Come together over lunch to kick-off the 2022 offsite, a weekend of shared learning or, as we prefer to call it – collective wisdom.

A few important trends are shaping the global economy – some of these stem from economic changes, others from geopolitical considerations while some lie in the realm of business and management. These are all the more critical in the context of supply chain disruptions, an approaching slowdown in the advanced economies, rising inflation and geopolitical volatility. We will begin the 2022 CEO Strategy Roundtable with an assessment of global economic megatrends as Adit Jain explains the shifts taking place and their implications for business. He will also comment on India’s medium-term economic prospects. Adit is IMA’s Editorial Director and has authored over a thousand articles on business and policy issues over the years.

Whilst India's superiority over Pakistan is clear, both economically and militarily, China is in another league. Some have argued that China has not fought a war in many years and its army has not been 'blooded', whereas India has been fighting in some capacity or the other quite regularly. But the fact remains, that there are many vulnerabilities in India’s national security apparatus whether in terms of equipment, supplies, technology or infrastructure. Despite this, the nation has moved towards a bolder and more assertive stance over issues of national security. How and to what extent is this backed by strategic, financial and technological support? What challenges face India, from a national security perspective, and how well is the nation equipped to deal with them?

Deependra Singh Hooda retired as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command, after forty years of service in the Indian Army. From 2012 to 2016, he was stationed in Jammu and Kashmir, first as a Corps commander and then as the Northern Army Commander when he handled numerous strategic challenges along the China and Pakistan borders. He was the Army Commander during the Chumarand Demchok face-off along the India-China LAC in September 2014 and during the launch of surgical strikes against Pakistan in September 2016. He is currently accredited as a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi, and serves on the Advisory Board of Cyber Peace Foundation.

Among the world’s most ancient sports, the game of polo is as ‘exclusive as elusive’, in the city of Jaipur. The very name invokes a vision of aristocracy and excellence, of style and rare athletic prowess. Polo is a game that signifies glamour, intelligence, power, adventure, elegance, graceful teamwork, class and above all – royal tradition. Immerse yourself in a friendly game of Camel Polo, a royal sport of the Maharajas of Rajasthan.

Situated right in the heart of Pink City Jaipur, Jhalana is slowly becoming a favourite destination to spot leopards in the wild. Besides the Leopards, you will be able to spot other smaller fauna including striped hyena, spotted deer, blue bulls and wild boars. Palm, babul, bamboo and acacia trees continue to be methodically planted throughout the quartz hills and flat-lands of the Aravalli that Jhalana is set in. And thus, it is also an ideal destination for migratory birds, despite being in the heart of the city. An open gypsy safari, which takes about 2.5 hours, is the best way to explore Jhalana Forest Reserve. Don’t miss the experience! Note: The distance from the hotel to Jhalana Forest is about 40 minutes. The safari takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to complete. To make the most of it, we recommend leaving the hotel by 5:15 AM. We will make travel arrangements for the confirmed guests.

Nurturing innovation involves inherent paradoxes: tolerance for failure can easily translate into tolerance for incompetence; willingness to experiment often conflicts with the need for discipline; the desire to foster collaboration can undermine individual accountability, and so on. Managing these paradoxes is hard enough by itself; but to do so at scale is even harder. How does one overcome these challenges to build a sustainable innovation culture, and are there best practices to be learnt from others? Puneet Chandok, President, Amazon Web Services (AWS) India and South Asia (AISPL), leads the entire portfolio of AWS business in India and South Asia. As the country MD, he oversees and manages the incubation, planning and demand for AWS Services from customers. In addition, he is responsible for building and leading customer-centric teams that help organisations innovate and transform using AWS services. Puneet will highlight practices at play within the company and share the ‘playbook’ that drives a culture of innovation at Amazon.

In an age where technology is driving business decisions and outcomes, data ownership and cyber-security figure high on Boardroom agendas. Certain cyber-attacks can cripple a company’s operations and even threaten its very existence. As the company’s de facto risk officers, CEOs must not only comprehend the risks around digital adoption but also take the lead in drafting a response plan. Yet, ironically, many business leaders continue to believe that cyber security is outside their purview, and belongs to Operations or IT. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sean Duca is Vice President and Regional Chief Security Officer for the Asia Pacific and Japan at Palo Alto Networks. In this role, he spearheads the development of thought leadership, threat intelligence and security best practices for the cybersecurity community and business executives. He will share a perspective on the emerging cyber threat landscape for corporates, the scale and magnitude of the challenge and the steps that business leaders must take to suitably protect their companies.

For many companies, the unprecedented events of the last two years have redefined the term ‘transformation’. Many have had to re-examine their business processes, adoption of digital, workforce skillsets and other aspects of business resilience from the ground up. How do CEOs view internal business transformation? How are companies in India looking to reinvent themselves? To better understand these issues, IMA India ran an intensive, interview-based research exercise, in partnership with Project Management Institute (PMI), across almost a dozen business leaders of prominent Indian and foreign companies. Srini Srinivasan, Managing Director, South Asia, at PMI has more than 20 years of global experience as a CEO, business unit leader, business builder and entrepreneur at the intersection of professional services and technology. He is a subject matter expert in strategy, organisational transformation, operations improvement and analytics-based digital solutions. The session will aim to explore the key findings from the report and will also receive practitioners’ perspectives from members of the audience.

Historically, it was believed that the CEO’s strategic role was to articulate the company’s vision while the CHRO’s was to translate it into culture and processes for the people on the ground. That version of the CEO-CHRO partnership was summarily tossed out in the wake of the pandemic as the entire executive leadership found itself thrown into unfamiliar roles and relationships. As we now limp back to normalcy what contours should the new CEO-CHRO partnership take? Driving a high-performance culture, developing a future-ready leadership pipeline and ensuring organisational cohesiveness have all acquired new dimensions as management challenges. Are the two leaders equipped to take on these challenges? Where might they fall short in meeting the expectations of the other in this most crucial of executive partnerships? Join us in a free-wheeling dialogue with two veteran CHROs – Krish Shankar, Group Head, HR at Infosys, Ashok Ramchandran, Group Executive President, Human Resources at Aditya Birla Group, and Vikram Tandon, Group CHRO at the Adani Group as they delve into what they see as the demands on tomorrow’s organisational leadership and the enormity of the human resource challenge that confronts us. In a no-holds-barred exchange, they will, frankly and bluntly, put on the table their expectations from CEOs in this journey.

Ashwani Lohani, who has an entry in the Limca Book of Records for having four engineering degrees, is known as the 'turnaround man' in the public sector. In his first stint as the CMD of Air India, the national airline reported operating profits for FY16 and FY17. The veteran is also credited with having turned around India Tourism Development Corporation, where he had an earlier stint, and subsequently the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation. He continued his exploits at the Indian Railways where, during his stint as Chairman of the Railway Board, Indian Railways recorded its lowest ever rate of accidents and improved its financial performance. A steam enthusiast, he was instrumental in putting up Indian rail heritage on the world map by upgrading the ‘steam shed’ at Rewari. It was because of his initiatives that the Fairy Queen, the world’s oldest steam engine, was run on Indian tracks, setting the Guinness world record in 1998. That he has achieved everything he has within the restraints and limitations of a public sector environment only makes his accomplishments that much more commendable. Hear from the man himself, as he shares lessons and stories in leadership, management, conflict resolution, grit and determination.

Mentalism, in performance, involves the demonstration of seemingly evolved mental abilities, even paranormal ones. In practice, it entails psychological illusions that blend psychology, hypnosis, suggestion, cold reading, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), misdirection, and a number of other subtle skills of observation to create the illusion of a sixth sense. In the written form, it all sounds technical and esoteric. In practice, the experience ranges from the astounding to the absolutely delightful! Mohit Rao, a Mind Reader, Mentalist and Corporate Entertainer, has the ability to ‘read your mind, control your thoughts and even influence decisions’. Using his skills, he has predicted the exact closing of the BSE Sensex live on national television, hypnotised over 25,000 people worldwide and used telepathy to drive a car blindfolded! Experience an hour of sheer bewilderment, mystery, joy and thrill as he regales us with his inimitable skills.

Enjoy the traditional delicacies of Rajasthan (laal maas, daal baati, bajre ki roti, and much more) in a sit-down dinner with friends and peers.

Founded in 2015 by Supriya Paul and Shobhit Banga, Josh Talks is India’s leading regional content and upskilling platform. It hosts content in 10 languages. Across all channels, there are 16 million subscribers and the content is viewed by over 1,00,000 people every day. The majority of this audience is in the 18-34 age group, with the remaining 20% split across older cohorts. Meet Shobhit and Supriya who have been running the company for the last seven years. Their journey to building a budding youth-oriented company from scratch is filled with lots of business lessons, management mantras, and the much-needed inspiration, grit, and determination.

A major car accident in 2012 injured her spinal cord, making Avani Lekhara dependent on a wheelchair. Three years on, after her father's encouragement, she decided to try out her hand in professional shooting and archery. As luck would have it, she got inspired to take the former seriously after reading India's first individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra's autobiography. In the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics, the 19-year-old Avani won the ‘Best Female Debut’ honour for her record-breaking gold medal. Her intense belief and her commitment to excel are inspirational. Meet the girl who did the nation proud and hear her experiences that provide inspiring lessons.