Nasscom People Summit 2026: Full Schedule

11:55am IST

Grand Ballroom: Session VII: Fireside Chat - When Everyone Has Access to Expertise, What Makes You Valuable?

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:55am - 12:20pm IST

Today, AI can provide insights, recommendations, and expert guidance in seconds, fundamentally changing what creates value at work.
As technology amplifies individual capability and organisations invest heavily in reskilling and upskilling, a critical question emerges: how do we measure the real return on learning? Is it knowledge acquisition, productivity gains, career mobility, innovation, or something more?
This session explores how the nature of work is changing and what makes skilling investments truly impactful in an AI-enabled world, while helping employees develop the judgment, adaptability, creativity, and human skills that remain difficult to automate.

Moderators

Sarika Pradhan

CHRO & Vice President, Human Resources - CGI APAC, CGI Information Systems & Management Consultants

Sarika Pradhan is a distinguished Human Resources leader and Vice President at CGI, overseeing HR strategy and operations across the Asia-Pacific region. With over two decades of experience, Sarika has been at the forefront of transforming people practices driving business success... Read More →

Speakers

Sudeep Kunnumal

Chief Human Resources Officer, Tata Consultancy Services

Sudeep Kunnumal is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Tata Consultancy Services. He leads the company’s human resources strategy, prioritising progressive talent approaches and fostering an inclusive culture across a large workforce spanning 55 countries.

A seasoned HR professional, Sudeep holds a master’s degree in human resource management from Madurai Kamaraj University. He brings more than three decades of expertise in human resources and has held leadership roles across business units and strategic HR functions. He has managed... Read More →

Soumitra Saha

Managing Director, Country Head, Lumen India

Soumitra Saha serves as the Managing Director and Country Head of Lumen Technologies, India, and is based in
Bangalore. As a key leader within the organization, Soumitra is spearheading a transformative initiative to
establish Lumen India as a premier technology hub for Lumen Tec... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 11:55am - 12:20pm IST
Grand Ballroom

Fireside Chat

2:40pm IST

Grand Ballroom I & II: Deep Dive Track I: People, AI & Everything In Between: Session XI A:Fireside Chat - Beyond Prompting: Building an AI-Fluent Culture

Tuesday July 14, 2026 2:40pm - 3:00pm IST

GBR 1 & GBR 2

We talk about reskilling for the automated era, but the conversation rarely moves past the surface level. That is an illusion of capability. True AI literacy is no longer a technical choice for engineers, it has become the mandatory alphabet for every single department in the enterprise. From the HR manager deploying automated evaluation engines to the operations head auditing workflow dashboards, every leader is now a data gatekeeper.
What does it actually mean to build systemic tech fluency when you do not write a single line of code?

Moderators

Vidya Munirathnam

Vice President – Human Resources, Lowe's India Private Limited

Vidya Munirathnam is Vice President, HR at Lowe’s India. In her role, Vidya leads the full range of human resources functions for Lowe’s India, including business partnering, total rewards, communications, talent acquisition, learning, culture and diversity. Additionally, Vidya... Read More →

Speakers

R S Subramanian

SVP - South Asia, DHL Express

Mr. R. S. Subramanian is currently the SVP for South Asia and Managing Director of DHL Express India. He is also a member of the DHL Express Asia Pacific Management Board. With over 30 years of experience in both product-led and service industries, Mr. Subramanian possesses extensive... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 2:40pm - 3:00pm IST
GBR 1 & GBR 2

Fireside Chat

3:00pm IST

Grand Ballroom I & II: Deep Dive Track I: People, AI & Everything In Between: Session XIIA: Fireside Chat - Building India's Skill-First “Builder” Talent Pool

Tuesday July 14, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm IST

GBR 1 & GBR 2

India's ambition to become a global product powerhouse hinges on one critical question: how do enterprises create more "builders," not just operators? This session explores how leading organisations are reimagining talent through skills-first models, internal builder frameworks, innovation ecosystems, and product-centric career pathways, empowering employees to become product thinkers, IP creators, and innovators while building a lasting competitive advantage.

Moderators

Dr. Abhilasha Gaur

CEO, SSC Nasscom

Speakers

Isabelle Isnard

CHRO, AXA

Isabelle Isnard is the Chief Human Resources Officer at AXA Global Business Services (GBS) since 2023. She is at the helm of driving an inclusive and dynamic work culture that prioritizes both people and performance at AXA GBS. She is currently overseeing a strategic vision that encompasses... Read More →

Sandhya Varanasi

VP, India Hub CTO & Chair of India R&D Council, Schneider Electric Pvt Ltd.

With 21 years of experience across R&D, innovation, and transformation, Sandhya has built a career on turning ambitious ideas into real-world results. From hands-on engineering to executive leadership, her journey is fueled by a passion for Innovation, Product Development, digitalisation... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm IST
GBR 1 & GBR 2

Fireside Chat

4:50pm IST

Grand Ballroom: Session XV: Fireside Chat - The AI Leader's Dilemma

Tuesday July 14, 2026 4:50pm - 5:15pm IST

Grand Ballroom

The AI era is creating challenges and opportunities that few leaders have encountered before. As traditional assumptions about work, skills, careers, and organisations are rewritten, leaders must navigate complexity, make consequential decisions with incomplete information, and prepare their organisations for futures that cannot be fully predicted. This session examines the leadership capabilities, decision-making approaches, and human qualities that will matter most in an age of unprecedented technological change.

Moderators

Nisha Gopinath

Vice President & Head of Human Resources (HR), IBM India & South Asia, IBM India Pvt Ltd.

Nisha Gopinath is the Vice President and Head of Human Resources (HR) for IBM India & South Asia. She is responsible for the people strategy, engagement, skilling & development of IBMers in the region.
Nisha has held strategic leadership positions in India and internationally, spanning various business units and functions. In her previous role, she served as the HR leader for all of IBM’s Global Delivery Centers,. In the course of her career, she has also spent many years at... Read More →

Speakers

Rahul Kothari

COO, Razorpay

Rahul Kothari is the Chief Operating Officer at Razorpay. With over 21 years of experience in both consultancy and technology in leading companies, Rahul comes with a strategic and analytical mind that is geared towards delivering growth and agility for companies.

As a COO at Razorpay, Rahul is focused on further building the company as a customer-centric organisation, providing a more integrated and seamless customer experience to various customer segments and businesses. His role entails guiding the company’s business strategies to ach... Read More →

Kishor Patil

Co-founder, CEO and Managing Director, KPIT Technologies Limited

Mr. Kishor Patil is the Co-founder, CEO & Managing Director of KPIT, and is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the organization. He leads long-range planning, mergers and acquisitions, business performance reviews, and oversees all client-facing functions... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 4:50pm - 5:15pm IST
Grand Ballroom

Fireside Chat

5:15pm IST

Grand Ballroom: Session XVI: Fireside Chat - They Didn't Break the Social Contract, They Were Born After It Did

Tuesday July 14, 2026 5:15pm - 5:40pm IST

Grand Ballroom

Gen Z and Gen Alpha have entered a world shaped by AI, uncertainty, side hustles, mental health conversations, and careers that no longer follow a straight line.
In this session, young voices and business leaders come together to tackle some uncomfortable questions: What does loyalty mean today? Is job-hopping the new career ladder? Does AI make experience less valuable? And what will it take to build workplaces that this generation actually wants to be part of?

Moderators

Sushanth Tharappan

EVP & Head-HR, Infosys Limited, Infosys

Speakers

Deetya Aradhya

Editor-In-Chief and Founder, The Ivy Magazine

Deetya Aradhya is the Editor-In-Chief and founder of The Ivy Magazine, a digital literary magazine for youth writers, artists, and photographers. She is also the founding president of The Ishara Archives, a youth-led platform preserving and celebrating South Asian identity. A passionate... Read More →

Abhishek Pratap

Founder, Extrive Innovations

Abhishek Pratap is the Founder of Extrive Innovations, where he is building wearable robotics and AI-powered ergonomics solutions to make physically demanding work safer and more sustainable. He has never separated technology from business, believing that the best innovation is the... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 5:15pm - 5:40pm IST
Grand Ballroom

Fireside Chat

9:45am IST

Grand Ballroom: Session XVIII: Fireside Chat- The Art of Seeing: Building Anti-Fragile Organisations in an Age of Disruption

Wednesday July 15, 2026 9:45am - 10:10am IST

Grand Ballroom

In times of constant disruption, the most valuable leadership skill may be the ability to spot shifts in people, culture, and work before they become obvious. The organisations that emerge stronger are those that build adaptability into their DNA, empowering people to learn, experiment, challenge assumptions, and respond to change with confidence. This session explores how leaders can create anti-fragile organisations that don't just survive uncertainty, but use it as a catalyst for growth.

Moderators

Pranjal Sharma

Author, India Innovates

Pranjal Sharma is a board advisor, columnist and author who focuses on the impact of technology on business, society and governance. He serves on boards of enterprises and non-profit entities which are leveraging emerging technologies for sustainable, equitable growth.

Pranjal leads public discourse at global and national platforms including World Economic Forum, St Gallen Symposium, Horasis Global Meeting and Raisina Dialogue. He served as a member of the Global Agenda Council at the WEF for eight years. He is a member of its expert network and... Read More →

Speakers

Rakshit Hargave

Managing Director & CEO, Britannia Industries Limited

Rakshit Hargave is a veteran of the consumer industry with experience both in India and overseas. He has been the CEO of Birla Opus, the ambitious paint venture from Aditya Birla Group. He has also headed operations of BEIERSDORF (NIVEA) in India, Africa, ASEAN and ANZ regions.

He has worked with Hindustan Unilever as Chief Operating Officer at Lakme Lever. He was also with Jubilant Food Works, where he successfully launched the iconic Domino’s Pizza 30 minutes guarantee delivery model. Rakshit also worked with Nestle India, managing Maggi Noodles and... Read More →

Wednesday July 15, 2026 9:45am - 10:10am IST
Grand Ballroom

Fireside Chat

10:35am IST

Grand Ballroom:Session XIX: Fireside Chat - Building in Motion: The Founder’s Mindset in an Age of Constant Change

Wednesday July 15, 2026 10:35am - 11:00am IST

Grand Ballroom

In an environment of rapid technological shifts and constant disruption, founders rarely have the luxury of perfect clarity or complete information. They build while the system is still forming testing ideas, making decisions in motion, and iterating at speed. Behind every agile business model today isn't just a shift in mindset, but a highly sophisticated tech engine that makes that agility operationally possible.

This session explores what it means to operate with a "build in motion" mindset: how founders navigate ambiguity, stay decisive under pressure, and create momentum when the path ahead is unclear. It is a candid conversation designed for leaders who need to inject a culture of rapid experimentation into large-scale environments without breaking the core foundation.

Moderators

Madhur Tatwawadi

Head - Human Resources, M&G India

Madhur Tatwawadi is the Head - Human Resources, M&G India. A senior leader with over 22 years of experience with a proven track record of building and leading high performing teams. Madhur has extensive experience in managing significant change and transformation. Madhur comes with... Read More →

Speakers

PC Musthafa

Global CEO & Co-Founder, iD Fresh Food

A school dropout, who went on to do his Engineering in Computer Science from NIT Calicut and MBA from IIM-Bangalore, Musthafa PC’s love for traditional Indian food complements his penchant for technology and innovation. In 2005, he joined hands with four of his cousins in Bengaluru... Read More →

Wednesday July 15, 2026 10:35am - 11:00am IST
Grand Ballroom

Fireside Chat

12:15pm IST

Grand Ballroom: Session XXII: Fireside Chat - The AI Learning Shift: What’s Working, What’s Fading, and What’s Next

Wednesday July 15, 2026 12:15pm - 12:45pm IST

Grand Ballroom

Learning is undergoing a fundamental shift. As AI reshapes jobs and skill requirements evolve faster than ever, organisations are rethinking how capabilities are built, how learning is embedded into work, and how impact is measured. In this candid conversation, leaders will share what they are seeing on the ground, what skills are rising in importance, which learning interventions are delivering results, what isn't working anymore, and how the learning function itself is evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly changing workforce.

Speakers

Ketaki Karnik

Head - Research and Insights, Nasscom

Ketaki Karnik heads Research and Insights at nasscom. With over two decades of leadership experience across global and Indian organisations, Ketaki brings strong expertise in strategy, policy research, new initiatives, and stakeholder engagement.

Rajendra Singh Pawar

Chairman & Founder, NIIT Group & Founder, NIIT University

Rajendra Singh Pawar is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of NIIT Limited, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation, and founder of the NIIT University, established with a vision of being the role model of learning, research, innovation and sustainability for the Knowledge... Read More →

Ashutosh Gupta

Managing Director, India and Asia Pacific, Coursera

Ashutosh Gupta is the Managing Director for India and Asia Pacific at Coursera, where he leads the enterprise business across the region, working with governments, campuses, and companies to equip learners with skills for the digital economy.

Ashutosh brings more than two decades of leadership experience across India and Southeast Asia, with a focus on business growth, digital innovation, and scaling operations. Before Coursera, he was an Operating Partner at Avataar Ventures, advising SaaS companies on go-to-market and... Read More →

Wednesday July 15, 2026 12:15pm - 12:45pm IST
Grand Ballroom

Fireside Chat

11:55am IST

2:40pm IST

3:00pm IST

4:50pm IST

5:15pm IST

9:45am IST

10:35am IST

12:15pm IST

Get help with the event