In conclusion, the Focus India Seminar was a unique opportunity for the delegates to gain insights into the Indian economy with a focus on our three E-approach: Enhancing Innovation and Creativity, Enabling Digital Transformation, Empowering different generations.

– Written by Sofia Ventura and Lukas Glur, FI Delegation

The keynote delivered by Hellmer Rahms from Google Cloud offered a comprehensive exploration of Google’s evolution, positioning, and future ambitions within the technology sector. Google, founded in 1998, has burgeoned into a tech giant with a staggering net worth of 1.2 trillion dollars. Rahms, drawing on his extensive experience from various companies, underscored Google’s pivotal role in driving technological advancements.

One pivotal aspect highlighted in the keynote was Google’s expansive user base, boasting a remarkable 10 billion applications. Rahms provided insight into the timeline of Google’s app launches, showcasing the company’s commitment to constant innovation. An environmentally conscious approach was also emphasized, with Google proudly claiming carbon neutrality and backing it up with a sustainable infrastructure featuring 22 subsea canals and 187 network edge locations.

Rahms delved into Google’s mission, centered on accelerating digital transformation for organizations across industries. This mission aligns with Google’s profound impact on the technological landscape, fostering innovation and progress across diverse sectors.

The keynote extensively covered Google’s corporate culture, with Rahms delineating various aspects like talent, empowerment, and innovation. The nuanced exploration of the company’s values and goals illustrated the importance of physical proximity in enhancing teamwork and productivity. Physical spaces were highlighted as crucial elements for promoting a culture of collaboration among employees.

Looking to the future, the keynote underscored Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the next major frontier for Google. Rahms predicted a substantial impact on AI across various sectors, including healthcare and finance, by 2024. This projection exemplifies Google’s dedication to remaining at the forefront of technological advancements and actively shaping the future through AI integration.

On a parallel note, Rahms› presentation at the ISP Olympics: Creativity Challenge & Keynote provided additional insights into Google’s innovative spirit. Reflecting on the company’s journey since its 25th anniversary, Rahms emphasized Google’s rapid development pace and radical culture. The presentation highlighted Google’s global outlook, commitment to digital transformation through Google Cloud, and core beliefs in talent acquisition, empowerment, innovation, and environmental sustainability.

Innovation at Google, as detailed by Rahms, is driven by principles like thinking 10x, defaulting to open, and fostering psychological safety. The company’s carefully curated environment promotes collaboration, community, and wellness, with substantial investments in employee well-being. The discussion on artificial intelligence revealed Google’s prolonged involvement and its adaptive approach to technology evolution.

In conclusion, the combined summaries capture the essence of Hellmer Rahms› keynote presentations, showcasing Google’s rich history, commitment to innovation, environmental responsibility, and its vision for shaping the future through AI and digital transformation. The dual perspectives provide a comprehensive understanding of Google’s past, present, and future trajectory within the ever-evolving landscape of technology.

ISP Olympics :

The concluding program of the seminar in Switzerland featured the iSP Olympics, challenging each project team to craft a symbolic sculpture within 25 minutes, emphasizing sustainability with recyclable materials.

As the challenge started, we quickly came to the decision as a team to build our «purpose tree,» symbolizing the «fruit of our learnings» and Focus India’s motto. Despite the stress, the activity fostered team unity, allowing us to feel the team’s growth experienced during the seminar week.

The challenge’s judges, Stan Kamzol and Hellmer Rahms, shared their initial uncertainty due to chaos in the teams during the challenge. Hellmer made an interesting connection between creativity and intelligence. Each team then presented their sculptures:

Holatam: Represented the Health World Cup, utilizing VR goggles to enhance patient comfort. Their presentation encapsulated the week’s findings.

Explore ASEAN: Explored the connection between humans and robots using AI, emphasizing teamwork, a colorful future, and the importance of love, fun, and trust in the learning process.

ConnectUS: Advocated for small steps with big impacts, emphasizing happiness as a key to success, diversity for innovation, and the role of companies in sustainability. Connected the three Ps (People, Planet, Profit) for a global impact.

Focus India: Emphasized the 3E’s and the seminar’s motto, «Unleash your potential with purpose.» The branches of our tree were built with our results from each workshop during the week.

After some consideration, the judges provided the teams with feedback:

ConnectUS: Praised for embodying a love for the earth but noted a missed mention of the connecting circle.

Explore ASEAN: Criticized for confusion and a lack of clarity in presenting the three principles. Holatam: The judges appreciated the World Cup symbol but felt something was missing; acknowledged a plan in the story but noted a disconnect in the presentation’s elements.

Focus India: the judges were initially confused by all the chaos during the building part, but they were nicelly surprised by the result. The presentation revealed a structure, abstractly building on a tree concept, displaying the 3Es (presumably Education, Environment, and Economy). They praised the presentation – Hellmer appreciated how the story came together nicely.

And that leads us to the grand result …. Focus India won the challenge!

All the project teams were able to demonstratethe overall theme of teamwork, creativity, sustainability, and diversity in the diverse and imaginative sculptures, highlighting the collaborative efforts of the participating teams.

Second row from left to right: Explore ASEAN, Holatam, Focus India,

First row: ConnectUS

Bonfire Storytelling :

The final program for all teams centered around Bonfire storytelling, where members of last year’s delegation shared stories and impressions from the countries they visited. Among the speakers were a member from Connect US, who explored the West Coast of Northern America, a representative from Holatam, focusing on Columbia, and a current member from Explore ASEAN.

The overarching sentiment expressed by these speakers was that, despite initially being strangers, each project team member had a tremendously enjoyable journey and experienced personal growth by the end. They emphasized gaining insights into the culture of the countries they visited from both business and human perspectives.

Veronica, the Holatam delegate, shared her impressions of a Colombian coffee farm, highlighting the remarkable innovation present despite the challenges posed by the current political environment. This anecdote showed the depth of their cultural immersion.

The stories gave us a sentiment that coming journey was not a typical trip but an transformative experience that left them a changed upon returning home. The emphasis on personal growth, cultural understanding, and learnings contributed to a memorable and impactful conclusion to the seminar.