Inaugural Session of ISDSI Conference 2025 at IMI Kolkata: Chief Guest Dr Bharat Bhasker, IIM Ahmedabad
The inaugural session of ISDSI Conference 2025 was addressed by Chief Guest Dr Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIM Ahmedabad, who spoke on the conference theme - Tech for Net Zero: Digital Solutions for a Sustainable Planet. The session was address by Prof. Bhimaraya Metri, President- ISDSI-G & Director, IIM Nagpur and Prof. Mohua Banerjee, Chief Patron ISDSI-G, 2025 & Director IMI Kolkata. Conference organizers Dr. Rohit Singh, Conference Chair, ISDSI-G, 2025 and Prof. Ravi Jain, Secretary General- ISDSI-G & Director- IILM Gurugram share the background and key achievements of ISDSI.
“In the last few decades, various waves of technologies have deeply impacted the way business is done the world over. Today, Indian must harness technology for the greater good of society and nation to meet the goal of Vikshit Bharat, as emphasized by our honourable Prime Minister’, said Dr Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIM Ahmedabad.
Inaugural Session Speakers: (L-R) Dr. Rohit Singh (IMI K); Prof. Bhimaraya Metri, (IIM Nagpur); Prof. Bharat Bhasker (IIM Ahmedabad), Prof. Mohua Banerjee, (IMI K), Prof. Ravi Jain (IILM), Prof Tirthankar Nag (IMI K)
Director's Panel Discussion (I) on Theme of Technology, Digitalization, Business Expectations: Implications for MBA Education
A highlight of the conference was Director's Panel Discussion on the theme of technology, digitalization, changing business expectations: Implications for MBA Education. The panel was addressed by Prof Alok Rai, Director, IIM Calcutta; Prof. M.P. Gupta, Director, IIM Lucknow; Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur; Prof. Harivansh Chaturvedi, Director General, IILM; Prof. Atish Chattopadhyay, Director, IMT Ghaziabad; and Prof. D.P. Goyal, Director, LMT SOM Chandigarh. The panel was moderated by Mr. Amit Agnihotri, Founder, MBAUniverse.com.
Panel saw diverse views on the impact and role of Artificial Intelligence in business and management education. Prof Alok Rai said that AI is a new productivity enhancer and a decision-making tool, and we should not overestimate its impact. On the other hand, Prof Mahadeo Jaiswal saw AI is super-human and will have a transformational impact on businesses and education. Prof. M.P. Gupta said that AI is a powerful force that will impact all businesses and educational institutions.
When asked about how MBA education should evolve, Dr Rai said, “We must remember that MBA is not a “training program” for developing some short-term skills, and B-schools are not training and placement agencies. We focus on developing the competencies that support life-long careers.” Prof. Chattopadhyay, added that “Learning to Learn is a key competency in the age of AI.” Dr Goyal added, “At LM Thapar we are embedding AI in all courses holistically, and investing on faculty development.”
Towards the end of the panel, Prof. Harivansh Chaturvedi sounded a cautionary note and said, “India must be careful. It should happen that all the benefits of AI get monopolized by few US companies.” Concluding the session, Mr. Agnihotri said, “Technology in general, and AI in particular, is transforming business landscape. Institutions, Faculty, and Students must leverage technology to improve their global competitiveness.”
Director's Panel Discussion-(1): (L-R) Prof. M.P. Gupta, (IIM Lucknow); Prof. Atish Chattopadhyay, (IMT Ghaziabad); Prof. D.P. Goyal, (LMTSM); Prof. Harivansh Chaturvedi, (IILM); Mr. Amit Agnihotri, (MBAUniverse.com); Prof Rachana Chattopadhyay (IMI Kolkata)
Director's Panel Discussion (II) on B-Schools as Engines of India’s Net-Zero Transition
Another conference highlight was the second Director's Panel Discussion on the theme of B-Schools as Engines of India’s Net-Zero Transition: Building Leaders, Knowledge, and Innovation for Viksit Bharat 2047. The panel was addressed by Prof Deepak Srivastava, Director, IIM Ranchi; Prof. Samir Srivastava, Director, IIM Amritsar; Prof Varun Nagraj, Dean, SPJIMR; Prof. Subir Verma, Director, FORE; Prof. Sangeetha Sahnay, Dean VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. Baharul Islam, Director, IMT Hyderabad; and Prof. Umakant Dash, Vice Chancellor-Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. Prof. Mohua Banerjee, Director-IMI Kolkata moderated the panel.
A key outcome of the discussion was the consensus that sustainability must be embedded at both institutional and academic levels through sustainable campuses, curriculum redesign, and research agendas aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Panelists emphasized moving beyond intent to execution by integrating sustainability into pedagogy, governance, and institutional culture.
Experiential learning emerged as a central pillar, with strong emphasis on rural immersion, community engagement, and industry-linked projects to translate sustainability from concept to practice. Purpose-driven innovation was also highlighted, with calls for frameworks that ensure teaching, research, and incubation deliver net-positive societal impact. Collectively, the panel articulated clear priorities for business schools: strengthening climate and SDG literacy, investing in faculty upskilling, fostering cross-institutional and transdisciplinary collaboration, and deepening industry engagement around ESG and sustainable value chains.
Moderating the session, Prof. Dr. Mohua Banerjee, Director, IMI Kolkata, underscored the urgency of applied learning and cultural transformation. She noted, “Decarbonisation cannot remain theoretical; students must experience real, on-ground learning through industry partnerships, MSMEs, and climate-tech ventures.” She further emphasized that “Sustainability cannot be a checklist activity; it has to become a way of life embedded into institutional culture.”
Director's Panel Discussion-II: (L-R) Prof. Umakant Dash, (Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics); Prof. Varun Nagraj, (SPJIMR); Prof. Mohua Banerjee, (IMI Kolkata); Prof. Subir Verma, (FORE); Prof. Sangeeta Sahney, (VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur); Prof. K M Baharul Islam, (IMT Hyderabad); Dr Rohit Singh (IMI K)
CEO Panel on Theme on Resilient Value Chains in a Fragmented World
The session saw Mr. Ambarish Dasgupta- Founder and Senior Partner, Intueri Consulting; Mr. Subrata Bagchi- Chief Operating Officer & Senior Managing Director, Alliant Group; Ms. Shivani Bagaria- Director, L. Madanlal Aluminium Ltd speaking about how businesses are getting ready for the new world where sustainability has become very important for governments, society and consumers. Prof. Chandan Chowdhury, ISB moderated the panel.
The panel discussion was followed by a Keynote Speech by Mr. Rajendran Dandapani of Zoho Corporation. Mr. Dandapani is part of the founding team at Zoho Corporation. He spearheads mobile development at Zoho, with a multi-talented team that builds mobile Apps for its 45 million+ customers. He is also a TEDx speaker and a technology evangelist. Mr. Dandapani said, “Time has come for companies and institutions to be net-positive contributors to the nation and society, and not just be profit centric.” He cited the example of how Zoho is contributing to giving back to nature and society with various initiatives.
Global Investment Summit
For the first time, a new format called the Global Investment Summit was introduced to ISDSI conference by IMI Kolkata. This Summit is an initiative of IKN Innovation Foundation, the Business Incubator of IMI Kolkata. 57 startups had presented their ventures for fund-raising to investors. Nine promising startups have secured investment commitments amounting to Rs 5.1 cr following due diligence. These startups will now be accelerated under the aegis of IMI Kolkata’s IKN Innovation Foundation.
Conference also hosted Start-up Panel, Accreditation Panel, Women Entrepreneurship Panel and a panel on Publishing in Tech enabled sustainability era.
Concluding the conference, Prof. Mohua Banerjee, Director, IMI Kolkata, informed, “It was a pleasure and an honor host 19th ISDSI-Global Conference at IMI Kolkata. Hosting ISDSI-Global allowed us to strengthen our collaborative ties with a vibrant, multidisciplinary community of academicians, scholars, practitioners, and industry experts. We are delighted to provide a platform where cutting-edge research, impactful dialogue, and forward-looking ideas can flourish.”
Offering the final word, Prof. Bhimaraya Metri, President, ISDSI Global, said, “Over the years, the ISDSI community has worked tirelessly to foster research as a culture, especially among young academics, nurturing curiosity, rigor, and the confidence to contribute to global scholarship. This year’s conference at IMI Kolkata is a landmark success and we thank IMI Director and team that made it a big success.”
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IMI Kolkata hosted Director and Deans from top management institutes in India, CXOs and Investors, and Editor and Researchers for the 19th edition of ISDSI Global Conference 2025 on December 26-29, 2025. The Conference saw star studded panels that debated on the themes of ‘Tech for Net Zero’ and Future of Management Education. The conference was addressed by Directors from IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, and many other IIMs and top B-schools. During the conference, a total of 1218 research papers and 220 business and startup ideas were submitted, representing India’s 28 States, covering 21 IIMs, leading IITs, Universities, B-schools and Business Incubators. MBAUniverse.com presents highlights from this landmark conference.