New Delhi: The Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) on Tuesday organised a national workshop on succession planning for board-level positions in public sector enterprises (PSEs), with senior government officials and industry leaders highlighting the need for a strong leadership pipeline to steer state-owned firms amid growing global competition and technological changes.
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The workshop was inaugurated by Mallika Srinivasan, Chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), and K. Moses Chalai, Secretary of the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). The event was attended by K.P. Mahadevaswamy, Chairman of SCOPE and CMD of NBCC (India) Limited; Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay, Vice-Chairman of SCOPE and CMD of Goa Shipyard Limited; and Atul Sobti, Director General of SCOPE, among others.
The programme brought together members of PESB, CMDs and directors of various PSEs, and senior officials from DPE, PESB and the Central Bureau of Communication (CBC). More than 100 senior officials from public sector enterprises across sectors participated in the workshop.
Addressing the gathering, Srinivasan said succession planning should be treated as a strategic imperative rather than a routine administrative process. Emphasising the need to build future-ready leadership, she urged organisations to identify high-potential talent early, provide them with diverse leadership exposure and assign greater responsibilities at appropriate stages of their careers.
Chalai highlighted that as PSEs face increasing global competition and rapid technological transformation, building a strong leadership pipeline has become essential. He stressed the need for consistent recruitment pipelines and enhanced participation of women in leadership roles to strengthen competitiveness and growth.
Mahadevaswamy underscored the multidimensional role played by boards of PSEs and emphasised the need to develop a robust leadership pipeline supported by effective decision-making capabilities and enhanced competencies. He also pointed to SCOPE’s efforts to nurture leadership through strategic collaborations with national and international institutions.
Sobti stressed the importance of succession planning, stating that modern PSE leadership must embody the “five Cs” — Character, Competence, Commitment, Courage and Compassion. He added that SCOPE has been undertaking initiatives such as the *DAKSH* capacity-building programme and the Advanced Global Leadership Programme to groom a cadre of future-ready leaders.
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Upadhyay said that as PSEs evolve into globally competitive organisations, leadership continuity and strong governance have become critical. He described the workshop as an important step by SCOPE towards institutionalising a robust succession framework to ensure seamless leadership transitions.
SCOPE said it will continue organising such initiatives to nurture visionary leadership in alignment with the government’s vision of building a self-reliant India.
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