming Founders’ Fiesta, featuring Sabitha Lasrado, and the much-awaited KE Konnect 2.0 in April. The ATC Publishers counter was set to extend a limited 50% discount on purchases of Waves of Grit for the evening.
Past KE president, Peter Anil Rego took to stage for a momentous announcement about Nigel Fernandes being conferred the Papal Knighthood of the Order of St Sylvester at the 37th CCBI Plenary Assembly in Bengaluru, in recognition of decades of leadership and service to the church through scripture, liturgy, catechesis, and pastoral work. Anil explained the history and significance of the award keenly describing why Nigel was chosen for this honour. He also described the insignia – marks and symbols in detail for the audience’s benefit. Immediate past president Claudius Pereira felicitated Nigel with a commemorative shawl and a token of appreciation. It was indeed a moment of pride for KE and the community at large to have such a dedicated individual in their midst – those they can call to be their own.
The members’ meet was emceed by Cecelia D’Silva with interesting engagement – honesty checks and well-timed humour that was appreciated throughout. The evening drew to an end with fellowship over many snippets of laughter and engaged social networking. The theme of the evening was evident in the collaboration across the KE community from registration desk supported by Prakash Noronha and Anne Attavar, to the administrative coordination with Jennifer Cruz and the rigorous efforts of the board of directors.