Industry leaders Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala, Siddharth Balachandran, and Shankar Sharma share insights on building resilience and creating impact in a changing world.
ABU DHABI: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Abu Dhabi Chapter, recently hosted an exclusive forum, “Peace, Purpose, and Prosperity – Building Resilient Leaders in a Changing World,” bringing together three renowned thought leaders to dissect the essentials of modern leadership.
The event, which drew attendees from across the UAE, was inaugurated by CA Krishnan, Chairman of ICAI Abu Dhabi, who set the stage for an evening of profound insights into empathetic leadership, corporate purpose, and global economic strategy.
The Seven Pillars of Peaceful Leadership
Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala, Founder of the “I Am a Peacekeeper Movement” and Executive Director of Wockhardt, delivered a powerful message on empathy as a leadership cornerstone. He outlined a framework for resilience based on the “Seven Pillars of Peace”: truth, gratitude, forgiveness, love, humility, giving, and patience.
“Peacekeeping begins within each individual and extends outward to communities and nations,” Dr. Khorakiwala stated, emphasising that inner stability is the foundation of effective external leadership.
Wealth Creation with a Conscience
Siddharth Balachandran, Executive Chairman and CEO of Buimerc Corporation Ltd., shifted the focus to the dynamics of leadership in the global economy. He highlighted the symbiotic relationship between ambition and purpose, pointing to the developmental models of the UAE and India as prime examples.
“Generating wealth goes hand in hand with creating an impact by giving back to society and through sustainability,” Balachandran remarked, underscoring the modern leader’s responsibility to align business success with social and environmental contribution.
Engineering Luck Through Global Diversification
Celebrated investor and First Global founder Shankar Sharma provided a pragmatic perspective on navigating global markets. In his talk on “How to Increase Luck Through Global Investing,” he challenged the audience to reframe their understanding of opportunity.
Sharma shared that a strategic move into global investing unlocked a significant stream of opportunities for him. He advised that to “become lucky,” one must adopt a portfolio approach: “try many things with the least possible risk on every try.”
The session concluded with a vote of thanks by CA Rohit Dayma, Vice Chairman of ICAI Abu Dhabi Chapter, who commended the speakers for their invaluable contributions to the dialogue on resilient leadership.
