Jyoti Lalchandani is a seasoned business executive with more than 25 years of experience in emerging markets across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). In his role as IDC’s Group Vice President and Regional Managing Director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META), he has been instrumental in establishing IDC’s presence in the region – first, through the initial expansion of the Dubai headquarters and then by spearheading the development of IDC offices in Johannesburg, Istanbul, Riyadh, Casablanca, Lagos, Nairobi, and Cairo.
Jyoti is responsible for the planning, development, implementation, and coordination of IDC’s market intelligence and advisory services, sales, conferences and events, go-to-market services, and office development activities across the META region. As a respected authority on emerging market tech trends, he is also regularly invited to speak at major industry events throughout the region and is frequently quoted by both the national and international media.
His field of expertise includes key tech areas such as cloud, analytics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, and he is well known for providing guidance on digital transformation strategies for the entire C-suite. He is a trusted advisor to senior executives in the supplier/enabler space across the ICT ecosystem, as well as to tech buyers from the CIO and line-of-business communities.
Starting at IDC’s CEMA (Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) headquarters in 1995 in Prague, the Czech Republic, Jyoti served as IDC’s regional consulting manager. In this role, he headed several country-based project teams that advised local and multinational IT vendors on issues relating to entry strategy, competitor analysis, ROI analysis, distribution and partner evaluation, and market segmentation. He later took on the additional responsibility of overseeing the CEMA software practice, in which he was responsible for overseeing all related research (applications, system infrastructure, and tools) and advisory work across emerging EMEA countries.
Before joining IDC, Jyoti served on the national board of international non-profit organization AIESEC, where he managed the association’s partnership agreements with leading Indian conglomerates. He graduated from Loyola College, India, where his studies focused on strategy management and business policy. He later attended a corporate-sponsored program at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts.

Vasant Rao leads IDC’s business in India and South Asia in the capacity of managing director, IDC India. With over 23 years of experience, Vasant is a management professional with a proven track record of building profitable businesses. He is passionate about incubating ideas, applying analytics to business, and delivering value to customers and employees.

Prior to joining IDC, he held multiple global leadership roles during his 10-year stint at Cognizant in the analytics, data science, and visualization domains and built award-winning IP-based products. Most recently, Vasant was leading the banking and financial services delivery for the North America AI & Analytics business unit. Prior to Cognizant, he had built and later sold his startup business to a technology services company in India. He has spoken in several industry conferences on the application and ethical implications of data sciences and artificial intelligence (AI) in business. He has also published whitepapers on model risk and digital transformation (DX) opportunities for the private equity industry.

Vasant has a Master of Science in finance from London Business School, an MBA from Mumbai University, and holds the CFA charter from CFA Institute, USA.

Ramesh is an experienced Chief Information officer / Chief technology officer across Banking , Financial markets , Wealth management , Insurance , Mutual funds , Lending , e-commerce , logistics and Digital delivery . I am a seasoned Technology leader with a passion for executing Transformational projects, which creates value across industry verticals.
I believe and develop technology frameworks and innovative delivery models, which ensure standardization of operational process, products and platforms.I have immense interest in the area of public policy and technology .
The role of the government is very critical in ensuring that all citizens gets benefitted from technology.

Dwarka Srinath is the Chief Digital & Information Officer (CDIO) for Tata Power Group. He is responsible for the all aspects of IT and Digital strategy across various businesses – Renewables, Distribution and Generation. He is a Business focussed technology professional with experience and leadership roles in Power/Energy sector, DTH/Media, Telecom, B2C/Retail/e-Commerce and System integrators. He has a progressive experience of 25 years+ and specialises in conceptualization, architecture and delivery of Greenfield & Transformation projects at scale. Some of the key areas of past experience and specialisation are in – IT Strategy & Roadmap, Cloud migrations, Data platform/Lake, Analytics and AI/ML, Customer experience projects (B2C Omni channel including self serve, Campaigns/marketing..), Industry 4, Retail Distribution Management, Post merger/across companies application rationalisations, Start up ecosystem and enterprise architecture, Enterprise applications (Customer/Partner Applications, Billing systems).

Prior experience was with Tata Sons(VP – Digital), Tata Play(CDIO), Tata Play Fiber(CIO) and various Enterprise architecture roles with leading companies. He has a Post Graduate degree in Management from University of Mumbai.

A business leader with 29+ years of extensive experience in Driving Business Transformations leveraging Digital technologies, Managing Relationships at Board & CXO level, P&L ownership for Global business, Driving Business Strategy & Planning, Sales, Delivery, Operations with deep understanding of the Industry and Global team dynamics. In previous role as CIO at Vistara, he elevated Vistara Experience further to the customers & staff by leveraging digital technologies across the value chain. He was instrumental in improving Operational Excellence through automation interventions and process improvements, with the right balance of cost and value. At Vistara, he enabled transformation in the IT infrastructure by delivering improvements across platforms & tools with right set of SLAs.

Vinod has worked in multiple geographies (USA, UK, Europe, APAC) performing various roles. He has spent considerable time of 10 years in North America and has worked closely with key IT & business leaders at CXO level for more than 20 years. He spends time in building next level leadership and believes in open door policy. He is PMP and CSQA certified. He is passionate about health & fitness, CSR and enjoys music in free time.

Neeti is a C-Suite Technology professional, having over 22 yrs experience in the Information Technology domain with a keen passion towards business partnering. She carries global experience in IT strategy, innovation, enterprise architecture and large platform implementations, driving operational excellence across B2B and B2C companies.

Neeti’s career spans across companies like GE Capital for 17 Years, followed by 3 years at Clix Capital (a fintech) as part of the founding team focussed on developing technology for digital lending. She then moved on to the Energy sector with Sterlite Power, a strong player in the power transmission domain. Here she is focussed on bringing the power of digital to an infrastructure company and reducing time and cost variations in asset construction and maintenance.

 Driven by her passion towards delivering business outcomes, she is also a promoter of the diversity agenda at the workplace and is working with associations like FICCI to promote women in the STEM domain.

Mukul is the Chief Technology Officer at Max Life Insurance. He joined the organization in Feb 2023 and is responsible entire technology organization covering Product Engineering, Architecture, IT Services & Operations, Security, UI/UX, Automation and Testing Center of Excellence. He has over 24 years of experience across Technology, Financial Services and the Insurance sectors in India and Singapore, with over 16 years as a CIO/Regional CIO.

Past Experience/ Education: In his prior role Mukul worked as EVP and Chief Technology Officer, in-charge of Technology, Digital, Analytics and Business Solution Group at TATA AIA Life Insurance for close to two years. He had a long stint with Prudential Financial, first as founding CIO with Pramerica Life Insurance in India and then as Vice President & Head Technology, Asia (ex-Japan), with Prudential Financial Asia HQ Pte, Singapore for around 5 years overseeing Technology and Digital initiatives across Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and China. In his different roles, he architected and led the implementation of multiple transformational initiatives like ‘Insurance in a Box’ concept (a first in the Indian Insurance industry), implementation of modern New business, Underwriting, Sales and D2C platforms, adoption of cloud and API management with DevOps and agile methodology, transforming the Core etc.

He has rich experience in Digital Transformation, IT Strategy & Architecture, Business Solutions Delivery, IT Governance, Outsourcing & Vendor Governance, Information Security, Cloud & Infrastructure Management and is winner of multiple industry awards over period of time.

Manoj Gautam as new Head of IT at Maruti Suzuki is spearheading the enhancement of the company’s technological framework and drive the digital transformation of corporate applications, aligning with the vision of MSIL 3.0. His current areas of focus include Industry 4.0, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.

With 18 years with the automaker, Manoj’s contributions have been pivotal in shaping and executing IT strategies that align with the company’s goals. Manoj’s tenure at Maruti Suzuki began in 2005, during which he played a crucial role in developing the IT applications and infrastructure for the newly established Manesar Plant. Prior to his long-term association with Maruti Suzuki, Gautam had roles at HMT Limited and Eicher Motors. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from IIT Roorkee.

Mehjabeen is the Chief Digital & Information Officer (CDIO) for Raychem RPG. In her current role, she is responsible for the overall IT and Digital strategy of the company, overseeing all aspects of Information Technology, Digital Transformation, and Information Security.

Prior to joining Raychem RPG, Mehjabeen was the CIO for Tata Capital Housing Finance Ltd., having worked with Tata Capital Financial Services, Muthoot Homefin, Fullerton India Credit Co. Ltd. and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. in the past. Academically, she is an MBA in systems from NMIMS Mumbai, and a MA in Economics. Apart from being a technology enthusiast, Mehjabeen likes to read, write and travel.

Kopal Sarin Raj serves as the VP IT and CIO at Wabtec India, bringing over 27 years of extensive experience to the table. Throughout her distinguished career, she has held key roles at Tata Steel, Tata Projects, DuPont, and GE Transportation, now Wabtec. Kopal has been instrumental in guiding businesses towards technological advancement and growth. She thrives on challenging teams to innovate and solve complex issues.

A seasoned technology leader with over two decades of experience, Nikhil specializes in delivering differentiation and measurable competitive advantage to businesses using cutting-edge technology solutions. Currently serving as the Chief Technology Officer at Tata Starbucks, Nikhil is recognized for driving transformative initiatives that enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and business outcomes.

Nikhil has a proven track record in technology transformation, encompassing application and infrastructure modernization, ERP implementations, global program management, workforce and digital transformation, and consulting. He has worked across domains including Corporate and Investment Banking, Insurance, and the Hospitality sector with Infosys, Oracle Financial Services Software, BNP Paribas, Citicorp, and Travel Food Services, Nikhil is celebrated for his ability to craft innovative solutions in challenging situations. An ISB alumnus and a graduate in Industrial Engineering from Pune, Nikhil combines technical prowess with strategic vision to lead impactful technology transformations.

Gaurav Duggal is a seasoned technology executive with nearly two decades of experience in driving security and IT initiatives across diverse sectors. Currently serving as Senior Vice President of IT and Security at Jio Platforms Limited, Gaurav combines visionary leadership with a deep commitment to innovative problem-solving. His expertise spans critical areas such as cybersecurity, generative AI, blockchain, and agile methodologies, enabling him to navigate complex technological landscapes and implement robust security frameworks.

Gaurav’s multidisciplinary skill set empowers him to address the intricacies of modern security threats, develop proactive strategies, and lead transformative initiatives that ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information. His forward-thinking approach positions him as a pivotal leader in the intersection of technology and security, driving innovation while maintaining a strong focus on risk management and compliance.

Gaurav is author of METAVERSE Simplified, and he also has 20+ patents with international coverage: An MIT alumni; he is currently pursuing a PhD from BITS, Pilani, to enhance his understanding of emerging security challenges and solutions in an increasingly digital world.

Seema has more than three and a half decades of experience in the IT industry. She has a unique combination of experience, in the leadership role, in both Manufacturing and BFSI sector. She has headed IT in Fertiliser Manufacturing at the Plant level, for 11 yrs, where she was instrumental in rolling out Applications for Plant Maintenance, Production monitoring, Quality Control and ERP. She had the privilege of heading IT of a large General Insurance Company, for about 9 yrs. She has to her credit,many firsts in the usage of AI and RPA, in the Insurance sector. In her tenure, the Company grew manifolds in Revenue and Customer base, with the adoption of Digital transformation and cutting-edge Technologies, in a big way. She has won many accolades for her Company, in the field of AI, Robotics and Digital Innovation. Presently she is leading the adoption of AI in “Process Optimization of Chemical Fertilizer plants” to boost Productivity and reduce Costs. She holds a B.Tech degree from Delhi College of Engineering and M.Tech from BITS Pilani.

Rucha Nanavati, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Mahindra and Mahindra Automotive, is a global leader with experience in enabling business strategies through technology solutions. Rucha has led successful digital transformations in multiple industries including high-tech, retail and manufacturing. She is known for developing and directing large global, cross-functional tech teams that deliver high-value, transformational initiatives. She is passionate about fostering innovations and cultivating engineering culture. Rucha’s previous experiences include various technology leadership roles at Albertsons Companies, Motorola and PriceWaterHouseCoopers.