Chandigarh, September, 2025: The Indian School of Business (ISB) successfully hosted its flagship annual leadership conclave, ISB Leadership Summit (ILS) 2025, at its Mohali Campus. Organised by the Post Graduate Programme (PGP), PGP
PRO, PGP MFAB classes of 2026, the summit brought together an array of corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who shared invaluable insights and perspectives with ISB students, preparing them to lead in a rapidly changing world.
Focusing on the theme ‘Leadership in Times of Change and Ambiguity,’ Ganesan Ramachandran, Managing Director and Lead for Industry Groups at Accenture, delivered a thought-provoking keynote at the ISB Leadership Summit 2025, addressing the unprecedented pace of change facing businesses today. Drawing from his experience leading Accenture's global operations, including growing their India presence to over 15,000 professionals, Ramachandran emphasised that leaders must embrace what he calls the BRAVE framework. He stressed that ambiguity has become a permanent feature of today's business environment, noting that the average lifespan of S&P 500 companies has fallen from 33 years to just over a decade.
Speaking about AI and Gen AI, he acknowledged both opportunities and challenges ahead, and that successful leadership requires boldness to take well-judged risks, resilience to overcome setbacks, adaptability to navigate change, unwavering values, and empathy. He noted that true necessity can only be perceived through empathy, underscoring that innovation and human understanding must go hand in hand.
Professor Madan Pillutla, Dean, ISB, opened the ISB Leadership Summit 2025 with a reflection on the unprecedented challenges facing today's leaders. He noted that while past decades often felt like a steady march of progress, the present is defined by a level of uncertainty unlike anything he has witnessed before. Speaking about technology's dual potential, he cautioned that it could create a tremendously unequal world or progress in a way that benefits everyone, depending entirely on the leadership and values exercised. He concluded with an urgent call to action, noting that while the world has always needed great leaders and leadership models, at this moment in history that need is more critical than ever.
A strategic pre-launch session was also held with Aman Gupta, Co Founder and CMO Boat Lifestyle sharing his inspiring leadership journey and Jagjit Singh Chawla, VP of Product Management & Global Head of Reels at Meta, on monetizing the digital landscape.
Other sessions explored adaptive leadership across diverse, high-pressure environments. A fireside chat with Deepthi Bopaiah, CEO of GoSports Foundation, drew compelling parallels between leading in the boardroom and the locker room. Another session on geopolitical leadership featured Admiral Sunil Lanba, former Chief of Naval Staff, and Vrinda Kapoor, CEO of 3rdiTech, who discussed the critical intersection of global politics and business strategy. A session on navigating ambiguity in the startup journey brought together Arpitta Jerath, Director – Growth & New Initiatives at SolarSquare Energy and former Co-founder of Kook, and Varija Bajaj, Founder of Varija Lifestyles & O&Y, who reflected on the resilience and adaptability needed to build in uncertain times. In a fireside chat, Ruma Kishore, Director of Digital Transformation Customer Experience at Unilever, shared insights on how traditional supply chains are embracing ambiguity and the AI revolution
The day also included dynamic panel discussions on navigating disruption in capital and commerce, and leading through political uncertainty, with speakers such as Apoorv Gautam from Atomic Capital, Dr. Ashvini Jakhar from Prozo, Vikram Mago, Partner, VAKT IM & IR Services, Rohit Kumar from Young Leaders for Active Citizenship, and Ankit Goel from Samagra.
The summit concluded with a powerful closing keynote from Dinker Vashisht, Director and Head of Corporate Affairs at Philip Morris International. Speaking on "Leadership in Face of Policy Shifts and Ambiguity", he drew from his wide-ranging experience in industries like food tech and gaming to share fresh perspectives on leading with confidence and finding opportunities for innovation amid policy shifts and regulatory uncertainty.
Through a series of keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats, and interactive sessions, the ISB Leadership Summit 2025 provided a platform for meaningful dialogue between established leaders and aspiring professionals. Participants concluded the day equipped with the foresight, adaptability, and resilience needed to lead effectively in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.
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