The Leaders You’ll Hear at Bengaluru's Strategy Shift Forum
From visionaries redefining AI to strategists reshaping industries, meet the voices who will drive the conversation at the Bengaluru edition of the Strategy Shift Forum
News
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- AI Dispatch | 10–16 April 2026
The Bengaluru edition of the Strategy Shift Forum, powered by the research and editorial authority of MIT Sloan Management Review India, in partnership with Salesforce, will bring together some of the world’s sharpest thinkers to examine the forces reshaping business, technology, and society.
The lineup features global thought leaders and industry pioneers, offering a rare combination of expertise, fresh ideas, and actionable strategies.
Here are the voices that will drive this crucial conversation forward:
Leadership Luminaries
Arundhati Bhattacharya
President & CEO, South Asia, Salesforce
Bhattacharya oversees Salesforce’s growth strategy and plays an integral role in defining the company’s relationship with the ecosystem of customers, partners and community across South Asia. Recently honored with the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian awards, she brings a legacy of leadership, innovation, and impact.
Neil Thompson
Director of the FutureTech Research Project, Principal Investigator at Initiative on the Digital Economy at MIT
An acclaimed researcher at MIT, Thompson brings clarity to how technological change drives economic and organizational outcomes. With a rare mix of technical depth and policy insight, he has advised businesses, governments, and global bodies on innovation trends, transformational technologies, and the challenges of scaling scientific progress responsibly.
Patrick Fagan
Bestselling Author, Chief Scientific Officer, Capuchin Behavioural Science
Fagan applies behavioral science to influence how people think, decide, and act—for businesses, brands, and even political campaigns. A bestselling author and sought-after commentator, he blends rigorous research with creative storytelling to explain why consumers behave the way they do, and how organizations can harness those insights ethically and effectively.
Scott Walker
International Crisis Negotiator and ‘Sunday Times’ Bestselling Author
Scott Walker is one of the world’s foremost kidnap-for-ransom and crisis negotiators. A Sunday Times best-selling author of Order Out of Chaos, he has been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and The New York Times. Today he works with executives and entrepreneurs, teaching the elite negotiation skills he once used in life-or-death situations to help them close deals, win clients, and build influence at the highest level.
Industry Experts
Abhijit Kokane
Vice President, IT, Gen Digital
Abhijit Kokane leads tech operations for one of the world’s largest cybersecurity firms. Based in Pune, he oversees global IT infrastructure, resilience, and digital transformation, ensuring that systems scale securely in a fast-changing environment. He also contributes to the firm’s corporate social responsibility initiatives in India.
Anand Thakur
Chief Product and Technology Officer, F&L, Beauty, Reliance Retail
Thakur is Chief Technology and Product Officer at Reliance, overseeing Fashion, Lifestyle, and Beauty platforms including Ajio, Tirabeauty, Shein, Swadesh, and Reliance Trends. A seasoned entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience, he has led technology and product strategy across e-commerce and retail, holding C-suite roles at REA India, Jubilant, Koovs, and Lenskart. He has authored publications, holds a U.S. patent, and is recognized for driving innovation and digital transformation at scale.
Deepu Chacko
Vice President, Solution Engineering, Salesforce
Deepu Chacko is a Salesforce Certified Technical Architect and leads Solution Engineering for Industries and SMB at Salesforce India. With more than 20 years in enterprise technology, he helps businesses reimagine customer engagement, drive innovation at scale, and align technology with growth.
Manish Bharati
Chief Business Officer, Raymond Lifestyle
A business leader with nearly 34 years of experience across Asia, Europe, the GCC, and SAARC, Bharati has led and turned around operations in apparel, fashion, retail, and textiles while mentoring diverse, multi-cultural teams.
Reena Evans
Chief Grievance Officer, Acko
Reena Evans leads customer redressal and grievance resolution at Acko. With deep experience in operations, customer experience, and quality & vendor management spanning major companies including Swiggy and Alibaba, she builds systems that improve satisfaction and protect reputation.
Reeves Mathews
Vice-President – Global Customer Success & Professional Services, IDS Next
With over 15 years of experience in enterprise technical support, Mathews leads teams that deliver 24/7 assistance to thousands of clients across dozens of countries. He has built scalable support and professional services operations, sharpening processes, communication, and support policies to match fast-growing customer bases.
Sridhar Hariharasubramanian
Senior Director, Salesforce
Hariharasubramanian is a technology executive with more than 25 years of experience at companies including Salesforce and IBM. He has advised global enterprises on digital transformation strategies that deliver measurable outcomes. He currently leads the architecture practice at Salesforce India and also serves as a retail industry advisor.
Sudeep Dey
Chief Information & Security Officer, Aster DM Healthcare, India
With over 28 years in enterprise IT, cybersecurity and digital innovation, Sudeep Dey has led transformation programs at Healthcare Global, Fortis, Godfrey Phillips and others. He now drives Aster’s technology strategy, security frameworks and patient-centric digital care.
Sumantra Naik
Chief Digital Officer, Total Environment
An IIM Ahmedabad (PGPX) graduate, Sumantra Naik has led digital transformation and IT strategy in industries from cement and energy to real estate and FMCG. He previously held leadership roles at MP Birla Group, Reliance ADAG, and Autodesk, co-founded Blockchain Worx, and advises startups in AI, IoT, and blockchain.
Vikas Nair
Vice President and Head of Marketing & Communications, Century Real Estate Holdings
Vikas Nair drives brand strategy, digital engagement, and corporate communications at Century. Nair has led marketing and brand building at Sobha Ltd and worked across business development, product management, and engineering.
Vikrant Saini
Vice President (Head – Production Engineering), Digit Insurance
Vikrant Saini is a technology leader with 20 years of experience driving innovation, operational excellence, and strategic vision across engineering and support teams. He has deep expertise in large-scale incident management, system performance, and automation to cut costs and boost productivity.
Vipin Kataria
Chief Commercial Officer, Britannia Industries
Vipin Kataria leads sales and replenishment across all markets, channels, and categories at Britannia. He oversees the entire value chain from factory gate to consumer home, including demand forecasting, production planning, logistics, warehousing, and process automation.
