AMPI Guest Speakers
AMPI
Guest Speakers
ISB has enduring relationships with some of India’s most renowned leaders in Infrastructure, governance, and business—many of whom are invited to speak during AMPI residencies and share their experiences in particular sectors. These inspiring sessions provide students first-hand insights into Infrastructure and the critical challenges faced by the corporates. It ensures an enriching learning experience for the students and a chance for them to interact closely with the distinguished academics and business experts, complementing their rigorous course curriculum. This exercise also helps build and strengthen the relationship between ISB and the world's leading professionals.
Bhavesh Kumar
Topic: Optimizing Infrastructure Integrity: A Divine into Digital Validation
Date: October 26, 2024
Mr Bhavesh Kumar's talk on digital validation highlighted its role in predicting system behaviour using computational models. He discussed its evolution from post-failure analysis to proactive design integration, the importance of accurate inputs, challenges in adoption, and its impact on decision-making by reducing reliance on physical prototypes.
Piyush Srivastav
Topic: Leveraging Technology for Predictive Maintenance of Solar Assets
Date: October 26, 2024
Piyush Srivastav discussed the rapid growth of renewable energy in India and the role of technology in predictive maintenance for solar assets. He highlighted fault detection, data-driven insights, solar panel degradation tracking, and recycling challenges, urging young engineers to drive innovation in sustainable energy solutions.
Davinder Sandhu
Topic: Five Steps for Infrastructure Building: Indian Context
Date: May 01, 2024
Mr. Sandhu's emphasis on the leadership approach to addressing infrastructure challenges. He emphasized the need to prioritize earning money through value creation rather than solely focusing on making money through profit extraction. By advocating for empathetic infrastructure development, wherein end-users are empowered and service standards are elevated, Mr. Sandhu highlighted a pathway towards inclusive and sustainable progress. His insights underscored the universal applicability of empathetic leadership, transcending boundaries and offering transformative solutions not only in infrastructure but across diverse domains. I strongly believe that embracing a leadership approach grounded in empathy and foresight is imperative in academia, fostering a culture where research is not only about publication metrics but also about addressing real-world challenges and making meaningful contributions to society.
Piyush Srivastav
Topic: Digital Transformation of O&M of Renewable Assets for Improved RoI
Date: March 10, 2024
Mr. Piyush Srivastav, Deputy General Manager at Ayana Renewable Power Private Limited, spoke on the digital transformation in operation and maintenance (O&M) of renewable assets, emphasizing the significant impact of technological innovation on the renewable energy sector, particularly in enhancing the efficiency of solar cells and optimizing returns on investment.
Rahul Shandilya
Topic: Adoption of Emerging Technologies in the Infrastructure Sectors: Insights from Airport Ecosystem
Date: March 09, 2024
Mr. Rahul Shandilya, CIDO of the GMR Group, provided a captivating overview of the adoption of emerging technologies within the airport ecosystem, revealing how technological advancements are quietly revolutionizing passenger experiences and operational efficiencies in airports around the globe.
Hrydhal Damani
Topic: Could digitalization pave the way for transforming Indian cities?
Date: March 09, 2024
Hrydhal Damani, Director of Urban Development at ICF, highlighted the instrumental role of digitalization in the evolution of Indian cities towards'smart' urban environments. Her extensive experience offered insights into government initiatives and smart solutions across various domains, including energy, mobility, and waste management, charting a course for the future of digital urban services.
Smital Pandit and Anant Ashutosh Sharma
Topic: Sustainable Development in Smart Cities through a Civic Platform
Date: March 08, 2024
The virtual session by Smital Pandit and Anant Ashutosh Sharma, founders of Civic Solutions, explored the transformative potential of a civic platform in fostering sustainable development within smart cities. Their project, SmartCity311, exemplifies how digital platforms can enhance the interaction between citizens and government officials, revolutionizing public grievance management.
Nitin Ra and Saurav Atri
Topic: How to 10X your business using Generative AI'
Date: March 06, 2024
Insights on Generative AI were shared by Nitin Raj, Associate Partner, KPMG and Saurav Atri, Director, Global Learning, Manulife, who are both distinguished alumni of PGP Co2011. Their session focused on the revolutionary impact of Generative AI in fostering strategic thinking and enhancing project management, offering a glimpse into the future of business expansion and innovation.
Swati Pandey
Topic: Role of SPVs in constructing and maintaining airports in India
Date: March 05, 2024
Swati Pandey, Vice Chairman and Managing Director (VCMD), Maharashtra Airport Development Company,recently addressed the students of our Advanced Management Programme for Infrastructure (AMPI) at our Mohali campus. She unraveled the complexities and advantages of employing Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for constructing and maintaining airports in India. Her insights shed light on the practical challenges and underscored the pivotal role of SPVs in streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency.
Bhavesh Kumar
Topic: Optimizing Infrastructure Integrity: A Dive into Digital Validation
Date: March 05, 2024
During his virtual session Mr Bhavesh Kumar, Managing Director of Vias3D India, delved into the criticality of digital validation in enhancing infrastructure integrity. His discussion highlighted how digital tools can complement traditional processes to yield strategic insights, thereby optimizing the development and management of infrastructure projects.
Kamesh Rao
Topic: Airport Design and Development from an Indian Perspective
Date: October 19, 2023
Mr. Kamesh Rao, the Director of GMR Infrastructure, took the stage at our Hyderabad campus as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series for the Advanced Management Programme for Infrastructure. His talk, titled 'Airport Design and Development from an Indian Perspective,' was an eye-opener that brought great insights. He shattered myths in the process, such as: 1. Complexity Beyond Passenger Count: It is not just the passenger that decides the airport's capacity but also the aircraft movements and the handling of your baggage! The formula is a complex algorithm of the capacities of the runway, the apron, the terminal, and the landside. 2. Airlines Are the True Customers: Are passengers the airport's primary customers? Think again. According to Mr. Rao, it's the airlines that take center stage. This perspective is akin to how the primary customers for business schools are companies rather than students. 3. Insightful Projections: India will handle over 1.3 billion passengers annually by 2040. Considering that our projected population in 2040 is 1.5 billion, these figures are astonishing. Mr. Rao's talk left our students in awe. It ignited a torrent of questions, proving that the airport design and development world is far more fascinating and intricate than we generally imagine.
Manish Kumar
Topic: Institutional and Regulatory Economics of Infrastructure
Date: July 22, 2023
Mr. Manish Kumar, Senior Consultant, World Bank Group, delivered an online talk to the Advanced Management Program for Infrastructure as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series on July 22, 2023 from 18.45 Hours to 19.45 Hours. Mr. Manish Kumar gave a talk with an aero plane perspective of the economics of the infrastructure sector in India. Disrupted infrastructure services have multiple impacts on firms. He stated that every Re 1 spent on infrastructure returns Rs 3 to the society. Infrastructure impacts poorer people much more than the rich. With an annual spend of about 3% of GDP on infrastructure, India has a long way to go. He spoke about market failure with some examples. Imperfect information is a major cause of market failure.He gave a perspective on institutions at various levels and their role as incentive structures of the society.
Shri B.B Swain
Topic: Unleashing the Potential of MSMEs and Infrastructure in India
Date: May 13, 2023
Mr. B. B. Swain, Secretary of MSME, delivered an interactive session to the students of our Advanced Management Programme for Infrastructure (AMPI) at the Indian School of Business, Mohali. He shared insights regarding the symbiotic relationship between micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and infrastructure in India. Mr B. B. Swain shed light on the integral role of MSMEs in India's infrastructure development. By leveraging the potential of MSMEs, addressing challenges, and embracing innovation, India can unlock remarkable economic growth and employment opportunities. Researchers and government agencies must heed Mr. Swain's insights to formulate effective policies and initiatives that foster the growth and sustainability of MSMEs and the infrastructure sector. He stressed that the entrepreneurs and startups who take risks must also recognise the countless MSME entrepreneurs who are the true heroes, driving change and shaping the future of India's economy.
Dr.C.Jayakumar
Topic: Development of 'Techno-managers' in Engineering & Consulting Sectors
Date: Feb 18,2023
Dr. C. Jayakumar, Executive Vice President, and Head-CHRO at L&T, spoke as a distinguished speaker to the Advanced Management Programme for Infrastructure. In a brilliant talk that enthused an overwhelming response from the audience, Dr. C. Jayakumar drew upon his 35 years of rich experience with L&T to speak about their HR practices. He illustrated the models of "Talent Development Practices" in L&T which comprises of 3 pillars: Business leadership Management leadership Technical leadership It is filled with a lot of practical wisdom on "learning & development", and many organizations can emulate these practices to grow and prosper valuing people (not assets). He covered various subjects, including meritocracy, training, culture, and mentoring. The training and talent acquisition are based on: (1) Channelised, merit-based, staged lifelong training for all employees (2) Astute identification and mentoring of the next-gen leadership (3) Ability to motivate employees from walk-in interviews to absorb and own the L&T culture. The passionate discussion with the audience covered aspects like the merits of a bell curve, culture adoption, differentiation of corporate with field (project area), etc. Dr. Jayakumar revealed the secret sauce behind the phenomenally low attrition rate at L&T and the culture of completing even mega projects on time.
K Venkatesh
Topic: Indian Infrastructure: Achievements and Opportunities
Date: Jan 31, 2023
Prof. Venkatesh discussed the importance of infrastructure in the world economy and its crucial role in supporting India's growth to become the second-largest economy. He emphasized the need for sustainable growth through digital technologies and highlighted the low private sector investment in India. He also addressed the challenges faced in the Indian infrastructure sector, primarily related to project delays due to land acquisition issues. The professor talked about the government's efforts to support infrastructure funding through PPP and other models. He concluded by mentioning the national infrastructure pipeline for 2019-2025 and the national monetization pipeline of over Rs 6 lakh crores.
Mr.NVS Reddy
Topic: Seven-year journey of Hyderabad Metro Rail
Date: Apr 26, 2022
Mr. Reddy, Managing Director-Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited, interacted with the students of AMPI at the Hyderabad campus of ISB. He gave a fascinating talk on the seven-year journey of Hyderabad Metro Rail as it transformed from a failed investment to an infrastructure gem. He spoke of the challenges and hurdles he faced and how the team spirit, astute leadership, and intense perseverance enabled him to overcome obstacles. The 90-minute lecture to the students of AMPI left them spellbound and asking for more.
O P Agarwal
Topic: "Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility"
Date: Nov 10, 2022
AMPI Faculty Masterclass scheduled on November 10, 2022, Prof. O. P Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, of World Resources Institute shared insights on "Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility." He addressed several issues in Urban Mobility such as. • The explosive growth of Motor vehicles in the country • Different Measures were taken by Governments to avoid traffic congestion • Urban Air Pollution, Accidents, and Climate Change • Complex Public Transport Planning • Transit Oriented Development • Redesigning Public Transport • Electric Vehicles and the drivers of their growth.
Dr. Pratap Sriram Sundar
Topic: “Do You Want to Innovate? Look at Nature!
Date: Aug 16, 2022
Dr. Pratap Sundar took a masterclass on “Do You Want to Innovate? Look at Nature!” Industries across the world have played a short-term wrong game for more than 250 years resulting in two major problems: Climate change and loss of biodiversity. This led to an existential struggle to save our planet and those who inhabit it. Nature’s R&D ran for 3.5 billion years successfully without any negative effects on the biosphere. She has built the material and energy flows that are closed-loop and sustainable. Innovation by learning from nature is the key to creating products and processes to solve our greatest design challenges with the goals of cradle-to-cradle designs and net zero. Nature offers a compelling blueprint for the circular economy. It is time to imitate nature’s models for innovation before time runs out.
Dr. Pratap Sriram Sundar
Topic: Spirituality and Management” (Virtual)
Date: Jul 30, 2022
Dr. Pratap Sundar took a masterclass on “Spirituality and Management” on the 30th of July 22 for the Faculty of Manipal Centre for Business Practice (MCBP). About 20 faculty members attended (online) This session for the faculty members focused on the following: • How to make students understand the following issues by drawing on the wisdom of spirituality • Respect for nature (Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals) • Circular economy models (Cradle-to-cradle system design) • Empathy-based leadership • Empathy-based design (product and service design) • How “Less Ego, More Success” works to make us happier
K Venkatesh
Topic: Relevance of Contract Management
Date: Mar 17, 2022
Professor K Venkatesh, Independent Director - Ezeeway (Feedback Infra Pvt. Ltd) and Visiting Faulty, Indian School of Business took the session for potential students of the Advanced Management Programme for Infrastructure. Professor K Venkatesh defines the Relevance of Contract Management • Understanding of contracts • Its implementation • Key Contractual Clauses Operable in Practice • Some Strict Non-Negotiable Issues • Early Warning Signals.
Jit Bajpai
Topic: Sustainable Cities and Infrastructure
Date: Feb 10, 2022
Professor Jit Bajpai, Adjunct Faculty at the School of Professional Studies and visiting faculty at ISB, took the session for potential students of the Advanced Management Programme for Infrastructure. It was attended by 71 participants. Professor Bajpai defined sustainable infrastructure and services to be a system that does not endanger public health, the livelihood of people and ecosystems while meeting the needs of people and firms consistent with: 1) Use of renewable resources below their rate of regeneration, 2) Use of non-renewables below the rate of development of renewable substitutes. He covered four dimensions of infrastructure sustainability: economic and financial sustainability, social sustainability, environmental and institutional sustainability. Professor Bajpai also covered various aspects of sustainability and gave brief outlines of the case studies such as the Mumbai Urban Transport Project.
O P Agarwal
Topic: Structuring a Successful PPP
Date: Jan 20, 2022
Dr. O P Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, World Resource Institutes poke on the topic of structuring a Successful PPP. He addressed the various potential students of AMPI, He spoke about the following things • Evolving public infrastructure delivery methods • What Why, and When of PPP • Basic features of PPP • Types of PPP • Challenges in PPP and Risk Management • Project development and structuring
Mr. Rohit Chandak
Topic: Infrastructure Finance: Brief Overview and Market Trends
Date: Dec 21, 2021
Mr. Rohit Chandak, CFO at Ayana Renewable Power addressed 51 attendees on the topic of 'Infrastructure Finance: Brief Overview and Market Trends' on 21 Dec 2021. Mr. Chandak spoke from his extensive experience on the following aspects: High-level understanding of Infrastructure Finance, Infrastructure Investment Decision Making, Current Market Trends & Updates.
Rohit Chandak
Topic: Infrastructure Finance: Brief Overview and Market Trends
Date: Dec 21, 2021
Mr. Rohit Chandak, CFO at Ayana Renewable Power addressed 51 attendees on the topic of 'Infrastructure Finance: Brief Overview and Market Trends' on 21 Dec 2021. Mr. Chandak spoke from his extensive experience on the following aspects: High-level understanding of Infrastructure Finance, Infrastructure Investment Decision Making, Current Market Trends & Updates.
Kamesh Rao
Topic: Digital transformation in the infrastructure industry
Date: Dec 10, 2021
Mr. Kamesh Rao, CEO, GMR Airport Developers Limited, the force behind the construction of the Hyderabad airport, spoke about ‘Digital Transformation in Infrastructure Industry.’ He brought out the key hurdles in adopting technology for an airport setup and the technologies currently being used.
Mr. AJ Chauradia
Topic: E-Vehicle Infrastructure: A Use Case of Tesla
Date: Oct 21, 2021
Professor AJ Chauradia took an online session on E-Vehicle Infrastructure for the potential students of the Advanced Management Programme for Infrastructure. The session evoked a healthy response with more than 120 attendees. Professor Chauradia spoke of the business model of Tesla and their leveraging of the e-vehicle infrastructure for popularising their cars. He discussed the fact that e-vehicles can become a disruptive force only when the charging infrastructure is cheap, fast, and ubiquitous. He drew lessons from his research on e-vehicle infrastructure and opined on their potential success in the Indian market. He deliberated on the various types of challenges in infrastructure that are likely to come up. Prof Chauradia spoke of his teaching at ISB, and how he incorporates his research findings/outcomes in the curriculum of the program. An alumna of the program, Ms. Hrydal Damani, also spoke and highlighted the Indian Government’s stance towards e-vehicles. The session ended with a Q&A session.
Mr. Alok Sapre
Topic: How Important is the Mindset for Accepting & Bringing Decisive Changes in Infrastructure & Real Estate Industry
Date: Jul 26, 2021
Mr. Alok Sapre, Chairman and Managing Director of CIA-Glocal, a management consulting firm, spoke on the topic “How Important is the Mindset for Accepting & Bringing Decisive Changes in Infrastructure & Real Estate Industry.” Mr. Sapre is an alumnus of ISB (PGP Max). He spoke about his love for infrastructure projects and sustainability, and his mindset in his journey to the current status in his career. He also spoke of the NPA (Non-Performing Assets) problems in banks and his interest in taking his company in that area. He elaborated upon the mindset of “unwillingness to hear a ‘No’” in Indian and even global companies. His powerful takeaway was, “the key aspect that makes you successful in a project is your own thinking.”
Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava
Topic: Digitalisation of Indian Infrastructure
Date: Feb 04, 2021
Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava, Chief General Manager (IT & Highway Operations) at NHAI, gave an inspiring talk on Digitalisation of Indian Infrastructure to the combined class of AMPI and AMPMO Co2021 on 04 Feb 2021. He spoke of the impact of digitalisation on the productivity and efficiency of infrastructure projects in the country. He gave particular emphasis to two key initiatives of NHAI, they being the Fastag and the NHAI Data Lake. The Fastag has enabled a seamless traffic movement on national highways and a transparent collection of toll taxes. The data lake provides an end-to-end data-based information of ongoing and completed projects, reducing delays in projects. His talk was appreciated a lot by the students.