Romal Shetty

It was a privilege to meet Honourable Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and share two pieces of work that we at Deloitte are particularly proud of : Our GST@9 survey findings and the State of Financial Services in India report.
 
What stayed with me most, however, was not just the discussion on the reports, but the conversation itself.

Over the past several years, India and the Finance Minister have navigated an extraordinary series of global disruptions—a pandemic, geopolitical tensions, trade realignments, supply chain shocks, and economic uncertainty. Yet, through each of these challenges, the reform agenda has continued to move forward. It did not pause, nor did it wait for more favourable conditions.

That is uncommon. Many leaders can steer through a crisis. Others can drive reform. Sustaining both simultaneously, over an extended period, is far more difficult.

Our discussion covered the evolution of GST over the last nine years, the strength and resilience of India's financial services sector, the opportunity to deepen credit access for MSMEs, and the transformative role AI can play in accelerating financial inclusion.

It was a thoughtful, substantive exchange, and I left the meeting with an even greater appreciation for the importance of consistent, long-term reform in building a stronger and more resilient India.
Gokul Chaudhri, Debasish Mishra, Mahesh Jaising, Vijay Mani

GST @ 9: https://lnkd.in/d3UugBCb
State of FSI in India: https://lnkd.in/d6gteUnf

India’s AI moment is here.

For years, India consumed technology.
Today, India is creating it.

At the India AI Summit, I am proud to announce that Deloitte India has launched GenW.AI — a #MadeInIndia, next-generation low-code AI platform built to put the power of AI directly into the hands of enterprises.

But this is not just a product launch.

It is a statement of intent.

GenW.AI brings together apps, dashboards, workflows, and AI agents on a single, governed architecture — enabling organisations to build fast, scale responsibly, and retain full control of their data and IP, whether on-premise or in the cloud.

This matters.

Because AI will define competitiveness in this decade.
The real question is not whether to adopt AI — but how to harness it with speed, discipline, and trust.

GenW.AI is built:
• For experimentation
• For enterprise scale
• For responsible AI
• For India
• For the world

Whether you are a large enterprise, an MSME, or a startup — AI should not be complex, exclusive, or intimidating. It should be accessible, governed, and impactful.

That is what we have built.

I am incredibly proud of the teams who imagined and engineered this platform — from India, for India, and for the world.

The future of AI will belong to creators.
And India is ready to create.

Explore GenW.AI: www.genw.ai

Nitin Kini Debasish Mishra Shefali Goradia Sathish Gopalaiah Gokul Chaudhri Rohit Berry Anthony Crasto Deepti Sagar Saraswathi Kasturirangan Ananthi Amarnath Aditya Sudhindranath Jehil Thakkar Sudeepta Veerapaneni Jagdish Bhandarkar Namratha Rao Dr. Renata Jovanovic

#IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #GenWAI #EnterpriseAI #AIForIndia #IndiaBuildsAI #ResponsibleAI #DigitalIndia #AtmanirbharBharat #TechTransformation

What a night. What a game. What a reminder.
 
110,000 people. One stadium. One trophy. And a team that didn’t give up.
 
But before I talk about the game, let me tell you about the evening.
 
I went to the Narendra Modi Stadium Ahmedabad on Sunday night with my son to watch my favourite Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) play the IPL final. And I realised, sitting there in that roaring crowd, that the last time I was inside a cricket stadium was the 2011 World Cup — fifteen years ago.
 
Fifteen years. And tonight, watching RCB lift the trophy with him by my side, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Pure joy. No calls. Just a father, a son, and 110,000 people losing their minds together.
 
It brought me so much happiness. And it also gave me a quiet nudge — don’t wait 15 years to do the things that fill your soul. Life is too short, and the moments too precious.
 
Now, the game itself. For 18 years, RCB carried the hope of millions without a single title. They finally broke through last year. And this year, they did it again. That’s not talent alone. That’s character.
 
What moved me most was that this wasn’t a one-person show. Yes and let’s be honest — Virat is the epitome of hunger, passion and the will to win. There is not a single moment on that field where he switches off. Whether he’s batting, fielding, catching, or running — he gives everything, every time.

But look at the full picture.
 
Devdutt Padikkal's season was a masterclass in reinvention. He identified the gaps in his game, worked on them & came back stronger. Growth begins with honest self-reflection.
 
Rajat Patidar showed that leadership isn't about volume. It's about creating belief, bringing people together, and delivering when it matters.
 
Bhuvneshwar Kumar reminded us that past success isn't enough. The best continue to adapt, evolve and stay relevant.
 
Venkatesh Iyer spent much of the tournament waiting for his chance. When it came, he was ready. Preparation turns opportunity into impact.
 
Jitesh Sharma's story was one of belief. The team backed him through a difficult phase and he delivered when it mattered. Great leaders don't give up on people too soon.
 
In their ten wins, RCB had eight different match winners. That is the story. Not one hero — a whole team that took turns stepping up. A culture where everyone believed it could be them on any given night.
 
In our own journeys — as professionals, as leaders, as teams — we will all have our “18-year waits.” Moments where the result doesn’t match the effort. Where the trophy feels just out of reach.
 
But here’s what RCB also showed us: the first breakthrough is always the hardest. Once you cross it, once you prove to yourself that you can — the second time comes with more belief, more flow, more ease.
 
So keep showing up. Keep caring. Keep playing with heart. And don’t wait fifteen years to enjoy the journey.
 
Play like you mean it. Lead like you care. Win with grace.
 
🏆 and yes ee sala cup namde. :)

Back-to-back World Champions. Let that sink in. 🇮🇳🏏

India has achieved something truly historic — winning the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in consecutive editions and doing so on home soil for the first time by a host nation. Even more remarkable, this is now India’s third T20 World Cup title — the most by any team.

But what makes this triumph extraordinary is the consistency.
Across ICC tournaments in recent years, India has lost just two matches — an ODI World Cup final and one game against South Africa. Sustained excellence at this level is rare.
This World Cup, however, was not just about dominance.
It was about resilience.
Sanju Samson — not in the playing XI in 2024 — comes back to become Player of the Tournament.
Ishan Kishan — fighting his way back through domestic cricket — breaks the door open with performance.
Abhishek Sharma — the world No.1 T20 player who struggled through parts of the tournament — is backed by the team and delivers on the biggest stage in the final.
And then the quiet contributors:
Axar with game-changing catches and crucial wickets.
Shivam and Tilak with decisive cameos.
Hardik & Arshdeep bowling fearlessly at the death.
Varun still finishing among the leading wicket-takers.
And of course Jasprit Bumrah — calm, smiling, relentless — reminding us again why he is the best bowler in the world.
Players like Siraj, Rinku, Kuldeep and Washington may not always have the spotlight, but they embody something even more powerful: the team above the individual.
Leading this group was Suryakumar Yadav — captaining India is one of the toughest leadership roles in sport, where a billion people carry expectations and opinions. Alongside him, coach Gautam Gambhir built a culture that was always about the team first.
And this victory also sits within a larger moment for Indian cricket.
Just last year, the Indian women’s team lifted the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup — a landmark achievement that has further strengthened the game across the country.
And perhaps that is the real lesson from this era of Indian cricket.
Championships are rarely won by one hero.
They are won by belief, resilience, and collective strength — when every player rises to the moment.
In many ways, this team reflects the spirit of India today — confident, resilient, and ready to rise on the biggest stage.
When India plays with belief and unity, the world takes notice.
Congratulations Team India.
A billion hearts celebrate today

The easiest thing a partnership can do is maximise current profits. We chose differently.

We chose to invest in the firm of the future: in people, in platforms, in capabilities that don’t pay off next quarter. Fifty thousand professionals; a plan to reach one hundred thousand. A homegrown AI platform built in India, for India. Innovation, Cyber, and Quantum centres across Deloitte India that don't just showcase technology- they spark imagination. A strategy to serve India’s 75 million MSMEs—not someday, but now.
 
Some call it ambitious. I call it necessary
Because the real question was never can we grow this fast. It was - If not now then when? And if not us, who?

Sharing my recent interview with The Economic Times and Vinod Mahanta, where i speak about where Deloitte India is headed and why we still believe the best is still ahead

 
https://lnkd.in/gnqadXdD

The question is not whether disruption comes. It is how fast you recover, how decisively you respond, and whether you are built to thrive.
Audacity to lead. Resilience to endure and evolve. Together, they will define the journey to Viksit Bharat.

At the The Economic Times for Corporate Excellence, I shared a simple perspective on what will define Indian enterprise in the years ahead. Watch the video.

Where will the next wave of innovation come from?
 
It is emerging in rooms filled with students who are asking better questions, challenging assumptions and building solutions to real-world problems.
 
That was my experience at the Grand Finale of Hacksplosion 2026 whereby we initially received over 22,000 registrations from 60 colleges and finally shortlisted 60 teams.
 
Over three months, students from some of India’s leading institutions worked through real business challenges and built on Deloitte’s GenW.AI platform. One team built an AI system to convert unstructured court judgments into queryable legal intelligence. Another automated runbook generation for SRE engineers — cutting incident response time from 60 minutes to under 20 seconds. These were not student projects. These were real solutions to real problems.

What stayed with me was not just the technical depth. It was the resilience.
 
Behind every grand finale presentation were midnight calls, last-minute pivots, and moments of quiet doubt. And yet, they kept showing up. That persistence — more than any skill — is what separates people who build things from people who talk about building things.
 
Innovation is rarely a straight line.
 
It demands the confidence to test an idea, the humility to learn from setbacks and the persistence to keep improving.
 
This year's Hacksplosion was a deeply encouraging sight. Young minds combining analytical rigour with creativity, ambition and a genuine desire to solve meaningful problems.
 
That combination holds a lot of power.
 
At Deloitte, we are building a place where exceptional talent can learn continuously, work with emerging technologies and turn bold ideas into solutions that create massive impact.

Congratulations to the winners: MKSSS'S Cummins College Of Engineering Pune, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute Of Technology – Hyderabad Vardhaman College of Engineering (VCEH)- HYDERABAD
 
To every finalist at Hacksplosion 2026 — thank you for the energy, the questions, and the sense of possibility you carry. You reminded all of us why we do what we do. The future is in very good hands.
Vellore Institute of Technology
Vishwakarma Institute Of Technology – Pune
Odisha University of Technology and Research – Bhubaneswar
Jain (Deemed-to-be University) – Bangalore
Thadomal Shahani Engineering College – Mumbai  
Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Nitin Kini, Sudeepta Veerapaneni, Jagdish Bhandarkar, Namratha Rao, Deepti Sagar, Sangeetha Shagir, Vaishali Aranha

For years, we’ve judged India’s GCC story by the numbers: centres opened, jobs created, capital committed. Those numbers still matter. But they’re no longer the whole story.
 
The real question isn’t how many more centres India can attract. It’s whether India becomes the place global enterprises choose to build their most critical capabilities.
 
The momentum makes the case on its own. India added over 300 GCCs in FY26, nearly three times the pace of the previous five years. The sector now contributes close to US$100 billion to the economy, with room to grow to US$154-199 billion by 2030. And there’s still runway: only about a third of the S&P 500 and roughly a quarter of the Fortune 2000 have set up GCCs in India.
 
The shift in mandate is the most telling. Cost and standardisation used to be the pitch. Now global enterprises are handing GCCs AI, engineering, product development, cybersecurity, enterprise transformation, and even business strategy. That’s a different kind of trust, one placed in India’s talent and leadership, not just its economics.
 
This shift changes what matters nationally. Talent readiness, AI adoption, research, digital infrastructure, policy and innovation move from sector priorities to national ones. More than 60% of GCCs have already ramped up AI talent, and the value each GCC professional creates is projected to rise 25 to 30% over the next four years. Execution built this industry. Ideas are what will carry it forward.
 
None of this is only about GCCs. It’s about the innovation ecosystem we build around them: the talent we develop, the research we accelerate, the capabilities that will shape India’s place in the global economy for decades. Getting there needs industry, government and academia pulling in the same direction. And it needs us to move past incentives toward something more durable, a flywheel where policy enables investment, investment builds capability, capability earns higher-value mandates, and those mandates strengthen India’s competitiveness. Each turn makes the next easier.
 
Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman framed the ambition well: The goal for the next decade is not simply to host more GCCs, but to ensure that an increasing share of the world's ideas, patents, products, algorithms, platforms and enterprise capabilities are conceived, engineered and led from India.
 
These were some of the perspectives I shared at the Confederation of Indian Industry GCC Business Summit 2026. I haven’t felt this optimistic about India’s GCC journey in a long time. The centre count got us here. What we build next, the capability, the trust, the ecosystems around it, will decide where this goes.
Rohan Lobo, Gaurav Gupta, S. Anjani Kumar, Abhrajit Ray, Dr. Kamlesh Vyas, Saurabh Mathur; Ayush Rungta; Rishi M. #GCC

There was supposed to be an order to it.
First roads, then rockets.
First literacy, then laboratories.
First become a market, then a maker.
First get rich—and only then get ambitious.

Development arrived with a sequence attached. India chose its own. On our 80th Independence Day, four assumptions we quietly proved wrong.

1. They said size would slow us down.
Aadhaar reached over a billion Indians. UPI now processes over 23 billion transactions a month. We delivered 200 crore vaccine doses in 18 months. Scale stopped being our constraint and became our capability.

2.They said the world would come here for hands, not headquarters.
India once received work after decisions had been made. Today, over 2000 GCCs employ 2.36 million professionals and generate over $98 billion. From back office to brain trust—in a single working generation.

3.They said we would execute other people’s ideas.
Constraint became a design discipline. We reached Mars on our first attempt, for less than Hollywood spent on Gravity. Patent filings rose 180% in five years; recognised startups crossed 2 lakh. We stopped building only what the world asked for and started building what it needs.

4.They said the frontier belonged to richer countries.
Chandrayaan-3 landed where no nation had before: near the Moon’s south pole. We did not wait to become wealthy before allowing ourselves to become ambitious.

And something that makes me proudest.

On 20 January 2021, with fewer than Seven lakh Indians vaccinated, our first vaccine consignments left for Bhutan and the Maldives. Wealthier nations were pre-booking several times their populations. India shared anyway. In time, more than 30 crore Made-in-India doses reached over 100 destinations through grants, commercial supplies and COVAX.
In December 2004, the tsunami left over 16,000 Indians dead or missing. While we were still counting our own, Indian ships and aircraft carried relief to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia.

In 2023, when an earthquake struck Türkiye, differences did not matter. India sent rescue teams and a field hospital. We called it Operation Dost. Friend.

And the digital rails we built—identity, payments and open public infrastructure—we chose to share with the world.

To reach the Moon is extraordinary. To reach a neighbour on their worst day matters just as much. India’s progress is not only about how much stronger we have become, but what we choose to do with that strength.

This India was built by scientists and soldiers, teachers and farmers, doctors and workers—and millions whose names may never enter a history book, but whose work made all of this possible.

That is my greatest pride: India has shown what is possible.
There is much to achieve and many problems to solve. Tomorrow, work continues. Today, let us savour how far we have come and celebrate our freedom.
Another list awaits us 20 years from now. I hope to be around to read it.
Happy Independence Day. Jai Hind.

Nations rise not by chance, but by choice.
By intent. By institutions. And by leaders willing to think beyond the immediacy of the present. Ārohaṇa – Growth with Impact, Deloitte’s Government Summit, was created with this belief at its core.

India stands at a defining moment where proven digital capability evolves into national leadership, and trusted, population-scale digital public infrastructure has demonstrated what is possible. The next chapter is about stewardship: shaping how frontier technologies, such as AI, are governed, deployed, and scaled to serve society.
 
Over 300 leaders and institution-builders from government, defense, industry, and the knowledge ecosystem came together. Across two intense days, we hosted 35+ talks and panels and 17 Manthans, with participation from over 100 officers across Central and State Governments, PSUs, and Defense, spanning ministries and departments that form the backbone of India’s progress — technology, defence, education, health, infrastructure, railways, and more.
 
We had the honour of hosting Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism & Culture; Shri Harsh Malhotra, Hon’ble Minister of State for Corporate Affairs; Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh; Smt Diya Kumari, Dy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and Shri Priyank M Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for IT&BT of Karnataka.
 
It was an honour to exchange perspectives with Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of Naval Staff, an experience that evoked deep pride and respect, and a sense of gratitude for the leadership and sacrifice that safeguard our nation. It was also a privilege to engage with senior leadership from the Indian Armed Forces, Air Vice Marshal Tejpal Singh, Lt Gen Hitesh Bhalla, Lt Gen Rajiv Sahni, and Lt Gen Harsh Chhibber. The interactions were a powerful reminder that national strength is built on resilience, responsibility, and unwavering service.
 
The conversations focused on shared priorities:
·      Advancing AI as national infrastructure, anchored in safety and trust
·      Strengthening frontier R&D through alignment between academia, industry, and government
·      Applying technology to advance societal good, resilience, and long-term competitiveness
·      Building indigenous technology that will boost our internal and external security
·      Building interoperable platforms that support citizens across life events
·      enabling proactive and predictive governance
 
Ārohaṇa is a long-term commitment from Deloitte to create a platform, one that fosters dialogue to inform action, strengthen partnerships within institutions, and shapes choices that create a future worthy of India’s ambition. That is its purpose and the responsibility we carry forward together.
NSN Murty Sathish Gopalaiah Debasish Mishra Gokul Chaudhri Rohit Berry Anthony Crasto Shubhranshu Patnaik Srini Subramanian Madhumita Mohapatra Satish Kaushal

Heartfelt congratulations to Sheetal Devi and Team India on an outstanding performance at the World Archery Para Series in Nove Mesto.

With five Gold, three Silver and two Bronze medals, India has once again demonstrated its growing strength on the global stage. At the heart of that success was Sheetal, who won an Individual Silver, Mixed Team Gold and Women’s Team Bronze. Her qualification round was equally remarkable: a score of 697, including 21 Xs, finishing 13 points clear of the field and improving her own Asian record. Yet, what continues to inspire me most about Sheetal isn’t just what she achieves. It’s the mindset she brings to every achievement.

"Maine apna best diya... par aaj doosre athlete ka din tha. Koi na. Aur mehnat karungi, aur Gold lekar aaungi."

No excuses, no bitterness — just grace, gratitude, and the quiet promise to work harder and bring the Gold home. That is not the mindset of a champion in the making. That IS the mindset of a champion. Many of us in boardrooms spend entire careers trying to learn what this young lady already lives: celebrate with humility, lose with dignity, and treat every finish line as the next starting line.
 
Sheetal reminds me why she is my favourite athlete. Talent wins matches, but character builds legacies — and she has both in abundance.

At Deloitte India, we are proud to partner with Sheetal on her journey as she continues to redefine possibilities, inspire millions and make India proud on the global stage.

Congratulations once again to Sheetal and the entire Indian contingent. I have no doubt we will hear our National Anthem echo across many more arenas in the years ahead.

#SheetalDevi #TeamIndia #Champions #ImpactThatMatters #DeloitteIndia

Introducing Deloitte’s Premier Cyber Facility in India – #ConnectSafe Lab

Imagine if your car could be hacked — and the steering wheel controlled remotely. Imagine if a power plant’s turbines could be shut down by malicious code. Imagine if a medical device could be manipulated to display false readings.

Welcome to the world of Cyber OT.
Today, I am proud to announce the launch of ConnectSafe, Deloitte India’s first-ever cyber innovation facility — a bold step in shaping the future of #cybersecurity.
This immersive lab is more than infrastructure. It is intent. It is belief. It is our commitment to building world-class, future-ready cyber capabilities from
India, for critical systems that power our economy and society.

Cyber risk is no longer confined to IT. It is systemic, borderless, and increasingly targeting operational technology — connected factories, smart mobility, healthcare systems, and industrial ecosystems. The attack surface is expanding. The consequences are physical. The stakes are national.

At #DeloitteCyber, we chose not to react to this future — but to architect it.
Designed as a truly #BuiltInIndia platform, ConnectSafe showcases advanced, real-world capabilities across OT Security, IoT Security, Quantum-Safe Cybersecurity, MedTech Security, and Connected Product Ecosystems — enabling organisations to build resilience into the core of their operations.
We are here to co-create with industry, academia, and ecosystem leaders — ensuring innovation moves at the speed of trust.
The future will be connected.
The future must be resilient.
The future must be trusted.
And that future begins here.
#OTSecurity #IoTSecurity #QuantumSafe #MedTech #DigitalTrust #Innovation #DeloitteIndia
Nitin Kini Sathish Gopalaiah Gaurav Shukla Santosh Kumar Jinugu Piyush Bajpai Chinkle Umrania Dr. Renata Jovanovic Dr. Shravani Shahapure, CISSP

“I want to be known for making a difference in someone’s life.”

A simple line. Almost understated.
But perhaps the most enduring definition of success I’ve heard in a long time. Last week at our Deloitte South Asia Partnership Meet, I had the privilege of engaging with Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, alongside my colleague Shuchi Sangal.

Two extraordinary athletes.
World Cup winners.
Icons of Indian cricket.
But what stayed with me was not just what they have achieved…
it was who they are.
Jemimah spoke openly—about her vulnerabilities, her anxieties, even her breakdowns.
In a world that celebrates strength,
she chose to speak about fragility.
And in that moment, she reminded all of us:
Even champions have doubts.
And it is okay not to be okay.
As she spoke, what struck me just as deeply…
was the look in Harmanpreet’s eyes.
There was care.
There was understanding.
There was quiet strength.
We often think leadership is about intensity.
About driving performance.
About delivering results.
And yes, to lead a team as diverse as India and win a World Cup,
you need extraordinary intensity.
But what Harmanpreet showed us is this:
You also need to be deeply human.
Because the best leaders don’t just push people to perform—
they hold them when they are struggling.
Jemimah’s journey brought another powerful dimension.
Dropped.
Doubted.
And then returning with a defining 127 in the semi-final against Australia considered as the best chase ever in women's ODI history.
But she didn’t speak about it as redemption.
She spoke about belief.
The belief of a team.
The belief of people who stood by her
when her own belief wavered.

Both of them spoke about their beginnings.
No facilities.
No girls’ teams in school.
Playing with boys.
Facing constraints.
And yet…
none of that stopped them.
Because when purpose is clear,
noise becomes irrelevant.
They also spoke with deep respect for those who came before them:
“We are reaping the harvest of the seeds they have sown.”
Humility.
Gratitude.
And a clear understanding that no success is ever individual.
And then, that one line again:
“I want to be known for making a difference in someone’s life.”
In our world, we measure performance.
We track outcomes.
We compare results.
All of that matters.
But over time, a different question becomes far more important:
Who is better because you were there?
Because in the end…
that is what truly endures.

It’s our time. Apna Time Aa Gaya.
#5511 #LeadWithHeart #SAPM2026 #Leadership #Inspiration
Nandini Raghavendra

Strengthening a Defining Corridor: Reflections from the India–Japan Leadership Summit 2026

On 9 February 2026, we hosted the India–Japan Leadership Summit — convening senior leaders from Deloitte India and Deloitte Japan alongside 250+ clients shaping one of our most strategic bilateral corridors.
What stood out was the clarity of ambition.

Across leadership dialogues, sector roundtables, account deep-dives, and high-energy breakouts, one message was consistent: the India–Japan relationship is ready to move from collaboration to co-creation.
A defining moment was the Executives’ Dialogue, “Different to Differentiators,” featuring leaders from Hitachi, Daikin Comfort, Yanmar, and Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd. The conversation went beyond investment narratives — it focused on how to build in India with global scale, technological depth, and local precision.

We closed the evening with Shaon Sai — a reminder that while strategy drives direction, trust drives execution. Relationships remain the foundation of this corridor’s strength.

The India–Japan partnership is no longer about potential. It is about momentum. Here’s to building the next phase — together.

#IndiaJapanLeadershipSummit2026 #IndiaJapanCorridor #StrongerTogether #CoCreation #LeadershipInAction #DrivingImpact
Debasish Mishra Rohit Berry Nitin Kini Seiji Ota Sathish Gopalaiah Anthony Crasto Gokul Chaudhri Tomotaro Nagakawa Eiko Nagatsu Fumiko Mizoguchi Shingo Kayama Masahiko Hasegawa Easwaran Subramanian Anil Talreja Rohit Mahajan Manish Aggarwal Dhiraj Bhandary

India’s banking sector has scripted one of the most impressive turnarounds anywhere in the world — bad loans down from 8.21% in FY20 to 2.21% in FY25, return on equity back above 14%. This is the result of sustained, thoughtful work by regulators, policymakers and banks acting in concert. It deserves to be celebrated.

And it opens an exciting question: with the foundation this strong, how far can we now go?

In our op-ed in The Economic Times, Aditya Puri and I explore what the next phase could look like. The opportunity is enormous — bringing millions of microenterprises and aspiring households into formal credit, deepening our corporate debt markets, and evolving frameworks like PSL to reflect today’s economy. Done well, these steps could add 30–40 bps to near-term GDP growth and power the journey to Viksit Bharat.

The encouraging part: the dialogue between regulators, policymakers and market participants is already active. The measures we outline build on that momentum.

It was a privilege to think through this with Aditya — few people understand Indian banking as deeply as he does.

The clean-up chapter is complete. The growth chapter is ours to write — together.

Full article attached. Debasish Mishra Vijay Mani Jehil Thakkar

https://lnkd.in/dm6dGZxD

#Banking #ViksitBharat #FinancialServices #Deloitte

Some responsibilities arrive long before we feel ready for them.
Some battles begin even before we have learned how to heal.

Janhavi Gaikwad's journey is one of those.
She joined Deloitte in 2021 — full of hope, stepping into her first professional chapter. Like many of us, she was thinking about learning, growing, building a career.
What she did not expect was that a routine health check-up would change everything. Janhavi was diagnosed with a rare and complex form of cancer — dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP).

What followed was not just treatment. It was a test of endurance.
Multiple surgeries. Radiation. Long, uncertain days. Quiet resilience.
The kind of strength that is not loud — but deeply personal.
And just as she began to find her way back… life tested her again.
Her father collapsed on his way to work and required urgent heart surgery.
Her mother’s condition worsened, leading to a knee replacement.
One crisis after another. At home. At once.
In that moment, Janhavi was not just recovering.
She became the pillar.
As the eldest child, with younger siblings still finding their own path, she carried more than her share — emotional strain, financial pressure, difficult decisions… all while trying to show up, every day, at work.

And yet, like so many who carry silent burdens, she kept going.
Until one day, someone asked a simple question:
“How are you doing?”
Not as a formality. But with intent.
That moment changed everything.
It gave her the space to pause. To speak. To be heard.
And what followed was not just support — it was humanity.
Her team stood by her. With flexibility. With care. With consistency.
Reminding her that she didn’t have to carry everything alone.
Janhavi is deeply grateful to vinay kashyap, Manvi Singh, Vaidehi Rajwade, Agam Satsangi, Amruta Inamdar, Foram C and Tara Gohil for standing by her, and to Saraswathi Kasturirangan our chief happiness officer, for her guidance and steady support.
Today, Janhavi is two years cancer-free.
Her father has recovered. Her mother is rebuilding strength.
And Janhavi herself has found something even more powerful than recovery — purpose. She is using her journey to support others, to speak about mental wellbeing, and to remind people that strength is not about holding everything in — it is about knowing when to share.

What stays with me from Janhavi’s story is this:
Not every act of leadership is visible.
Sometimes, it is a question.
Sometimes, it is presence.
Sometimes, it is simply choosing to care.
Because in that moment, you don’t just support a colleague —
you change a life.

Janhavi, your courage is extraordinary.
Your strength is quiet, but unshakeable.
And your journey is a reminder to all of us — of what it truly means to lead with heart.
We are deeply inspired by you.

This International Women’s Day gave me an experience I will never forget.
For a few minutes, I tried playing blind cricket along with our chief happiness officer Saraswathi Kasturirangan.
Listening for the sound of the ball. Running without knowing exactly where to run. Relying entirely on instinct and trust. Within seconds I realised how extraordinarily difficult it is.

We at Deloitte had the privilege of hosting the Indian Blind Women’s Cricket Team — the T20 World Cup champions in our office. Spending time with them, you realise quickly that the medal is only a small part of their story.

I asked Deepika, the captain, about leadership. When she was first asked to take on the role, she wasn’t sure she was ready. But with encouragement from her mentors, she stepped forward. She spoke about how Dr. Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar has been a second father to her helping in her entire journey and her gratitude to him and Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, Bangalore.

When I asked how it felt to win the World Cup for India, the pride in her voice was unmistakable. She also said something that stayed with me:
“I am not the only leader. In our team, there are 16 leaders.”
Another moment stood out. When the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh asked what she wanted after their victory, her request was simple:
“Build a road to my village.” She didn’t ask for anything for herself.

Beside her sat Simu, who spoke about arriving in Delhi with almost nothing, working small jobs, studying late into the night, and slowly building a life of independence — step by step — until becoming a World Cup champion. When she started

Later that day, I spent time with a group of women from our support staff.
Many balance work, family, and the hope of creating better opportunities for their children.
My message to them was simple:
Invest in education for your children — and keep upskilling yourselves. Never assume the role you are in today defines what you can become tomorrow.

That day reminded me that strength shows up in many forms — on cricket fields, in homes, and in communities.
And when women rise, entire communities rise with them.
#InternationalWomensDay #Inspiration #WomenWhoLead #Resilience

Breaking barriers. One gold at a time.

Sheetal Devi has won Gold at the 2nd Khelo India National Ranking for Women’s Archery Tournament — this time in the Junior Able-Bodied category.
Let that sink in for a moment. Yes able bodied category - without arms she has won gold in the able bodied category.

Sheetal doesn’t compete despite constraints. She competes without acknowledging them. When she steps onto the field, she doesn’t see categories or limitations — she sees the target, the discipline, and the possibility ahead.
What makes this even more special is the consistency. Medal after medal, competition after competition, she keeps moving forward — not chasing headlines, but steadily building towards a much bigger dream. This is what quiet excellence looks like.
At Deloitte, we are proud to stand alongside Sheetal Devi — enabling her to focus fully on training, competition, and her journey on the national and global stage. But the real credit, as always, belongs to her grit, belief, and relentless pursuit of excellence.

Innovation happens when bold ambition, cutting-edge technology, and exceptional talent converge with a shared purpose.

June 2026 marks a significant milestone — the launch of Deloitte India’s dedicated SAP Delivery Centre in Bengaluru.

This is more than a workspace. It is a future-ready hub built on three defining principles: Collaboration. Innovation. Well-being. A place where SAP expertise, advanced engineering, and AI-led capabilities come together to solve complex business challenges and create lasting impact at scale.

The Centre is designed for a growing ecosystem of 1,000+ professionals — AI specialists, cloud engineers, data experts, and technology innovators — with 300 to 500 more joining over the next 12 to 24 months. The focus: Agentic AI, Generative AI, cloud architecture, data engineering, and intelligent automation.

What excites me most is not just the technology we are building here. It is the environment we are creating — one where experimentation is encouraged, ideas move at the speed of business, and people are empowered to do their best work.

Because breakthrough innovation is ultimately a people story.

My deep appreciation to Sandeep Poojary and his incredible team for the vision and relentless commitment that brought this to life — and to our partners at SAP for a collaboration that continues to grow stronger.

The future of enterprise transformation is being built here, in India. Grateful to all our leaders who made this happen - Sathish Gopalaiah, Nitin Kini, Gaurav Gupta, Saraswathi Kasturirangan, Vadhi Narasimhamurti, Yatin Patil, Anand Rajagopalan John Steele and Florian Ploner

#DeloitteSAPDeliveryCenter #BuiltToTransform #5511

Budget 2026: Making India attractive for sustained investment

This Budget marks a decisive shift—from chasing capital to earning long-term investor confidence.
The emphasis is on predictability, policy clarity, and stable frameworks across digital infrastructure, technology services, manufacturing, and fiscal discipline. India is positioning itself not just as an attractive destination for capital, but as a market where capital can commit, compound, and stay.
I’ve unpacked what this means for India’s evolving investment narrative in my latest article in The Economic Times.

Thrilled to share that the Pitch Day for the first Yes/Bengaluru Innovation Challenge was conducted on 3 February 2026 in Bengaluru.

The program continues to gain remarkable momentum under the leadership of the World Economic Forum, supported by a coalition of Anthill Ventures, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco, Deloitte, Johnson Controls, Rainmatter Foundation, Salesforce, Government of Karnataka, and the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority.

Launched on 14 October 2025, the challenge called for solutions across three critical themes — efficient utilities and infrastructure, reliable mobility, and resilient, environmentally sustainable urban systems. We received 205 high-quality applications, with 25 innovators shortlisted to pitch earlier this month — representing some of the most promising emerging talent in the ecosystem.

Interacting with these founders was both energising and reassuring. From circular economy models and next-generation water solutions to clean mobility, sustainable construction, emissions reduction and climate-resilient infrastructure — powered by AI, ML, IoT and robotics — the depth of thinking and clarity of purpose stood out.

It was also heartening to see the deep commitment of the wider Yes/BLR ecosystem collaborators, who stepped up as panelists and reviewers — actively engaging with founders and helping surface the most promising, high‑impact solutions. A special appreciation to Advantedge Founders Brigade REAP, Chalo, EnAble India, GSMA, KReate Foundation, NOW Venture Studio, SAP, Startup Policy Forum, Swissnex in India, Consulate General of Switzerland in India, United Way Bengaluru, WRI India, and Upaya Social Ventures for bringing their expertise, sharp insights, and unwavering enthusiasm to this collective effort.

With winners to be announced by end-March 2026, the momentum around YES/Bengaluru is only building. This is what becomes possible when institutions, innovators and ecosystem leaders move in sync — cities unlock solutions that truly improve how people live, work and move.

My congratulations to the force supporting this initiative World Economic Forum, John Dutton (uplink), Apurva Mujumdar, Saraswathi Kasturirangan, NSN Murty Biswas, Debashish, Rahul Sachdeva Priyanka Nagesh, Sanjeev Jammihal Ajit Kumar Vivek Pai, Anand Prithviraj.

#YesBLR #YesBengaluru #YesCities #WEF #DeloitteIndia #UrbanInnovation #FutureCities #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #Mobility #AI #IoT

India has consistently demonstrated a unique ability to take emerging technologies and transform them into platforms of scale, impact, and global relevance. From digital public infrastructure to AI adoption, we have shown that when capability meets ambition, India does not just participate—it leads.
Today, we take a meaningful step in that direction with the launch of Deloitte India’s Quantum Centre of Disruption for Enterprises (QCoDE™) at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. This is not just an investment in a new technology domain; it is a deliberate investment in India’s future and in shaping the next frontier of innovation.

As quantum transitions from theory to real-world application, the opportunity is clear. Those who act early will define the next wave of economic value creation. At QCoDE, our focus is to help Indian enterprises move from experimentation to tangible impact—by shaping quantum strategies, building future-ready talent, and identifying high-value use cases that can unlock real business outcomes.

What makes this initiative truly distinctive is the role Deloitte will play as an orchestrator of a broader ecosystem. By embedding ourselves within IIT Bombay’s research environment, we are bringing together academia, industry, start-ups, government, and global technology leaders into a unified platform. Our objective is simple yet ambitious: to enable collaboration at scale so that innovation moves faster, ideas translate into applications, and India builds leadership in quantum technologies.

This vision is strongly aligned with the Government of India’s National Quantum Mission and reflects a shared belief—that India should not just be a consumer of quantum technologies, but a global hub for innovation and leadership in this space.

We are proud to collaborate with leading organisations such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), NVIDIA, and pioneering start-ups like QpiAI and Kipu Quantum. Together, this ecosystem brings deep capabilities across research, infrastructure, and real-world applications—creating a strong foundation for India’s quantum journey.

The quantum era is no longer distant. It is unfolding now. The question is not whether it will transform industries, but who will shape that transformation. With QCoDE, we are committed to ensuring that India is at the forefront of this change.
#QuantumComputing #Innovation #India #FutureOfTech #5511
Enrique Solano Nagendra Nagaraja Pradeep Jhunjhunwala Sundar Rajan Ramalingam Nitin Kini, Debasish Mishra, Sathish Gopalaiah, Jehil Thakkar, Jagdish Bhandarkar, Dr. Renata Jovanovic, Anthony Crasto, Jaikumar Subramanian, Gaurav Shukla, NSN Murty, Madhumita Mohapatra, Namratha Rao, Sudeepta Veerapaneni

Our Deloitte India AI Platform which we launched at the AI summit - GenW. Made in India, made for India and made for the world. A Proud moment for us

At the AI Impact Summit, I found myself in two very different — yet deeply connected — conversations about AI.

In the first, on AI & Consulting, I shared the stage with Sanjeev Krishan and Vedica Kant.

In the second, on AI for Inclusive Societal Development, alongside Arundhati Bhattacharya, Manisha Varma, and Aditya Natraj, we discussed how AI can empower India’s 490 million informal workers.

A quick personal note — it was wonderful to share the dais with Sanjeev. He was my manager in my very first job. Life has a way of coming full circle, and it’s always a pleasure to reconnect and share the warmth and camaraderie.
And Vedica did a terrific job moderating — incisive, sharp, and unafraid to push the panel beyond comfortable answers.

Across both sessions, one theme stood out:
India cannot approach AI as a spectator. India must approach AI as a context.
In consulting, we were candid. AI is generational disruption. It removes information asymmetry — but it does not replace insight. As information becomes abundant, value shifts upward: toward judgment, synthesis, creativity, and empathy. That shift will redefine talent models, pricing, and scale — especially in a country with 75 million MSMEs.

In the societal conversation, the lens widened. AI must not be confined to enterprise productivity. It must empower carpenters, farmers, plumbers, and small entrepreneurs — enabling verifiable credentials, better underwriting, lower cost of credit, and dignified participation in the formal economy.
India’s AI opportunity is not to replicate another nation’s playbook. It is to demonstrate inclusive AI at scale — across languages, regions, and socio-economic realities.
That belief is why we launched GenW.AI — an enterprise-grade platform designed to build fast, scale responsibly, and retain control of data and IP on a governed architecture.
If India is to lead in AI with confidence, we must combine innovation with governance, speed with security, and ambition with accountability.
That balance will define our moment.
#IndiaAIImpactSummit #GenWAI #ResponsibleAI #InclusiveGrowth #LeadershipInAction
S. Anjani Kumar Nikhil Kolur

Reputation used to be built over years.

Today, it can shift in minutes. A single post. An influencer claim. A customer complaint that gains traction. What was once a controlled narrative is now shaped in the open—fast, fragmented, and amplified at scale.

At the same time, the ecosystem around it is evolving. Regulators, industry bodies, and platforms are raising the bar on accountability in digital communication. What organisations say, and how it is interpreted, carries greater consequence than ever before. Fines, takedowns, bans, and loss of investor and consumer trust are becoming immediate and material risks.

This is the reality many organisations are grappling with today. You don’t control when a narrative starts. You don’t always see it early enough. And by the time you respond, it is often already amplified.
That gap is where risk lives.

We’ve been working with organisations to address exactly this—not just through policy, but through real-time social media governance.
Our capability enables organisations to detect emerging risks and red flags early, identify misleading claims and compliance gaps, track how narratives evolve across platforms, and respond in a structured, compliant manner in real time.

In essence, it helps organisations move from reacting to social media… to governing it. Because in today’s environment, reputation is not managed after the event—it is shaped in the moment, under constant scrutiny.

To explore how this works and how organisations are building stronger control over digital narratives, you can learn more here:
https://lnkd.in/g8yrmYDD
Anthony Crasto PEEYUSH VAISH Chandrashekar Mantha Kashyap Pathak Guneet Vijan

India’s economic trajectory is robust, full of promise, and still unfolding

It was a privilege to speak at TiE Mangaluru 2026 on India@2047: The Trillion-Dollar Opportunity—and to do so in Coastal Karnataka, a place that shaped my early worldview and continues to shape my belief in India’s future.
India is uniquely positioned to become the world’s third-largest economy—not by chance, but by design. A median age of 29, rising per-capita incomes, and digital and physical infrastructure built at population scale give India a structural advantage that compounds over decades, not quarters.
What excites me most is how entrepreneurship in India is evolving. We are moving from services to creation, from execution to innovation, and from incremental value to impact at scale. Startups across the country are solving hard technology problems with speed and frugality—building products not just for global markets, but for Bharat. This shift is deepening long-term value creation and redefining India’s role in the global economy.
With nearly 22% of the world’s leading Global Capability Centres already in India, the next chapter of growth will be written beyond metros—by tier-2 and tier-3 cities with strong academic foundations, globally relevant talent, and a hunger to build. Cities like Mangaluru remind us that India’s greatest strength has always resided beyond the obvious centres of power.
It was equally wonderful to engage in a fireside chat with Rohith Bhat, and to have a thoughtful one-on-one conversation with Captain Brijesh Chowta, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Mangaluru. Conversations like these—grounded in regional context and national ambition—are where ideas begin to turn into execution.
I remain deeply bullish about India. Not as an idea—but as a trajectory shaped by intent, capability, and execution. The decades ahead will see India steadily claim its rightful place in the world, driven by creation at scale, institutional maturity, and leadership that thinks not in years, but in generations.
Coming back to Coastal Karnataka to have this conversation made it even more meaningful. Sometimes, the future feels clearest when you return to your roots.
#TiECon2026 #IndiaAt2047 #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #Tier2India #CoastalKarnataka #Leadership #IndiaRising Lalith Rai

This Budget makes one thing clear to me. India’s future won’t be built only in its metros. It will be shaped in districts and small towns, with Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities emerging as the centre of India’s growth story.
MSMEs are central to this shift, enabled by digital infrastructure and increasingly integrated into value chains. What stands out is the connected thinking across AI, skilling, tourism, logistics, and ease of doing business, creating a more distributed and resilient growth model.

I have shared a deeper view on what this means for enterprises, investors, and institutions. Curious to hear how others are reading it.

https://lnkd.in/gQUKsQbF

There are sessions you attend…
And then there are sessions that stay with you.
At our Deloitte South Asia Partnership Meet 2026, Vivek Chaand Sehgal Chairman and co-founder of Samvardhana Motherson Group delivered one such masterclass.

“Knowledge takes you from A to B…
but imagination gets you anywhere.”
And this:
“Set a goal so high… that you will never reach it.”
In those two lines, he captured the essence of what it takes to build something truly extraordinary.
From starting with ₹1,000 of capital alongside his mother…
to building Motherson Group into a $25B global enterprise across 47 countries and 200,000+ people…
This is not just a story of scale. It is a story of belief, discipline, and relentless execution.
What struck me most was the simplicity of his thinking:
👉 “We are not geniuses… just ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
👉 “By yourself, better yourself.”
👉 “Something has to be bigger than you.”
And this line that stayed with me:
“We don’t just make parts… we make the car come alive.”
That is not manufacturing. That is purpose.

He spoke about speed with absolute clarity:
“If I didn’t have speed, I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”
In a world chasing perfection… he chooses momentum.
But perhaps the most powerful idea was this:
One goal. Total alignment.
For Motherson, it is 108 billion.
No distraction. No dilution. Just Arjun ki aankh — one target.

And then, a thought that challenges conventional wisdom:
“Our strategy is not to have a strategy…
because we align to the customer’s strategy.”
In a world full of frameworks, this is clarity through common sense.
At the heart of it all:
“Together, we strive to delight.”
Not just customers…but associates, partners, and communities.
Because in the end, what you build must be bigger than yourself.
In a room of over 1,000 partners and global leaders, you could feel something shift.
This was not a keynote.
It was a masterclass in entrepreneurship, ambition, and creating enduring value.

In many ways, it mirrors what we are building with 5511.
Audacious ambition.
Clarity of thought.
Relentless execution.
And above all… belief.
When leaders like Chaand Sehgal speak,
they don’t just inspire you…
They expand your imagination.
It’s our time.
Apna Time Aa Gaya.
Laksh Vaaman Sehgal Gandharv Tongia Samir Shah Vijay Agarwal Anand Subramanian Gautam Wadhera anup sharma Jean-Marc Mickeler Hidehito Goda
#5511 #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #SAPM2026 #IndiaRising

Behind every smile lies a story. A life shaped in moments no one sees. A journey carved with quiet hunger. A moment when everything looked like the end, and a voice within said, “not today”. The walls of Deloitte hold several such stories.
 
Hear from three of our professionals Amit Vishwakarma, Anil Kadam & Geetha Madhuri Bobbili who have rewritten theirs. Forged through fire. Lifted by courage. Driven by an unshaken will to rise. Stories that stay with you, long after the screen fades.
 
Because organisations are never built by structures or strategies alone. They are built by people. People who carry unseen battles with grace, whose strength speaks even in silence, who remind us that resilience is not rare; it is within all of us.
 
And it is this resilience that shapes who we are, together.
 
Abhishek Batra Vasishta Bhat

Inspired by You, Suresh

Navigating legal risks & protecting the reputation of a firm is a constant test of judgement, integrity & courage. At the forefront of this responsibility stands Suresh Kumar S, serving as the General Counsel of Deloitte India.
 
He grew up in a family with modest means, where financial security was never taken for granted. After completing his 10th standard, his parents encouraged him to learn shorthand and typewriting, practical skills at the time that offered a reliable path to early employment. Suresh took their advice and began working early. Yet, somewhere within him was a quiet belief that this was only the beginning.
 
While working as a stenographer, Suresh pursued company secretaryship and law, balancing work with rigorous study. For years, every leave he earned went into preparing for or writing exams, quietly building the foundation for what lay ahead.
 
One of the most defining moments in his career came when he was considering a role that would require him to step into much broader legal responsibilities. During that time, he came across a line that resonated deeply with him: “Only when you dare to lose sight of the shore can you discover new lands”, and it reaffirmed his decision to take the bold leap.
 
In his new role, he worked alongside some of the brightest legal minds. Aware of the gaps in his knowledge, he pushed himself relentlessly, determined to live up to the trust placed in him.
 
When Suresh joined Deloitte over a decade ago, he discovered a firm whose values resonated deeply with his own. Over the years, he has helped the firm navigate complex challenges, including guiding critical decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
He recalls an intense stretch of late nights and tight deadlines, often working past midnight. With many women colleagues on the team, Suresh took it upon himself to ensure everyone got home safely—personally driving them back for nearly ten consecutive days, reaching home past 2 a.m., only to return to work the next morning.
 
This instinct to go above and beyond is also reflected in how he mentors his team. Inspired by his journey, one of his executive assistants chose to pursue law. After she completed her studies, Suresh supported her in building practical legal skills until she was ready to join the team as a lawyer.
 
Beyond the corporate world, music remains his lifelong passion. Trained under the legendary musician Late U. Shrinivas, Suresh has been performing on stage since he was a teenager. One lesson from that experience that has stayed with him is that true mastery comes from constant evolution.
 
In many ways, he believes professional life is no different. Excellence is not a destination. It is a continuous journey of learning, refining, & evolving. 
Today, his work has earned recognition across the legal community, including being named among the country’s top 100 General Counsels for 3 consecutive years.

You inspire us, Suresh, and we are proud to have you.

At the Deloitte AI Forum 2026, I began with a simple yet urgent premise: We are at a defining moment in the evolution of AI.

AI today can draft strategies, diagnose disease, predict demand and increasingly act on our behalf. Yet across boardrooms, governments and institutions, hesitation persists. Not because AI lacks capability—but because trust has not kept pace with ambition. As leaders, we are navigating 3 structural shifts simultaneously: geopolitics marked by daily volatility, AI emerging as a strategic lever for enterprises globally, and a workforce redefining expectations of work, learning, and purpose. The paradox in boardrooms is clear: AI capability is accelerating, yet enterprise adoption remains cautious. The constraint is not intelligence—it is trust.

I framed this through 3 leadership imperatives that define the real return on intelligence.
First, trustworthy AI.
Intelligence without governance destroys value. Data quality, lineage, transparency, and accountability are foundational—not optional. Without trust, there is no economic return.
Second, human-in-the-loop leadership.
Judgment remains irreplaceable. AI may surface the optimal move, but leaders must interpret, contextualise, and decide. Machines calculate. Humans lead.
Third, return on intelligence.
Upskilling is not a cost line—it is an intelligence amplifier. Advantage will belong to organisations that evolve their people alongside their technology.

These ideas came alive in my conversation with Viswanathan Anand—India’s first Grandmaster, World Chess Champion, Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awardee and the quiet force behind India’s historic rise in global chess, with 3 players now in the world’s top 10. What stood out most was not just his genius, but his humility. In an era obsessed with winning, he exemplifies something rarer—grace, perspective, and leadership beyond the board. A true champion and a role model for the world.

Through the lens of elite chess and decision-making under pressure, Anand offered a powerful reminder: The journey has shifted from competing against machines to learning with them. AI raises the standard, and humans define how the game is played. In high-pressure moments, this translates into leadership that knows when to trust preparation and when to adapt under uncertainty, that continually reinvents strategy as conditions shift, and that uses AI as a coach while preserving distinctly human strengths—intuition, emotion, and judgment.

AI will continue to raise the standard, and humans will define how the game is played. The enduring edge comes from asking better questions, applying context, and continuously learning and adapting. The opportunity ahead is to design with AI, govern it with intent, and grow alongside it. AI exists to elevate leadership, strengthening thinking, sharpening judgment and value creation at scale.
Beena Ammanath Jim Rowan Vishal Sharma Saurabh Kumar Prashanth Kaddi Ashvin Vellody Moumita Sarker Jehil Thakkar #DAIF2026

My address at the Deloitte AI Forum 2026 - our flagship AI event.

Mangaluru has all the ingredients of a high-impact innovation hub—deep-rooted institutions, an entrepreneurial DNA, and talent that thinks well beyond boundaries. Add to that a pristine coastline that offers balance, perspective, and quality of life—an often underestimated advantage in building enduring companies. And as my hometown 😊, this makes the opportunity especially meaningful.

I’m looking forward to engaging with founders, investors, and ecosystem builders at TiE Mangaluru’s TiECon Mangaluru 2026 on 16 January at the Dr. TMA Pai International Convention Centre.

I strongly believe the next wave of Bharat’s growth will come from cities that combine capability with conviction—and Mangaluru is firmly part of that future.
#TiECon2026 #TiEMangaluru #Leadership #StartupEcosystem #SiliconBeachOfIndia

Back in Davos at the World Economic Forum—where leaders from business, industry, and government come together to engage on the world’s most consequential challenges.

Day 1 was anchored in meaningful client engagements and deep conversations with Deloitte colleagues from across the global network. I also had the opportunity to attend an The Economic Times panel and the TIME100 Davos Dinner—both powerful reminders of the scale of ideas, leadership, and ambition reshaping economies and industries worldwide.
What made the day truly fascinating was the extraordinary range of perspectives and topics in the room.
From hearing the incredibly talented Matt Damon speak with conviction about water conservation, to Ngozi Okonjo‑Iweala sharing her optimism on the future of global trade—grounded in realism, cooperation, and reform.
I was equally inspired listening to Jason M. Girzadas our Deloitte US CEO articulate how a human-led, AI-powered model can fundamentally reimagine how organisations operate, create value, and build trust.
Conversations on purpose and humanity were equally powerful—Nomzamo Mbatha spoke movingly about the global refugee crisis and the collective responsibility we share to drive meaningful impact.
And then there were moments that felt like science fiction—but are fast becoming reality: companies speaking about efforts to bring back extinct species, reminding us how rapidly science, technology, and ambition are converging.
Across the day, discussions spanned AI and its disruptive potential, geopolitics, energy transitions (including green energy), and pragmatic conversations with the Government of Uttar Pradesh on how investments can be fast-tracked to accelerate growth and impact.
True to its theme, A Spirit of Dialogue, the Annual Meeting is defined by thoughtful exchange and intellectual rigour. India’s presence—its ideas, capabilities, and confidence—was visible across these discussions.
Looking ahead to another strong and productive day.
#DeloitteAtDavos #IndiaAtDavos #WEF2026 #Leadership #AI #Sustainability #GlobalDialogue Swati Agarwal

Inspired by you, Veena Addepalli

The first person to take a new path rarely walks it for themselves alone. They make it easier for everyone who follows.

For Veena, becoming the first woman Chartered Accountant from her village was never just a personal milestone. It changed what an entire community believed was possible. A bright student who always embraced challenges, Veena chose chartered accountancy at a time when it was an unconventional path for a young woman from her village. While many questioned the decision, she saw an opportunity. She moved to Vijayawada and later to Hyderabad to pursue her dream, funding her education by teaching tuition classes and participating in quiz competitions, where every prize brought her one step closer to qualifying. Years of resilience and determination paid off when she earned her CA qualification.

But her story didn’t end there.

Veena returned to her village to mentor aspiring students, encourage young women to dream bigger, and help families see possibilities beyond convention. What once seemed unimaginable gradually became a path others were willing to take because someone had shown it was possible. When she joined Deloitte in 2012, she carried that same mindset with her.

Navigating a new corporate environment, language barriers and unfamiliar cultures, she embraced every challenge as an opportunity to learn. Today, Veena is a Partner, leading global engagements and representing Deloitte on the world stage. One of her proudest moments came after making Partner, when her parents visited the Hyderabad office for a special celebration. Seeing the pride in their eyes remains one of the most meaningful milestones of her journey.

Veena credits her parents for teaching her to dream fearlessly while staying grounded, and is deeply grateful to the mentors and leaders who believed in her potential. Today, she strives to create that same environment for her own teams.

Beyond work, she loves travelling, is learning the guitar, and rarely misses an opportunity to spend time with Dino, her Golden Retriever, and her niece, Joita.

Her next dream is perhaps her biggest yet. She hopes to establish a free institute for young people from rural communities, helping them develop the confidence, communication skills and executive presence that allow their talent to shine. Because she knows first-hand that potential is everywhere. Opportunity isn't.

We are inspired by you, Veena.

Thank you for proving that when one person has the courage to go first, they don't just change their own future, they change the future for everyone who follows.
Anthony Crasto Senthilvel Kaliyamurthy Ramu N Deepa Seshadri