A landmark collaboration uniting India’s oldest business school with Axeno’s Marketing OS to power talent, research, and real-world innovation

NOIDA and JAMSHEDPUR, India, 29 July 2026. Axeno has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, one of India’s most respected management institutions, to build a lasting framework for collaboration between industry and academia. The MoU was signed on Saturday, 25 July 2026 at the XLRI campus, Jamshedpur.

The collaboration pairs XLRI’s academic depth with Axeno’s mission as a Marketing OS driver. Axeno brings revenue to life for its customers, connecting marketing through to sales and turning technology into real business outcomes. Together, the two will work on learning, research, and talent. Students get exposure to live problems. Axeno’s teams get world-class academic thinking.

At the heart of the agreement is faculty-industry collaboration. Axeno employees get direct access to XLRI’s distinguished faculty. Their lectures and masterclasses feed an Axeno-specific training program. It upskills teams to the latest industry standards. Axeno’s people learn from one of India’s finest institutions. And they stay ahead of a fast-moving market.

Under the MoU, Axeno and XLRI will work together across the following areas:

  • Leadership and CXO interactions
  • Student guest lectures and masterclasses
  • Live consulting projects and experiential learning
  • Campus recruitment and talent engagement
  • Faculty-industry collaboration
  • Joint case study development
  • Research and thought leadership initiatives
  • Executive education and management development program
  • AI, consulting, and digital transformation focused learning initiatives

The partnership is designed to be practical and outcome led. Students will work on real consulting engagements and case studies drawn from Axeno’s client work, while Axeno leaders contribute to classroom sessions, seminars, and roundtables at XLRI. Over time, the two organisations plan to co-develop research and executive programs across marketing, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation.

“XLRI has shaped some of India’s finest business leaders for more than seven decades. This partnership gives our teams and their students a shared space to solve real problems in CX, AI, and digital transformation. We are building a pipeline of talent and ideas that both organisations can grow from.”

Ankur Mittal, Chief Executive Officer, Axeno

The collaboration is also expected to translate directly into value for Axeno’s clients. Joint research, new case studies, and student teams working alongside Axeno consultants will add depth to every engagement, strengthening Axeno’s ability to bring revenue to life for customers from marketing through to sales.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Kanagaraj, Convenor – Corporate Relations & Placements, XLRI Jamshedpur, said:

“At XLRI, we believe that meaningful industry partnerships play a pivotal role in shaping responsible and future-ready leaders. Our collaboration with Axeno reflects a shared commitment to advancing knowledge, fostering innovation, and creating experiential learning opportunities for our students. Through this partnership, we look forward to strengthening industry-academia engagement in emerging domains such as Artificial Intelligence, digital transformation, consulting, and marketing.”

About XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur

Founded in 1949, XLRI – Xavier School of Management is India’s oldest business school. Established by the Society of Jesus in the steel city of Jamshedpur, XLRI is accredited by AACSB and AMBA and is consistently ranked among the country’s top management institutions. Known for its focus on ethical leadership and social responsibility, XLRI runs flagship postgraduate program in Business Management and Human Resource Management, along with doctoral and executive education programs, across its Jamshedpur and Delhi-NCR campuses.

About Axeno

Founded in 2014, Axeno is a boutique consulting firm and the driver of the Marketing OS, bringing revenue to life for its customers by connecting marketing through to sales and turning technology into measurable business outcomes. An Adobe Gold Partner headquartered in Noida, India, Axeno works across major industries including automotive, its largest focus at close to half of its work and home to some of the largest automobile brands, along with BFSI, retail, and IT. Learn more at axeno.co.

Media Contact

Rashika Thaurani

Marketing Manager, Axeno

Rashika.thaurani@axeno.co  |  7217629497

axeno.co

SFC Asia – a boutique consulting firm operating out of South Asia – has announced plans to host a series of micro-events tagged ‘The Ahead Dialogues’. This initiative is in direct alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aims to support the vision of the G20 Group, presently chaired by India.

Running from June to December 2023, ‘The Ahead Dialogues’ will spotlight critical global issues like energy, climate change, sustainability, and environmental health. The forum intends to bring together top-tier experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to share innovative ideas, best practices, and transformative strategies to address the pressing challenges threatening our planet.

The events, with a particular focus on Northeast India, will be accessible both physically and virtually, encouraging participation from around the globe. As stated by Ms. Akanksha Tyagi, Director, SFC Asia (Social Friendly Management), “The world must persist in meaningful dialogue to discover effective solutions to the alarming realities of climate change, environmental sustainability, and energy consumption.”

“Our purpose for these events is clear,” adds Akanksha, “We aim for practicality, with each event offering stand-alone, interactive sessions to facilitate knowledge sharing. Our goal is to generate practical outcomes and solutions that can serve as policy actions for governments and stakeholders.”

‘The Ahead Dialogues’ will explore topics directly tied to the SDGs, fostering conversation and action on themes such as Climate Change Mitigation, Sustainable Transport, Blue Economy, Renewable Energy, Circular Economy, Sustainable Agriculture, Water Security, Green Finance, and Biodiversity Conservation, among others.

Echoing this sentiment, Prassenjit Lahiri, Director, SFC Asia (Social Friendly Management), emphasized that while the structure of the event mirrors the G20 Group, it also aims to localize pressing global themes. “We intend to showcase the unique advantages and untold stories from India’s Northeast region, raising a group of young individuals passionate about driving dialogue for change,” said Prassenjit.

SFC Asia’s commitment to a sustainable future is deeply embedded in its ethos, and the launch of ‘The Ahead Dialogues’ reaffirms this dedication. The event series, acknowledged and supported by the G20 Secretariat, aims to foster an open platform for global dialogue, that not just empowers individuals and organizations to confront global challenges but also accelerates the pace of sustainable transformation. SFC Asia invites all who share in their vision for a more sustainable world to join ‘The Ahead Dialogues’ and contribute to this critical conversation.

For more information about ‘The Ahead Dialogues’, visit:

https://sfc.asia/events/the-ahead-dialogues/