Bangalore, Karnataka, January 19th, 2024: Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur (IIMU) successfully conducted the first offline edition of D'Future: India Digital Conclave. The one-day event, conducted at the Lalit Ashok, marks a significant milestone as IIM Udaipur proudly presents an unparalleled platform for exploring the ever-evolving digital landscape. The conclave was filled with insightful talks delivered by visionary speakers, who also networked with delegates to delve into the nation’s digital transformation.
The event commenced with an address by Prof. Ashok Banerjee, Director, IIM Udaipur. In his address, he highlighted three common themes across all programs offered by the institute: sustainability, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation.
Mr. Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa & Former CEO of NITI Aayog, delivered the keynote address. During his speech, Mr. Kant spoke about the rise of India's digital public infrastructure. He stated that through its unique nationwide technology adoption, such as the Aadhar network, mobile phone linkage to bank accounts, UPI, etc, India has transformed the lives of its citizens. In just over a decade, India has accomplished what would have usually otherwise taken nearly fifty years owing to investments in digital public infrastructure.
This was followed by two insightful presentations by Prof. Christophe Bernard, Researcher and Leader in Epilepsy Studies, and Prof. Ventakesh Babu, professor of IISc Bangalore, respectively. Prof. Bernard focused on "Virtual Digital Brain" and its implications on the healthcare sector, while Prof. Babu spoke about the latest developments in deep learning, AI image generation, how self-driving cars can use such models and the emerging challenges of deep fakes.
After the presentations, a panel discussion was held on Digital Disruption: India's Rise on the Global Tech Stage. The insightful discussion was moderated by Mr. Rajesh Nambiar (Chairman & Managing Director, Cognizant India). It featured Mr. Ajay Vij (Country Managing Director, Accenture India), Ms. Daisy Chittilapilly (President, CISCO India & SAARC), & Mr. Ramkumar Narayanan (Executive VP, Technology & Services, FIS India & Philippines). The speakers shared their thoughts on various topics, such as deep tech and digital infrastructure.
The second panel discussion of the events was held on the topic "Digital Solutions at Scale: Addressing India's Challenges. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Pranay Chulet (Founder & CEO, Quickr). It featured Mr. Mainak Nandi (National Head of customer Excellence, Altigreen Propulsion Labs), Mr. Nalin Bansal( (Chief of Corporate Business & Key Initiatives, NPCI), Ms. Ramya Venkataraman (Founder & CEO, CENTA) and Mr. Thulasiraj Ravilla (Director of Operations, Aravind Eye Care). The discussion focused on designing products for India and scaling them across millions.
In the second half, Mr. K.G Shenoy (Director, Mahindra Institute of Quality) presented Mahindra's corporate success story. During his presentation, he highlighted how Mahindra has embraced digital transformation at the automotive factory level and how it has helped the organisation achieve increased efficiency.
It was followed by a fireside chat that featured Mr. Prakash Iyer (Author of Best Seller), Mr. Arvind Iyengar (Chairman & CEO, Sportz Initiatives), and Mr. Neeraj Roy (Founder & CEO, of Hungama Digital Media). The discussion was held on the digital transformation in the entertainment industry and how technology can change the way fans connect with various sports.
In the following "Corporate Success Story" session, Mr. Jayen Mehta (I/C Managing Director, Amul) highlighted Amul's unique cooperative business model and how its IT and digitalisation systems enabled value chain propelled the dairy products company to become a leading FMCG in India. It was followed by a panel discussion featuring Mr. K.G Shenoy and Prof. Jijo Mathews (Professor, IIM Udaipur).
The following session was a VC discussion featuring Prof. Shankar Prakash (Professor, IIM Udaipur) and Mr. Karthik Reddy (Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Blume Ventures). The debate provided a brief overview of India's venture capital landscape and its challenges.
The event concluded with a "Start-Up Show". The first presentation was by Mr. Mughilan Thiru Ramasamy, co-founder and CEO Of Skylark Drones, a drone software start-up. The second presentation was by Mr. Venkatesh Kumaran, President of Astrome, a tech-based start-up that develops wireless products to provide Gigabit speed solutions. The third presentation was by Ms. Geeta Manjunath, Founder of NIRAMAI Health Analytix, a health start-up focused on delivering affordable breast cancer scanners. Mr. Giritharan Thiruppathirajan, Chief of Staff at Agnikul Cosmos, an India-based rocket manufacturing start-up, gave the last presentation.
IIM Udaipur initiated the D'Future India Digital Conclave to redefine the discourse around digital transformation and innovation in India. The event aimed to collectively explore, envision, and shape the future of digital transformation and present India’s capabilities in the global context.
