Driving Smarter Strategies, Stronger
Networks, Real Impact

Vishal Dhupar

Managing Director, South Asia
NVIDIA

As MD of South Asia at NVIDIA, Vishal Dhupar drives the adoption of accelerated computing and AI across India. Recognized among MIT Sloan India’s Top 100 Tech Influencers, he contributes to leading organizations including CII, IDGS, and serves on the World Economic Forum’s AI Advisory Council in India.

A strong believer in “AI for India, AI for All”, Vishal champions the use of AI to solve complex challenges across industries and fuel innovation at scale.

Deepak Bagla

Mission Director
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog
Government of India

Deepak Bagla brings a rare blend of global private sector experience and public sector leadership, having worked with institutions like World Bank, Citibank, and 3i plc across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

He served as Managing Director & CEO of Invest India (2015–2023), India’s National Investment Promotion Agency, guiding initiatives such as Startup India, One District One Product, and driving digitisation in investment approvals. Under his tenure, Invest India became the world’s most awarded IPA.

A strategic advisor, he has contributed to numerous high-level government committees on infrastructure, fintech, innovation, tourism, healthcare, and startups, and has represented India on official bilateral CEO forums with over 20 countries.

He holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College and dual Masters in International Diplomacy & International Trade and Finance from Georgetown University, USA. He is also the former President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), the world’s largest investment platform spanning 105+ countries.

Pankaj Kumar Pandey, IAS

Principal Secretary to Government, DPAR (e-Governance)
Managing Director, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL)
Government of Karnataka

Pankaj Kumar Pandey, an IIT Roorkee graduate in Mechanical Engineering, secured 1^st rank in the Indian Engineering Services (IES) examination in 1999 and joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Karnataka Cadre, in 2000.

He has served in multiple key roles across the Karnataka state administration, including Revenue, Rural Development, Urban Development, Elections, Skill Development, Food & Civil Supplies, Health & Family Welfare, Tourism, and Industries.

A visionary innovator, he is a patent holder for the Swan Neck Group Operating System (GOS), a solution that created hundreds of kilometers of pedestrian-friendly space in Bengaluru. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–21), he served as Health Commissioner, overseeing the state’s critical response efforts.

Sharad Sharma

Co-Founder
iSpirit

Sharad Sharma is a visionary leader with three decades of experience across the Internet, Enterprise Software, and Digital Infrastructure markets. He is a prominent voice in India’s technology ecosystem and a passionate evangelist for building a robust software product ecosystem in India.

He co-founded iSPIRT Foundation, a non-profit think tank dedicated to making India a product nation, and has held leadership roles at NASSCOM Product Forum and the NASSCOM Executive Council.

Sharad co-founded Teltier Technologies Inc., now part of CISCO, and is an active angel investor with over two dozen technology investments. He also played a key role in India’s first IP-focused fund, India Innovation Fund.

Sharad also contributes to national policy and advisory bodies, including the National Startup Advisory Council, SEBI’s FinTech Committee, RBI’s MSME Committee, and the National Digital Payments Committee.

A.S. Rajgopal

CEO and Managing Director
NxtGen Cloud Technologies Private Limited

Rajgopal A S has over 11 years of experience leading NxtGen Datacenter, driving its vision, strategy, and operations in India’s competitive cloud services industry. With a strong background in business management and a passion for emerging technologies, he focuses on delivering innovative, scalable, and sustainable cloud solutions that empower businesses and communities.

As the founder of Multiverse Technologies, he explores AI, cloud computing, and IoT, integrating them to advance digital transformation and inclusive growth. Rajgopal is committed to leveraging technology to create value, foster innovation, and enable a smarter, digitally empowered future.

Arif Khan

Chief Innovation Officer
Razorpay

A seasoned leader with over 17 years of experience in the payments industry and digital channels, Arif Khan brings a strong track record of driving innovation and delivering impactful technology solutions. Prior to Razorpay, he played pivotal roles at HDFC Bank, Mastercard, and PwC, leading the development of transformative financial products and services.

With deep expertise in large-scale digital transformation, Arif is known for his ability to align diverse teams, deliver disruptive solutions, and spearhead strategic initiatives that shape the future of fintech.

Debdoot Mukherjee

Chief Data Scientist – Head of AI and Demand Engineering
Meesho

Debdoot Mukherjee is a passionate data science leader with over 14 years of experience spanning research, technical architecture, and engineering management.

As Chief Data Scientist at Meesho, he leads the AI and Demand Engineering teams, driving innovations that turn data into scalable, intelligent products. His work focuses on applying cutting-edge science to solve real-world problems in e-commerce and beyond.

Sanjeev Rastogi

CEO - GCC
Adani Group

Sanjeev Rastogi leads India's first multi-industry, multi-functional Global Capability Center (GCC) at Adani Group, setting a new benchmark for the future of business services. With a rich global background in GBS and organizational transformation, he has consistently driven large-scale change and delivered high-impact outcomes.

Known for blending operational excellence with innovation, Sanjeev has led diverse, technology-enabled transformations across geographies, enhancing business performance and customer experience.

Ratan Kumar Kesh

Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer
Bandhan Bank

Ratan Kumar Kesh brings nearly three decades of leadership experience across diverse domains including Operations, Technology, Transaction & Affluent Banking, Product, Risk, Governance, Intelligent Automation, Digital, Customer Experience, and Organizational Transformation.

Since March 2023, he serves as Executive Director & COO at Bandhan Bank, overseeing Technology, Operations, Customer Experience, Transformation, Internal Audit, Recovery, and support functions. He spearheaded the Bank’s IT transformation and continues to drive process optimization, control enhancements, and business excellence.

He is recognised among India’s top 50 Quality Professionals by the World Quality Congress and one of the top 25 Emerging Tech Leaders by BIOCON Network & MeitY.

Dr. Shailesh Kumar

Chief Data Scientist
Center of Excellence in AI/ML, Reliance Jio

Dr. Shailesh Kumar is the Chief Data Scientist at Reliance Jio’s Centre of Excellence in AI/ML, with over 20 international publications and 20+ patents in AI/ML. Recognized among India’s top 10 data scientists (Analytics India Magazine, 2015), he brings vast expertise across AI domains.

Previously, he served as VP at Ola Cabs, tackling AI and optimization challenges in fleet management, and was Chief Scientist & Co-Founder of Third Leap, an AI-driven personalized EdTech startup. At Google, he contributed to cutting-edge AI research in Information Retrieval, Natural Language Understanding, Computer Vision, Knowledge Graphs, and Deep Learning.

Dr. Kumar’s AI innovations span finance, retail, remote sensing, conversational computing, and more, driving transformative solutions across industries.

Shalini Kapoor

Chief Strategist – Data & AI
EkStep Foundation

Shalini Kapoor is a technology strategist and innovator with over 28 years of experience in applying AI and emerging technologies for sustainable growth. As Chief Strategist at EkStep Foundation, she leads Data & AI initiatives to drive impact across education, government, healthcare, agriculture, and non-profit sectors.

Previously, Shalini led technology and strategic initiatives for AWS Asia Pacific and India Public Sector, delivering mission-critical applications affecting millions of citizens. She was the first IBM Fellow from India, leading AI research and engineering across data, supply chain, sustainability, and IoT, and launched major IBM lab centers in Kochi and Ahmedabad.

Shalini holds 15 patents, 4 IEEE publications, and serves on the AI Advisory Board at the World Economic Forum. She is a champion for GoodTech projects in India, driving AI curriculum for schools, STEM initiatives for girls, and education-focused government programs. She is also the author of “AI for You – The New Game Changer” and host of the AI Infusion podcast series.

Prashant Pitti

Co-Founder & Executive Director
EaseMyTrip | Founder, Optimo Capital

Prashant Pitti is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of EaseMyTrip and the Founder of Optimo Capital. Over the past 13 years, he has demonstrated strong entrepreneurial, management, and financial expertise.

With 10 years of entrepreneurial experience, Prashant has excelled in conceptualizing ventures, building high-performing teams, and raising funds. He also brings 3 years of financial and analytical experience, specializing in credit underwriting, marketing, and finance.

His combined experience reflects a unique blend of innovation, strategic insight, and operational excellence.