National Leadership Summit
About The Summit

Background

The global economy is experiencing a period of profound transformation. Technological disruption, geopolitical shifts, sustainability imperatives, and evolving consumer expectations are converging to create unprecedented volatility. These moments of dramatic change are known as strategic inflection points - critical junctures where enterprises must either adapt or risk decline. For leaders, these inflection points represent both existential threats and unparalleled opportunities.
Traditionally, organizations have sought resilience, aiming to withstand shocks and return to stability. Yet resilience alone is no longer sufficient. In today’s dynamic environment, enterprises must go beyond resilience to embrace antifragility - the ability to grow stronger precisely because of volatility.

Antifragile enterprises thrive amid uncertainty, leveraging disruption as a catalyst for innovation, reinvention, and competitive advantage.
The National Leadership Summit is one of CII’s most pivotal platforms, dedicated to redefining paradigms of strategic leadership in an era of unprecedented global change. Launched last year on the 15th anniversary of the CII Suresh Neotia Centre of Excellence for Leadership, this summit serves as a crucible for India’s most influential CEOs, thought leaders, and policymakers to deliberate on the evolution of leadership.
The second edition of the National Leadership Summit will be held on 7 October 2026 at Hotel Aurika, Mumbai, centered on the theme: “The Antifragile Enterprise: Thriving at Strategic Inflection Points”.
The Summit, this year, will bring together global thought leaders, policymakers, and industry practitioners to explore how organizations can transform disruption into opportunity. The discussions will span leadership strategies, innovation frameworks, cultural shifts, and strategic repositioning that enable enterprises to thrive in turbulent times.
A distinctive focus will be placed on the ‘India Advantage’. With its demographic dividend, entrepreneurial energy, digital infrastructure, and cost competitiveness, India is uniquely positioned to build global multinationals and enduring international brands.
The conference will highlight how Indian enterprises can leverage these strengths to become antifragile organizations that scale globally and shape industries worldwide.

Corporate Leadership Meeting
STRATEGY • LEADERSHIP • INNOVATION Building Resilient Organisations

Objectives

01
To deepen understanding of strategic inflection points and their impact on enterprises.
02
To explore antifragility as a core leadership and organizational capability.
03
To showcase innovation strategies that convert volatility into breakthroughs.
04
To highlight the role of organization culture in embedding adaptability and resilience.
05
To provide frameworks for strategic repositioning during disruption.
06
To present the India Advantage as a pathway for building global Indian enterprises and brands.

Why Attend the CII Leadership Summit?

Enable leaders to reframe their leadership approach amidst geopolitical uncertainty

01

Equip enterprises with strategies to drive large-scale transformation

02

Strengthen the leadership agenda around building high-performing teams

03

Inspire a culture of resilience and inner strength in leadership

04

Who Should Attend?

01
CEOs, CXOs & Business Leaders
02
Strategy Heads, Transformation and Innovation Leaders
03
Policymakers
04
Senior HR and Talent Professionals
05
Managers, Team Leaders from across functions
0 +
Thought Leaders
0
Plenary Sessions
0 +
Industry Participants

Agenda

7 October 2026
0900 – 1000 Hrs. Registration & Welcome Tea/ Coffee
1000 – 1010 Hrs.

Welcome Address

Mr. Shashwat Goenka Vice President, CII and Co-Chairman, CII National Leadership Summit


1010 – 1030 Hrs.

Special Keynote - “Pivoting for Sustainable & Profitable Growth — The Marico Story”

Mr. Harsh Mariwala Chairman Marico Limited


1030 – 1040 Hrs.

Concluding Remarks

Mr. Kulin Lalbhai Co-Chairman, CII National Leadership Summit

This session will feature high impact keynotes on navigating complexity, disruption and changing business landscapes. Drawing on diverse experience across leading businesses, including the realities of operating in hard-to-abate sectors, the keynotes will explore how leaders can anticipate structural shifts, make informed strategic choices, balance near-term performance with long- term value creation, and embed sustainability and responsible business into growth strategies. The conversation will also examine how leadership values shape difficult choices in sectors where the sustainability transition is particularly complex, and how organizations can adapt, evolve and create enduring value in an increasingly uncertain world.


1040 – 1045 Hrs.

Session Chair

Mr. Kulin Lalbhai


1045 – 1105 Hrs.

Keynote Speaker - - “Lessons from the TATA Group”

Mr. R Mukundan President, CII and Managing Director & CEO, Tata Chemicals


1105 – 1125 Hrs.

Stay Certain and Strengthen Belief

Mr. Sudhanshu Vats Chairman, CII National FMCG Committee and Managing Director, Pidilite Industries Limited


1125 – 1145 Hrs.

Wake Up

Mr. Janmejaya Sinha Chairman-India BCG

Having spent decades at the intersection of business, markets and public discourse, this fireside conversation will offer a distinctive perspective on how India’s business landscape has evolved - and where it is headed. Drawing on conversations with generations of CEOs, entrepreneurs, policymakers and global leaders, the discussion will explore how leaders make sense of moments of profound change, the ideas shaping boardrooms today, and what distinguishes those who anticipate the next shift from those who merely respond to it. It will be an engaging exchange on leadership, ambition, enterprise and the forces reshaping India’s growth story.


Session Chairs

Mr. Shashwat Goenka & Mr. Kulin Lalbhai


In conversation with

Ms. Shereen Bhan Managing Editor CNBC TV18

Sport offers a powerful lens on leadership, performance and the pursuit of excellence. This conversation will explore what it takes to perform consistently when the stakes are high - from developing the discipline to prepare relentlessly and managing pressure in moments that matter, to learning from setbacks, building the right support ecosystem and adapting through different phases of a journey. Drawing on the world of elite sport, the discussion will examine how individuals and organisations can build cultures of excellence, turn adversity into learning and continuously evolve their definition of performance and success.


Session Chairs

Mr. Shashwat Goenka


In conversation with

Mr. Abhinav Bindra Olympic Gold-Medalist and Former Sport Shooter

Strategic inflection points test leadership not when the future is clear, but when signals are ambiguous and the consequences of inaction are high. This session will explore how visionary leaders anticipate emerging shifts, recognise weak signals and make bold choices ahead of the market. It will examine how leaders, against all odds, can build organisations that adapt before disruption becomes crisis, turning uncertainty into strategic advantage and enabling enterprises to emerge stronger from change.


Session Chairs

Mr. Shashwat Goenka


In conversation with

Ms. Geetanjali Kirloskar Chairperson & Managing Director Kirloskar Systems

1315 – 1400 Hrs. Networking Lunch

The Intelligence Age is redefining what it means to lead, compete and create value. The defining challenge for enterprises is no longer simply adopting AI but learning how to transform the experience of working with intelligence into a continuously renewing organizational capability. This keynote explores the emerging idea of Organizational Co-Intelligence - where human and artificial intelligence work together to create new forms of organizational learning, decision-making and value creation. Drawing on his recent work on The Co- Intelligence Revolution and Co-Creating the Future with AI, Venkat Ramaswamy will explore how enterprises can build recursive learning loops that continuously convert experience into capability, capability into innovation, and innovation into enduring competitive advantage.


Keynote Address

Mr. Venkat Ramaswamy Professor of Marketing Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Volatility often disrupts existing business models, but it can also accelerate innovation and create opportunities for strategic reinvention. This session explores how antifragile enterprises harness turbulence to experiment, identify emerging opportunities and reposition themselves ahead of the market. It will examine how leaders can create environments where risk- taking is encouraged, failure is reframed as learning, and innovation thrives under pressure—enabling organizations to turn disruption into strategic advantage and emerge stronger from uncertainty.


Moderator

Mr. Digvijay Ghosh Partner, Consumer Product and Retail EY-Parthenon, India


Panelists

Mr. Sachin Seth Regional Managing Director, India and South Asia CRIF S.p.A

Ms. Naiyya Saggi Founder EDT

Mr. Vivek Sahni Founder and Chairman Kama Ayurveda

Resilience is no longer enough; enterprises must embed antifragility into their organizational DNA to thrive amid sustained uncertainty and disruption. This session explores how leaders can build cultures that embrace change, encourage rapid learning and turn setbacks into growth, while embedding these principles across systems, processes and governance. It will examine how organizations can continuously evolve, strengthen institutional capability and sustain relevance across generations, transforming antifragility from a leadership mindset into an enduring organizational advantage.


Session Chair

Dr. Yogesh Misra Chief Executive Officer Thomas Assessments and People Metrics


Opening Keynote Address

Mr. Abhishek Lodha Managing Director Lodha Developers


Fireside Chat with

Mr. Abhishek Lodha

Ms. Geetika Mehta Managing Director Beiersdorf India

Mr. Kavindra Mishra Managing Director & CEO Shoppers Stop

Leadership today demands more than navigating uncertainty; it requires the ability to anticipate change, align diverse stakeholders and build institutions capable of creating lasting value. This fireside conversation will explore how leadership is evolving amid technological disruption, geopolitical shifts and changing expectations from business. It will examine how leaders can combine foresight, institutional thinking and strategic agility to navigate complexity, strengthen institutions and create the foundations for India’s next phase of growth.


Session Chair

Mr. Shashwat Goenka


In conversation with:

Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee Director General CII

Drawing on experiences of leading through the Arab Spring, the Maggi crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and other defining moments, this keynote will explore the courage, judgement and resilience required to lead through extraordinary uncertainty. It will offer insights into navigating crises, making difficult decisions under pressure and turning adversity into opportunities for renewal and transformation.


Session Chair

Amit Datta Managing Director Hunch Mobility


Keynote Speaker

Suresh Narayanan Former Managing Director Nestle India

As enterprises navigate rapid technological, economic and societal shifts, the next generation of leadership must balance the strength of institutional legacy with the courage to rethink established ways of working. This fireside conversation will explore how emerging leaders can challenge convention, embrace change and build antifragility into organisations while preserving the values and capabilities that have sustained them. It will examine the leadership mindsets, strategic versatility and intergenerational collaboration needed to ensure enterprises continue to evolve, thrive and create value across generations.


Moderator

Mr. Sonny Iqbal Senior Partner Egon Zehnder


Speaker

Mr. Shashwat Goenka

Mr. Kulin Lalbhai

Ms. Nyrika Holkar Executive Director Godrej & Boyce

Mr. Shashwat Goenka


In conversation with

Ms. Tamannaah Indian Movie Actress and Entrepreneur

Speakers

Team Member

Harsh Mariwala

Founder & Chairman, Marico Limited

Team Member

R Mukundan

President, CII and Managing Director & CEO, Tata Chemicals

Team Member

Shashwat Goenka

Vice President, CII and Vice-Chairman, RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group

Team Member

Kulin Lalbhai

Vice Chairman, Arvind Limited

Team Member

Chandrajit Banerjee

Director General Confederation of Indian Industry

Team Member

Geetanjali Kirloskar

Managing Director, Kirloskar Systems

Team Member

Abhinav Bindra

Olympic Gold-Medallist & former Sport Shooter

Team Member

Shereen Bhan

Managing Editor CNBC-TV18

Team Member

Tamannaah

Indian Movie Actress & Entrepreneur

Team Member

Suresh Narayanan

Former Chairman & Managing Director , Nestle India

Team Member

Janmejaya Sinha

Chairman, India, Boston Consulting Group

Team Member

Sudhanshu Vats

Managing Director, Pidilite Industries

Team Member

Venkat Ramaswamy

Professor of Marketing, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Team Member

Abhishek Lodha

Managing Director & CEO, Lodha Developers

Team Member

Nyrika Holkar

Executive Director, Godrej Enterprises Group

Team Member

Geetika Mehta

Managing Director Nivea India

Team Member

Sachin Seth

Regional Managing Director, India and South Asia CRIF

Team Member

Vivek Sahni

Founder Kama Ayurveda

Team Member

Kavindra Mishra

Managing Director & CEO, Shoppers Stop

Team Member

Naiyya Saggi

Founder EDT

Team Member

Digvijay Ghosh

Partner, Consumer Product and Retail EY-Parthenon, India

Team Member

Yogesh Mishra

Chief Executive Officer Thomas Assessments and People Metrics

Team Member

Sonny Iqbal

Senior Partner Egon Zehnder

Team Member

Amit Dutta

Managing Director, Hunch Mobility

Partners

Banking Partner

Digital India Partner

Platinum Partners

Gold Partners

Foundation Partner

Innovation Partner

Silver Partners

Bronze Partners

Supported by