Archna Vyas works in the foundation’s India Office, overseeing program advocacy, communications, and social and behavior change efforts that advance the foundation’s goals and impact. She joined the foundation in 2014, bringing with her experience in consumer and purpose-driven marketing and communications for multi-brand, multi-country portfolios.

Before joining the foundation, Archna spent nearly a decade leading media relations, communications, and digital marketing across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa for Reckitt’s 30-plus health, hygiene, and home brands. She also spent many years in the advertising industry, where she held various leadership positions and supported the launch and growth of many consumer goods brands in India.

Archna has a master’s degree in physics from the University of Delhi, a diploma in public relations and mass communications from Indian Institute of Mass Communications, Delhi, and a postgraduate diploma in business administration from Institute of Management Technology. She has also studied behavioral insights in policy decisions at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Archna serves on the World Health Organization’s Technical Advisory Group on Behavioral Insights as well as the governing body of the South Asia Learning Collaborative, an initiative focused on advancing social norms based at Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health.

Shihoko Goto is director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the Wilson Center. She specializes in trade and economic interests across the Indo-Pacific, and is also focused on geopolitical developments in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. She is also a columnist for The Diplomat magazine and contributing editor to The Globalist. She is currently an executive board member of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, and a member of the Global Taiwan Institute’s US-Taiwan Task Force. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, she was a financial journalist covering the international political economy with a focus on Asian markets. As a correspondent for Dow Jones News Service and United Press International based in Tokyo and Washington, she has reported extensively on policies impacting the global financial system as well as international trade. She was also formerly a donor country relations officer at the World Bank. Previously, she was a member of the Mansfield Foundation’s US-Japan Network for the Future, and she has received the Freeman Foundation’s Jefferson journalism fellowship at the East-West Center as well as the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s journalism fellowship for the Salzburg Global Seminar. She received an MA in international political theory from the Graduate School of Political Science, Waseda University, Japan, and a BA in Modern History, from Trinity College, University of Oxford, UK.

Shihoko Goto is director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the Wilson Center. She specializes in trade and economic interests across the Indo-Pacific, and is also focused on geopolitical developments in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. She is also a columnist for The Diplomat magazine and contributing editor to The Globalist. She is currently an executive board member of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, and a member of the Global Taiwan Institute’s US-Taiwan Task Force. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, she was a financial journalist covering the international political economy with a focus on Asian markets. As a correspondent for Dow Jones News Service and United Press International based in Tokyo and Washington, she has reported extensively on policies impacting the global financial system as well as international trade. She was also formerly a donor country relations officer at the World Bank. Previously, she was a member of the Mansfield Foundation’s US-Japan Network for the Future, and she has received the Freeman Foundation’s Jefferson journalism fellowship at the East-West Center as well as the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s journalism fellowship for the Salzburg Global Seminar. She received an MA in international political theory from the Graduate School of Political Science, Waseda University, Japan, and a BA in Modern History, from Trinity College, University of Oxford, UK.

Akshat Rathee, Managing Director of the NODWIN Group of companies is a pioneer in the Indian gaming landscape. He is a computer engineer by profession, holds a business degree from ENPC, Paris, and is an active fellow of the India Chapter of ASPEN. Akshat is a passionate gamer and this dedication translates into his vision for the gaming & esports community. Not only has he been influential in bringing global properties such as ESL India Premiership & DreamHack to the country, he has also played a huge role in bringing India to the forefront of the global gaming scene.

2022-Present Governor, JBIC
2018 Deputy Governor, JBIC
2016 COO, Senior Managing Director, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)
2015 Special Advisor, Iwata Godo (Law Firm)
2014 Commissioner, National Tax Agency
2013 Director-General, Financial Bureau, MOF
2012 President, Policy Research Institute, MOF
2010 Executive Director, the World Bank Group
2009 Deputy Director-General, International Bureau, MOF
2008 Deputy Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, MOF
2007 Executive Assistant to Prime Minister
2006 Director, Policy Planning and Research Division, Minister's Secretariat, MOF
2005 Director for Administrative Reform, Minister's Secretariat, MOF
2003 Budget Examiner (Public Works), Budget Bureau, MOF
2001 Executive Assistant to Chief Cabinet Secretary
2001 Director, Legal Division, Budget Bureau, MOF
1999 Director for Financial System Stabilization, Financial Planning Bureau, MOF
1997 Director-General (Budget and Human Resources), Yamagata Prefecture
1985 District Director, Hamada Tax Office (in Shimane Prefecture)
1982 Economist, Treasurer's Department, International Monetary Fund
1980 Joined the Ministry of Finance (MOF)

Arunabha Ghosh is an internationally recognised public policy expert, author, columnist, and institution builder. He is the founder-CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, one of the world’s 20 best climate think-tanks. Arunabha advises governments, industry, civil society, and international organisations around the world. He currently serves on Government of India’s G20 Finance Track Advisory Group and advises the Sherpa Track for India’s G20 Presidency in 2022-23. In 2022, the UN Secretary-General appointed him to the High-level Expert Group on the Credibility and Accountability of Net-Zero Announcements by Non-State Actors. Dr Ghosh is currently Vice-Chair of the UN Committee for Development Policy, and is a member of several international expert advisory groups: Global Commission on the Economics of Water; High-Level Group of Economists, constituted by the French president for the One Planet Lab; and the High-Level Consultative Group for the U.S. Department of State’s Energy Transition Accelerator.

Debjani Ghosh, a respected and transformative leader in the technology industry, serves as a Distinguished Fellow at NITI Aayog and the Chief Architect of the NITI Frontier Tech Hub—India's pioneering think tank dedicated to advancing the country’s readiness in frontier technologies for accelerated economic growth and societal development. With a stellar career spanning over 28 years, including pivotal leadership roles at Intel and as the first female President of Nasscom, Debjani has been at the forefront of driving India’s emergence as a global innovation powerhouse. A leading voice in AI, her leadership embodies a passionate commitment to fostering a human-centric approach to technology, ensuring that advancements not only propel economic progress but also uplift societal well-being. During her tenure at Nasscom from April 2018 to November 2024, Debjani redefined the organization’s focus, elevating its influence on frontier technologies and championing the development of a robust deep tech ecosystem in India. Through her collaborative efforts, Nasscom became a global thought leader and a dynamic force driving positive technological change at both domestic and international levels. An outspoken advocate for India's leadership in the tech space, Debjani consistently emphasized the nation’s unique position to spearhead international collaborations grounded in human-centric and environmentally conscious innovation. Her rallying cry, “Think Digital. Think India,” played a key role in transforming India's tech narrative—from a low-cost outsourcing hub to a global powerhouse of top-tier talent and cutting-edge innovation. In 2020, she introduced the concept of the “Techade”—a vision of a transformative decade where technology transcends traditional boundaries to reshape industries, governance, and daily life. Her visionary “Inevitable India” strategy further established India as the world’s most trusted partner for innovation and digital transformation, cementing its critical role in shaping the future of global technology. Guided by a philosophy of lifelong learning, Debjani attributes her success to insatiable curiosity, adaptability, and resilience. Her inspiring journey—from studying economics and political science to becoming the first woman to lead Intel’s South Asia operations, and later making history as the first female President of Nasscom —exemplifies her commitment to continuous growth and her refusal to be constrained by traditional boundaries. In recognition of her extraordinary achievements, Debjani was honored by the President of India in 2018 as a pioneer among India’s “First Ladies.” In 2022, she was featured in FemaleOneZero Magazine’s “40 over 40 – World’s Most Inspiring Women” list and Vogue named her “Tech Leader of the Year” in 2020 for her exemplary leadership in steering the tech sector through the pandemic. Additionally, she was recognized among the "100 Most Influential in UK-India Relations: Celebrating Women," underscoring her global influence and stature. Debjani serves on the boards of Karmayogi Bharat and RBI Innovation Hub. Select publications by Debjani Ghosh: Healthcare for all: India could lead by shaping the future of AI and biotech: https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/medical-research-health-technology-drug- discovery-ai-in-healthcare-alphafold-biotechnology-innovation-ai-regulation-11726566681719.html Budget 2024: Tech continues to be an enabler: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/tech-continues-to-be-an- enabler/article68438778.ece Inevitable India: https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/inevitable-india-rings-especially-true-in-the-world- of-technology/amp-11701690711153.html The AI dilemma: Is there a right balance between regulation and innovation? https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/the-ai-dilemma-is-there-a-right- balance-between-regulation-and-innovation-123100501125_1.html The G20 envisions a big role for technology in inclusive growth https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/the-g20-envisions-a-big-role-for-technology-in- inclusive-growth-11694531873282.html India can break into top AI league https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/india-can-break-into-top-ai- league/article67267415.ece G20 offers India chance to be the architect of a new digital economy https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/india-must-lead-the-creation-of-a-citizen-centric- digital-economy-11667409066158.html Trust and transparency are what will define the new world of work https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/trust-and-transparency-are-what-will-define-the- new-world-of-work-11665333167572.html The digital future of our country is distinctly being re-imagined https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/the-digital-future-of-our-country-is-distinctly- being-reimagined-11629820744088.html India could play the catalyst for tech innovation across the world https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/india-could-play-the-catalyst-for-tech-innovation- across-the-world-11660059833554.html The war for digital talent: India can emerge as a global hub for it https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/the-war-for-digital-talent-india-can-emerge-as-a- global-hub-for-it-11632847335532.html A human-centric approach to unlock growth https://www.livemint.com/opinion/columns/opinion-a-human-centric-approach-to-unlock-growth- 1550604902520.html

Founder of Okaeri Ventures, a private equity firm that partners with and advises global investment funds and strategic clients on making growth equity investments and acquisitions in India. Previously, Partner at New Silk Route, an India private equity firm, which invested over $1 B in companies in India. Technology focused investor at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), a leader in global venture capital with $25 B in assets, and Strategy Consultant at McKinsey & Company. Member of Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO), Fellow of the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship and the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Bachelor's degree with honours in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Trustee of One Billion Literates Foundation, a non-profit organisation which is dedicated to improving the lives of rural communities through education, public health, women employment, and rehabilitating the severely poor.

Ashok Malik is a Partner at The Asia Group and Chair of its New Delhi-based subsidiary in India where he leads the firm’s in-market business strategy and services. Prior to joining TAG, Ashok served for three years (2019-22) as Policy Advisor/Additional Secretary in India’s Ministry of External Affairs. In that capacity, he worked closely with the senior leadership of the Ministry to help shape and explain India’s foreign policy in a crucial and eventful period for the international system. Between 2017 and 2019, Ashok served as principal speech writer and spokesperson for the President of India.

Bharat Kaushal is Managing Director of Hitachi India Pvt. Ltd. effective June 1st 2017. He is the first Indian to be appointed to this position. Bharat previously served as Chairman in India of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). He is also the first non-Japanese to be appointed as SMBC India’s CEO and served the role between 2012 and 2015.

Bharat has over 25 years of industry experience specializing in macroeconomic policy, Government advisory, project finance, debt restructuring and mergers and acquisitions. He is currently a member of the Indo-Japan Task Force (IJTF) set-up by the two Governments and is the Convenor of the Financial Strategy Group to address policy as well as operational level concerns of Japanese Government and private sector institutions pursuing business opportunities in India.

EDUCATION
Master’s in international Affairs (MIA) – Economic Policy, Columbia University
MBA, Northeastern University
LLB, Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
Bachelors (Hons.) and M.A., St Stephen's College, Delhi

Chandrajit Banerjee (CB) is the Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). CII is India’s apex industry organisation, proactively enhancing the competitiveness of Indian Industry.

CB has been with the CII for over 35 years and has been serving as its Director General since 2008. In this post, he is responsible for the overall operations of CII.

CB is a Member of a number of important Government advisory bodies at the national and state levels.

As DG of CII, he is responsible for leading and contributing to many policy level dialogues and discussions to enhance the competitiveness of Indian industry and towards the development of India.

He holds / has held Trusteeship and Board Member posts in many institutions including Institute of Economic Growth (IEG); Global Innovation and Technology Alliance (GITA); Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST); Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM); World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council of India; Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC); Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi, etc. He is also a Governing Council Member of Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC). CII Foundation and India@75 Foundation, which are promoted and supported by CII, are also two institutions where CB is a Board member. CB is also a Director of Singapore India Partnership Foundation (SIPF). He is a Director on the Board of “Invest India” which is set up by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

He is also Secretary for many bilateral CEOs Forums constituted by the Government of India such as Australia, France, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Sweden, South Africa, etc.

Prior to his appointment as Director General, CB held several leadership positions in key areas including sectoral verticals of manufacturing, services, agriculture and life sciences as well as the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. He has also led CII’s policy work relating to macroeconomic policy, financial services and corporate governance.

He was the first Executive Director of the National Foundation of Corporate Governance (NFCG), an organization set up by the Government of India, and continues to be Member of its Board of Trustees and Governing Council.

CB has been honoured with the China-India Friendship Award by the Chinese Premier for his contributions towards the development of bilateral ties between India and China.

CB was conferred with the decoration of “Knight Commander” by His Majesty the King of Spain in recognition of his meritorious achievements and exceptional contributions towards promoting relations between India and Spain. Government of Italy has bestowed CB with the award of “Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia” for collaborating and solidifying friendly relationship and cooperation between Italy and India”.

Chandrajit Banerjee is a Post-Graduate (MS) in Economics with specialisation in Economics of Planning and Econometrics from the University of Calcutta. Earlier, he did his graduation from St. Xavier's College (Calcutta) in Economics (Hons).

He has been honoured with Honorary Doctorate (D. Phil Honoris Causa) from Amity University and Honorary Doctorate in Business Management from the Xavier Institute of Management (Xavier University), Bhubaneswar.

As an apex industry body, CII works closely with the Government of India and industry to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India. CII is a non-government, not-for-profit industry-led and industry-managed organisation serving directly and indirectly 300,000 enterprises, both private and public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs. More than 280 national and regional sectoral and industry bodies are members of CII. CII has over 600 sectoral and subject-based committees and other groups to advance policy issues for the country and focus on competitiveness of Indian industry.

With 62 offices, including 10 Centres of Excellence, in India, and 8 overseas offices as well as institutional partnerships with 350 counterpart organizations in 133 countries, CII serves as a reference point for Indian industry and the international business community. The CII Centres of Excellence offer a range of services for CII members and industry at large in the areas of quality, manufacturing excellence, green building and energy conservation, water, logistics, leadership management, SME competitiveness, sustainable development, food & agriculture, and innovation, entrepreneurship & start-ups.

Cmde () Arun Golaya was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 January 1992 and sought Pre-Mature Retirement on 31 March 2024 after more than three decades of service. During his career, he commanded three ships, including one on deputation to the Coast Guard, and held several important appointments both afloat and ashore. He was one of the founding members of the Directorate of Net Centric Operations (DNCO) when it was established by the Navy in 2006. During his command of the Diving Support Vessel INS Nireekshak, the ship was awarded the coveted Unit Citation, and he was conferred the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for distinguished service in 2012. A keen writer and analyst, Cmde Golaya has published and contributed to several books, in addition to authoring numerous papers and articles in reputed journals. His published work includes The Game Changer, a primer on the application of Game Theory to Low Intensity Maritime Operations. He was the second recipient of the prestigious Admiral AK Chatterji Research Fellowship, awarded by the National Maritime Foundation. From 2012 to 2020, Cmde Golaya served an extended tenure at the National Security Council Secretariat, working across all its Wings. He was part of the Technology Wing when it was set up. Subsequently, as the founding Officer in Charge of the Technology Development Acceleration Cell (TDAC) under the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO), he was tasked with handling innovation for the Navy. He spearheaded initiatives such as SPRINT and Swavlamban, working closely with academia, industry, and the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO). Under his leadership, NIIO emphasized building an innovation ecosystem, resulting in over 50 patents being filed by Naval Officers, with Cmde Golaya being the primary inventor for several of these. The Rashtriya Raksha University, Gujarat, conferred on him the honorary designation of Chief Advisor Defence Innovation and referred to him as “the genius behind accelerating Naval innovations.” Post-retirement, Cmde Golaya has settled in New Delhi and remains actively engaged with the defence ecosystem. He collaborates with startups, advises Venture Capital funds, and assists NGOs and Section 8 Companies involved in nation-building. Additionally, he mentors innovation initiatives and serves as visiting faculty at various universities. These activities are undertaken pro bono, reflecting his commitment to giving back to society.

Baijayant "Jay" Panda is National Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prabhari (In-Charge) of Assam & Delhi BJP Units. He has been a four time Member of Parliament of India, elected twice each to the Rajya Sabha (2000 and 2006) and the Lok Sabha (2009 and 2014). He had been a member of BJP National core group to articulate and communicate the rationale for amending article 370 of the Indian Constitution relating to Jammu & Kashmir. He was also the chairman of the High Level Expert Committee formed by Ministry of Defence for restructuring the National Cadet Corps (NCC). Jay Panda graduated from the Michigan Technological University and, with a background in Engineering and Management, worked in the corporate sector before joining politics. He had helped to form the erstwhile Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) and was its Convener. He has also been associated with the India-USA Forum of Parliamentarians from its founding in 2001 and was its Chairman for fifteen years. He was awarded the “Bharat Asmita National Award” for best parliamentary practices by the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India in 2008. Since its inception in 2007, he has been associated with the ‘Citizens’ Alliance Against Malnutrition’, an advocacy group including many parliamentarians across parties, civil society activists and non-governmental organizations, Bollywood actors and celebrities. The Citizens’ Alliance has undertaken numerous initiatives to battle child malnutrition in India, including field visits to rural districts in several states, continual engagement with media organizations to highlight the issue, repeated interactions with the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, Chief Ministers and other political leaders to raise the priority given to this critical issue. In his earlier corporate career, Jay Panda was active in industry organizations like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the International Chromium Development Association. In the past he has also been associated with the Govt. of Odisha’s Industrial Advisory Committee and been a Director on the Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL). As a parliamentarian, he has been a member of many important committees like the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Finance, Home, Energy, Urban Development and Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Finance. In Parliament and public life, Jay Panda passionately espouses national issues close to his heart, such as economic development, education, information technology and Data Privacy as well as matters concerning his home state of Odisha. He frequently participates in national television discussions and writes op-ed pieces in newspapers. He has also authored a book by the name “LUTYENS’ MAVERICK”. He holds a Private Pilot’s License for aircraft and helicopters and enjoys adventure sports like skydiving and bungee jumping.

Darshan Hiranandani is the CEO of the Hiranandani Group (www.hiranandani.com), one of India’s foremost real-estate and infrastructure companies. The group is privately held by the Hiranandani family. Darshan is also CEO of the family office of the Hiranandani family called Nidar Group (www.nidargroup.com).
In 2004, he setup the Hiranandani group’s first overseas venture called 23 Marina in Dubai, the world’s tallest residential tower. In 2017, he founded H-Energy (www.henergy.com) , which developed own and runs India’s first floating LNG terminal in Maharashtra and associated natural gas pipelines. In 2020, he founded Yotta Data Services (www.yotta.com) , which is now one of the foremost data centre developers and operators in India including Asia’s largest Tier IV Data Center. In 2020, he created an industrial parks platform called Greenbase (www.greenbase.com) in partnership with Blackstone which is now one of the largest plug and play industrial park developers in the country. Darshan is part of the ASSOCHAM (India’s oldest apex trade chamber with 4,50,000 businesses as members) and chairs several council for the chamber. Darshan is a key speaker at various G2G platforms, including being part of the business committee for India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, Indo-Japan Forum, Indo-Bangladesh Dialogues, to name a few. Darshan was granted an honorary Ph.D. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology, USA where he serves as member of Board of Trustees as well as on the Board of Directors for RIT Dubai. Similarly Darshan is on the Advisory Board of Hyderabad Sind National Collegiate Board (a non-profit) which runs 17 colleges and has 45000 students in the city of Mumbai. As part of the Board of Directors of the Hiranandani Group, his achievements also include the establishment of the L.H. Hiranandani Hospital (a non-profit) under the Hiranandani Foundation, which won the coveted Ramakrishna Bajaj Award for the best hospital in India.

Indrani Bagchi, Chief Executive Officer, Ananta Aspen Centre. She was Associate Editor with the Times of India, where she reported and analysed foreign policy issues for the newspaper from 2004 until 2022. As Diplomatic Editor, Indrani covered the Ministry of External Affairs on her news beat, as well as interpreted and analyzed global trends with an Indian perspective. Earlier, Indrani worked with India Today, a premier news magazine, The Economic Times and The Statesman.

N.K. Singh is a prominent Indian economist, academician, and policymaker. He is currently the Co-Convenor of the High Level Expert Group for the reforms of Multilateral Development Banks formed by the G20, the President of the Institute of Economic Growth and Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission. Prior to this position, he presided as Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Review Committee (FRBM). He was a member of the Upper House of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, from 2008 to 2014. He was Expenditure Secretary, Revenue Secretary, Member of the Planning Commission, and Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, among other senior leadership roles. His served in Japan as the First Minister, Economic and Commercial, Indian Embassy, Japan and his further contributions to the international economic order were recognized by the Emperor of Japan with the award of the “Order of the Rising Sun - Gold and Silver" in 2016. Mr Singh is also the author of several books like his autobiography, Portraits of Power, more recently Recalibrate, and earlier Not by Reason Alone: The Politics of Change.

Narendra Taneja is a noted global thought leader on the geopolitics of energy. He is often cited as “a powerful voice” on the issue of energy and climate, especially in the context of the Global North and the Global South.

He serves as Chairman of the Independent Energy Policy Institute, a new think tank based in New Delhi. He also presides over the World Energy Policy Summit, a reputed conferencing organisation. He was the Founder President of the World Oil & Gas Assembly, a meeting place of top CEOs and policy-makers, from 2001 to 2011. He sits on several International Advisory Boards, including that of the ONS Foundation of Norway and the Energy Intelligence Group of the United States.

His areas of research and expertise range from energy geopolitics and governance to energy security, transition and associated climate issues.

Narendra Taneja is a known conversationalist and moderator on live platforms like TV channels, talk shows and conferences. He is a regular on Indian and international TV channels in debates and conversation and has appeared in global iconic shows like the BBC HARDTalk and CNN’s Amanpour. Also a known political thinker, he had served as the National Convener of Energy Cell and as a National Spokesperson of the BJP, India’s governing party, for several years until recently.

He had earlier served as Chairman of the Energy Security Group of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Chairman of the Energy and Green Economy Working Group (India) of the BRICS Business Council. He had in his early days served as the South Asia Bureau Chief for a number of European business newspapers for over 15 years. He was also Managing Director of the NHST Monde Communications Pvt Ltd, an international joint venture, focussed on emerging economies.

His books include “The Far People – A Norwegian Journal”, motivational “My Thoughts, My Motherland – The Quest for a Golden India” and “Meethi Dhoop”, a collection of short stories in Hindi. He is currently working on two books.

He read economics, business, commerce, policy, leadership, diplomacy and international affairs at St John’s College, Agra in India and at the University of Oslo and the University of Oxford. He holds two post graduate university degrees and several short-term university course certificates.

Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman was born on 18th August, 1959 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu to Smt. K. Savitri and Shri K. Sitharaman. She completed her bachelors from Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College in Trichirapalli and headed to the Jawahar Lal Nehru University to pursue her masters in Economics. After submitting her doctoral thesis on Indo-European Textile Trade, she moved to UK and worked as the Senior Manager (Research & Analysis) in Price Waterhouse, London. During her stay in London, she also worked briefly for BBC World Services. Post her return to India, she was keen on working towards institutionalizing Policy Analysis in India and therefore established Centre for Public Policy Studies in Hyderabad in 1992. In 1997, She established Pranava, a school in Hyderabad that won the British Council’s International School Award, 2007-2010 for its unconventional approach to education that prioritized giving shape to a child’s inherent talent over the conventional learn and rote system.

From 2003-2005, she served as a member of the National Commission for Women and in 2008, she was invited to become a member of the BJP’s National Executive and since then she has been actively involved in drafting almost all of party’s Economic and Political Resolutions. In 2010, Smt. Sitharaman was appointed as the National Spokesperson of the BJP and was widely respected for her well researched and graceful articulation of the party’s stand.

During the Gujarat Assembly Elections in 2012, Smt. Sitharaman worked directly under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi wherein she was given the responsibility of organizing BJP’s Media Campaign for the elections. After the historic victory of BJP in 2014 General Elections, she was inducted into the Council of Ministers and she held the charge of Minister of State( Independent charge) for Commerce & Industry.

In May 2016, she was one of the 12 candidates nominated by the BJP to contest the Rajya Sabha elections on 11 June 2016. She successfully contested her seat from Karnataka. On 3 September 2017, she became the first full- time woman Defence Minister of India. After landslide victory of BJP in the General Elections of 2019, Smt. Sitharaman was given the responsibility of the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister of India.

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Served as Chief Functionary at Walo Organisation, Mon, an NGO involved in awareness creation, promotion and intervention programmes concerning Health, Education, Gender parity, Agriculture promotion, Women and Child rights and Documentation and Preservation of Cultural Heritage.

EXPERIENCES

2002-2003: Vice-President, Tuensang Mon Students Union, Delhi. 2005- 2020: Chief Functionary, Walo Organisation, Mon. Implemented TI (Targeted Intervention) project at Aboi for injecting drug users and other vulnerable population. Also implemented ‘Link Workers Scheme’ in Mon district for HIV/AIDS prevention. Assisted KVK Mon in their activity, as Member of the Scientific Advisory Committee in Mon District. Successfully implemented AIS (Alternative Innovative Schooling) SSA in admitting 1650 dropout/never enrolled children aged 6-14 years into formal schooling in Mon EBRC and Aboi EBRC covering 37 villages. Initiated opening of Libraries for children in all the villages of Mon District with the support of PRATHAM and conducted ASER survey in the district. Initiated the process of documenting Konyak Cultural heritage, with active support of CCK, Ambedkar University Delhi and Anthropological Society of India in Mon District. 2006- 09: Women Coordinator, Konyak Students Union. 2008-10: Member, Board of Director’s - Nagaland State Co-operative Bank. 2009-11: Advisor, Konyak Students Union. 2009-14: Consortia Advisory Committee Member for NAIP, ICAR (Northeast) from Nagaland. 2012-14: Vice-President, Konyak Nyupuh Sheko Khong. 2013-15: Member, Child Welfare Committee Mon District. 2016-present: Council Member, Sustainable Development Forum of Nagaland. 2018: Selected as Member of State Level Selection Committee for Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, Nagaland. 2019-2020: President, Eastern Nagaland Women Organisation, Kohima Unit. 2019-2020: President SPOAA, A society registered under the aegis of ENWO,ENPO, ENSF, The three apex community organisations of Eastern Nagaland.

POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS

No previous political affiliations. Joined BJP in 2017 and served as State General Secretary BJP Mahila Morcha, Nagaland unit. Presently serving as State President, BJP Mahila Morcha Nagaland unit from 2020 till date. Elected as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Nagaland on 24.03.2022 Member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism & Culture. Member Consultative Committee for the Ministry of DoNER. Member House Committee (Rajya Sabha).

Pramit Pal Chaudhuri is the India practice head for Eurasia Group, fellow at the Ananta Aspen Centre and former Foreign Editor of the Hindustan Times. He wrote about international politics and economic issues for the Telegraph and the Statesman newspapers in Calcutta from 1985 to 2000 before joining the Hindustan Times for 20 years. As a member of the Aspen Strategy Group of India for over a decade, he is a delegate for a number of track two strategic and climate dialogues including those with the United States, China, Israel, Turkey, South Korea,Britain and a US-India- Japan trilateral. He served two terms on the National Security Advisory Board to the Prime Minister of India from 2011 to 2015. He was a member of its task forces on maritime security, neighborhood policy and China among others. He is an advisor to the Council for Energy Environment and Water and the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation and is the editor of Quadplus magazine on geopolitics and technology for the USISPF chamber of Commerce. He has a number of affiliations including the Mont Pelerin Society, Aspen Institute Italia, Asia Society Global Council, New York, and Institute for International and Strategic Studies, London. In the past he has been a media fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, fellow at the Henry Stimson Centre, Washington DC; a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the University of Maryland-College Park; a South Asian fellow at Cornell University and a Schwarz Fellow with the Asia Society New York. He remains a non-resident Associate Fellow with the last organization. He is a graduate of Cornell University and has lived and traveled in over 50 countries.

Rajan Navani is the Chairman and Managing Director of the diversified 80+ year old Jetline Group, incorporated in the 1930s in Bangkok, Thailand and is personally providing leadership to the group’s most innovative company, JetSynthesys.

JetSynthesys is a new age digital entertainment and technology company with a portfolio of world class products, platforms, and services, aiming to touch the digital lives of billions of consumers in India and around the globe. Under his leadership and strategic direction, JetSynthesys has built diversified business ecosystems in gaming and esports, music and video entertainment, wellness and livelihoods, fintech and social commerce currently serving millions of users globally and 100+ clients worldwide by harnessing advanced capabilities in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, blockchain and AR/VR with a deepened focus and expertise in mobile game development, gaming live ops, localisation, marketing (both digital and offline), global partnerships, Web 3 and Metaverse.

Rajan is the National President of the Indian Digital Gaming Society (IDGS), Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)’s National Council on India@75 and founding trustee of the India@75 Foundation, through which he is working with multiple stakeholders, including government, corporates and civil society in helping build a Dream India of 2022, seventy-five years since its independence. He is the Founding Chairman of CII’s Future Business Council, and the Past National Chairman of the CII Young Indians. He is a Government of India nominated CEO of the India Japan Business Leaders Forum, member of the India Sweden Business Leaders Forum and is a founding board member of Indiaspora, a powerful network linking the Indian American Diaspora with India. He is a global board member of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and a member of the Purdue-India Executive Council. He is also a trustee of Aspen’s Ananta Centre in India, a fellow of the Aspen India Leadership Initiative 2011–2012 and member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, the world’s foremost group on values-based leadership across all walks of life. He is also a BMW Herbert Quandt Foundation’s Young World Leader. Rajan is also playing an active role in helping shape the US-India partnership on the government and business front and is Co-Chair of the Singapore India and member of the Israel India Strategic Dialogue. Apart from this, he is also the Founding Board Member of the 256 Network, the premier platform for large institutional investors interested in India and The GivingPi, India's first and exclusive family philanthropy network focused on growing the philanthropy circle for a transformed India. He is serving as the Co-Chair of CII’s pioneering Silicon Valley initiative, ‘EvolvTM’ and is a current member of the Trilateral Commission.

Rajan holds a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA, under a NASA grant, majoring in Digital Satellite Imaging and Remote Sensing graduating with the award for outstanding academic achievement. A gold medallist at the University of Poona, India in the Bachelors of Electronics and Telecommunications program from College of Engineering Pune (COEP), Rajan also has a diploma in Business Management. He worked with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, Maryland, USA before joining the family business.

A member of the Board of Directors of Tata Electronics since April 2021, Dr. Randhir Thakur joined Tata Electronics Private Limited as the CEO & MD in April 2023 and is responsible for driving Tata Group’s plan in Electronics manufacturing in precision machining and assembly for electronics components, semiconductor fabrication and packaging. Dr. Thakur is an industry veteran with over 40 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, including global manufacturing, research and development, and profitable P&L management. He has worked in various leadership positions at Intel, Applied Materials Inc., and SanDisk Corp., where he played a pivotal role in the growth of multiple business verticals. During his most recent role at Intel, Dr. Thakur was the President of Intel Foundry Services, where he launched and led the development and growth of one of Intel’s most important new businesses. Born in Himachal Pradesh, India, Dr. Thakur’s alma mater includes the National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra (India), the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) and the University of Oklahoma (USA). A Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Dr. Thakur has made seminal contributions to the semiconductor industry and holds more than 300 patents.

Amita Batra is Professor of Economics at the Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies, JNU and Senior Fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), New Delhi. Professor Batra has held several senior research and teaching positions in national/ international Universities and Think Tanks including Senior Visiting Fellow at the Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney in October 2018, first holder of the ICCR Professorial Chair in Contemporary Indian Studies at University of Edinburgh in 2013, visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, Senior Fellow at ICRIER and Reader in Delhi University. Most recently, Batra was awarded the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation, Bellagio Center Academic Residency in May-June, 2024. Batra has served as member of the Advisory Group for G20 (Finance track), 2022-2023, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India. She has also served as member, B20 India Task force for “Inclusive GVCs and resilient global trade and investment”, 2023. She is a member of editorial committee/ boards of several national and international journals. Batra writes a monthly column “Straight Talk” for Business Standard, a leading financial daily in India. She has written and published extensively on Trade Policy issues. Her latest book is titled India’s Trade Policy in the 21st Century published by Routledge: London, 2022. Batra has an M.A., MPhil., PhD from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India.

S. Jaishankar is India’s External Affairs Minister since May 30th, 2019. He is a Member of the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) of India’s Parliament from the state of Gujarat. He was Foreign Secretary from 2015-18, Ambassador to United States (2013-15), China (2009-2013) and Czech Republic (2000-2004). He was High Commissioner to Singapore (2007-2009). He has also served in other diplomatic assignments in Embassies in Moscow, Colombo, Budapest and Tokyo, as well in the Ministry of External Affairs and the President’s Secretariat. He was also President – Global Corporate Affairs at Tata Sons Private Limited from May 2018. Dr S. Jaishankar is a graduate of St. Stephen’s College at the University of Delhi. He has a Masters in Political Science and an M. Phil and Ph.D in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He is a recipient of the Padma Shri award in 2019 and has written a widely acclaimed best-selling book: The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, which was published in 2020.

Sabyasachi Dutta is a founding member and Executive Director of the ‘Asian Confluence’, India East Asia, Center, a premier “Think and Do Tank” , headquartered at Shillong, Meghalaya in North East India. Sabyasachi leads the Asian Confluence in organizing several track 1.5 and track 2 initiatives. Amongst them are the Annual India Japan Intellectual Conclave on North East India, the NADI (Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence) - River dialogues on regional cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region in partnership with the Governments of India and other countries and the and the Young Scholars Forum. Through the Asian Confluence, Sabyasachi has pioneered initiatives that encourage people-to-people exchange such as promoting research and interest in the region through educational tourism, creation of “out of the box” livelihood generation, promoting leadership and entrepreneurship programs, impetus to green industries aimed at sustainable economic development in rural areas and forging a network of civil society organizations working on similar objectives across the region.

Sanjay Jasjit Singh was commissioned in July 1986 in the Indian Navy. He has held a range of command, training and staff appointments, and has served on most class of ships of the Indian Navy. His command appointments include ASW Frigate INS Taragiri; multi-role Frigate INS Trishul; Flag Officer Sea Training; Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet and Commandant Naval War College.
He has served at Naval HQ in Operations and Personnel Branches, and at HQIDS in Joint Operations, prior assuming charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff on 01 Apr 23.
He was the lead drafter for the Indian Navy’s Maritime Doctrine, 2009; Strategic Guidance to Transformation, 2015, and the Indian Maritime Security Strategy, 2015. He has completed several post-graduate study programmes, including MA in Defence Studies from Kings College, London; MSc and MPhil in Defence & Strategic Studies from Madras University; and MA (History), MPhil (Politics) and PhD (Arts) from Mumbai University.

Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, AVSM, VSM assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff on 01 May 2024. The Flag Officer was Commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jul 87 and is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla; the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, United Kingdom; the College of Naval Warfare, Karanja; and the United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, USA. A recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal, the Admiral has held several key operational, staff and training appointments in his naval career including the Command of missile vessels INS Vidyut and Vinash; the missile corvette INS Kulish; the guided missile destroyer INS Mysore and the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral, he served as the Chief Staff Officer (Training) at Headquarters, Southern Naval Command, Kochi and played a key role on the conduct of training across the Indian Navy. He was also instrumental in raising the Indian Naval Safety Team that oversees operational safety across all verticals of the Navy. He then went on to head the Work Up Organisation of the Navy as the Flag Officer Sea Training after which he was privileged to be appointed as the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet. After commanding the Sword Arm, he was appointed as the Flag Officer Offshore Defence Advisory Group and Advisor, Offshore Security and Defence to the Government of India. On promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral, the Flag Officer was Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command and Controller of Personnel Services at NHQ. Prior to his current assignment as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, he served as Chief of Personnel at NHQ. Admiral Swaminathan’s educational qualifications include a BSc degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; MSc in Telecommunications from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi; MA in Defence Studies from King’s College, London; MPhil in Strategic Studies from Mumbai University; and PhD in International Studies from Mumbai University.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma is an Indian technology entrepreneur who has played an instrumental role in revolutionizing the digital payments and financial services landscape in India as the Chairman, Managing Director and CEO of One97 Communications and its consumer brand Paytm. Under his guidance, Paytm is on a mission to bring half a billion Indians into the mainstream economy. He is a strong believer in the power of emerging technology and a true supporter of India’s journey to become a fully digital economy. With this vision, Paytm pioneered the digital payments revolution in India by taking the QR code to every small shop in the country and is now driving financial inclusion in India with offerings across lending, wealth, insurance and more. He has been featured in ‘2017 Time 100’, the list of ‘hundred most influential people in the world’ by Time magazine. Vijay has also been bestowed with multiple industry honours such as the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in 2018 by All India Management Association, ’Entrepreneur of the Year’ at ET Awards for Corporate Excellence’ in 2016 and ‘GQ Man of the Year’ in 2016.

Vivek Bharadwaj is a career Civil Servant from 1990 Batch of Indian Administrative Service. In his career spanning last 32 years, he has contributed significantly towards improving the lot of people of his Cadre State West Bengal in specific, and the country in General through his participative, innovative and creative approach towards public administration.

He has, to his credit, many reformative initiatives like taking the courts to villages to return alienated land to the tribals, conducting research on private schools and examining boards, and use of Information Technology in schools, introducing computer aided designs in handlooms etc. As CEO of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, he has contributed immensely towards bringing world class infrastructure to the City by constructing many civic facilities and flyovers, including the second longest flyover in the country. He was instrumental in bringing out West Bengal Right to Public Services Act, 2013.

At the Union Government level, Bharadwaj as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Coal, was responsible for bringing transparency in the allocation of coal blocks in the country. As nominated authority of the Indian Government, he was a pioneer in starting allocation of coal blocks through auction. He has designed the procedure, methodology and timelines for efficient conduct of auction of coal blocks and operationalization of auctioned coal blocks.

Vivek Bharadwaj held key positions in the State as well as the Union Government in Department of School Education, Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Home Affairs etc.

On 1st October, 2022, Vivek Bharadwaj has taken the reigns of Ministry of Mines, Government of India as Secretary, with key responsibilities for formulating policy for mineral sector in India, monitoring of its implementation with special focus on sustainable mining. He is also responsible to oversee functioning of Geological Survey of India the mineral exploration agency of Government of India;and Indian Bureau of Mines, a mining regulator, and functioning of many mining and metal companies under the Ministry of Mines. He has also been given the responsibility of contributing towards net zero commitment of Government of India by ensuring supply of the required strategic minerals.

Vivek Bharadwaj is a versatile person having expertise in multiple fields like economics, law and public policy. He is a graduate in Economics from Delhi University and has an MBA from University of Ljubljana apart from having a degree in Law. He is Recipient of The Skotch Award 2010 –for providing computer-aided education to schools in Bankura and Burdwan, backward areas in the Indian State of West Bengal. He is also the Author of “A study on ICT usage in Indian Schools” (2006) – The answer to what is happening in computer Education from 1000 Indian schools.

Shri Vinay Kwatra joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988. He has served as Third Secretary and then Second Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva until 1993. Between 1993 and 2003, he served as Desk Officer at Headquarters dealing with United Nations, and subsequently in the Diplomatic Missions in South Africa and Uzbekistan. Between 2003 and 2006, he served as Counsellor and later as the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Beijing, China. From 2006 to 2010, he represented India at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the Trade, Economy and Finance Bureau. From May 2010 till July 2013, he served as Minister (Commerce) in the Embassy of India, Washington. Between July 2013 and October 2015, Shri Kwatra headed the Policy Planning & Research Division; and later served as the head of Americas Division in the Ministry of External Affairs. From October 2015 till August 2017, Shri Kwatra served as Joint Secretary in the office of the Prime Minister of India. From August 2017 till February 2020, he served as the Ambassador of India to France and from March 2020 till April, 2022, he served as the Ambassador of India to Nepal. Shri Kwatra assumed charge as Foreign Secretary on 1 May, 2022.

Vikram Misri is the Deputy National Security Adviser (Strategic Affairs) of India, a post he took up on 01 January 2022.
A career diplomat from the 1989 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, Ambassador Misri (born 7th November, 1964 in Srinagar, India) has served in various capacities at the Headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi, in the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi and in various Indian Missions abroad in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.
His assignments in New Delhi have included work on the Pakistan desk of the Ministry of External Affairs and stints on the staffs of two Foreign Ministers ( I.K. Gujral – November 1996 - April 1997 and Pranab Mukherjee – November 2006 - September 2008)
Apart from serving as the Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (March 2012-October 2012), he has also served as Private Secretary to three Prime Ministers of India ( I.K. Gujral – April 1997 - March 1998; Manmohan Singh – October 2012-May 2014; Narendra Modi – May 2014-July 2014).
Ambassador Misri has also served in several Indian missions abroad. After starting his career in Brussels, he went on to serve in the Indian Missions in Tunis, Islamabad and Washington D.C. He was Deputy High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka as well as the Consul General of India in Munich.
Ambassador Misri was appointed India’s Ambassador to Spain in 2014 and then Ambassador to Myanmar in 2016. His last assignment as Ambassador was in the People’s Republic of China where he served from January 2019 to December 2021.
Ambassador Misri had his early education in Srinagar (Burn Hall School and DAV School) and in Udhampur (Carmel Convent School) in Jammu and Kashmir. He finished his schooling from the Scindia School in Gwalior and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree with Honours in History from the Hindu College, University of Delhi and an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur. Before joining the government, he worked for three years in the private sector in the fields of advertising (Lintas India - Bombay and Contract Advertising - Delhi) and advertising film-making. Ambassador Misri is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute, USA´s India Leadership Initiative. He speaks fluent Hindi, English and Kashmiri and has a working knowledge of French.
Ambassador Misri is married to Dolly Misri and they have two children.

Business Development Executive in a career spanning more than 30 years with strong technical background delivering growth in commercial and defense sectors in US and International based roles. Significant global experience in Asia (India, Singapore, Japan, Korea, China), Europe (Germany, France, Italy) and Middle East (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel). Business Development, P&L and Engineering experience in aerospace and defense.

Kenji Hiramatsu is the Chairman of the Institute for International Strategy at The Japan Research Institute, Ltd. (JRI) from 2022 and UNWTO Special Advisor from 2023. Prior to his assignment in the JRI, he served as Japanese Ambassador to India in 2015-19 and Spain in 2019-22. Before that, he was Deputy Minister for Foreign Policy from 2012-15, where he was responsible for overall foreign policy making in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979, he has dealt with a wide range of issues, which include national security, multilateral trade negotiations and global agenda such as development, climate change, health and women's empowerment. He took important positions such as Director-General for Global Issues and Director for Northeast Asia Division, where he was instrumental in realizing the historic visit of Prime Minister Koizumi to North Korea. His overseas postings include Paris and London. He graduated from Kyoto University.

Kenji Hiramatsu is the Chairman of the Institute for International Strategy at The Japan Research Institute, Ltd. (JRI) from 2022 and UNWTO Special Advisor from 2023. Prior to his assignment in the JRI, he served as Japanese Ambassador to India in 2015-19 and Spain in 2019-22. Before that, he was Deputy Minister for Foreign Policy from 2012-15, where he was responsible for overall foreign policy making in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979, he has dealt with a wide range of issues, which include national security, multilateral trade negotiations and global agenda such as development, climate change, health and women's empowerment. He took important positions such as Director-General for Global Issues and Director for Northeast Asia Division, where he was instrumental in realizing the historic visit of Prime Minister Koizumi to North Korea. His overseas postings include Paris and London. He graduated from Kyoto University.

Myungho LEE is the Country Representative for Bangladesh and General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation Dhaka Branch since April 1st, 2020.
Lee, born in year 1964, has been working for more than 30 years in Mitsubishi Corporation in the area of the International Trading, G 2 G International Infrastructure Projects, and Investment projects in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Before being appointed to be the Country Representative for Bangladesh and General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation, Lee has been the Country Representative for Colombia (President of Mitsubishi Colombia), and the Country Representative for Ecuador (General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation Quito Branch), and then CAO (Chief Administrative Officer) and General Manager of New business development at Mitsubishi Corporation African Headquarter in Johanesburg (South Africa)
In Bangladesh, Lee served as a President of Japanese Commerce & Industry Association in Dhaka (JCIAD, or Sokokai in Japanese) until recently (upto June 30), this year.
And he is currently acting as a President of Japan Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI) with approx. 300 member companies in Bangladesh.
Lee Graduated from Keio University, Japan, majored in International Political Science, and also graduated from the Oregon State University, in United States.

Dr Michael Jonathan Green is chief executive officer at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.
Previously Dr Green was senior vice president for Asia, Japan Chair, and Henry A. Kissinger Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and director of Asian Studies and Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He served on the staff of the National Security Council (NSC) from 2001 through 2005, first as director for Asian affairs with responsibility for Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, and then as special assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for Asia, with responsibility for East Asia and South Asia. Before joining the NSC staff, he was a senior fellow for East Asian security at the Council on Foreign Relations, director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center and the Foreign Policy Institute and assistant professor at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, research staff member at the Institute for Defense Analyses, and senior adviser on Asia in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He also worked in Japan on the staff of a member of the National Diet.
Dr Green is also non-resident senior advisor and Kissinger Chair with CSIS and a distinguished scholar at the Asia Pacific Institute in Tokyo. He serves as a trustee at the Asia Foundation and senior adviser at the Asia Group. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen Strategy Group, the Radio Free Asia Board, the Center for a New American Security Advisory Board, and the editorial boards of the Washington Quarterly and the Journal of Unification Studies in Korea.
Dr Green has authored numerous books and articles on East Asian security, including most recently, By More Than Providence: Grand Strategy and American Power in the Asia Pacific Since 1783 (Columbia University Press, 2017) and Line of Advantage: Japan’s Grand Strategy in the Era of Abe Shinzō (Columbia University Press, 2022). He received his master’s and doctoral degrees from SAIS and did additional graduate and postgraduate research at Tokyo University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from Kenyon College with highest honours. He holds a black belt in Iaido (sword) and has won international prizes on the great highland bagpipe.

Through her research, presentations and publications, Natalie Sambhi is committed to helping people gain a more nuanced understanding of Indonesian civil-military relations, Indonesian defence policy and Southeast Asian security. Natalie is Founder and Executive Director of Verve Research, an independent think tank focussed on the relationship between militaries and societies in Southeast Asia. She also works as an academic with Deakin University, convening modules for the Australian Command and Staff College and other Australian War College progra Natalie is also a Non-resident Fellow with the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy Program and has a PhD from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the Australian National University on the Indonesian military’s history. Follow her on Twitter @securityscholar.

Matsukawa, after 23 years of her diplomatic career at various posts at MOFA, become a Senator. Her diplomatic career includes Japan-ASEAN cooperation, Japan-China Korea cooperation, and analytical work at the Intelligence Bureau. As the first Director of the Gender Mainstreaming Division, she engaged in organizing the GOJ’s first international women’s conference, WAW! (World Assembly for Women). Her oversea posts includes the US(DC), Switzerland(Geneva) and Korea(Seoul). She served as the Deputy-Secretary General of the TCS(Japan-Korea-China trilateral cooperation) in Seoul　from 2011-13. After elected as a senator in July 2016, she has engaged in foreign policy and security policy as well as women’s empowerment. She established Parliamentary League for making Men’s parental leave mandatory, which greatly contributed to establish new “Paternity leave”. Last year, she was elected for the second time, and now served as Director of Women's Affairs Division of Liberal Democratic Party.

Satoru Nagao is a fellow (non-resident) at Hudson Institute, based in Tokyo, Japan. Nagao’s primary research area is U.S-.Japan-India security cooperation. He was awarded his Ph.D. by Gakushuin University in 2011 for his thesis, “India’s Military Strategy,” the first such research thesis on this topic in Japan. Gakushuin University is a premier institution from which members of the Japanese Imperial Family have also graduated. Nagao holds numerous other research positions, including director at International Security Industry Council, senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, specially-appointed research fellow at the Japan Forum on International Relations, research fellow at the Institute for Future Engineering (strategy, defense policy), a lecturer in Gakushuin University, member of Research Committee of Research Institute for Peace and Security and senior research fellow of the Indian Military Review etc. Nagao has authored numerous books and articles on security issues, and he also contributes to the column, “Age of Japan-India ‘Alliance’” at Nikkei Business and Wedge.

Tarun Das is currently the Chairman, Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (S-ILF) and Founding Trustee, Ananta Centre (AC). Formerly, he was the Director General of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from April 1967 to May 2004 and from June 2004 to October 2009, he was the Chief Mentor of CII.
He is on the Board of Trustees of various non-profit institutions such as Ananta Aspen Centre (AAC); The Aspen Institute, USA; Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW); Singapore India Partnership Foundation (SIPF); CII Triveni Water Institute (TWI) and the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG).
He has been working closely on deepening international ties. He is Co-Chair US – India Strategic Dialogue, India-Japan Strategic Dialogue, US-India-Japan Strategic Dialogue and Member, India- Singapore Strategic Dialogue, India-China Strategic Dialogue, India-US Climate Change and Energy Dialogue, India-UK Climate Change and Energy Dialogue. He is India Chair of the Trilateral Commission.
He is also the of Chairman of Advisory Board, JCB India and Member of the International Advisory Board, Chubb (USA).
He has authored a book: “Crossing Frontiers”
He has received the Padma Bhushan Award for his contribution in the field of Trade and Industry, by the President of India; Singapore National Award (Public Service Medal) by the Singapore Government for his contribution in strengthening economic ties between India and Singapore; Honorary Doctorate in Science, The University of Warwick, UK; Honorary CBE for contribution to Indo-British relations; Honorary Doctorate by the Tel Aviv University, Israel for extraordinary commitment to promoting the Indian Economy in the global arena; Sweden Royal Order of the Polar Star for contribution in strengthening Indo- Swedish relations; Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by Japan Government for contribution in strengthening India- Japan relations.

NAME : LIM, Sang-Woo
DATE OF BIRTH : Dec. 30, 1972
EDUCATION :
Feb. 1996 B.A. in Business Administration, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea May 2003 Master of Science in Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington
D.C., U.S.A.
CAREER :
Apr. 1996 Passed High Diplomatic Service Examination
May 1996 Joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
Mar. 2006 First Secretary, Korean Embassy in the United States of America
Jul. 2008 Counsellor, Korean Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Feb. 2011 Advisor to the Vice Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(MOFAT)
Apr. 2013 Director, Human Resources Management Division, Office of Planning
and Coordination, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
Dec. 2013 Director, North America Division I, North American Affairs Bureau,
MOFA
Feb. 2015 Visiting Scholar, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Feb. 2017 Counsellor, Korean Embassy in the Federative Republic of Brazil
Jan. 2018 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of
Madagascar
Oct. 2020 Senior Assistant Secretary to the President for Foreign Policy,
Office of National Security
Mar. 2021 Senior Advisor to Foreign Minister, MOFA
Oct. 2021 Director-General for North American Affairs, MOFA
Jan. 2023 Minister, Korean Embassy in the Republic of India

Tatsuya TERAZAWA has been the Chairman and CEO of IEEJ, which is one of the leading energies thinktanks in the world. Earlier, he was the Senior Advisor to the then Minister Yasutoshi NISHIMURA in the Cabinet Office to assist the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the formulation of the Growth Strategy including the Japanese “Green New Deal”. Previously, he served at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. As the Vice- Minister for International Affairs, he assisted the PM Shinzo ABE, coordinating meetings with the world leaders such as the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit. Through September 2011 to December 2012, he served as the Executive Secretary to the PM Yoshihiko NODA and assisted the Government’s multiple challenges to deal with the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. He is teaching international negotiations as the Senior Specially Appointed Professor at the Tokyo University of Science.

Tomohiko TANIGUCHI worked as the primary foreign policy speech writer for the late Prime Minister ABE, Shinzo. He collaborated with Abe in drafting the speech "Confluence of the Two Seas," which the late PM delivered to the Indian Parliament in August 2007. Whether in an official or private capacity, he worked with Abe for a total of 15 years. His latest book, "Prime Minister Abe's Speeches" [in Japanese], reflects on how Abe utilized speech occasions to advance the nation's agendas, including Abenomics, QUAD, and the FOIP concept. "Tom" Taniguchi has held the position of Specially Appointed Professor at the University of Tsukuba since April 1, 2023. Prior to that, he was a Professor at Keio University while working alongside Abe and his close aides. He obtained an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo and holds a doctorate in national security granted by Takushoku University.

He has been involved in the semiconductor lithography business for more than 35 years. He is currently general manager of business planning for Canon's semiconductor lithography equipment business. His career at Canon started in the R&D technology evaluation department. At that time, i-line stepper was still in its infancy, and he was in charge of evaluating alignment accuracy and developing evaluation methods. He then spent 13 years in Singapore as an application manager. There, he worked from the days when the i-Line Stepper was the most advanced model of lithography equipment to the current model, identifying process problems, deploying solutions and also working to increase productivity. These market-in activity through application engineering has contributed for designing of current lithography development and led to Canon's current business operations.

Ravi Velloor is Associate Editor and Senior Asia Columnist, The Straits Times. He was previously the newspaper's Foreign Editor and South Asia Bureau Chief. Earlier, he was Editor, Singapore Region for Bloomberg News. Mr Velloor began his career with wire services UNI and AFP, before spending a decade with Time Warner's Asiaweek magazine.

Mr Velloor focuses on Asian geopolitics, diplomacy and transitions, as well as the Asian macroeconomy. He is known for having called attention to the importance of the Arctic Route in 2012, the national security implications of AI and robotics in 2013, and the potential threat to the Asian macro economy from the debt woes of China Evergrande in early 2020.

Educated at St. Joseph's College, Bangalore, and the Delhi School of Economics, Mr Velloor is a regular speaker and moderator at events organised by the World Economic Forum, Jeju Forum and St. Gallen Symposium, He is a co-founder of the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia and Honorary Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore.

His book 'India Rising: Fresh Hopes, New Fears' was published in 2016.

HAYASHI Yoshimasa graduated from Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo in 1984 and worked at Mitsui &Co., Ltd. He graduated from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government (Master in Public Administration) in 1994. He was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in July 1995 (17th General Election) (elected five times consecutively in the Yamaguchi Electoral District). His distinguished political career includes assignments as Deputy Secretary-General for the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Councillors, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Finance (Second Reshuffled Obuchi Cabinet), Chief Secretary, Headquarters for Promoting Administrative Reform, Liberal Democratic Party, Chairperson, Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, House of Councillors, State Minister of Cabinet Office (First Abe Cabinet), Minister of Defense (Reshuffled Fukuda Cabinet), Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy (Aso Cabinet), Chairperson, Liberal Democratic Party Policy Board in the House of Councillors, Acting Chairperson, Policy Research Council, Liberal Democratic Party, Ran in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, Chairperson, Kochi-Kai, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Second Abe Cabinet), Deputy Chairperson and Acting Chairperson of Subcommittee, Research Commission on the Tax System, Liberal Democratic Party, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (reappointed) (Third Abe Cabinet), Chairperson, Special Committee on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, House of Councillors, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Minister in charge of Education Rebuilding (Third Reshuffled Third Abe Cabinet), Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Minister in charge of Education Rebuilding (Forth Abe Cabinet), Chairperson, Special Committee on IT Strategy, Liberal Democratic Party, Chairperson, Commission on the Constitution, House of Councillors, Chairperson, Research Commission on Intellectual Property Strategy, Liberal Democratic Party, Chairperson, Economic Growth Strategy Headquarters, Liberal Democratic Party and Acting Chairperson of Subcommittee, Research Commission on the Tax System, Liberal Democratic Party. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in October 2021 (49th General Election) (Yamaguchi 3rd Electoral District) and appointed the Minister for Foreign Affairs during the Second Kishida Cabinet (November 2021) and Reshuffled Second Kishida Cabinet (August 2022).

A.K Bhattacharya is an economic journalist. He has served as the Editor of Business Standard and is currently its Editorial Director. Earlier, he was the Editor of The Pioneer and worked for The Financial Express and The Economic Times in different leadership roles. For many years, he has been writing a column, Raisina Hill, which appears in Business Standard and comments on government affairs, development issues and the economy. He won the Shriram Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Financial Journalism in 2017. He is the author of The Rise of Goliath: Twelve Disruptions That Changed India, published by Penguin in July 2019. His upcoming book, due later in 2021 from Penguin, captures the story of India’s finance ministers.

Anuj Poddar is the Managing Director & CEO of Bajaj Electricals Limited, India’s leading Consumer Appliances, Lighting and Engineering Projects company. In this role, Anuj Poddar is responsible for managing all the businesses and operations of the Company.

Prior to this he was a member of the Leadership Team at Viacom18 Media Private Limited and one of its key founding team members. During his over 13 years with the company he played an integral role in the growth of the company including its very successful foray into mass entertainment with Colors, its expansion into international territories, the acquisition and launch of its motion pictures business as well as its foray into the regional language networks business. He also led strategy for MTV Networks Asia, based out of Singapore. Prior to Viacom 18 Media, Anuj spent nearly a decade with Arthur Andersen and KPMG and was involved in a range of consulting, mergers & acquisitions and assurance services to a range of clients across financial services, consumer, IT & ITES and other sectors.

He is a Trustee of the Ananta Centre, a Fellow of its Inaugural Class of the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship and member of Aspen Global Leadership Network, a member of BMW Foundation's World Responsible Leaders’ Network and has been on the Governing Council of CII-Young Indians. Anuj is a rank-holding Chartered Accountant and lives with his family in Mumbai, India.

Ambassador Arun Singh has extensive experience across the globe, including as India’s Ambassador to the United States (2015-16), Israel (2005-08), and France (2013-15). Throughout his distinguished 37-year career in the Indian Foreign Service, Ambassador Singh has served during pivotal periods in key global capitals, and was instrumental in shaping India’s policies, notably the continued progress in the US-India relationship; India’s closer ties to Israel; and the formulation and implementation of India’s policies related to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, including in the period following 9/11.

Ambassador Singh is currently a Visiting Professor at Ashoka University, a Distinguished Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the Asia Program at The German Marshall Fund of US and at Carnegie India. In the spring of 2017, Ambassador Singh taught courses on US Foreign Policy in South Asia and Current Global Trends and Challenges at both American University and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He was also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Emory University, and the Center for Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a Member of India’s National Security Advisory Board over 2021-22.

Karambir Singh, PVSM, AVSM, IN (Retd), who was the Republic of India’s 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (31 May 2019 to 30 November 2021), assumed the chairmanship of the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi, on 17 January 2022. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai, the Admiral was commissioned into the Indian Navy in July of 1980. A Naval aviator, he earned his wings in 1981 as a helicopter pilot and has flown extensively on the Chetak (Alouette Mk III) and several variants of Kamov helicopters. Over the four decades of service under the Indian Navy’s White Ensign, he has commanded the Indian Coast Guard Ship Chandbibi, the guided-missile corvette INS Vijaydurg, and two of the Indian Navy’s frontline guided-missile destroyers, namely, INS Rana and INS Delhi. He has also tenanted the seagoing appointments, including those of Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet. He has served in the Directorate of Naval Air Staff at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Navy) and has been Captain (Air) and Officer-in-Charge of the Naval Air Station at Mumbai. On promotion to the flag rank, the Admiral has served as the Chief of Staff of the Eastern Naval Command. He has also tenanted other critical flag-appointments, including those of Chief of Staff of the Tri-Services Unified Command in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area (FOMAG). As a Vice-Admiral, he was the Director-General, Project Seabird, and oversaw all aspects of the development of the Indian Navy’s expansive and modern base at Karwar in India’s southern state of Karnataka. Appointed thereafter as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, he discharged his responsibilities towards the Indian Navy’s current and future operational and combat capacity and capabilities. He then served as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, involved with the development of the “future Navy”. He has a rich store of senior command experience and has been the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, with his headquarters at the port-city of Visakhapatnam. He assumed Command of the Indian Navy on 31 May 2019, serving until his retirement from active service on 30 November 2021.

Kiran Pasricha served as the founding Chief Executive Officer of Ananta Aspen Centre from 2011 to 2022 and also of Ananta Centre from 2013 to 2022. Kiran was instrumental in building a wide international network of Track II dialogues with countries including the US, UK, Israel, Singapore, Japan, China, Korea and the European Union. Committed to building a cadre of values-based leaders, she institutionalised several leadership programmes targeting high school students all the way to leaders in the age group of 35-45 years. Kiran was the Deputy Director General of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) prior to joining Ananta Aspen Centre. Her association with CII exceeded thirty years wherein she held a number of positions before moving to Washington, DC in 1995 to establish the CII U.S. office. Kiran is the only Indian recipient of the Peace Through Commerce Medal Award of the United States Department of Commerce. She currently serves on the Boards of the Singapore India Partnership Foundation and WRI India; Advisory Boards of Sasakawa-India Leprosy Foundation and Goonj; India Advisory Board of the London School of Economics and Governing Council of the Tribhuvan College of Environment & Development Sciences Nalanda University Centre, Neemrana.

Bhairavi Jani is a successful logistics and supply chain entrepreneur, a social development enthusiast, a notable author, a nature conservationist and a committed philanthropist. Bhairavi is the Chairperson and Founder of IEF Entrepreneurship Foundation and Executive Director of SCA Group of Companies founded in 1896. SCA Group undertakes activities in supply chain and logistics sector. She is also a Director at Cargo Service Center India and Chairperson of Himalayan Essence. Bhairavi has been listed as one of the 25 most Powerful Women in India by the India Today publication. She has been profiled as Stree Shakti (Woman Power) person by CNBC Awaaz and featured as a Young Turk by CNBC TV 18. She has been listed as one of the 10 women exemplars by the Hindustan Times and Business Today Magazine has featured her as the Supply Chain Maven. Bhairavi was selected as the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader (YGL) in 2018 and serves on the WEF-1t.org India Stakeholder Council and on the YGL Advisory Group. She is a KBF Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network of the Aspen Institute. Currently she is also serving on the B20 Global Value Chain Task Force In 2014 Bhairavi undertook a project, “Highway to Swades”, for which she drove 18,181 km across India to gather information on peoples’ choices and views of entrepreneurship, livelihood and development. She has eloquently captured her travels and her observations in her maiden book – “Highway to Swades – Rediscovering India’s Superpowers” published by HarperCollins.

Deputy Director, the Economic Security Program, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo

Daisuke Kawai is the Deputy Director of the Economic Security Program at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, where he focuses on economic security and critical and emerging technologies. He has contributed to government projects under the Economic Security Promotion Act as part of the Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation within the Cabinet Office of Japan. His areas of expertise include Japan’s foreign and security policy, Indo-Pacific security, economic security, and arms control, with a special interest in emerging technologies.

He also holds the position of Senior Researcher at the Keio SFC Institute, Keio University, and a GRIPS Alliance Research Fellow at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), and serves as the Leader of the International Public Policy Unit at the Center for Strategic and Japanese Studies (CSJS), Kaetsu University, Japan. Previously, he has been a Research Fellow for Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), focusing on security issues and regional order in the Indo-Pacific, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Additionally, he served as the secretariat of the Council of Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Japan, and worked at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Kawai earned his Master’s degrees with distinction from the Department of War Studies at King's College London, and from the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, where he was a British Council Scholar. Also, as a Yenching Scholar, he studied in Peking University, China. Prior to these achievements, he read diplomacy at the University of Oxford, UK. He was a Japan-US Partnership Program fellow at the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS), and a Young Leader for the Asian Security Summit Shangri-La Dialogue at IISS. He garnered the JIIA's 60th Anniversary Essay Contest award with his essay titled "Building a Free and Rules-Based International Order".

Deepak Shetty is the CEO and Managing Director of JCB India Ltd. He is a member of the JCB Group Exec and is based out of the India Headquarters at Delhi-NCR. The India operations of JCB commenced over four decades ago and today also include the South Asia Region and East Africa.

Before this, he was the Executive Vice President - Sales, Marketing, Product Support and Business Development at JCB India. Deepak joined the company’s Pune operations in 2010 and later went on to become the Managing Director of JCB’s Global Excavator business in the UK for four years.

Before joining JCB, Deepak worked for Larsen and Toubro Limited for about 17 years. He joined the engineering conglomerate as a Graduate Engineer Trainee and then moved on to different roles and responsibilities in India and later in the USA where he lived for about five years.

He is an elected member of CII’s (Confederation of Indian Industry) National Council. Deepak Chairs the CII Infrastructure Council and is also a member of the CII Economic Affairs Council. In addition to being a member of the CII UK India CEO Forum, he chaired last year’s Excon, South Asia’s largest exhibition for Construction Equipment

Deepak is a Mechanical Engineer from the Birla College of Engineering and an alumnus of SPJIMR, Mumbai and the Manchester Business School, the UK where he pursued management studies. In 2021 he was awarded the SPJIMR Distinguished Alumni award.

He lives in Gurugram (Delhi-NCR) with his wife and son, while his daughter is pursuing her career in the UK in the field of Biomedical Engineering after graduating from King’s College, London. An avid reader, he likes to travel and pursue his interests in Fitness, Arts and Culture.

Ms Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa has been a career diplomat who joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1979 and served as Ambassador of India to Japan (2012-2015), Qatar (2009-2012) and Sweden (2005-2009). She was concurrently accredited as Ambassador to Latvia (from Stockholm), and Republic of the Marshall Islands (from Tokyo). During her career, she also held other significant assignments in China, Geneva, The Netherlands, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Ministry of External Affairs handling India’s relations with the UN system.  In the course of her career spanning over 36 years, she handled a wide swathe of issues and subjects related to India’s relations with key countries such as Pakistan, China, and Japan; participated in international conferences and negotiations related to climate change, sustainable development, disarmament and human rights and was instrumental in the active promotion of India’s economic interests in areas of investments, trade, technology transfer and energy security during postings in Europe, the GCC and Japan. Ms Wadhwa is currently Chairperson of the India- Japan Friendship Forum and Member Governing Council of the Asian Confluence, based in Shillong which promotes development and connectivity of the Indian North East with its neighbours and serves as independent Director and advisor on the Boards of a few companies.  In recognition of her contribution to the promotion of India-Japan relations she was honoured with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government in April 2024.

Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, is a Diplomatic Affairs Editor with The Economic Times, Delhi and writes on foreign and strategic affairs for the daily. A journalist since 2001, Dipanjan has been posted in Jammu and Kashmir and traveled extensively in India's Northeast to cover insurgency in the past. As a reporter for foreign affairs Dipanjan has traveled to various parts of the world on key assignments including Summits, Prime Ministerial and Presidential visits and developments in India's neighbourhood. A US State Department IVLP fellow in 2015, he has been on fellowships to Germany and Taiwan.

"Mr A K Bhattacharya is an economic journalist with over four decades of experience. He set the bar for business reporting as the chief of bureau at The Economic Times in the early 1990s, when economic reforms raged. He then went on to become the editor of the Pioneer and Business Standard. He is currently Business Standard’s editorial director and a writer of a long-running column – Raisina Hill. A newsperson to the core, Mr Bhattacharya wrote a book on India’s disruptions, published by Penguin in July 2019 – The Rise of Goliath: Twelve Disruptions That Changed India. His second book, India’s Finance Ministers: From Independence to Emergency (1947-1977), which captured the story of Union finance ministers in the first 30 years after mIndependence, was published by Penguin in May 2023. The second volume was published recently."

Geetanjali Vikram Kirloskar

• Chairperson MD Kirloskar Systems • Chairperson Toyota Tsusho Insurance Broker Pvt ltd • Hon Consul Finland at Karnataka and was awarded the Knighthood from the Finland Govt for her exemplary contribution to India Finland ties.

Other positions:
On the Boards of • Kirloskar Proprietary ltd • Rhode Island School of Design USA • Centre for Social & Economic Progress (CSEP) Independent Public Policy Think tank. • Asara Sales & Investment Private limited

Social organisations: Seva Sadan Pune centre for destitute women • Ngo at Pune for reinstating children of sex workers • Had set up a non-profit Trust to promote India Japan exchange called “The India Japan initiative”.

Govt positions: • Chairperson of the Healthcare committee Govt of Karnataka during and post covid • Now joining the Board of Directors of Invest Karnataka Forum Govt of Karnataka • Supports Jetro for bringing Japanese start-ups to India.

Entrepreneurial ventures: • Set up Sakra World Hospital in JV with Toyota Tsusho and Secom Japan • Set up an insurance brokerage business with Toyota Tsusho • JV with Embassy Group for real estate, a luxury residential complex at Bangalore

Hobbies: • Had her own TV show “Life’s Like that” on Times Now, acted in 2 films, speaker at leading forums including last week at the India Japan Business Summit by CII at Delhi. • Writes articles for leading media on business & social. • Plays Golf, enjoys classical music, theatre, Art, Travel and more.

Links of publication of articles in newspapers: More recent article published on the Edit page, all editions of Times of India on India’s Youth Power -
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/listen-to-indias- young-just-like-nris-have-done-abroad-our-youth-can-crack-the-glass- ceilings-created-by-social-divisions/ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/startups/companies/japane se-startups-invest-in-india-talent/articleshow/100509915.cms https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/the-importance-of-being- bengaluru-1236100.html

Go Eguchi is Chief Intelligence Officer at Suntory Holdings, a global leader in diverse portfolio of beverages,　premium spirits, beer and wine, and wellness products throughout the world. He has held this position since January 2023, after moving from Mitsubishi Corporation. With Mitsubishi, he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Washington Office for 6 years and as Chief Administration Officer at Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas) in New York for 4 years. Before his assignments in the U.S., he held various positions including Administration Division GM at Mitsubishi International GmbH (Germany), GM of Bucharest Office (Romania) and GM of Dakar Office (Senegal). During 1997-2000, he served as a Senior Researcher at the Liberal Democratic Party, Institute of Policy Research under Keizo Obuchi and Yoshiro Mori Administration. In Washington D.C., he was the President of Japan Commerce Association of Washington D.C. (JCAW) and Vice Chairman of The Japan-America Society of Washington D.C. (JASW). Eguchi holds a B.A. from Osaka University of Foreign Studies and has concluded Harvard Business School Executive Development Program (1998) and Leading Global Businesses (2018).

This is Gogoi’s second term as an MP. In the current 17th Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) he serves as the Deputy Leader of the Congress Party. He is a Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, the Joint Committee on Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Committee on Government Assurances. He was also a member of the Joint Committee on Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.

Gogoi is a passionate advocate for environmental causes, which is reflected in his Convenorship of the Members of Parliament Group for Clean Air. He is also the Chair of the Parliamentarians’ Group for Children which is aimed at advancing the wellbeing and rights of children.

During his previous term in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi was a member of key standing committees across domains, such as the Committee on Railways and the Standing Committee on Defence. He was also a Member of the Consultative Committee on Communications and Information Technology.

He has a Masters in Public Administration from New York University and Bachelor of Technology degree from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. His key interests lie in economics, ecology, international relations and youth development. In 2015 he was recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Distinguished Fellow, ORF & Senior Advisor, Indian Venture Capital Association Formerly Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, Parliament of India (2019 to 2024) Formerly Minister of State for Finance and Civil Aviation, Government of India (2014 to 2019)
Mr. Jayant Sinha is a globally reputed policy-maker, investor, and thought leader. He introduced India’s first net zero legislation as a private bill in the Indian parliament in 2021. Mr. Sinha has also pioneered ground-breaking research on the economic, public health, and national security impact of net zero development for India. This research has culminated in widely acclaimed TV shows, articles, and podcasts highlighting how Net Zero is Net Positive! for India and the world.
As a two term elected Member of Parliament from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, Mr. Sinha represented 3 million people in an underdeveloped, coal-mining area. His development works in Hazaribagh (train & road infrastructure, medical and educational institutions, and Akshaya Patra) are widely considered among the best in India. Mr. Sinha won his elections in 2014 and 2019 with record margins. As Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance, Mr. Sinha led the 31-member Parliamentary panel that has oversight of the Ministries of Finance, Corporate Affairs, Statistics & Program Implementation, and the Niti Aayog. In addition, the panel has parliamentary responsibility for the Reserve Bank of India, the Securities & Exchange Board of India, the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Board, and the Insurance and Pension regulators.
Mr. Sinha served on India’s Council of Ministers from 2014 to 2019; first, as the Minister of State for Finance and then as the Minister of State for Civil Aviation. During his time as a Minister, Mr. Sinha gained wide recognition as an innovative and results-oriented policymaker with singular successes ranging from piloting the legislation that brought in India’s game-changing bankruptcy code to establishing India’s sovereign wealth fund (the National Investment & Infrastructure Fund) and the Higher Education Financing Agency to driving the privatization of Air India as well as multiple airports by devising entirely new bidding approaches. As Aviation Minister, Mr. Sinha was instrumental in upgrading safety and security across India’s fast-growing aviation system. He launched the UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme which expanded the number of operational airports in India by 50% in just three years. UDAN was awarded the 2020 Prime Minister’s Award for Policy Excellence. Mr. Sinha also implemented several major technology initiatives such as the DigiYatra digital traveler program, the Digital Sky drone policy, and the national Air Traffic Control Center.
Prior to his career in public service, Mr. Sinha was Partner at Omidyar Network and the Managing Director of Omidyar Network India Advisors, where he led overall investment strategy and operations in India from 2009 to 2013. At Omidyar, Mr. Sinha made venture capital investments in a variety of companies of which three went on to become unicorns: DailyHunt, Quikr, and Tata1mg. Several others were semi-unicorns including d.light, Aspiring Minds, Neogrowth, Vistaar Finance, and HealthKart. Before joining Omidyar Network, Mr. Sinha was Managing Director at Courage Capital Management, where he led Global Technology and India-related investing for a US based billion-dollar global special situations hedge fund. Mr. Sinha joined Courage Capital in 2006 after twelve years with McKinsey & Company, where he was a Partner in the Boston and Delhi offices and co-led the Global Software & Services Practice.
As a global thought leader, Mr. Sinha has been published in the Financial Times, Times of India, Economic Times, Indian Express, Business Standard, Harvard Business Review, and the McKinsey Quarterly. He has pioneered new thinking on climate finance, sustainable development programs, platform-based businesses, and digital competition. Mr. Sinha’s Green Frontier framework is gaining broad acceptance as the net zero development model for India.
Mr. Sinha has an MBA with Distinction from the Harvard Business School, an MS in Energy Management & Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BTech with Distinction from the IIT Delhi. He was awarded the Distinguished Alumni award from IIT Delhi in 2015. Mr. Sinha was recognized as the Best Lok Sabha MP of the Year 2021 while the Standing Committee on Finance was awarded the Best Parliamentary Committee in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Based on his five year record, he was awarded as a top Parliamentarian by the President of India. Mr. Sinha is a member of the Harvard Business School Global Advisory Board and has also served on the IFC Global Advisory Board (2012-2013).

General Manoj Mukund Naravane (Retd) served as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army from 31st December 2019 to 30th April 2022. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla (Pune); Indian Military Academy, Dehradun; Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and Army War College, Mhow, where he was also on the Faculty. General Naravane holds a Masters Degree in Defence Studies and an M. Phil Degree in Defence & Management Studies. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate, based on his experiences in Nagaland. In a distinguished military career of more than four decades, he also served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern and Training Commands. He has vast experience of foreign affairs, having been part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka, Defence Attaché at Yangon, Myanmar, and as the Head of the Indian Delegation to several countries. The General has many National and International awards to his credit including the Distinguished Public Service Award 2022 by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. He has delivered a number of talks on National Security and Leadership at prestigious Institutions to include the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, London. A few of his articles on similar subjects have been published in National Newspapers in India.

Manoj Nair is the Head of India Global Delivery Center (GDC) at Fujitsu. He is responsible for Fujitsu Consulting India’s growth and the implementation of effective long-term plans to deliver services and meet business objectives. Manoj’s expertise is underlined by a strong focus on delivery and globalizing services in existing and new technology areas. With over 3 decades of experience, Manoj brings along extensive knowledge and experience in the IT industry in areas such as customer acquisition, development of global service lines, system integration services, delivering application support, and RIM services. Manoj has spearheaded multiple Offshore Development Centers to deliver multimillion-dollar business across various industry verticals. He has overseen the deployment of data centres for customers across the globe. Manoj has a proven track record of executing large complex IT engagements and delivering sustainable growth. Prior to joining Fujitsu Consulting India, he was the Global Head for System Integration Services Delivery and Tools Practice at Tech Mahindra. Prior to that, Manoj was the head of IT operations support and deployment of IT systems in banks including State Bank of India Commercial and International, and IDBI Bank. His leadership role involved deployment of core banking solutions and branch IT setup. Manoj holds an Honour’s degree in Computer Science from the Jain Vishwa Bharti Institute and has completed his Management Development Program from XLRI Jamshedpur. Manoj’s preferred ways of unwinding include watching Formula 1 racing, reading, and travelling.

Worked as an editor for overseas travel magazines in Tokyo. Moved to New York and founded Muse Publishing Inc., which provided advertising and printing services for Japanese companies in the United States. Published a quarterly Japanese magazine “muse new york”, and authored a Japanese non-fiction Book, “Machi no Hi” (City Lights). Shifted to Bangalore in 2005. Speaker and writer on India on Japanese radio, magazines and newspapers. Led India market research projects for leading Japanese advertising agencies and corporates. Conducted seminars on various topics related to Japan and India. Founder of Muse Creation (NGO). Promoter of the Kyoto Yuzen Sarees, an initiative of Kyoto Government to express and strengthen the historical links between India and Japan in heritage textiles.

Nihal leads partnerships for Google’s Policy Team in India, and is responsible for advancing Google’s advocacy strategy to grow the company’s marquee suite of products and services in India. Prior to Google, he led Tata Sons’ business development partnerships and policy initiatives for the Chairman’s Office and also helped establish Tata Sons' first Global Corporate Affairs team with S Jaishankar, former Group President and India's current Minister of External Affairs. Previously Nihal worked with The Cohen Group, a Washington DC based business advisory firm founded by the former US Secretary of Defense, William S. Cohen and was a Senior Analyst, at the International Marketing HQ of Hitachi Plant Technologies, Ltd. (2007–2011). In April 2022, he was selected as an International Strategy Fellows (ISF) by Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative started by Former Google CEO, Eric Schmidt. Awarded the David Rockefeller Fellowship by the Trilateral Commission in December 2019 and named as one of 100 Leaders of tomorrow by the St. Gallen Symposium, Switzerland. Nihal has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan in 2007, and a Master’s from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University in 2014.

Nitin Desai was a national and international civil servant and a global advocate for sustainable development. After teaching at two UK Universities and serving briefly as an economic consultant he began his public service career with the Planning Commission in 1973, served as Secretary of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and went on to become Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance in 1988.

At the international level he was a Senior Adviser the Brundtland Commission, where he introduced the concept of sustainable development. He joined the UN in 1990 as Deputy Secretary General of Development (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992) and was appointed as Under Secretary General at the UN in New York in 1993 and stayed in that post till 2003. During this period, he led the work on sustainable development and in other economic and social areas.

After his retirement Nitin Desai was appointed as a Special Adviser to the Secretary General on Internet Governance and in that capacity chaired the group which organised the annual Intent Governance Forum, a position he occupied till 2010. In July 2004, Desai was inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

After his retirement in he has been involved in a variety of public policy activities nationally and internationally dealing with economic policy, climate change, energy, environment, internet governance and security. He writes a monthly column in a daily newspaper, the Business Standard.

Narasimhan, is an Infantry Officer who served in the Indian Army for 40 years. He has done graduation in Mathematics, Post-Graduation in Defence Studies and PhD in India China Relations. Narasimhan served as the Defence Attaché in the Embassy of India in China for three years. He is qualified in Chinese language. His expertise spans international relations and internal issues, economy and defence related subjects of China. Narasimhan is a former Member of the National Security Advisory Board, India and the First Director General of Centre for Contemporary China Studies. He is presently a Distinguished Fellow with Centre for Air Power Studies, India and Emeritus Faculty with Rashtriya Raksha University, India.

Nikhil Sawhney, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Triveni Turbine Limited and Director, Triveni Engineering and Industries Limited Nikhil Sawhney is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Triveni Turbines and a Director of Triveni Engineering. The Companies occupy leadership positions in their respective businesses of sugar manufacturing, a distillation of alcohol, renewable energy generation, industrial turbines and gears, and water and wastewater treatment solutions, spanning 22 manufacturing locations in India. Triveni Turbines is one of the largest global manufacturers of industrial steam turbines as well as the global leader for renewable energy-based applications. The company has over six thousand installations in over 80 countries. The Company is leading the Energy Transition with the development of several innovation products and solutions, especially utilizing CO2 as a working fluid. Nikhil is the Senior Vice President of the All India Management Association. He has helped found the CII- Triveni Water Institute and is an active trustee of the Tirath Ram Shah Charitable Hospital and the Emmanuel College India Trust, as well as the Ananta Aspen Center, of which he is a fellow. Nikhil is also a member of the Trilateral Commission and a member of various Government of India-led bilateral CEO foru Nikhil is the Co-Chair of the Ananta Aspen-led India-Israel Forum. Nikhil has been voted one of India’s forty ‘hottest’ business leaders under 40 by The Economic Times in 2015. He has a BA and MA from Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Nikhil resides in New Delhi with his wife Zia and their son Zahan.

Naushad is Co-Chairman of Forbes Marshall, India's leading Process and Energy Efficiency company. He is Chairman, of Ananta Aspen Centre, and Centre for Technology, Innovation and Economic Research (CTIER). Forbes Marshall helps Industry build and sustain highly efficient plants by reducing waste, optimising process and energy efficiency, and complying with regulatory requirements. Forbes Marshall has consistently ranked as a Great Place to Work and aspires to be a multinational with Indian roots. Naushad was an occasional teacher at Stanford University from 1987 to 2004 where he developed courses on Technology in Newly Industrializing Countries. He received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD Degrees from Stanford. Naushad is on the board of several educational institutions and public companies. Naushad has long been an active member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and was president of CII for 2016 – 17. He is a founding member of Nayanta University, a full-service university opening in 2024, spearheaded by CII. Naushad’s book, The Struggle and the Promise: Restoring India’s Potential, was published by HarperCollins in 2022.

Rafiq Dossani is director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He works on education, finance, regional development, security, trade, and technology issues. Recent projects include China's grand strategy and its use of institutions, security in the Korean peninsula, the Belt and Road Initiative, Track II diplomacy between the United States and China, and Asia's democratization. Previously, Dossani was director of Stanford University's Center for South Asia and a senior research scholar at Stanford University's Institute for International Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in finance from Northwestern University, an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and a B.A. in economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi.

RK Misra is an undergraduate from IIT Kanpur with Masters Degree from Tokyo University. He is an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School of Government & Global Leadership Fellow of Aspen Institute, USA.

He is non-resident scholar at Carnegie India, A Global Think Tank. At Carnegie, RK researches on issues of Technology & Public Policy. He is the Convenor of annual Carnegie Global Technology Summit.

For over two decades RK has worked on improving India-Japan Technology Collaboration & Investment.

He founded BTTI (BLR-Tokyo Technology Initiative), a Biannual Technology & Innovation Summit, to facilitate collaboration & Investment between technology startups & large corporations of India and Japan.

RK along with Ministry of Economy & Trade, Japan (METI) help set up a $200M India-Japan Fund of Funds, a first ever, to facilitate cross border Technology Investment & Collaboration.

RK is the Co-Chair for ASSOCHAM-Karnataka/South, India's oldest & largest Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

RK is also the Cofounder of YULU, India's largest 'Shared Mobility Platform' driven by electric 2 wheelers, both for Personal Mobility and Goods Delivery.

After BTech from IIT Kanpur in 1989, RK was selected for MEng degree from the prestigious Tokyo University under a special internationalization initiative of Japanese Ministry of Education. Post graduation, RK spent early years of his professional career in Japan.

On returning to India in 1995, he founded Tenet Technologies, Tenet Telecom & Tenet Holdings with global business presence. He also founded India’s first Travel Portal, Traveljini.com. He grew these businesses with successful mergers & buyouts.

Rudra Chaudhuri is the director of Carnegie India. His research focuses on the diplomatic history of South Asia, contemporary security issues, and the increasingly important role of emerging technologies in diplomacy and statecraft. He works on comparative models of cross-border data flows and how data is treated by national capitals in inter-state and multilateral negotiations. He is the author of Forged in Crisis: India and the United States Since 1947 (published in the U.K. by Hurst, in 2013, and in the U.S. and South Asia by Oxford University Press and Harper Collins, respectively, in 2014). He is the editor of War and Peace in Contemporary India (published in the U.K. by Routledge). His research has been published in scholarly journals like International History Review, Diplomacy and Statecraft, Journal of Strategic Studies, International Affairs, RUSI Journal, India Review, Defense Studies, along with other academic and policy-focused journals. He is also an occasional commentator on issues of public policy in the media.

Professor Shahidul Haque is serving as a Faculty at the North South University, Bangladesh since February 2020. He is also occupying the ICCR Bangabandhu Chair at the University of Delhi, India since March 2022 and has recently been appointed as a visiting professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is also a Senior Advisor on Migration and Humanitarian Policy of IOM, Dhaka from 2020. He is also advising a number of international charities and consulting fir He was awarded Honorable Mention for the Robert B. Steward Prize for high academic achievement at Fletcher, USA. Haque served as the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh from January 2013 toDecember 2019. As a Foreign Secretary, he has chaired the Global Forum for Migration and Development from 2015 to 2016. He had also led the Chairmanship of the Platform on Disaster Displacement from 2015 to 2016, a global body dealing with displacement due to climate change (the Nansen Initiative). From 2001 to 2007, Haque served as the Regional Representative of IOM for South Asia (Dhaka) and the Middle East (Cairo). He also served as the IOM Director for International Cooperation and Policy (ICP) Division of IOM based in Geneva from 2009 to 2012. He had received the IOM Director General’s Award in 2005 for his contribution to IOM policy, relations, activities, and progra While he was the Foreign Secretary, Haque led Bangladesh delegation to the negotiation with Myanmar associated with the Rohingya issue and chaired the Bangladesh National Task Force on Undocumented Myanmar Nationals in Bangladesh from 2013 to 2019. From 2013 to 2020, he had served for two terms as an elected Independent Expert to the Committee on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families (High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva). Haque pursued his graduate studies in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, USA (1988). He was awarded Honorable Mention for the Robert B. Steward Prize for high academic achievement at Fletcher, USA. Prior to that he completed his Honor’s and Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from the Dhaka University as a top student. He was also awarded the Dhaka University Chancellor’s Award, the Grant’s Commission Award, and the Chancellor’s Gold Medal from Dhaka University for his outstanding academic accomplishments. He has co-authored a book titled “Migration Myth in Policy and Practice” (Springer, 2020). He has also written book chapters and articles on Rohingya issue, migration, climate change, human trafficking, and vaccine diplomacy published in various journals home and abroad.

Samir Saran is the President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), India’s premier think tank, headquartered in New Delhi. His research focuses on issues of global governance, climate change and energy policy, technology and media, and India’s foreign policy. He curates the Raisina Dialogue, India’s annual flagship platform on geopolitics and geo-economics, and is the founder of CyFy, India’s annual conference on cybersecurity and internet governance. Samir is a member of the India-CEO Climate Action Group, Global Risks Advisory Board, and the Regional Action Group of the World Economic Forum (WEF). He has served as a Commissioner of The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. He is a member of the Board of Directors at ORF America. Samir has authored four books, edited important journals and publications and written several academic papers and book chapters. He is featured regularly in Indian and international print and broadcast media. His latest publications include The New World Disorder and The Indian Imperative with Shashi Tharoor and Pax Sinica: Implications for the Indian Dawn with Akhil Deo.

Shyam Saran is a former Foreign Secretary of India and has served as Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Nuclear Affairs and Climate Change. After leaving government service in 2010, he has headed the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, a prestigious think tank focusing on economic issues(2011-2017) and was Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board under the National Security Council from 2013 to 2015. Shyam Saran is currently the President of the India International Centre and a Honorary senior Fellow with the Centre for Policy Research. His book, “How India Sees the World” was published in September 2017. He has now published his second book, “How China Sees India and the World.” On January 26, 2011, Shyam Saran was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India for his contribution to Civil Service. The Padma Bhushan is the third highest national award in the country. The Emperor of Japan decorated him with the Spring Order, Gold and Silver Star on July 30, 2019, for his services to promoting India-Japan Relations.

Siddharth Deshmukh is a highly accomplished serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in software product engineering and international business. In 2005, he founded Shimbi Labs, a leading software product engineering company. He also co- founded the Indo-Japan Business Council (IJBC) in 2011 and currently serves as its President. Under his exemplary leadership, IJBC has achieved remarkable milestones, fostering strong business, trade, education, and cultural ties between India and Japan. Deshmukh has successfully facilitated multiple Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) between IJBC and prestigious Japanese organisations, establishing a vast network of influential business leaders. Furthermore, Siddharth is an accomplished speaker, visiting faculty member at esteemed institutions, and an active participant in prominent business associations.

Dr Srabani Roy Choudhury is a Professor in Japanese Studies Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has over three decades of association with Japan. She has been invited as visiting fellow to leading Japanese Universities. Her research interest focus on economic aspects of Japan’s foreign policies, Japanese Multinationals working in India and India-Japan relations. Her recent edited volumes are India-Japan Relations@ 70: Building Beyond the Bilateral (2022), The Indo-Pacific Theatre: Strategic Views and Regional Frameworks (2022), Japan and its Partners in the Indo-Pacific: Engagements and Alignment( 2023).

Srikanth Kondapalli is Dean of School of International Studies and Professor in Chinese Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was Chairman of the Centre for East Asian Studies, SIS, JNU from 2008-10, 2012-14, 2016-18, 2018-20 and in 2022. He is also Ministry of Defence Chair Professor for the Chair of Excellence in Defence and Strategic Studies. He is educated in Chinese studies in India and China with a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies. He learnt Chinese language at Beijing Language & Culture University and was a post-Doctoral Visiting Fellow at People’s University, Beijing from 1996-98. He was a Visiting Professor at National Chengchi University, Taipei in 2004, a Visiting Fellow at China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, Beijing in May 2007, an Honorary Professor at Shandong University, Jinan in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019; at Jilin University, Changchun in 2014 and at Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming in 2016 and 2017, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at People’s University since 2014 and a Fellow at Salzburg Global Seminar in 2010. He wrote two books: China’s Military: The PLA in Transition in 1999 and China’s Naval Power in 2001. He wrote two monographs, and co-edited six volumes: Asian Security & China in 2004 China and its Neighbours in 2010 China’s Military and India in 2012 China and the BRICS: Setting up a Different Kitchen in 2016 One Belt One Road – China’s Global Outreach in 2017 and China and Covid-19 – Domestic and External Dimensions in 2020 and a number of articles in journals and edited volumes – all on China. He received the K.Subramanyam Award in 2010 for Excellence in Research in Strategic and Security Studies. He is a guest faculty at Indian armed forces units, including at the National Defence College, Army War College, College of Air Warfare, College of Naval Warfare, and College of Defence Management. He is a distinguished fellow at several think-tanks including Vivekananda International Foundation and Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. He supervised about 30 Ph.D. researchers at JNU and is also an academic advisor for Ph.D. researchers at Al Farabi Kazakh National University and Ablai Khan University at Almaty and Tamkhang University (Taipei). He is Editor of JNU SIS International Studies Journal (being published by the Sage).

Sugata Bose is the Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University. He has served as Director of Graduate Studies in History at Harvard and as the Founding Director of Harvard’s South Asia Institute. Prior to taking up the Gardiner Chair at Harvard University in 2001, Bose was a Fellow of St. Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge, and Professor of History and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Bose was educated at Presidency College, Calcutta, and the University of Cambridge where he obtained his Ph.D. His many books include Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy (1998, 2004, 2011, 2017, 2022 with Ayesha Jalal), A Hundred Horizons: The Indian Ocean in the Age of Global Empire (2006), His Majesty’s Opponent: Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Struggle against Empire (2011, 2022) and The Nation as Mother and other visions of nationhood (2017). His new book Asia after Europe is forthcoming from Harvard University Press. He was a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship and gave the G.M. Trevelyan Lecture at the University of Cambridge. In 2015 he was awarded the Rabindra Puraskar, the highest literary award of Bengal. Sugata Bose is the honorary Chairperson of Netaji Research Bureau, Kolkata. He has jointly with Sisir Kumar Bose edited the 12-volume Collected Works of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He is joint editor with Krishna Bose of Rabindranath Tagore, Purabi: The East in its Feminine Gender, translations of Tagore’s poetry by Charu C. Chowdhuri and translator of Tagore’s songs in his book Tagore the World Voyager. He has made three highly regarded documentary fil Sugata Bose served as a Member of Parliament in India elected to the 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2019) representing the Jadavpur constituency in Bengal and throughout that period as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs. His eloquent speeches in Parliament in defense of democracy were widely heard and appreciated.

Amb Sujan Chinoy is the Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi since 2019. A career diplomat from 1981-2018, he held several important diplomatic assignments, including as Ambassador to Japan and Mexico. He is a specialist on China, East Asia and politico-military and security issues. Between 1996-2000, he headed the Indian delegation in the India-China Expert Group of Diplomatic and Military Officials tasked with promoting CBMs/peace and tranquillity with regard to the India-China boundary dispute. On deputation to the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) from 2008-2012, his expertise covered external and internal security issues including the extended neighbourhood of the Indo-Pacific. He has served as Consul General in Shanghai and Sydney and has extensive experience in trade, investment and economic issues. He is the Chair of the Think20 engagement group for India’s G20 Presidency. He regularly contributes to newspapers and journals, besides lecturing in India and overseas.

T K Kurien (TK) is the Chief Executive officer at Premji Invest. PI is investment office sponsored by Mr Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd.

Prior to his current role TK was Vice Chairman & CEO of Wipro Ltd.

In his career spanning over three decades, TK has held several leadership positions encompassing strategic and operational roles.

TK began his career with Wipro in 2000 and has been instrumental in building and scaling many of Wipro’s successful businesses. As a transformational and inspirational leader, he has started and also scaled several diverse businesses in Wipro including Wipro Eco Energy an analytical startup, Business Process Services, Media, Telecom and Consulting business divisions at Wipro. TK is credited with playing a catalytic role in achieving global recognition and leadership for these businesses.

A strong votary of women’s rights, TK is a recipient of the 2014 Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Leadership Award -- a joint initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact – for Wipro’s proactive commitment to gender equality.

In May 2014, the American India Foundation, committed to catalyzing social and economic change in India honored TK for his corporate and philanthropic leadership.

TK also served on the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum as well as being a member of the Technology subcommittee of the World Economic Forum.

Before joining Wipro, TK served as the Managing Director of GE X Ray from October 1997 to January 2000. Prior to that, he was the CFO of GE Medical Systems (South Asia).

An influential speaker, TK is a Chartered Accountant by training and has several technology patents to his credit. He has an abiding interest in strategy and history and is an avid runner.

Titli Basu is an Associate Professor at the School of International Studies (SIS) in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India. Her research interests include strategic affairs in East Asia, with special focus on Japanese domestic politics, foreign and security policy. Earlier she worked as a Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA). In 2022, Basu was a US State Department IVLP Fellow on ‘Enhancing Regional Maritime Governance and Cooperation in the Quad’. She was also a Visiting Fellow at the National Institute for Defence Studies (Ministry of Defence), Japan in 2017 , and a Japan Foundation Fellow at Institute for Social Science, University of Tokyo in 2010-11. Basu's research work has been published in various international peer-reviewed journals, and her commentaries feature regularly in global foru

1. Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi was commissioned into the Indian Army in June 1982 and has rendered over 40 years of illustrious service. A graduate of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune, he has done post-graduation in Defence Studies and MPhil in Strategic Leadership & National Security from Madras University. He has a working knowledge of Chinese language.

2. The General has served as an instructor at Infantry School Mhow, as a Military Observer in UN mission in Angola and has also represented India as Defence Attache at Embassy of India, Beijing, China for three years. He has commanded a Brigade, a Division and a Corps in Eastern Ladakh, on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), before taking over as Army Commander Northern Command. As Army Commander he is credited with spearheading the Indian response to PLA's attempt to alter the status quo on the LAC by use of force in 2020 during Operation SNOW LEOPARD.

3. He has served in Military Operations Directorate in Army HQs thrice in various capacities handling both China and Pakistan affairs and also the insurgency in North Eastern States.

4. As the Director General Infantry he spearheaded the modernization drive of the Infantry and a large number of weapon systems and equipment were procured under his tutelage.

Hiroyuki Akita is a Commentator of Nikkei. He regularly writes commentaries and columns, analysis mainly on foreign & international security affairs. He joined Nikkei in 1987 and worked at Political News Dept.(98-2002) where he covered Japanese foreign & security policies, domestic politics. He was Senior & Editorial Staff Writer (2009-17) , and he also worked at “Leader Writing Team ” of the Financial Times in London (Oct-Dec, 16). He was Beijing Correspondent (94-98) and Washington Chief Correspondent (2002-06). In Beijing, he reported major news events such as death of Deng Xiaoping, Hong Kong handover to China. In Washington DC, he covered White House & Pentagon, State Department during Bush administration. He graduated from Jiyu Gakuen College in 1987 and Boston University (M.A.). From 2006 to 07, he was an associate of US-Japan Program at Harvard University, where he conducted a research on US-China-Japan relations. In March 2019, he won the Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist Award, a prize for outstanding reporting of international affairs. He is an author of two books in Japanese: “Anryu (Power Game of US-China-Japan)”(2008), “Ranryu (Strategic Competition of US-Japan and China)”(2016).

H.E. Hiroshi SUZUKI is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to India and to the Kingdom of Bhutan (concurrently).

Hiroshi SUZUKI joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1985. He began his diplomatic career in the United States of America and became the Deputy Director at the First North America Division, WTO Division and the Principal Deputy Director at the First West Europe Division.

Ambassador Hiroshi SUZUKI worked closely with the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the Private Secretary to Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe (in 2005), the Spokesperson for International Press for the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (in 2006), and the Private Secretary to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (from 2012 to 2020). He also served as the Advisor to the Special Secretariat for the State Funeral for Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

Ambassador Hiroshi SUZUKI has served at the Japanese embassies in the US, Italy, Iran, the Republic of Korea and the UK. Between 2020 and 2022, Ambassador Hiroshi SUZUKI was the Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs G7 and G20 Sherpa.

Hiroyuki Mesaki was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), India in May 2023.

With nearly three decades of experience in the banking sector, he has expertise in different functions of the Bank, especially in planning, strategy including risk appetite framework, decarbonization pathway, supporting Japanese clients who are pursuing business expansion outside Japan and credit control. Prior to his current role, Mesaki was Managing Director and Joint General Manager of Strategic Planning Department of Americas Division, SMBC New York.

Mesaki has also been involved in the formulating and management of SMBC’s mid-term-management plan and implementing the concept of risk appetite framework during the period of 2015-2020 in Tokyo Head Office. He also has fundamental expertise in structured finance, accounting and governance framework in banking sector as well.

Naoko Aoki is an associate political scientist at the RAND Corporation. She specializes in East Asian security issues. She has written about Japanese foreign and security policies, the North Korean nuclear problem, American alliances in Asia, and nuclear dynamics in the region. Prior to joining RAND, Aoki was a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, where she conducted research on security matters in the Indo-Pacific region. Her professional experience includes a nuclear security fellowship at the House of Representatives. She was also a 2018–2019 Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow and an adjunct political scientist at RAND.

She was formerly a journalist with Japan’s Kyodo News, reporting on the Japanese government from Tokyo before serving as a Beijing correspondent. She has visited North Korea 18 times on reporting trips. She holds a Ph.D. in policy studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, an M.A. in international relations and international economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and a B.A. in English from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.

Masaharu (Max) Okubo is a highly accomplished professional currently serving as the Managing Officer, Country Chairperson, of Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd since April of 2021. With a strong educational background in International Law from the University of Keio (1987), Max embarked on a remarkable journey in Mitsui & Co., Ltd., where he excelled in various roles over the years. With expertise spanning 18 years in the coal business and 11 years in the oil and gas, and other renewable energy industries, he has accumulated invaluable insights and industry knowledge. Notably, he has held positions in diverse departments in Iron & Steel Raw Materials Business Unit and Energy Business Unit serving in Australia, Japan & India. In 2018 Max assumed the role of COO for Energy Business Unit-1 for Mitsui & Co. Max brings a comprehensive understanding of global business practices to his leadership role. Outside the professional sphere, he finds joy in playing tennis and golf. Max cherishes family life, being a proud father to a daughter and a son, as well as a doting grandparent.

Masahisa Ikeda is the Asia Regional Managing Partner and Head of Tokyo Office of Shearman & Sterling LLP. Masahisa is also a member of the firm’s Executive Group. Masahisa has extensive experience representing global companies and government agencies on a wide variety of matters, including cross-border acquisitions, financings and disputes. He also represents numerous corporations on government investigations and regulatory and compliance matters, including before the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the European Commission. Masahisa speaks frequently on international business issues and legal issues. Masahisa is on the board of numerous non-profit organizations in the U.S. and Japan including serving as the Director of the Asia Pacific Group of the Trilateral Commission and a Director of the Tokyo Foundation.

Masahisa has been named a leading practitioner for capital markets, M&A and asset management by Chambers Global, Chambers Asia, Asia Pacific Legal 500, IFLR 1000 and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

Mr Koji Sato is the current Director General of the Japan Foundation, New Delhi. He has taken up this position in January 2021 and this is his second assignment at the Japan Foundation, New Delhi. He joined the Japan Foundation in 1995, and prior to the current assignment, he has served at oversea offices of the Japan Foundation in Cairo, Egypt, and Yangon, Myanmar besides New Delhi. At the Japan Foundation’s headquarters, he has been assigned at the Asia Centre as Director, while also having served at various other departments of the Foundation. He is an alumnus of the School of Law, Hokkaido University.

Since 2007, I have been based in Mumbai and Delhi for over a decade. At my former position in ANA, I oversaw the launch of routes from Tokyo to Mumbai and Delhi. As the current incumbent since 2019, I have increased membership by over 100 companies, with a current count of approximately 500. We are dedicated to enhancing the business environment in India by promoting suggestions for improvement and expanding business opportunities for Japanese companies already established in the country, as well as attracting new ones. As Japan-India relations move towards a new stage, I am convinced that by enhancing mutual cooperation and collaboration, we can contribute not only to our countries' economies, but also to the world.

WATANABE Jun is Senior Representative of JICA India Office. He assumed this position from July, 2022. He is now handling JICA projects mainly in Water, Power, Forestry, and Agriculture sector by utilizing its various supporting menu of a loan financing, technical cooperation, grant aid, etc. He is also involved with projects of North East Region in India. Prior to this appointment, he worked at the several departments in JICA HQ Tokyo more than 20 years, covering safeguards for an infrastructure project, global environmental issues especially management and wise use of natural resources, and strategic planning of JICA activities. He holds Master’s Degree in public administration concentrating environmental policy from Columbia University in the US, and Master’s Degree in international tourism from Toyo University in Japan.

In-House Group: Democratic Party For the People
Elected: Minami Kanto Bloc (proportional representation), once
Born: December 1988, Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Education: Shotoku Gakuen Senior High School Surugadai University (coursework toward a bachelor's degree)
Career: Employee, aviation-related company Secretary to a Member of the House of Representatives Staff member of a political party Vice Chair, Diet Affairs Committee, Democratic Party for the People Member, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives (HR) Member, HR Special Committee on North Korean Abductions and Other Issues

In-House Group: Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party)
Elected: Chugoku Bloc (proportional representation), twice
Born: March 1964, Ondo, Aki, Hiroshima
Education: Doctoral program, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo Doctor of Engineering
Career: Research Fellowship for Young Scientist, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Toshiba Corporation Representative, Technical advising company

He joined JETRO in 1994. He focuses on business promotion work with Asian countries and has been stationed in Nigeria, Belgium, Bangladesh, India, etc. He is the Chief Director General JETRO India since 2022.

Full name Takashi Suzuki
Date of Birth May 21, 1970 Academic background
March 1994 Graduated from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Department of English and American Languages Work experience
1994-1996: Joined JETRO, Trade Fair Department 1996-1998: Fukushima Office 1998-2000: Japan Overseas Development Corporation (JODC) 2000-2002: Trade Commissioner, JETRO Lagos 2002-2005: Director, JETRO Brussels 2005-2009: Deputy Director, Trade Development Department 2009-2013: Representative, JETRO Dhaka 2013-2015: Director, Trade Development Department 2015-2018: Senior Director for Global Strategy (Southwest Asia), Planning Department 2018-2022: Director General, JETRO Bengaluru 2022- Chief Director General, JETRO India

Educational Background
Bachelor of Business and Commerce, Keio University Master of Business Administration, USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California Carrier Background
KURIHARA (Toshi) Toshihiko is Chief Representative of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Representative Office in New Delhi and covers all JBIC operations and geopolitical research mainly in India, also Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. He is also a Director of the Board, National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation, which is both India-Japan government-based development entity for all-across-Indian industrial corridors. He is also a geo-economic researcher of Nihon University Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies(GSSC), and a visiting fellow of Center for Economic and Social Progress(CSEP), specially on India’s foreign/economic policies and Japan/India economic relations. Over his two-decade global banking career, he has engaged in wide range of international banking operations from mega project financing deals to treasury/comptroller professions.

Takuro Horikoshi was appointed Chairman and Managing director of Sumitomo Corporation India, in April 2021 and additionally as the President of Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (“JCCII”) in April 2023.
After receiving B.A. in Economics from University of Tokyo in 1992, he started his successful and enriched journey at Sumitomo Corporation Group and has over 3 decades of distinguished service. He was engaged in trading and investment activities of metal products globally and contributed to establish effective and competitive global supply chains, collaborating with the stakeholders and business partners with worldwide business networks. He spent 5 years, from 2011 to 2016 in Chicago USA as Senior Vice President of Sumitomo Corporation of America.
He is honored to be appointed as the President of JCCII this year and endeavors to strengthen mutual understanding and trust between India and Japan.

Mr. Yoji Taguchi joined in Mitsubishi Corporation (referred as MC)in 1988 and have consistently worked in the industrial machinery field such as various equipment for Automotive Industries, Food processing Industries, Tire building machine, Earth Moving equipment and its rental business, etc. He has been responsible for the new business development in those Industries of MC. In order to expand Indian business, MC decided to take majority stake and second their management as first ever to India so as to aim at contributing to the growth of Indian manufacturing sector providing sales and service for highly accurate and speedy machine tools manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric. He had stayed at Coimbatore to cover this business from 2007 to 2012 and achieved high market share in Die & Mold Industry in India. Mr. Taguchi was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director, Mitsubishi Corporation India from April of 2019 till March of 2024 and appointed as President of JCCII in 2019/2020 to contribute to the development of relationship between India and Japan. From September 2024, He has established FTO Corporation and tried to develop the further growth of relationship between India and Japan.

Balaji is a member of the Core Leadership Team (CLT) of Vodafone Idea Ltd, a leading telecom operator serving citizens and enterprises across India. The CLT has successfully led the planning and execution of the world's largest telecom merger, in a record two years. He leads the company's Regulatory, Public Policy and Government Relations activities along with Industry advocacy, Corporate Communications, Reputation Management and CSR.

He is a pioneer in the Telecom sector, joining the sector at its infancy in 1993. He has the unique experience of holding leadership positions in all three telecom verticals, with leading Technology, Devices companies and Telecom Operator.

Prior to joining Vodafone, Balaji was Managing Director of Nokia India and Sony Mobile. Over the years, he has held senior leadership positions in start-up and turn-around ventures of TATA group, AT&T, Ericsson, and Lucent Technologies.

Having started his career with Tatas, he has rich experience of over 30 years in Telecom & IT sector in diverse functions including sales, product management, marketing, strategy, and operations.

Balaji is the current Vice Chairperson of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the apex industry association representing leading Telecom, internet, technology, and Digital Services Companies. He is also the Chairman of ASSOCHAM National Digital Communications Council, and Member of National Council of apex industry chambers CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM and All India Management Association.

Passionate about local manufacture, R&D and skills/capacity development, he has been President of TEMA (Telecom Equipment Manufacturing Association), Founding Vice Chairman of TEPC (Telecom Exports Promotion Council) and is Founding Vice President of TSSC (Telecom Sector Skills Council). He has been catalyst for many industry innovations and initiatives and has served as member of several Task Forces set up by government. Over the years, these initiatives have resulted in introduction of cutting edge technologies into India, large scale creation of employment and economic growth in the country.

An Electronics & Communications Engineer from |IT Roorkee, Balaji completed his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad in Marketing, Finance and Strategy.

R Dinesh, a fourth-generation TVS Family member, is a Commerce Graduate and an Associate Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Institute of Cost & Works Accountants of India. He is the Executive Vice Chairman of TVS Supply Chain Solutions and Director at TVS Mobility & Ki Mobility Solutions that operates my TVS brand across India.

Dinesh is the President of CII for FY 2023-24. He Chairs the CII Institute of Logistics. Dinesh, through his role in CII, played a pivotal role in getting the ‘infrastructure status’ for the Logistics sector. He is also the Chairman of the CII FBN (Family Business Network) India Chapter Council.

Dinesh has won many awards including, ‘Icon of the Year’ from ICT Academy of Tamilnadu for the year 2018, ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award for ‘Services’ category by Ernst & Young in 2017. He is also the recipient of TiECON’s ‘Next Gen Entrepreneur of the year 2014’ award and ‘Emerging Entrepreneur’ award by CII in 2010.

Dinesh started TVS Supply Chain Solutions (erstwhile known as TVS Logistics) in 1995. The company, under his able leadership has grown multifold to become a billion-dollar company. The company has a presence across continents making it a truly global company and serving customers in over 50 countries. TVS SCS employs around 18,000 strong workforce across the Globe. His other business Ki Mobility Solutions is the largest automotive aftermarket digital platform in India and offers integrated aftermarket services through online-to-offline (O-to-O) model.

Dinesh works closely with marquee investor names like Exor International, Mitsubishi Corporation, etc. Currently, the companies under his management have a turnover of around USD 2 Billion and employ more than 25,000 people. He has been instrumental in expanding his companies’ operations globally and has set up subsidiaries in Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Thailand, Bangladesh, United States of America, Singapore, China and Australia.

Engineering excellence and a strong pioneering spirit continues to underscore the operating philosophy of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. (G&B), the flagship company of the Godrej Group. Since 1897, G&B has played a pivotal role in India’s economic growth and created sustainable value for all its stakeholders through its products and services across ten industries. The company engages with millions of consumers and businesses across the world by building effective and efficient household appliances, providing solutions for security, storage as well as interiors with an attention to detail and service that are eponymous with trust and quality. The company is present in every corner of India, fulfilling aspirations of customers and helping them lead secure and fulfilled lives.

The Hiranandani Group, established in 1978 is India’s premier sustainable mixed-use townships and infrastructure developer in the areas of residential, commercial, health, education, data centres, and energy infrastructure.

Reliance is India’s largest private sector company, with a consolidated revenue of INR 976,524 crore ($118.8 billion) and net profit of INR 74,088 crore ($9.0 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2023. Reliance’s activities span hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, advanced materials and composites, renewables (solar and hydrogen), financial services, retail and digital services. 

Currently ranking 104th, Reliance is the largest private sector company from India to feature in Fortune’s Global 500 list of “World’s Largest Companies” for 2022. The company stands 45th in the Forbes Global 2000 rankings of “World’s Largest Public Companies” for 2023 - top-most among Indian companies. Reliance has been ranked among the world's 20 best companies to work with, highest amongst Indian companies in Forbes’ World's Best Employers for 2022. It features among LinkedIn’s “Top Companies 2023: The 25 Best Workplaces to Grow Your Career in India”. Website: www.ril.com

JetSynthesys is a new age digital entertainment and technology company with a global foray in three key verticals – gaming and esports, digital entertainment, wellness, and livelihoods. With millions of consumers across 180 countries, JetSynthesys builds world class products, platforms, and services in these three verticals, aiming to touch the lives of billions of consumers. Since its launch in 2012, under the leadership of Rajan Navani (Vice Chairman & Managing Director), JetSynthesys has built a powerful ecosystem of technology, talent, content, and distribution stacks, and is committed to delivering delightful moments to all stakeholders across multiple digital worlds, aptly titled the #Jetverse.

The Pune-headquartered company is backed by industry veterans like Kris Gopalakrishnan, Adar Poonawalla, Sachin Tendulkar, and the multi-billion-dollar family offices of the promoters of Thermax, Triveni Group, Yohan Poonawalla Group and DSP Group.

Kirloskar Systems Private Limited [KSPL] is a part of Kirloskar Group. More than 125 years old, Kirloskar Group is known for its commitment to innovation, quality and technical advancement; an engineering conglomerate driving critical industries. Kirloskar Systems Limited (KSL) was incorporated as Kirloskar Asea Limited on February 20, 1962 under the Companies Act, 1956. The name was changed to Kirloskar Systems Limited on March 28,1977. KSL was initially engaged in the business of manufacturing electrical switchgear in the low and medium voltage range with technology from Italy that was subsequently transferred to Kirloskar Electric Co. Limited. In December 1997, pursuant to the transfer of the business, KSL was engaged in the business of manufacturing auto components such as axels, propeller shaft, etc. In March 2002, this business of KSL was transferred to Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts Pvt. Limited, a joint venture between KSL and Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan and KSL is actively involved in its management. KSL is having its registered and head office at Bangalore and is a holding company with its business activities and interests are in the automobile and auto components and parts, being local partners in many of the joint ventures with the Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan for Indian operations. KSL interests and involvements are also in the segments of health care and medical equipment, insurance sector, realty developments etc.

Formed in 2015, NODWIN Gaming is one of the worlds leading emerging market esports and gaming media companies. NODWIN Gaming’s fundamental approach revolves around leveraging the synergies between professional esports teams, esports athletes, content creators, products, and audiences. The company’s primary emphasis lies in sports entertainment, with a focus on esports as its choice of sport, this forms the core of NODWIN’s value proposition to fans, publishers, and brands.
Operating out of multiple offices in South Asia, Singapore, the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, NODWIN Gaming is dedicated to nurturing the dynamic gaming and esports ecosystem domestically and internationally. Through its diverse range of IPs spanning esports, gaming, music, and comedy, NODWIN Gaming is focused on establishing a new standard in delivering high-quality audience experience.
NODWIN Gaming is a material subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Ltd (BSE: NAZARA).

Premji Invest’s (PI) investments primarily support the philanthropic initiatives of the Azim Premji Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to help improve the lives of the underserved and underprivileged in society. PI invests in India and overseas with the objective of building long-term sustainable capital to fund philanthropic initiatives and nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship in the country. PI invests in strategies across public and private markets across industries, including technology, consumer, financials, and healthcare industries.

As a global leader in the beverage industry, Suntory Group offers a unique diverse portfolio of products from premium spirits, beer, wine, RTD alcohol beverages, to soft drink beverages, along with health and wellness products. Suntory is home to award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki, Hibiki and Hakushu.
Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Japan, Suntory Group has been operating throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Its employees worldwide draw upon the unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.
As a corporation sustained by the gifts of nature and water, Suntory Group will always protect the ecosystems that deliver water. Because its ecosystem is the wellspring, not only of its business and the rich experiences the group creates for people's lives, but also of human life itself. Suntory will continue to be a company where everyone is empowered with the freedom and flexibility to innovate. Through all of its corporate pursuits, Suntory seeks to inspire the brilliance of life.

Mitsubishi Corporation India (MCI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), established to enhance its presence in the Indian market. MCI operates five offices across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bangalore.

As a global integrated enterprise, MC operates across approximately 90 countries and regions through its network of 1,700 group companies. Over its 90-year journey in India, Initially, MC involved in trading fundamental raw materials between India and Japan, evolving to embrace value-added items across diverse business verticals. Today, MC is actively engaged in trading energy products, mineral resources, chemical goods, food, and more, connecting with Japan and overseas markets.

Beyond trading, MC's involvement extends to EPC business investments, contributing to Delhi and Bangalore metro projects, steel plants, power generation, and more. MC has invested in 24 companies in India, with a focus on sectors like agrochemicals, machine tools, pharma supply chain, elevators, and automotive & mobility.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India, partnering Industry, Government and civil society, through advisory and consultative processes.

For more than 125 years, CII has been engaged in shaping India’s development journey and works proactively on transforming Indian Industry’s engagement in national development. CII charts change by working closely with Government on policy issues, interfacing with thought leaders, and enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and business opportunities for industry through a range of specialized services and strategic global linkages. It also provides a platform for consensus-building and networking on key issues.

As India strategizes for the next 25 years to India@100, Indian industry must scale the competitiveness ladder to drive growth. It must also internalize the tenets of sustainability and climate action and accelerate its globalisation journey for leadership in a changing world. The role played by Indian industry will be central to the country’s progress and success as a nation. CII, with the Theme for 2023-24 as ‘Towards a Competitive and Sustainable India@100: Growth, Inclusiveness, Globalisation, Building Trust’ has prioritized 6 action themes that will catalyze the journey of the country towards the vision of India@100.

With 65 offices, including 10 Centres of Excellence, in India, and 8 overseas offices in Australia, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, UAE, UK, and USA, as well as institutional partnerships with 350 counterpart organizations in 133 countries, CII serves as a reference point for Indian industry and the international business community.

Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising 30 companies across ten verticals.
The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission 'To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust’. Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation and art and culture. In 2020-21, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $103 billion (INR 7.7 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 800,000 people.
Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of $242 billion (INR 17.8 trillion) on March 31, 2021. Tata companies include Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals, Tata Consumer Products, Titan, Tata Capital, Tata Power, Tata Advanced Systems, Indian Hotels and Tata Communications.
Website: https://www.tata.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tatacompanies
Email: info@tata.com

Founded in 1946, PI Industries Ltd (PI) is an integrated, research and development-driven leading Agri-Sciences company in India. It has a unique business model and is present across the value chain of agrochemicals from research, development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of products to providing innovative solutions to its global multinational customers in a partnership model.

In the custom synthesis and manufacturing (CSM) business, the breadth of PI’s services range from contract research and process development, to large-scale commercial production, primarily of patented molecules for global companies. PI is currently working with more than 20 multinational corporations, manufacturing over 25-30 products at the commercial scale and at any time evaluating over 40-45 molecules in its R&D centre. The current order book of CSM exports is ~USD 1.8 billion.

In the Indian domestic market, PI operates through its strong distribution channel of more than 10000 dealers/distributors and more than 75000 retail points across pan India. It has a differentiated product portfolio of in-licensed patented products from large multinational corporations, which are registered in India by PI and sold under its own brands. PI has an enviable reputation with Indian farmers for over 60 years of top-quality products, industry-leading brands, unique solutions, differentiated delivery mechanism, last-mile connect with over 4 Mn farmers and an experienced team to grow our business.

Pl has a world-class R&D centre at Udaipur in Rajasthan, comprising of latest instrumentation/equipments for process development, process innovation, new chemical entity screening, biological (in-vitro & in-vivo) testing, analytical method development, testing, and greenhouse facility, etc. It also has a kilo plant and a pilot plant for process scale-up. The analytical laboratories have GLP certification, and NABL ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation. Currently, over 500 researchers and scientists including ~150 Phds are working at this research centre which is fully digitized/paper less and also certified with ISO 27001 ensuring highest standards of information security.

PI has its manufacturing operations in Gujarat (India). It currently operates fifteen multi-product plants at four manufacturing sites in Gujarat. Most of the plants are DCS controlled, fully automated and maintains no compromise standards of safety, QMS and HSE accreditations. Over the years, PI has received several leading awards and recognitions for this.

PI is one of the highest-rated ESG companies in India with a 93 percentile ranking in the S&P Global CSA ranking. EcoVadis also assess it in the ‘Gold Category’ with a 97 percentile ranking. PI is also part of the TfS (Together for Sustainability) program for some global customers at a very high ranking presently.

PI is listed on India’s two stock exchanges NSE & BSE, and has a market cap of ~US$ 6 Bn. With current revenues of ~US$ 800 Mn, consistent growth of ~25% over the last several years, and strong visibility of sustaining this growth momentum, the Company is amongst the fastest-growing in this sector in India.