EMPOWERING BEYOND SYMPOSIUM, BENGALURU

Avasant is proud to bring Empowering Beyond Symposium to Bengaluru, an exclusive platform designed for the most influential global business and technology leaders. This symposium creates a purposeful space for enterprise leaders, technology and service providers, advisors and analysts to engage in dynamic discussions, exchange transformative ideas, and forge impactful partnerships. Unlike traditional forums, this interactive format emphasizes active participation, ensuring every voice contributes to shaping strategies for growth and innovation. Empowering Beyond Symposium, Bengaluru empowers attendees to leave with fresh insights, meaningful connections, and a clear vision for driving enterprise transformation.

Key themes for this year

Enterprise Tech Spending Outlook – How global enterprises are reprioritizing investments for resilience and growth.
AI-Powered Reinvention – The next wave of value creation driven by Gen AI and AI agents.
GCCs as Innovation Accelerators – How global capability centers are evolving into strategic hubs for innovation and transformation.
BPO Transformation – Redefining service delivery through digital-first and AI-enabled operating models.
The Evolving Talent Equation – Building a future-ready workforce for an AI-driven enterprise.

THE EMPOWERING BEYOND EXPERIENCE

2 Days of Immersive Experiences

150+ C-Level Executives

30+ Thought Leaders

15 Days of Immersive Experiences

2 Executive Workshops

WHY ATTEND

Gain C-Suite–Ready Insights – Cut through the hype with practical perspectives on AI, digital operating models, and leadership priorities shaping the next phase of enterprise transformation.
Participate in Exclusive Executive Workshops (By Invitation only) – Engage in closed-door, peer-led workshops focused on real-world challenges, from AI adoption and GCC enablement to workforce transformation and operating model redesign.
Learn from Market Leaders and Practitioners – Hear directly from enterprises that are scaling innovation, delivering measurable outcomes, and building future-ready organizations.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Enterprise leaders shaping AI, digital transformation, talent strategy, and operating models
GCC, operations, and innovation heads building next-generation global delivery and capability hubs
Strategy, transformation, and business leaders navigating change across talent, technology, and enterprise scale
Technology, services, and platform leaders advancing AI-led solutions and ecosystems

EMPOWERING BEYOND SYMPOSIUM, BENGALURU 2026

Tuesday, 10th March 2026

Time

Session

2:00PM – 3:00PM

REGISTRATION

3:00PM – 5:00PM

INNOVATION ROUNDTABLES (FOR ENTERPRISE EXECUTIVES – BY INVITATION ONLY)

Collaborative whiteboard discussions with an intimate gathering of industry leaders to ideate around leveraging disruptive technologies to drive innovation and success.

ROUNDTABLE: NEXT-GEN GCC STRATEGIES FOR EXPONENTIAL IMPACT

(Plumeria)

Swapnil Bhatnagar – Partner, Avasant
Avinash Baliga – Partner, Avasant
Sahil Chaudhary – Associate Research Director, Avasant
Eddie Ramer – Director, Avasant

ROUNDTABLE: REDESIGNING WORK AND TALENT FOR THE AI-FIRST ENTERPRISE

(Tamarind)

Akshay Khanna – Managing Partner, Avasant
Rakesh Patro – Partner, Avasant
Aravindan Ingersol – Senior Director, Avasant
Chandrika Dutt – Director, Avasant

5:00PM – 8:00PM

VIP RECEPTION + DINNER (By Invitation Only)

Wednesday, 11th March 2026

Time

Session

8:00AM – 9:00AM

BREAKFAST (FOR ENTERPRISE EXECUTIVES – BY INVITATION ONLY)

9:00AM – 9:30AM

REGISTRATION

9:30AM – 9:40AM

WELCOME REMARKS

Akshay Khanna – Managing Partner, Avasant

9:40AM – 9:55AM

PRESENTATION – ENTERPRISE OUTLOOK 2026: SHIFTING SPENDING PRIORITIES, AND DEAL STRUCTURES

Rakesh Patro – Partner, Avasant
Swapnil Bhatnagar – Partner, Avasant

9:55AM – 10:30AM

KEYNOTE – INSPIRATION APPLIED: EMPOWERING ENTERPRISES THROUGH BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATIONS

Kevin S. Parikh – Chairman & CEO, Avasant

10:30AM – 11:05AM

PANEL DISCUSSION – REDEFINING BUSINESS IN THE AI ERA

Chandrika Dutt – Director, Avasant (Moderator)
Shalini Sankarshana – Managing Director, Planview
Monika Kapoor – Executive Director – Head of Data and Analytics, AstraZeneca
Muthulakshmi N – Head, Strategy & Solutions, AI & Services transformation, TCS

11:05AM – 11:20AM

COFFEE AND SNACK BREAK

11:20AM – 11:55AM

PANEL DISCUSSION – DISRUPTING THE DISRUPTORS: WHERE WILL THE NEXT WAVE OF INNOVATION COME FROM?

Avinash Baliga – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
Ashish Kumar – General Partner, Fundamentum Partnership
Jesper Ludolph – General Partner, Exfinity Venture Partners
V Laxmikanth – Managing Partner, Pavestone Capital

11:55AM – 12:30PM

PANEL DISCUSSION – THE NEXT FRONTIER FOR GCCS: FROM CAPABILITY CENTERS TO INTELLIGENCE HUBS

Sahil Chaudhary – Associate Research Director, Avasant (Moderator)
Mani Ganeshan – Senior Vice President, Amadeus
Gaurav Talwar – Head of Transformation – GSC India, IHG Hotels & Resorts
Aneelkumar Savalagi – Global Leader – Data, Digital & Technology, Takeda

INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLES

(Ballroom)
(12:10PM – 1:10PM)

Retail and CPG
BFSI
Healthcare
Life Sciences
Travel and Transportation
Business Process Services
Global Competency Centers
Artificial Intelligence

12:30PM – 1:05PM

PANEL DISCUSSION – PROVING THE ROI OF TRANSFORMATION: METRICS THAT MATTER TO THE C-SUITE

Akshay Khanna – Managing Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
Prasad Panchagnula – MD & CBO, Embark GCC
Chetan Garga – Former MD & Country Head, Allstate India

1:05PM – 2:20PM

LUNCH

2:20PM – 3:00PM

PANEL DISCUSSION – FROM AUTOMATION TO AUTONOMY: THE FUTURE OF TECH-ENABLED SERVICES

(West End Court)

Rakesh Patro – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
Rishi Tiwari – Chief Digital Officer, Flora Food Group
Ohmna Sinha – Head of Data and Analytics Governance, Nielsen
Deepika Sandeep – Head – AI/ML CoE, HSBC

MASTER CLASS – THE "FUTURE-PROOF" APPROACH TO STRUCTURING STRATEGIC DEALS

(Ballroom)

Rachit Bhagat – Partner, Avasant
Anuj Jain – Senior Director, Avasant
Chirag Sharma – Senior Director, Avasant
Aravindan Ingersol – Senior Director, Avasant

3:00PM – 3:40PM

PANEL DISCUSSION – THE NEW CODE OF WORK: EVOLVING TALENT, LEADERSHIP, AND CULTURE IN THE AI ERA

(West End Court)

Shabnum Grewal – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
Jay Doshi – MD & CIO, BT Group
Pankaj Mishra – Head – Enterprise Technology Group, Culver Max Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Pooja Singh – VP & Head of India & Global Business Services, Teva Pharmaceuticals

3:40PM – 3:55PM

COFFEE AND SNACK BREAK

3:55PM – 4:25PM

PANEL DISCUSSION – RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT AUTHORITY: THE STRUCTURAL RISK IN BFSI GCC OPERATING MODELS

Madhu Kaushik – Partner, Avasant (Moderator)
Jinya Suzuki – CEO, MUFG Global Service
Pancham Taneja – Country Head, Delta Capita
Palani Balasubramanyam Nama – Head – Digitalization & IT for Operations, Mashreq Bank

4:25PM – 4:55PM

PANEL DISCUSSION – RETHINKING GCC OPERATING MODELS FOR AI AT SCALE: ALIGNING GOVERNANCE, TALENT, AND PLATFORMS

Sahaj Kumar – Director, Avasant (Moderator)
Saif Ahmed Shareef – Strategy and Operations Director, Delta Air Lines
Manish Jain – Head of Digital & Technology – GCC, Yum! Brands
Srini Basava – MD, APAC Operations & Innovation, Bazaarvoice

4:55PM – 5:00PM

CLOSING KEYNOTE

Akshay Khanna – Managing Partner, Avasant

5:00PM – 7:30PM

CLOSING RECEPTION

MEET YOUR SPEAKERS

Note From Managing Partner, Akshay Khanna

Empowering Beyond Symposium is Avasant’s flagship platform where C-suite leaders from global enterprises and service providers come together to learn, ideate, and co-create the future. We design conversations that stay ahead of business and technology disruption, giving you the strategic clarity and actionable insights needed to seize the next wave of opportunity.

Join us in 2026 for a high-impact leadership experience—deep, relevant, and outcomes-driven. Expect meaningful peer engagement, fresh perspectives from industry trailblazers, and practical guidance to elevate your enterprise in an increasingly complex world.