16th Indian Management Conclave 2026- Program Agenda

INAUGURAL SESSION
Business and Management in the Age of AI
The Conclave opens by setting its agenda for the two days ahead, convening voices from policy, industry, technology, and academia on what the Age of AI means for Indian business and management. The Guest of Honour offers a macro perspective on how AI is reshaping the national economy and its enterprises. Other distinguished speakers examine what it takes to prepare leaders for the AI-powered world. 

Welcome Address

• Dr Amit Agnihotri, Founder & Chair, Indian Management Conclave

Address by Conference Partner & Host 

• Dr M P Gupta, Director, IIM Lucknow

Inaugural Address by Guest of Honour

• Dr V. Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor (CEA), Government of India

Keynote Address 

• Mr Vineet Nayar, Founder, Sampark Foundation; Former CEO, HCL Technologies; Author of ‘Humans First, Machines Second’

Keynote Address 

• Mr Raghav Gupta, Head of Education - India & Asia Pacific, OpenAI

PLENARY SESSION 1
Management Education in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence has witnessed rapid adoption among both students and faculty at B-schools. Some studies have reported benefits of AI adoption in management education. However, emerging research suggests that unregulated student use of AI may undermine the student learning outcomes. Academic leaders are therefore grappling with fundamental questions about how to redesign learning objectives, curricula, pedagogical approaches, and assessment practices for the AI era. During this plenary session, prominent business education leaders will share their views on how management education should evolve in the Age of AI.

Speakers:

• Dr Varun Nagaraj, Dean, SPJIMR Mumbai
• Dr Arvind Sahay, Director, MDI Gurgaon
• Dr Suresh Ramanathan, CEO, IMI Delhi, Kolkata & Bhubaneswar
• Prof Vishal Karungulam, Academic Director, Centre for Learning & Teaching Excellence and Lab, Indian School of Business (ISB)

Moderator:

• Mr Dviwesh Mehta, Director, Asia Pacific, Harvard Business Impact

Presentations:

• Mr Salil Pande, Founder & CEO, VMOCK
• Mr Sumit Harjani, Managing Director – India & Region Head – APAC Enterprise, Harvard Business Impact

02:00 PM – 03:00 PM

Auditorium Hall-2

PLENARY SESSION 2 
Editors’ Panel:  Management Research in the Age of AI

The use of AI tools in research and publication is growing rapidly. While some studies point to their benefits, editors caution that authors must use these tools judiciously and retain full responsibility for their work. This panel brings together distinguished editors to examine the evolving landscape of research in the age of generative AI — how these tools are reshaping research design, methodology, and publishing, and the critical questions they raise around ethics, originality, and academic rigour.

Speakers:

• Dr Satyabhusan Dash, Dean, Noida Campus, IIM Lucknow
• Dr Arpan Kar, Professor & Chair in Information Systems, IIT Delhi
• Dr Debasis Pradhan, Editor, Management and Labour Studies (XLRI); Director, TAPMI Manipal
• Dr Praveen Ranjan Srivastava, Dean Research, IIM Rohtak

Moderator:

• Dr Raj Krishnan Shankar, Director, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon

Facilitation of IMC-IRC 2026 Track Chairs

03:00 PM – 03:30 PM

Auditorium Hall-2

IMC-IRC 2026 | Research Paper Presentations | Session 1 & 2

Refer to the IMC-IRC program for details.

04:00 PM – 05:45 PM

Auditorium Hall-2

IMC AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION 2026 

Leveraging AI for Curriculum and Pedagogical Innovation to Enhance Student Learning

JURY PRESENTATION ROUND

• Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirappalli

  Dr Asit K. Barma, Director, BIM Trichy; Dr Sridevi Tandley, Assistant Professor and Chair, Centre for Industrial Consultancy, BIM Trichy

• Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Patiala

  Dr Devesh Bathla, Director - Centre for Analytics & Data Excellence, Chitkara Business School
  Fortune Institute of International Business, New Delhi, Dr. Kokil Jain, Dean (Research & Outreach), FIIB New Delhi

• Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon

  Dr Raj Krishnan Shankar, Director, Great Lakes Gurgaon; Dr Poornima Gupta, Program Director -PGDM, Great Lakes Gurgaon

• Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad

  Dr K M Baharul Islam, Director, IMT Hyderabad

• Management Development Institute, Murshidabad

  Dr Jayanthi Ranjan, Director, MDI Murshidabad; Prof Neha Jain, Associate Professor, MDI Murshidabad

• RV Institute of Management, Bengaluru

  Dr Sumera Aluru, Associate Professor, RVIM; Dr Jahnavi M, Associate Professor, RVIM

• RV University, Bangalore

  Dr Madhvi Sethi, Dean-SOEB, RV University Bangalore; Dr Veena A, Program Director- MBA Regular, RV University Bangalore 

• Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Gautam Buddha Nagar

  Dr Samiksha Bajpai, Director, Centre for Writing, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence

• School of Business Management, NMIMS University, Mumbai

  Dr Ashu Sharma, Professor (Operations and Data Sciences) and Program Chair (MBA Business Analytics), NMIMS University Mumbai

• Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development, Pune

  Dr Akhil Damodaran, Director, SCMHRD, Pune

• T A Pai Management Institute, Manipal

  Dr Kartikeya Bolar, Professor, Information Systems and Analytics, TAPMI Manipal

(All institutional names in alphabetic order)

05:45 PM – 7:00 PM

Auditorium Hall-2
 

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES 

Topic: Lessons from Leading AI Transformation in International Business Schools 

This session brings an international lens to the Conclave's central question, drawing lessons from business schools that are already well into their AI transformation. Senior leaders from leading European institutions join live to share what it takes to bring AI into teaching, research, and institutional practice at scale: what works, what meets resistance, and what they would do differently. As Indian business schools plan their AI adoption, these first-hand accounts offer practical and transferable insights.

• Dr Louis-David Benyayer, AI Initiatives Coordinator, ESCP Business School France
• Dr Michelle Sisto, Associate Dean EDHEC AI Center, Associate Professor

Moderator:

• Dr Nihar Amoncar, Pro Vice Chancellor & Director, School of Management, IILM University Greater Noida

08:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Block A2, Lecture Halls 

09:30 AM – 10:30 AM

Auditorium Hall-2

IMC AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION 2026

Leveraging AI for Curriculum and Pedagogical Innovation to Enhance Student Learning

The IMC Awards for Excellence in Management Education are widely regarded as among India’s most credible and prestigious awards in the field. Each year, they identify, document, and showcase innovative practices adopted by business schools in areas of strategic importance. The 2026 Awards focus on pioneering initiatives by Indian business schools that leverage artificial intelligence to enhance student learning, curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment. More than 40 business schools submitted nominations; the most compelling entries were shortlisted, and the Award Jury selected the Finalists through a Jury presentation round on Day 1. The Finalists now present their initiatives on the main stage, and the winning initiatives will be honoured at the IMC Awards 2026 during the Valedictory Session.

Jury Members: 

• Dr Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University
• Dr Varun Nagaraj, Dean, SPJIMR Mumbai

PRESENTATIONS BY FINALISTS

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Auditorium Hall-2

PLENARY SESSION 3 

Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Age of AI

Industry increasingly suggests that judgement and interpersonal competencies are becoming key differentiators for MBA graduates in the AI era. Yet, foundational domain knowledge remains essential to evaluate AI outputs. In designing the MBA curriculum, then, the challenge is one of emphasis and prioritisation, and there is as yet no settled answer. 

How to teach AI within the MBA also remains open: should it be a stand-alone course or integrated across the curriculum, and how should traditional pedagogies such as lectures and the case method adapt to it? Many institutional experiments are under way, but no widely accepted framework has emerged. This session brings together leading academics to discuss how MBA curriculum and pedagogy should evolve in the Age of AI.

Speakers:

• Dr Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University
• Dr Madhu Veeraraghavan, Pro Vice Chancellor, Manipal University (MAHE)
• Dr Atish Chattopadhyay, Director, IMT Ghaziabad

Session Moderator: 

• Dr Radhika Shrivastava, President, FIIB New Delhi

12:00 PM – 01:30 PM

Auditorium Hall-2

DIRECTORS’ ROUNDTABLE
  
Institutional Governance and Policy Responses for the AI Era

In this session, India’s leading academics engage in a high-level dialogue on how business schools should navigate the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence. The Roundtable aims to identify institutional priorities and shape directions for AI policy across Indian universities and business schools. 

The discussion will address several critical questions: Should institutions adopt a formal AI policy, encourage faculty-led experimentation, or pursue a hybrid approach? How can business schools build faculty capability and create incentives for AI adoption? What is needed to uphold relevance and integrity in assessments? And what should constitute a shared roadmap for the responsible, effective adoption of AI by Indian business schools?

Speakers:

• Dr Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Former Vice Chancellor, IIFT New Delhi
• Dr Parag C. Kalkar, President, AIMS
• Dr Harivansh Chaturvedi, Director General, IILM, New Delhi
• Dr Raman Ramachandran, Director, K J Somaiya Institute of Management Mumbai
• Dr Asit K. Barma, Director, BIM Tiruchirappalli
• Dr D.P. Goyal, Director and Dean, LM Thapar School of Management

Session Moderator: 

• Dr Amit Agnihotri, Founder & Chair, Indian Management Conclave

VALEDICTORY SESSION

The Conclave draws to a close by celebrating the ideas and people who advance management education. This session presents the prestigious IMC Awards 2026 that honour the best research and the most innovative institutional initiatives. 

A key highlight of the session will be the presentation of the IMC Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognises a leader who began their career at an Indian business school and is now making a significant national and international contribution.
 
Address by 

• Dr Amit Agnihotri, Founder & Chair, Indian Management Conclave

Address by

• Dr Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University (IMC Awards 2026 Jury Chair)

Presentation of 

• IMC-IRC Best Research Paper Award 2026
• IMC Award for Excellence in Management Education 2026

Presentation of 

• IMC Distinguished Alumni Award 2026

Special Address by 

• Mr Tarun Garg, Managing Director & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Limited 

Closing Address by 

• Dr M P Gupta, Director, IIM Lucknow  

IMC-IRC 2026 Research Workshop
Getting Published in Quality Journals: Editor’s Tips

Conducted by: Dr Debasis Pradhan, Editor, Management and Labour Studies, Journal of XLRI Jamshedpur

Participants: Only authors who have submitted full papers in advance are eligible for this workshop

Valedictory Session & Best Paper Award Presentation

Prestigious IMC-IRC Best Paper Awards will be presented during the valedictory session.