Presenters & Panelists
Dr. Panneerselvam Madanagopal
Chief Executive Officer, MeitY Startup Hub
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India
Appointed CEO of MeitY Startup Hub in November 2024, Dr. Madanagopal brings over two decades of experience in innovation management and strategic growth, including more than seven years at T-Hub as Vice President & Chief Innovation Officer. Under his leadership, MeitY Startup Hub's national network has grown to nearly 200,000 startups, with a renewed focus on deep-tech, product-driven innovation and expansion into Tier II and Tier III cities. He opens today's forum, bridging India's startup ecosystem with the employability conversation.
Prof. M.M. Ananth
Founder Chairman, Academic Network
PhD, University of Cambridge · Commonwealth Fellow
Institution-builder and the architect of the IACT Meta Intelligence Framework — a national model for graduate employability anchored in persona-first development, published with Cambridge University Press with a foreword by Union Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. Founding Vice Chancellor of Adani University, Gujarat, Prof. Ananth brings rare depth across research, policy, and academic leadership.
Prof. Satyanarayana
Vice Chancellor
Dayananda Sagar University · PhD, University of Cambridge · Commonwealth Fellow
PhD from the University of Cambridge and Commonwealth Fellow, Prof. Satyanarayana has spent his career making Indian higher education genuinely employment-relevant, not merely degree-granting. As Vice Chancellor of Dayananda Sagar University, he steers curriculum reform and institutional strategy with a direct line to graduate outcomes.
Mr Sameer Wadhwan
Founder & Managing Partner
People Portfolio LLP · Former SVP & Head HR, Samsung Electronics India
With nearly four decades across Samsung, Coca-Cola, Nokia, HP and Ranbaxy, Sameer now advises boards and CEOs on people strategy and organisation transformation through People Portfolio LLP. Recognised among the 100 Most Influential Global HR Professionals by the World HRD Congress, he is an XLRI alumnus, INSEAD programme graduate, and certified executive coach.
Dr Ashish Mittal
Group CHRO
Sreenidhi Educational Group, Hyderabad
Group CHRO at Sreenidhi Educational Group with 27 years spanning Infosys, Akshaya Patra, Manipal International University, Shiv Nadar University and FLAME University, Dr Mittal holds a PhD and is IIM Bangalore certified. Forbes India Top 50 HR Leader and Asia's 100 Power Leaders in HR, he has lived the academia-industry boundary from both sides.
Dr J P Joshi
Vice President – Human Resources
Schneider Electric · PhD, Applied Business Economics · Hogan Certified
Heading HR for Schneider Electric's Global Supply Chain in India, Dr Joshi brings 25 years across HR strategy, mergers and acquisitions, industrial relations, and greenfield projects, following roles at Aditya Birla Group and Intas Pharmaceuticals. A PhD and visiting faculty at leading business schools, he recruits at scale and sees where graduates fall short.
Mr Purushottam Kaushik
AI & Technology Strategy Leader
Independent Advisor · Former Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum
A globally recognised expert in AI governance, emerging technology, and the future of work, Mr Kaushik brings a practitioner's lens to how artificial intelligence is reshaping skills, employment, and institutional preparedness. He participates in this forum in his personal capacity.
