Samavesh 2025

September 19, 2025

Samavesh is the annual business-academia conclave organised by participants of the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) at SPJIMR. It brings together industry leaders, academic experts, and students to explore key issues in today’s business world. Over the years, Samavesh has evolved into a premier platform that bridges academic insights with real-world experience. Each edition sparks meaningful dialogue, encourages innovation, and creates value across industries.

The 2025 edition of Samavesh built on its legacy by addressing critical themes in business transformation that mattered to modern enterprises. Distinguished speakers from industry and academia represented sectors such as technology, automotive, manufacturing, financial services, and consulting. They shared actionable insights by blending theoretical frameworks with real-world experience through keynote sessions and panel discussions. This year, the focus was on two key areas: Speeding Towards the AI Era | Sustainability in Action

Samavesh 2025

Agenda 2025

  • Conclave 1: Speeding towards the AI era

    AI adoption has shifted from if to how. Organisations are no longer debating their potential but are facing the challenge of turning strategy into solutions that deliver business value. This panel aimed to shift the conversation from vision to value, offering leaders a practical roadmap to integrate AI across their organisations.

    Session 1: Speeding towards the AI era

    Key highlights: AI implementation – from boardroom vision to execution reality

    Strategic foundation

    Participants assessed readiness, aligned initiatives with business goals, and evaluated ROI potential so that AI became part of the broader business vision rather than a standalone project.

    Culture and value creation

    Speakers discussed building an AI-ready culture through leadership alignment and clear objectives. At the same time, they identified high-impact use cases and applied ROI frameworks to prioritise value creation.

    Execution and innovation

    The panel explored how to transform pilots into scalable solutions that delivered measurable results. They examined leveraging AI as a catalyst to reshape business models, drive differentiation and ensure robust, ethical and enterprise-ready systems through strong infrastructure and governance.

    Change management and adoption

    Discussions focused on embedding AI seamlessly into workflows through cross-functional collaboration. Participants learnt from real-world case studies that showed how leadership intent, combined with frontline adoption, turned AI from vision into reality.

    Speakers

    Keynote speaker

    Venugopal G

    Venugopal G

    VP and Global Head

    Infosys

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    Panellists

    Kaushik Kunal Das

    Advisor, Data and AI Strategy Practice

    Tiger Analytics

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    Sunil Agrawal

    AVP & Chief Architect, AI Services

    LTI Mindtree

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    Suresh Krishna Pai

    CBO, Head of Consulting Practice

    PivotX

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    Swapnil Saurav

    Sr Manager, Problem Management

    Service Now

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  • Conclave 2: Sustainability in action

    ESG compliance is now the baseline. The opportunity lies in making sustainability a driver of growth and profitability. This panel explored how organisations could move beyond compliance to embed sustainability into strategy, creating long-term value for all stakeholders. It aimed to highlight how sustainability, when applied strategically, became a source of innovation, competitiveness and profitability.

    Session 2: Sustainability in action

    Key highlights: From compliance to competitive advantage

    Operational efficiency and growth

    Optimised resources and applied circular economy principles to reduce costs, while unlocking new revenue streams through sustainable products and services.

    Brand value and strategic impact

    Strengthened trust and profitability with authentic ESG commitments. Positioned sustainability as a profit driver rather than a cost centre, supported by real-world case studies that demonstrated measurable business impact.

    Competitive advantage

    Used sustainability as a differentiator in the marketplace, giving organisations a clear edge in an environment where ESG compliance had become the baseline.

    Stakeholder and future value

    Created shared value for customers, investors and communities, while aligning profitability with purpose to build future-ready business models that ensured long-term growth.

    Speakers

    Keynote speaker

    Thakur S Pherwani

    Thakur S Pherwani

    CSO-TVS Motor, VP-UNGCNI

    TVS Motors

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    Panellists

    Debashish Vanikar

    CEO, Adhesive and Construction Chemicals

    Nerolac Paints

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    Ashish Chicksena

    ESG & Sustainability Leader

    Independent ESG & Climate Risk Advisor

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    Abhishek Ranjan

    Senior Director & Global Head of ESG

    Brillio; Managing Trustee – Brillio Foundation

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    Manisha Patil

    Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Engagement Leader

    Amazon

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Explore the legacy of Samavesh

Through focused discussions and expert perspectives, Samavesh continues to influence how organisations approach complex business transformations.

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