Dr Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convener, Swadeshi Jagaran ManchAshwani Mahajan is the National Co-Convener of Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), an Indian political and cultural organisation. SJM is affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. Mahajan worked as an author and columnist. He is an Associate Professor at PGDAV College, Delhi. Mahajan has been the Chief Editor of the Journal of Contemporary Indian Polity and Economy since 2011. Mahajan is also a Visiting Professor and research guide at Pacific University, Udaipur and Mewar University. He works as a researcher and activist on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international trade agreements.
Mr Sharad Sharma, Co-Founder, iSPIRT Foundation
He has three decades of experience in the Internet, Enterprise Software, and Digital Infrastructure markets and is a prominent voice in India’s technology ecosystem. He is a passionate evangelist of the software product ecosystem in India. He co-founded iSPIRT Foundation, a non-profit technology think tank devoted to making India a product nation. Earlier, he chaired NASSCOM Product Forum in its formative years and was a member of the NASSCOM Executive Council from 2009-13. Sharad is a member of the National Startup Advisory Council and SEBI’s Financial and Regulatory Technology Committee. He has also served on RBI’s UK Sinha MSME Committee and National Digital Payments Committee.
Mr L Venkata Subramaniam, Quantum India Lead, IBM
Mr Subramaniam is an experienced leader in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing with a demonstrated history of innovation and product creation. He is a strong researcher who has developed new products, published in top venues, and been recognised as a master inventor. He focuses on AI Science and Quantum AI/ML. My present goal is to advance quantum science and position India as a global leader in the field. He has contributed/led six products, 38 patents, 150 papers and 3300 citations.
Ms Radha S Chauhan, Chairperson, Capacity Building Commission
Ms. S. Radha Chauhan is a seasoned civil servant with 36+ years of leadership across public policy, fiscal governance, institutional reform, and digital transformation. She is 1988 Batch IAS officer of UP Cadre (Retd.). She is a former Secretary of the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) and Founding CEO of Government eMarketplace (GeM), the world’s largest public procurement portal. She has demonstrated a track record in executive oversight, cross-sectoral policy design, governance modernisation, ESG-linked reforms, and stakeholder engagement at national and international levels. She is recognised for visionary leadership in India’s digital public infrastructure — Aadhaar, eDistrict, UMANG, and GeM. She is also an Architect of “Mission Karmayogi”, India’s digital HR transformation platform for civil servants.
Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM)
He served as Director and Vice Chancellor of IGIDR, Mumbai (2010–2022) and earlier chaired the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. He was Vice Chairman of IFPRI’s Board, a member of the National Statistical Commission, and Director of CESS, Hyderabad. He holds a Ph.D. from the Delhi School of Economics and a post-doctoral from Yale. Currently, he chairs the Institute for Development Studies, AP, and is a Distinguished Professor at ICFAI. An eminent development and agricultural economist, he has 150 publications, 23 books, and has advised global agencies and Indian government committees. He has received several awards, including the Malcolm Adisesaiah Award.
Mr Sameer Kochhar Chairman SKOCH Group
Reforms historian and author of best-seller ModiNomics, Sameer Kochhar is Chairman, SKOCH Group. He is a passionate advocate of social, digital and financial inclusion and is a foremost expert on governance and inclusive growth. His work has been acclaimed globally and endorsed by Mr Narendra Modi, Mr M Venkaiah Naidu, Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr P Chidambaram, Mr Yashwant Sinha, Dr C Rangarajan and Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia and so on. In his thinking and writings and activities, his profound admiration for India’s economic reforms and in extension, those outstanding personalities who strive to make these reforms more meaningful and broad-based comes out clear and unambiguous. He has published over 18 volumes.
Prof. R Kavita Rao, Director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP)
She has received her Ph.D. in economics from the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, and her Master’s in economics from the Delhi School of Economics. Her research interests include the design and implementation of Goods and Sales Tax (GST) in India, methodology for assessing the comprehensive impact of various tax exemptions on the economy, sectoral interlinkages and their implications in planning a growth strategy.
Mr Neelkant Mishra, Chief Economist, Axis Bank; Head of Global Time Director, AXIS Capital Research,Whole
Neelkanth joined Axis in May 2023 after a distinguished two-decade career at Credit Suisse, where he served as Co-Head of Asia Pacific Strategy and India Strategist. He is a part-time member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, the part-time Chairman of UIDAI (Aadhaar), and a part-time member of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). His advisory roles extend to government bodies such as the India Semiconductor Mission and the 15th & 16th Finance Commissions. In addition, Neelkanth is a member of the CII’s Economic Affairs Council and frequently presents to corporate boards. His professional journey includes stints at HUL and Infosys. An alumnus of IIT-Kanpur, he is a gold-medalist and Distinguished Alumnus Awardee, having ranked fourth in the entrance exam to the IITs.
