What happens when management minds sit across the table and engage directly with family business leaders facing real organisational challenges? Confluence 2026 provided an opportunity to find out.
S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR)’s Post Graduate Programme in Family Managed Business (PGPFMB) combines formal management education with practical exposure through fieldwork, immersions, and industry engagement. Confluence extends this approach by creating a live consulting platform where participants of PGPFMB, PGDM, PGDM (BM), and PGPM collaborate to solve real business challenges.
Confluence 2026 edition brought that philosophy to life as PGPM Batch 22 and PGPFMB Batch 38 came together for a two-day consulting event.
Addressing real business challenges
The premise was simple but powerful. PGPFMB participants, next-generation family business entrepreneurs from across India, brought their real business challenges to the table.
The kind of problems that do not have textbook answers: questions of growth, succession, governance and legacy. PGPM students approached these challenges as consultants, applying management frameworks and analytical thinking to businesses operating in real-world contexts.
Events such as Confluence create opportunities for meaningful engagement within India’s SME and family business ecosystem. The challenges facing family-run operations in India vary from family governance and growth to succession planning and professionalisation, and require more than a generic strategy. They require contextual thinking, and that’s exactly what Confluence was designed to build.
Learning through collaboration
The process demanded careful analysis and sustained effort from participants. PGPM students immersed themselves in the challenges and developed substantive, actionable growth strategies. For them, this was not a hypothetical case study; it was a live business with real stakes.
For the PGPFMB participants, many of whom are preparing to lead or already leading their family enterprises, it was a rare opportunity to receive fresh, objective perspectives from peers who genuinely understood the nuances of family business management. The engagement created opportunities for meaningful exchange between participants from different professional and academic backgrounds.
The scale of participation reflected enthusiasm for the initiative, with 43 teams participating while balancing a demanding academic schedule. Such commitment reflects the seriousness and discipline with which participants approached the event.
Rigour in practice
What set Confluence 2026 apart was the quality of thinking on display. A panel of jury members and PGPFMB alumni mentors spent hours stress-testing every strategy pitched, ensuring that recommendations were grounded in careful analysis, contextual understanding and practical applicability. The result was a set of recommendations that reflected both academic rigour and an appreciation of the realities faced by family businesses.
Meet the jury
Confluence 2026 was evaluated by a distinguished panel of industry leaders, entrepreneurs, alumni and faculty members who brought diverse experience across family business management, strategy, operations and leadership.
Jury panel
Recognising outstanding teams
From the 43 teams, nine teams reached the finals to defend their frameworks under intense jury questioning. The top spots went to:
First place—Hindustan Distilleries | Sanyam Gupta, Prakriti Tulasyan, Harsirjan Kaur (PGPM) | Shashank Jain (FMB Consultant) | Sandeysh Agarwaal (FMB Business Owner)
Second place—MAP Alloys | Aritra Sanyal, Ashwani Pratap Singh, Shubham Santosh Jaiswal (PGPM) | Vatsal Jain (FMB Consultant) | Chetan Patil (FMB Business Owner)
Third place — Wisdom Travel and Tours | Gaurav Mishra, Dhruv Tayal, Thomas K Varghese (PGPM) | Devam Shah (FMB Consultant) | Rizan Vasani (FMB Business Owner)
Congratulations to the winning teams and to all the participants for their thoughtful contributions to the event.
Making the event possible
The student Organising Committee, comprising Namrata Shah, Saurabh Goyal, Srishti Garg, Shivansh Talla, Sanath Mundra, Rahul Agarwal and Kunal KS, ensured the seamless execution of Confluence 2026. Their efforts played an important role in ensuring the event’s success.
Confluence 2026 highlighted the value of integrating traditional family business values with management education. The event created opportunities for practical problem-solving, fresh perspectives, and meaningful collaboration.
