Cambridge India Business Dialogue 2025
31 May 2025
09:00 -18:00
Times are shown in local time
Open to: All
Cambridge Judge Business School
Trumpington St
Cambridge
CB2 1AG
United Kingdom
A Convergence of Visionaries
31 May 2025
The Cambridge India Business Dialogue 2025, hosted by the Cambridge India Business Society, is a premier platform for shaping the future of India and its role in the evolving global order.
This year’s edition explores the theme ‘Transformation through Transition’ – a powerful reflection on India’s dynamic journey through technological, social and economic shifts as it positions itself as a global leader.
Join us at one of the most anticipated gatherings of 2025 – The Cambridge India Business Dialogue, in collaboration with FUEL!
At this pivotal moment in history, the Dialogue invites leaders, innovators, policymakers and students to engage in deep discussions on how India is navigating transitions in energy, digital infrastructure, finance, entrepreneurship, sustainability and more…
To catalyse transformative impact at home and abroad.
What to expect
This isn’t just an event. It’s a convergence of ideas, impact and influence. Through keynote speeches, panel discussions and interactive sessions, the Dialogue will spotlight:
- India’s leadership in navigating complex transitions
- the rise of youth-driven innovation and inclusive development
- cross-sector collaboration between business, policy and academia
- opportunities for global partnerships rooted in local insight
Illustrious speakers on the forefront of change
Join us for enlightening discussions with:
Dr Vivek Lall
Chief Executive, General Atomics Global Corporation
Harshul Asnani
President – Europe, Tech Mahindra
Meher Pudumjee
Chairperson, Thermax
Navneet Kumar Sehgal
Chairman, Prasar Bharati Board
Richard Heald OBE
Chair, UK India Business Council
Abhi Naha
Digital Accelerator Director, PwC
Ananya Birla
Director, Hindalco Industries
Mahua Acharya
Founder and CEO, International Energy Transition Platform
Nirmal Jain
Chairman, India Infoline Finance (IIFL)
Lindsay Hooper
CEO, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
James Crabtree
Distinguished Visiting Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations
Puneet Jindal
Global Data Science Senior Director, AI Center of Excellence Lead, BCG
David Eaves
Co-Deputy Director, Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, University College London
…and other exciting speakers.
Event details
- Date: 31 May 2025
- Time: 09:00 onwards
- Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, Cambridge Judge Business School
- Refreshments and lunch will be provided during the event, followed by a networking reception in the evening
Join us for a day of insight, dialogue and connection – where India’s transformative path through transition takes centre stage at Cambridge.
Agenda
09:00 – 09:30
Registration
09:30 – 10:15
Opening
On theme of the event
10:15 – 10:45
Reimagining global alliances: aerospace and defence
Dr Vivek Lall
10:45 – 11:15
Break
11:15 – 11:45
India’s evolving financial landscape
Nirmal Jain
11:45 – 12:15
Rise of next-gen India: an entrepreneurial lens
Ananya Birla
12:15 – 13:45
Lunch
13:45 – 14:00
Powering India’s sustainable future: Thermax as a case study
Meher Pudumjee
14:00 – 14:45
Sustainability panel: Powering India’s sustainable future
14:45 – 15:00
Break
15:00 – 15:15
India’s tech-led transition: India’s DPI success story
David Eaves
15:15 – 16:00
Tech panel: India’s tech-led transition: the role of AI
16:00 – 16:45
Governance panel: Rethinking institutions in transition
16:45 – 17:00
Closing
17:00 – 18:00
Networking reception
Meet our organising team
Tanya Jain
Tanya is a strategy consultant and entrepreneur-in-the-making with experience driving digital transformation across fintech, biotech, telecom, luxury and public sector. She helps organisations unlock value through AI-led innovation, cognitive optimisation, and first-principles thinking. With a global lens and hands-on expertise in product development, design thinking and market expansion, she builds purposeful, scalable solutions that bridge technology, business and impact.
Currently pursuing her MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School, Tanya is deeply engaged in the broader Cambridge ecosystem, serving as Co-Chair of the Cambridge India Business Forum. She is passionate about leveraging technology to drive meaningful impact, with a strong focus on inclusive leadership, lifelong learning and purpose-driven innovation.
Past experience: KPMG, The Estée Lauder Companies, QAI Global Consulting, Ministry of IT and Electronics, Government of India
Rutuja Kolhe
Rutuja is a data-savvy strategist who combines analytical expertise with a passion for tech-driven innovation and transformative impact.
Past experience: Citibank
Meghana Prakash
Meghana is a product strategist and innovation leader with experience consulting early-stage deep-tech startups globally. She helps founders translate bold ideas into scalable, impact-driven roadmaps – bridging AI, spatial computing and sustainability. With hands-on experience in emerging technologies, including robotics and immersive environments, she builds purposeful solutions that drive real-world change.
Past experience: HoloWorld, ed2100, Gradely
Phalguni Sanghi
Originally from India, Phalguni studied Economics at Delhi University and is a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM). With 4+ years of experience in financial consulting and risk management, she brings strong financial acumen and a keen interest in investment strategy, portfolio management and trading.
Currently pursuing the MFin at Cambridge Judge, she is actively engaged in the broader Cambridge ecosystem, including forums like CamSIF and CUATS. She is passionate about everything at the intersection of creating meaningful impact, continuous learning and collaborative leadership.
Past education, experience: SRCC, Credit Suisse
Sanjana Neogi
Sanjana is a Chartered Accountant and has 5+ years of experience in the consumer goods industry, leading strategic finance projects and digital transformation initiatives.
Past experience: Unilever, India
Saran Sundararajan
Chartered Accountant with 7 years of experience across financial services, infrastructure, and SME sectors. Worked on finance transformation, P&L analysis, and strategic reporting at firms like JP Morgan and top audit firms.
Past education: NIT Trichy, Chartered Accountant
Meet our mentors
Jaideep Prabhu
Co-Director of the Centre for India and Global Business
Jaideep is a Professor at Cambridge Judge Business School and a Fellow of Clare College. His qualifications include a BTech (IIT Delhi) and a PhD (University of Southern California). Jaideep is also a renowned author, having co-authored the award-winning book, Frugal Innovation, which explores how entrepreneurs in India are thriving despite limited resources. His research primarily centres around international business, marketing, strategy, and innovation, with interests in radical innovation in high-tech industries, the impact of firm culture on innovation, and R&D location decisions. Jaideep’s work has been featured in prestigious media outlets, including The New York Times, The Financial Times, and MIT Sloan Management Review. His most recent book, How Should A Government Be? The New Levers of State Power, was published in 2021.
Marvin Fernandes
Co-Director of the Centre for India and Global Business
Marvin is a Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School, a Senior Scholar at the London School of Economics, a Sloan Fellow at London Business School, and a qualified Chartered Accountant. His primary area of research interest is government innovation and permanent funds in the context of intergenerational equity. His experience combines an uncommon mix of cross-disciplinary skills with deep expertise in entrepreneurship, finance, brand and innovation. He designed Goa/India’s first model permanent fund to mitigate resource curse and safeguard intergenerational equity (2015) and is the creator of India’s first licensed animation character, Chhota Birbal (2002), designed to preserve local identity.
Our sponsors
in collaboration with Cambridge Judge Business School
