SIBM Pune Chooses Its New Student President

Pratik Gupta joined the Social Entrepreneurship and Consulting Cell in the Interim Team and continued as a Junior Team member. Whilst there, Pratik and his team hosted Symbihaat, Prerna and a Consulting Fair, coordinating with students, NGOs and consulting firms respectively. Pratik studied at the National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, where he was the coordinator for the Training and Placement Cell from 2010-12. After completing his graduation, Pratik worked for three years at Alstom, a French MNC, as a procurement engineer.

Varun Rao began his college life in SIBM Pune by joining the Interim Placement Advisory Team and continued as a member of the Junior Team. Varun helped in the Summer Internship Recruitment Process, and took on a more direct approach with his Junior Team during the final placements of the senior batch, known as the Corporate Recruitment Process. Before joining SIBM, Varun studied at Symbiosis School of Economics, where he was a member of the Student Council from 2011-12 and became the General Secretary of the council from 2012-13.

The candidates presented their manifestos to the students on the 22^nd of February, where they spoke of the changes they wished to implement to further improve the SIBM experience. The voting process was held on the 24^th. In front of a crowd of 400 students, the candidates made their speeches underlining their credentials and elaborating the initiatives they hoped to bring about if elected. The crowd was exuberant, with cheers and clapping abound after every speech. The speeches were followed by a Q&A, where the candidates answered questioned posed to them by the students and members of the Executive Council. Once this concluded, the students went to vote. The voting process was overseen by members of the administrative staff, who ensured it was done in a fair and efficient manner. After giving their votes, the students returned to the auditorium where they awaited the results. The votes were counted by the administrative staff in the presence of the candidates and the Executive Council. When the results were tallied, the candidates were brought back on stage and the Director, Dr. R Raman, announced the results to the students.

The winner and President for 2016-17 was declared to be Varun Rao. Tremendous applause greeted the announcement. The candidates put up a great fight and Varun won by simple majority though the results were very close. In his acceptance speech, Varun revealed that Pratik Gupta was, in fact, his roommate, leaving the crowd astounded. After the speech, the audience was addressed by the outgoing President, Vishad Chaudhary, who had organised and supervised the election process. Vishad was given a standing ovation for his hard work throughout the year and his efforts for the democratic process.

We congratulate Varun on his victory and wish him the very best for his coming tenure. We hope he not only fulfils his promises but exceeds our expectations and continues the glorious legacy of the SIBM Students’ Council President, helping the college attain new heights.Varun will be sworn in as the new Student President on the 12^th of March, 2016 when the outgoing batch have the official ceremony, one of the most awaited events on the calendar – The Management Day!