CNBC-TV18 Global Leadership Summit celebrated ‘The India Advantage’, bringing together the world’s most influential voices

He added, “By putting out facts and watching how the market responds, we understood something fundamental: investors and the industry often see things differently, yet true growth comes only when both work together. Mutual funds have already tripled in the last five years, and as we aim to double the 13 crore investor base, the benefits of scale must ultimately reach the investor. Our consultation papers are not conclusions; they are starting points. We don’t decide in isolation; we invite perspectives, weigh every argument, and only then arrive at balanced, well-informed decisions. Every point raised counts. Every word helps shape the outcome.”

The conversation progressed into the first panel discussion, Risk, Returns & Resilience: Investing In The India Decade, featuring Ridham Desai (Morgan Stanley), Sankaran Naren (ICICI Prudential AMC), Neelkanth Mishra (Axis Bank & Axis Capital) and Ashishkumar Chauhan (National Stock Exchange). The session examined how India is evolving into one of the most significant investment destinations globally, driven by domestic demand and steady economic growth.

The next fireside chat, Embedded Intelligence: From Operations to Opportunity, featured Oliver Jay from OpenAI, who discussed how businesses are integrating new technologies to support efficiency and growth. This was followed by ISRO: The Space Race: Will India Rewrite The Rules?, a conversation with Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, who spoke about India’s expanding role in space exploration and the rise of commercial space initiatives.

The agenda progressed into Pulse Check: What’s Driving Global Boardrooms?, featuring Christophe De Vusser, CEO & Worldwide Managing Partner, Bain & Company, who discussed shifting priorities of global corporations operating in a volatile, uncertain economic environment. A key fireside chat titled The Growth Map: Where Is The Light At The End Of The Tunnel? brought together Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran (Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India), Dr. Anish Shah (Mahindra Group) and Anant Maheshwari (Honeywell Global Regions). The conversation focused on what will drive the country’s next phase of expansion including investment, productivity and manufacturing strength.

Sharing his thoughts, Anantha Nageshwaran said, "India’s growth story is evolving beyond expectations. What began as cautious optimism around 6% GDP growth is now approaching 7%, supported by resilient private CapEx and improving FDI inflows. The real success, however, lies in how policy reforms are reshaping competitiveness from rationalizing taxes to strengthening the manufacturing base. Our focus must now shift from simply building

domestically to positioning India as an essential player in global value chains. This means fostering sectors that can compete internationally while creating high-quality jobs at home. In essence, the next phase of India’s economic rise will depend on turning strategic resilience into global indispensability."

Moving ahead with the day was a fireside chat on the topic Rewriting the Rules of Digital Leadership with S. Krishnan - Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, where he said, “The government’s vision for AI is clear, we want innovation to take centre stage. India has a positive outlook on the impact of AI, and we aim to give it room to flourish so its benefits reach every sector and citizen. Regulation will evolve as needed, guided by existing laws and emerging realities. It’s not about rushing to create a new AI regulator but about enabling growth responsibly. The expanded AI mission reflects this balance, fostering innovation while ensuring that India remains a key hub for global AI investment."

The summit continued with another fireside chat titled Crisis, Catastrophe, Continuity with historian and author Niall Ferguson and a subsequent session titled The Think Tank Revolution led by B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, who stressed the need for long-term planning and institutional collaboration. Another fireside session titled Finance, Trade & India’s Global Ambition was led by K. V. Kamath, Chairman of Jio Financial Services. The panel discussion on the topic ‘The Financialisation of India: Pivoting From Savings To Investments’ featured Marc Pilgrem (MD & CEO, JioBlackRock Investment Advisers), Vikram Sahu (India Country Executive, Bank of America), and R.G. Manalac (Senior Vice President, Head APAC FinTech, Nasdaq).

The afternoon was followed by a panel discussion titled Real Assets, Real Returns: India’s Investment Edge, featuring Aditya Virwani (MD, Embassy Group), Arpit Agrawal (Managing Partner, Head India & Middle East Infrastructure, Brookfield), and Sriram Khattar (Vice Chairperson & MD, DLF Rental Business). Aditya Virwani shared his thoughts and said, “What we call Global Capability Centres today are a far cry from the back-office setups of the past. They have become hubs of deep technology, design, and innovation that are driving transformation for global enterprises from India. As the service sector continues to evolve, we must stop confusing IT with technology, because GCCs are leading the way in genuine technological advancement. In the real estate sector as well, education plays an important role. Investors need to shift their focus from short-term yield to creating sustainable and high-quality assets that will define the next phase of India’s growth.”

Another insightful panel discussion on the topic Who Owns The Future Of Money? featured Amitabh Malhotra (Vice Chairman, Capital Markets & Advisory, HSBC India); Dilip Asbe (MD & CEO, National Payments Corporation of India); Phoram Mehta (VP & Head, International Cyber Risk, PayPal) and Harshil Mathur (CEO & Co-Founder, Razorpay).

Another panel titled Securing The Next Gen Cloud World brought together Sachin Kakkar (Director, Engineering & Site Lead, Google India), Sandip Patel (MD, IBM India & South Asia), and Jay Kotak (Co-Head, Kotak811), who discussed data security and cloud transformation.

Preeti Lobana, Country Manager of Google India, then discussed technology-led inclusion in a fireside session titled The Global South Advantage: Building Inclusive Growth With AI. Sharing her thoughts she said, “AI in India isn’t about catching up, it’s about leapfrogging. When designed for local languages, cultural contexts, and real-world constraints, it can close access gaps in healthcare, education, and agriculture, transforming lives at scale.”

The evening continued with a fireside chat titled Building A Resilient India with Hitendra Dave, CEO of HSBC India, who spoke about long-term economic strength. While talking about India’s growth Hitendra Dave said, “In a world marked by unprecedented uncertainty, India stands out as an oasis of stability. While major economies continue to debate recession risks and inflationary pressures, India delivers consistent growth, low inflation, political continuity, and resilience in its financial sector. We have reached a point where even a growth rate of 5 to 5.5 percent feels disappointing, yet it still remains higher than the global average. In an environment of volatility, India continues to emerge as a market defined by predictability and promise. This is truly our moment to seize, as the world is watching and the opportunity is ours to turn this narrative into a long-term advantage.”.

As the sunset, the evening moved ahead with a very insightful session on the topic Lines Of Defence, Circles Of Influence, a conversation between General Manoj Mukund Naravane (Retd.) and former Ambassador to Canada Vikas Swarup, on India’s position in a changing geopolitical environment. One of the most energising discussions of the evening was The Billion Dollar Babies, which featured Amitabh Kant, Phani Addepalli (Swiggy), Peyush Bansal

(Lenskart), Abhiraj Singh Bhal (Urban Company), and Yashish Dahiya (PB Fintech), and explored the maturity of India’s unicorn and startup ecosystem and the journey from idea to scale.

The summit also hosted a plenary session titled Maharashtra Mandate: Fuelling The Future, led by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who outlined infrastructure, investment, and development priorities for the state. He stated, “Currently, infrastructure projects worth ₹4,00,000 crore are underway. If we include the port projects, the value increases by another ₹1,00,000 crore. The port project is a game-changer. JNPT is already India’s biggest container handling port, and its capacity is increasing three times, making it one of the top 10 ports in the world.”

In recognition of their contributions to India’s progress, Shaktikanta Das, Principal Secretary-2 to the Prime Minister of India and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Founder & Chairman of Apollo Hospitals, were honoured as Icons of Excellence of the Indian Economy. Shaktikanta Das said, “As the global order undergoes profound change, with multilateralism giving way to regional and bilateral arrangements, India stands out as a pillar of stability. Amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty, our economy remains steady, driven by structural reforms and strong domestic fundamentals. The journey toward becoming an advanced economy by 2047 is well underway, anchored in continuity, reform, and cooperation across states. Every challenge we face today is an opportunity to strengthen India’s position in a rapidly evolving global landscape.”

Moving ahead with the evening was another panel titled Resilient Capital in Volatile Times examined capital deployment strategies and featured Amit Shetty (Embassy REIT), Vishal Mahadevia (Warburg Pincus), and Joydeep Sengupta (McKinsey). Later in the evening, a fireside chat titled The Winning Mindset: Scripting History featured Sneh Rana and Shafali Verma of the Indian Women’s National Cricket Team, where they spoke about India’s historic championship win and the rise of women’s sports. This was followed by The Next Narrative: Strategy, Story & AI another session of the evening with Jeff Walters (Boston Consulting Group) and Michael Bhaskar (Microsoft AI), and a keynote titled The Global Spirit of Sports by Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee.

A major cultural moment at the summit unfolded during Crafting Legacy & The Global Canvas of Brand India, a fireside chat with Deepika Padukone (Actor, Producer, Founder, 82°E and The Live Love Laugh Foundation) and Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Founder & Creative Director, Sabyasachi). The conversation explored the rise of Indian creativity, heritage, and design on the global stage. “Over the last decade, I’ve learned that success and victory aren’t the same, success is deeply personal, while victory is collective. I’ve faced doubt, criticism, and misunderstanding, but I never stopped working toward creating awareness and change. Today, to see conversations about mental health reach the mainstream. To know that it’s helping people in real ways, that’s the validation that matters most. For me, the next phase is about giving back, creating space for others, and building something that lasts beyond myself,” said Padukone.

The event concluded with a keynote address by Ryan McInerney, CEO of Visa Inc., on the session titled Mapping the Consumer & Commerce: Global Trends, where he discussed shifts in global consumption patterns, digital payments, and consumer expectations. The day concluded with an energetic music band performance followed by dinner.

CNBC-TV18 Global Leadership Summit 2nd Edition was proudly presented by HSBC India, co-presented by Embassy Group, powered by Google, and supported by Associate Partners ITC, WeWork India, Embassy REIT, and Reliance Industries Limited.