At India Strategy Conference experts deliberate on ways to position India as a global leader 

The inaugural India Strategy Conference, a collaborative initiative hosted by IIM Bangalore in conjunction with the Confederation of Indian Industry Chief Strategy Officer’s Forum (CII CSO Forum), IIM Ahmedabad, and ISB Hyderabad, brought together global strategy experts to deliberate on the opportunities and challenges shaping 21st-century industries.  

The inaugural India Strategy Conference, a collaborative initiative hosted by IIM Bangalore in conjunction with the Confederation of Indian Industry Chief Strategy Officer’s Forum (CII CSO Forum), IIM Ahmedabad, and ISB Hyderabad, brought together global strategy experts to deliberate on the opportunities and challenges shaping 21st-century industries.  

The conference aimed to foster meaningful interactions between academia and industry, with the overarching goal of positioning India as a global center for strategic excellence. 

In his inaugural address, A.K. Parameswaran, Chairman of the CII CSO Forum, provided a comprehensive overview of the evolution of strategy as a discipline in India. Addressing multifaceted themes such as sustainability, artificial intelligence, and geopolitics, he underscored the imperative of viewing strategy as an amalgamation of academia, industry, and governance.  

Mr. Parameswaran emphasized India’s transformative capacity to redefine global norms and asserted its potential to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of strategic disciplines. 

Continuing the inaugural session, Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director of IIMB, spoke about the genesis of the conference, emphasizing its role in seamlessly integrating theory and praxis in the field of strategy.  

Mr. Krishnan accentuated the contemporary significance of strategy, aligning it with the execution aspect of business, and underscored the critical importance of knowledge exchange between academia and industry. 

The keynote address by Shiv Shivakumar, Operating Partner at Advent International, delved into the theme of “Where is the strategy headed?” In his presentation, Shivakumar explored how companies should perceive strategy in the current landscape, delineating key changes and advocating for a perspective that sees “strategy as a compass rather than a map.”