IDC India Advisory Council 2026
Amal Krishna
Kayzad Hiramanek
Mansi Thapar
Neeti Wahi
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.
Gaurav Duggal
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.
Avinash Tiwari
Mehjabeen Taj Aalam
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.
Unique Kumar
Yogendra Singh
Basant Chaturvedi
Braj Panda
Braj Panda is the CDIO for Emerging Markets at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, where he leads digital growth, access, and affordability across high-potential geographies. He also serves as the Global Head of Digital, driving large-scale transformation across R&D, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and commercial functions, while advancing product engineering excellence and rapid digitization through low-code platforms.
Earlier in his career, Braj was a management consultant with McKinsey and led major digital marketing and customer experience transformations in Southeast Asia’s telecom sector. With over two decades as a technologist, he is passionate about harnessing technology to solve complex business challenges and unlock new opportunities for growth.
Himanshu Pant
Strategic and innovation-focused AI leader with a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, specializing in enterprise-scale AI and Generative AI product development. Extensive experience in implementing and delivering advanced machine learning and edge AI solutions across Energy and manufacturing industries. Proven expertise in leading the development and deployment of scalable AI/ML platforms, including applications on edge-based data historians, real-time inference systems, and agentic AI frameworks. Skilled in building and scaling Analytics Centers of Excellence (CoEs) to drive digital transformation. Advisory board member for a GenAI startup advancing industrial-grade autonomous AI systems.
Chitti Babu
An Experienced IT Professional with vast experience in devising the company’s IT strategy and ensure that all systems necessary to support its operations and objectives are in place. Ensures that information technology adds the maximum value to company so as to facilitate the success of business.
ERP experience(especially in Oracle E-Business Suite) with broad knowledge in various verticals such as Life Sciences, Steel Sector, Dairy, Textile, Heavy Engineering, Hi-Tech, Infrastructure, Retail etc.. Focus on Oracle Applications User Group and Customer (Who implemented ERP) Satisfaction. An experienced Oracle EBS professional with 35+ years in Oracle E-Business Suite itself. Currently focusing on Oracle Cloud Applications (SaaS), solution design. Certified SCM professional. Certified Blokchain Expert.
Dr. Jagannath Sahoo
Dr. Jagannath Sahoo is a cybersecurity leader and Group CISO for INOXGFL specializing in AI-driven risk intelligence, OT security, and digital transformation. He actively contributes to industry forums and academia, driving innovation and resilience in enterprise security.
Amit Pradhan
Business technology leader with 20 years of experience across industries, with the last 10 years focused on innovation, digital technology, process & product quality, company culture and customer experience.
- IIM Lucknow alumnus and business-first technology leader with 20 years in manufacturing, automotive, and electronics
- Delivered 3x–9x business growth across leadership roles at Adani, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Dixon, scaling manufacturing operations and establishing 2x–4x greenfield digital factories across India & RoW.
- Led SAP-led digital transformation and enterprise modernization programs exceeding ₹100 Cr, achieving 30% higher process efficiency and real-time operational visibility.
- Pioneered cross-border tech collaborations with China, U.S., Japan, Korea, and Taiwan; successfully executed global JVs and large technology transfers for/with global MFG processes like HP, Google, Lenovo, ASUS, BOSCH, and Motorola.
- Spearheaded adoption of AI, IoT, MES, and Data Analytics platforms—building connected, cloud-first manufacturing ecosystems with measurable improvement in speed, quality, and resilience.
- Established IT governance, cybersecurity, and risk frameworks, ensuring data integrity and compliance (ISO 27001, SOC2, DPDPA).
- Recognized among India’s Top 80 CIOs for enterprise-wide digital transformation; featured speaker at global IT forums on Industry 4.0, AI, and Smart Manufacturing.
- CII Core Committee Member & National Policy Advocate, contributing to government and industry initiatives on digital manufacturing; active NASSCOM contributor and C-suite technology advisor on strategy, risk, and digital investments.
Prasad Tripurari
Prasad Tripurari is a Transformational CTO and has over 25 years of experience as the driving force behind large-scale technology innovation and business transformation. Currently, he is leading the technology and digital strategy at the Ramoji Group of Companies. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and recognition, such as the Cyber Security Award, AI Award, Top 25 Digital Star Award, and CIO 100 Award and is also a Certified Independent Director.
His skills and experience cover technology strategy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and emerging technology, and he also has strong experience working and mentoring cross-functional and high-performing teams. Prasad has a proven record of designing and implementing enterprise-level solutions that bring business impact.
Ashok Tiwari
He is a business driving strategist using Technology, leads the Technology with highly effective results, driving innovations, aligns IT with business vision to create benefits, generating revenue by making organization as Tech Organization. 25+ years of hands-on and leadership experience in multiple domains.
Diptesh Patel
President, Chief Digital & Information Officer
Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited
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Diptesh Patel
Leader in Digital & IT transformation with 28 years of experience as CIO & CDO. Spearheaded digitalization across diverse industries such as Manufacturing (Steel, Cement, Ceramics, Plastic & Petrochemical), FMCG, Pharma, Engineering, Project, Port, Energy & Services.
Proven track record in building robust Digital, IT, OT, security architectures & executing digital strategies. Exceptional leadership skills with a history of building & leading high-performing teams to drive digitalization. Strong technical expertise in ERP, CRM, DMS, MES, Supply Chain 4.0, Industry 4.0, IoT, RPA, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Analytics, AI & ML.
Rucha Nanavati
Rucha Nanavati is the Chief Digital Transformation Officer (CDTO) at Mahindra and Mahindra Limited Automotive and a director on board of Mahindra Lifespaces Developers Ltd. She 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 passionate about fostering innovations and cultivating an engineering culture. Rucha is known for developing and directing large global, cross-functional tech teams that deliver innovative, high-value, transformational initiatives.
Rucha’s previous experiences range from consulting role at Zensar and PricewaterhouseCoopers to technology leadership roles at Albertsons Companies and Motorola across UK, US and India.
Rucha has often been recognised for her transformation work through technology in multiple industries. Some of the awards received by her include Top Women in Grocery award, CIO Powerlist award, Excellence in Cloud Computing, Leading CIO of the year awards by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and many more. She has been listed in top 100 women leaders in technology (globally) 2023 by Technology Magazine. She is appointed as a member of CIO Agenda Task Force, which is a joint initiative of CAII (CEO’s Association for Inclusive India) and SKOCH Group with a motto of ‘Digital Grows, Business Grows, India Grows’. She has assumed the roles of director and board member at INDUS (India SAP User Group), an independent user group comprising customers and partners within the SAP ecosystem in India. She has recently been recognised amongst the top 24 Women IT Mavericks, by Dataquest.
A strong proponent of diversity and inclusion, Rucha is passionate about mentoring and helping women move forward in technology and at workplaces in general.
Vivek Kumar Yadav
Director of IT and Cybersecurity
Ministry of Defence, Government of India
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Vivek Kumar Yadav
Vivek Kumar Yadav, Director (IT and Cybersecurity), Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Before this was Head of the Department of Cyber Security, Quantum Technologies, and High Performance Computing Groups at C-DAC, is a distinguished cybersecurity leader with over 15 years of experience. An Indian Navy officer and alumnus of IIT Kanpur and Cranfield University, United Kingdom, he has spearheaded strategic initiatives in cyber resilience, blockchain, and secure systems design. He led the development of the Navy’s blockchain framework, secure cross-domain communication protocols, and indigenous cryptographic solutions. His contributions to maritime cybersecurity, secure enterprise architectures, and combat system hardening have fortified India’s defence cyber infrastructure and advanced national capabilities in secure digital transformation. He is also a distinguished Cybersecurity Fellow of the Chevening Awards, presented by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom.
Pankaj Gupta
A forward-thinking leader with 30 years of experience across IT, Sales and Delivery. His strategic vision has been instrumental in digitization by leveraging digital platforms to enhance agility, customer-centricity, and innovation. His leadership style fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and impact. His deep understanding of digital transformation has helped position Karnataka Bank as a progressive institution in the Indian banking landscape