ETCIO Annual Conclave 2025: Redefining the CIO's Journey from Technology Steward to Enterprise Leader
The Economic Times
CIO
(ETCIO) announces its landmark 7th Annual Conclave, themed "
CIO 3.0
: Transforming Innovation into Business Reality," taking place May 29 to June 1, 2025, at the Grand Hyatt, Goa. This invitation-only gathering will bring together over 200 of India's most influential technology leaders to explore the evolving role of the CIO from technology enabler to business strategist and potential CEO.
In an era where AI, automation and data analytics are fundamentally reshaping business landscapes, the 2025 Conclave addresses the critical evolution of the CIO role. No longer confined to technical implementation, today's CIOs are increasingly becoming architects of growth, drivers of customer experience and shapers of enterprise strategy.
"The modern CIO stands at a pivotal crossroads," said Amit Kumar Gupta, Business Head, ET Business Verticals. "This year's Conclave is designed as a blueprint for technology leaders who are ready to translate their innovation capabilities into tangible business outcomes and position themselves for the highest levels of corporate leadership."
The
ETCIO Annual Conclave 2025
delivers an unparalleled experience crafted specifically for technology leaders at the pinnacle of their fields. Attendees will engage with Dr. Ram Charan's exclusive masterclass on the CIO-to-CEO journey, participate in 25+ visionary sessions spanning multiple formats and connect during 1,000+ minutes of strategic networking opportunities with peers from India's most prestigious organisations.
Technology visionaries from ICICI Bank, Ola, Akasa Air, Zepto, Hero MotoCorp, NSE, Adani Group and other industry titans will lead critical conversations on AI as the new enterprise operating system, strategies for leading through constant disruption, data democratisation across organisations and next-generation infrastructure approaches. This carefully orchestrated convergence of India's top technology minds creates not merely a conference but a transformative leadership laboratory where today's innovations become tomorrow's competitive advantages.
Setting this Conclave apart are the carefully crafted evening experiences featuring conversations with prominent figures from Bollywood, business and sports, complemented by performances from India's most celebrated musical artists—creating an environment where intellectual stimulation meets cultural enrichment.
The ETCIO Annual Conclave isn't just an event; it's where the future of technology leadership is defined. Attendees don't just leave with new ideas—they leave with transformed perspectives on their role in shaping enterprise futures.
For more information about the ETCIO Annual Conclave 2025 or to request an invitation, visit:
https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/annual-conclave
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Odisha CM Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Krishi Bhawan in Sambalpur
Sambalpur (Odisha) [India], June 1 (ANI): Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday inaugurated the newly constructed Krishi Bhawan in Sambalpur on the occasion of Sitalsasthi, a major cultural festival in western Odisha. Speaking to mediapersons here, Pradhan said, 'I thank the double-engine government in Odisha for undertaking many works for the benefit of the farmers in the last year... On top of the MSP increased by the central government on Kharif crops, Odisha also gives Rs 800 per quintal from its budget... No one has given so much subsidy, so much help to farmers after independence...' Meanwhile, addressing the 'prhAI: Conclave on AI in Education', organised by the Centre of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG), Chief Minister Pradhan said that AI was both inevitable and essential. 'Just like the internet, AI has become a basic necessity,' Pradhan said. Speaking at the Conclave, Pradhan shared his thoughts on AI's transformative potential in reshaping the Indian education system. Pradhan said that there are hardly any higher education institutions in India where AI is not discussed. He described AI as both inevitable and essential: 'Just like the internet, AI has become a basic necessity.' The Union Minister added that increasing access to technology has created a highway of empowerment in students' lives. He expressed optimism that India could effectively leverage AI, and said, 'India's human intelligence has the power to transform any emerging technology into an indigenous innovation.' Pradhan shared the policy action required to prepare for the technological change, outlining efforts to build mass-scale AI literacy and support innovation in AI. Pradhan commended the Centre of Policy Research and Governance (CPRG) for hosting this timely and much-needed policy dialogue. CPRG is a policy research think tank that aims to promote responsive and participatory policy-making. As an Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)-recognised institution, it has established itself as a leading voice in technology policy through its 'Future of Society' initiative. (ANI)
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Speed, Security, and Stakeholders: What CIOs Must Get Right in 2025
At the 7th edition of the ETCIO Annual Conclave 2025, held against the backdrop of surging technological momentum, India's top CIOs gathered not just to trade implementation strategies—but to redraw the contours of their own evolving Manish Gupta, Group CIO at Aditya Birla Group, reflects on the modern CIO's role, he's quick to move past the conventional definitions. 'The job of a CIO is not internal,' he says. 'It must reach out to all stakeholders. Start by mapping them out—a mammoth task to figure out the human dimension.' It's a sentiment that captures the deepening complexity—and pressure—facing technology leaders today. The CIO is no longer a back-office functionary; they are a visible, strategic actor in a landscape shaped by rising customer expectations, accelerating innovation cycles, and ever-tightening security requirements. Today's CIO navigates: Driving innovation at pace, safeguarding trust, and managing human dynamics that make change possible. It's no longer about mastering technology—it's about leading through it. The Three Arcs of Leadership Kirti Patil, Joint President–IT and CTO at Kotak Life Insurance, defines the evolution through 'the three arcs': The visible shift, the invisible layer, and the human thread. Each is necessary; together, they define whether a CIO merely implements change or drives transformation. The visible shift is the front-end—the customer apps, the chatbot, the digital touchpoints that users experience. The invisible layer is the backend—the architecture, APIs, and data integrations that support the experience. But the most challenging layer may be the last. 'Trust in a brand is trust in digital,' Patil explains, underscoring how technology decisions now have reputational stakes. A failed rollout or breach isn't just a technical error—it's a brand issue. This is why Gupta places so much emphasis on education, exposure, and experimentation. 'Experimentation helps multi-level co-creation in the organization involving all the stakeholders a CIO touches,' he notes. It's not enough to deploy a tool; CIOs must create the cultural and structural conditions that allow for innovation to be shared and scaled. From Tech Steward to Strategic Partner One of the most telling observations comes from Anand Srinivasan, Co-founder and CIO at Akasa Air, who captures the changing dynamic in blunt terms: 'Technology is given. In fact, customers expect you to have cutting-edge tech.' The challenge isn't adoption—it's orchestration. Srinivasan sees the mark of a great CIO in their ability to trust and delegate. 'Listen to the wizkids team, sign the cheques and get out of their way,' he says. His view reinforces a common refrain: The CIO as enabler. But that shift isn't just managerial—it's strategic. As customer-facing tech becomes table stakes, differentiation comes from how quickly and responsibly organizations can build and scale new capabilities. And that brings CIOs to a critical balancing act. Innovation Meets the Trust Imperative Few sectors feel the pressure of that balance more than financial services and insurance. Here, technology must do more than work—it must work without violating trust. Sarang Khewale, Deputy CTO and Head Digital Innovation at SBI, talks of the two-pronged approach he undertook, 'Deeply involved design thinking techniques that help protect data by empathizing,' he says. 'With innovation, trust shouldn't be compromised.' The emphasis on empathy is not rhetorical; it's a design principle, and in industries that manage personal information, it's also a regulatory and ethical necessity. For Rohit Kilam, CTO at HDFC Life Insurance, regulatory sandbox provides ground to land. 'We are building things within the regulatory sandboxes.' Innovation, in his view, must also serve those on the margins—'the bottom of the pyramid'—especially the unbanked and underserved segments. Scaling inclusively requires risk, but that risk must be responsibly managed. The Security Reckoning With every digital advancement comes a new frontier for attack. The cybersecurity conversation is no longer siloed—it now shapes every technology investment. 'There's an attack every day,' says Sunit Vakharia, CTO at Reliance Nippon. 'Need to understand the mind of the attacker, without which you'll never be able to defend.' His focus is not just on tools, but on mindset—building a defense that anticipates, not just reacts. At Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Kanathil Vadakke Dipu, Senior President- Digital Transformation & Innovation, refers to the mock exercises undertaken as 'cyber mahayudh'. The company's effort focused on identifying vulnerabilities and reducing response time. The takeaway: Resilience is no longer a luxury, but a daily operational requirement. Sandeep Khanna, Director at UIDAI, adds a layer. 'The blind spots,' he notes, 'are shadow IT, supply chain risk, and third-party vulnerabilities.' These are threats embedded deep in the ecosystem, not easily visible, but devastating when breached. Looking Ahead The CIO agenda for 2025 is as expansive as it is urgent. Disruption is no longer a question of 'if'—it's a question of preparation and positioning. And as CIOs have been pointing out the writing on the wall for eons now: 'You can't afford to miss disruption.' The modern CIO stands at the intersection of agility and accountability, innovation and integrity. It's a demanding role—but one uniquely positioned to influence the future of business. As Gupta, Patil, and others suggest, the path forward lies not only in systems, but in stakeholders—and in the human capacity to collaborate at scale.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
The New Mandate: Why India's CIOs Are Driving Business, Not Just Tech
When Krishna Guha Roy took the stage at the ETCIO Annual Conclave 2025 in Goa, she first drew attention to the precise, process-driven world she represented. As Director – IT, South Asia Region at Nestlé, Roy has spent the last few years working within a company known for its operational rigor and deeply embedded processes. 'Nestlé, is a well-known Swiss company where quality is premium, processes well embedded,' she said. 'Talking digital in an organization like this had two parts: Talent and transformation.'The Conclave, now a staple in India's enterprise technology calendar, brought together CIOs, digital transformation leaders, and business executives to discuss the evolving role of IT in business strategy. Roy's remarks set the tone for a conversation that was not only about technology but also about leadership, organizational change, and boardroom dynamics required to enable it. From Back Office to Boardroom 'You cannot drive transformation without people,' Roy emphasized. Facing rising consumer expectations—'the consumer wanted the product in a few minutes'—her team restructured how technology was implemented. 'We brought in data engineers… innovation, design thinkers, UX specialists,' she said. The CIO's office, traditionally viewed as a support function, took on a more central, strategic role. 'It was also discipline,' Roy added, referencing structured programs around reskilling, design thinking, and even reverse mentoring to bridge generational digital gaps. This expanding influence of the CIO was a recurring theme throughout the Conclave. Where once IT leaders were tasked with system maintenance and vendor management, today they are expected to contribute directly to innovation, AI strategy, and ESG priorities. 'A CIO who can't speak strategy is invisible,' Roy remarked. That sentiment was echoed by Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of Digi Yatra, who offered a pragmatic view on influencing decision-makers. 'Play on the primal instincts—fear,' he quipped, before turning serious. 'The board looks forward to protecting the future. Put your views in alignment. Every individual board member is a different persona—risk averse or innovation friendly. Get your prep done.' Tech Investment as Strategic Leverage For many organizations, technology investment is no longer a cost center but a lever for competitive advantage. 'With diverse businesses, the CIO role is the most critical,' said Sanjeev Rastogi, CEO of GCC at Adani Group. 'How effectively we spend on each of the assets… An important factor is how you also protect and connect and manage cost per unit.' But influence alone doesn't drive change. Execution remains a core challenge. Neethan Chopra, CDIO, IndiGo, underscored the importance of filtering innovation through structured experimentation. 'The funnel approach really works. Top of the funnel innovation I say yes to not miss game-changing tech… Get it in the hands of customers and employees. Let that act as a filter before you take to the board for scale.' Data, Mergers, and Intelligent Scale Even in high-stakes environments like aviation, the CIO's role in transformation is increasingly visible. Dr. Satya Ramaswamy, CDTO at Air India, described the complexity of integrating the Air India and Vistara platforms: 'There were 140+ apps across the board in combined landscape, 300 aircraft, 30k+ employees brought together, 270,000 Vistara reservations brought seamlessly into Air India. In the global aviation industry, a smooth merger is being talked about.' Across sectors, data remains both an asset and a vulnerability. 'The cost of hoarding data is greater than the risk of sharing it wisely,' said Vishal Gupta, Head of Business Transformation and Digital at Godrej Consumer Products. But data democratization, he warned, requires discipline: 'Democratization of bad data is worse than no democratization at all. First, have a well-governed, centralized platform—a single source of truth.' For Pramod Mundhra, President & CIO at Havells, the opportunity lies in making technology less visible and more intuitive. 'The trick lies in removing friction. With GenAI, on-demand is more powerful. We are enabling our people to use more on-demand data.' A Redefined Mandate The takeaway from Goa was clear: The CIO's role is no longer confined to the back office. As expectations evolve and transformation accelerates, CIOs are rewriting the rules—not just for IT, but for the enterprise itself.
