C. Balagopal, Chairman, KSIDC inaugurating WAVES 2025, the 15th annual conference of the Project Management Institute, Kerala Chapter.
C. Balagopal, Chairman of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation has urged project leaders to anchor every initiative on the three fundamental pillars of Quality, Cost and Delivery.
Every project, whether in business, governance or social enterprise, rests on these pillars. A weakness in any one dimension can derail the outcome,” he said, drawing from his entrepreneurial journey of building a biomedical enterprise that went on to supply 12 per cent of the world’s blood bags across 58 countries.
He was inaugurating the 15th annual conference of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Kerala Chapter, WAVES 2025. The meet also called to embrace resilience, cultural discipline and adaptive strategies in uncertain times.
Recalling the hurdles of overcoming global scepticism towards products ‘Made in India,’ Balagopal stressed persistence and rigorous execution. Resilience, planning and cultural accountability make survival and success possible, he said.
Santhosh Jayaram of Amrita School of Sustainable Futures delivered the keynote, stressing sustainability-focused frameworks. “The uncertainty we face today—from climate change to digital disruption—cannot be wished away. Adaptive certainty is about embedding resilience and sustainability into every project,” he said.
Akhila Gowri Shankar, President, PMI Kerala Chapter, underlined the need for agile yet visionary leadership. “Project managers are no longer implementers alone; they are change agents who turn uncertainty into opportunity,” she observed.
Published on August 25, 2025
