Excited to share insights from our recent colloquium held on 14.03.2026 at Amrita School of Business on “Data to Decisions, AI, Corporate Strategy & MBA Skills.”
We were honoured to have Mr. Aditya Nandakumar, Chief of Staff at a CNC Manufacturing Group, share his experience from over 16 years in consulting, corporate strategy, and digital analytics.
One of the most powerful takeaways from the session was the gap between data and decisions. In a real corporate situation shared during the lecture, a company experienced a 20% drop in sales. A team spent two days preparing dashboards and analytics reports. But when the CEO asked, “What do we do Monday morning?”, no one could provide a clear answer.
This highlighted a key message: Having data does not automatically lead to good decisions.
The session also explored the growing influence of AI tools such as ChatGPT and the challenges they bring, including the “black box” problem and over-reliance on generated outputs. The speaker emphasized that MBA graduates must go beyond using AI and develop the ability to interpret, defend, and apply insights in real business contexts.
Another interesting discussion focused on the contrast between classroom learning and real boardroom decision-making, where leaders often face incomplete data, multiple trade-offs, and stakeholder pressures.
The session concluded with valuable career lessons on structured thinking, clear communication, ethical technology usage, and the importance of curiosity and passion in building a successful career.
