14 Feb 2024: STPI-Hyderabad was a joint host.
The theme for this year’s summit event was: “AI: Celebrating the Future”
Guests of honor included: Sri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, ITE&C Dept.; Mr. CP Gurnani, Former CEO&MD, Tech Mahindra; and Mr. V. Rajanna, President, Technology, Services & Software, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.
The annual industry awards for excellence in export and product development were presented.
Mr. CP Gurnani was presented with the prestigious HYSEA Lifetime Achievement Award for his stellar contribution to the Indian IT industry.
HYSEA organized the 31st edition of its prestigious National Summit & Awards 2024. The summit featured a conference, a product expo, and annual industry awards.
The profound impact created by AI is a phenomenon that generations are bound to experience, and we are incredibly fortunate to witness this revolutionary change first-hand. Enterprises across the globe are remodelling their businesses to become AI-first to help ensure they leap ahead. While the AI umbrella is vast and orbital, the key spoke in the scheme of things is Gen AI, a technology that has surpassed everyone’s expectations.
This year’s HYSEA flagship event, “AI: Celebrating the Future,” aptly captured the excitement surrounding this transformative journey. A distinguished line-up of speakers included thought leaders, futurists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, researchers, developers, and students, all immersed in experiencing the unfolding potential of an AI-led future.
The event brought to the fore a multitude of dimensions, presenting a 360-degree view of AI and encompassing the massive disruption caused by Gen AI and related technologies.
The event began with lamp lighting by the Guest of Honor and Opening Keynote Speaker, Mr. Karthik Natarajan, CEO, CYIENT, Ms. C. Kavitha, STPI-Director, Manisha Saboo, President, HYSEA, and other executive committee members of HYSEA.
Welcoming the distinguished guests and delegates, Manisha Saboo, President of HYSEA, said, “The HYSEA team, in partnership with Saurabh Chandra, MD, BCG, has worked tirelessly to curate today’s program, and a distinguished array of speakers are poised to share their insights. We anticipate engaging discussions centered around the essence of embracing an AI-first paradigm. We invite you to reflect on your own experiences in this exciting journey toward a Gen AI-led future where society, ethics, and human behaviour are being reimagined.”
The day started with an illuminating keynote by Karthik Natarajan, CEO, Cyient, “AI: Celebrating the Future,” an exciting exploration into the transformative power of AI and the disruptions caused by Gen AI and related technologies. He talked about how the burgeoning AI market size reached USD 150.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.8% from 2023 to 2030. The scope for innovation and economic opportunities is vast. He also talked about several use cases like design automation, guided diagnostics, machine failure analysis, medical analysis, automated regulatory compliance checks, remote monitoring of assets, autonomous networks, anomaly detection using machine data, HVAC failure prediction, and many more where AI is playing an important role in saving costs and time and also improving quality and customer satisfaction.
“AI: Human in the Loop” was an interesting panel chaired by Jitendra Chakravarthy (Jit) Putcha, EVP and Global Head, Data, Analytics, and AI, and included panellists. Aditya Ramamurthy, Vice President of Platform Engineering, ServiceNow; Anuradha A, Executive Partner, Hyderabad Location Head, IBM; Balaji Kumar, Chief Human Resources Officer, Sonata Software; Kiran K, President, DES; Cigniti Technologies; Vishal Sipani, Director, System Design Engineering, Micron, explored how and why humans will stay relevant in the emerging AI world and how AI applications will coexist and evolve with humans as the world marches forward.
The AI-First panel showcased an exceptional line-up of CTOs and engineering leaders, featuring luminaries such as Sairam Vedam, CMO of Cigniti Technologies; Prasanna Kumar Arikala, CTO of Kore.ai; Chaitanya Chokkareddy, CTO of OZONETEL Communications Pvt Ltd; Chandrashekar Srinivasan, Executive Vice President at Broadridge India; Dr. Dinesh Chandrasekhar, Chief Strategy Officer, Centific; and Kunal Purohit, Chief Digital Services Officer at Tech Mahindra. Together, they delved into the disruptive forces shaping the landscape of enterprise AI, conversational AI, LLMs, and beyond, offering profound insights into the future of these technologies.
The panel on “AI, Impact on Businesses” brought together a wealth of expertise, from investors seeking cutting-edge opportunities to PR professionals shaping public perception and from executive search experts identifying rising talent needs to navigate the future. Moderated by Prashanth Nandella, President & COO, firstsource, the panel featured Shanti Mohan, LetsVenture, Abhay Havaldar, Co-founder & Managing Partner at Avatar Growth Capital Partners, Gaurav Gupta, Partner, Egon Zhander, Kunal Kishore, Co-Founder & COO ClanConnect.ai, Founder Director, Value 360 Communications, and Founder, Popkorn.
Saurabh Chandra, MD at BCG, delivered a compelling analyst keynote titled “Opportunity or Dilemma: Navigating Business in Volatile Macroeconomic Conditions.” He astutely dissected the current landscape, characterizing it as a ‘polycrisis’—a rare confluence of global disruptions and economic challenges, presenting a multifaceted competitive environment. Chandra emphasized the imperative for business leaders to adopt a dynamic mindset, not only envisioning potential scenarios for their operating environments but also discerning the unique opportunities and risks within them. Highlighting that waiting for recovery is not the strategy of winners in economic uncertainty, he stressed the importance of proactive measures, transforming ambiguity into avenues for growth and success.
A distinguished CEO panel, comprising luminaries such as Saurabh Chandra, MD at BCG; Jivesh Chandrayan, Partner at Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan; Anant Agrawal, Managing Director at Skillmine Technology; Anshuman Das, Co-Founder & CEO of Careernet, HirePro, and Longhouse Consulting; Maneesh Jhawar, CEO of QK; and Saurabh Sharma, SVP of Growth and Demand Generation at Prohance, convened to explore the strategic landscape amidst the macroeconomic crisis. They delved into discerning the significant opportunities and identifying the strategic bets businesses can leverage in navigating through these challenging times.
The final panel of the day brought together esteemed academicians and researchers renowned in their fields: Ramesh Loganathan, Past President of HYSEA and Professor Co-Innovation/Outreach at IIIT Hyderabad; Ajit Rangnekar, Director General at Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad and Partner at SVP India; M Srinivas Rao, CEO of T-Hub; Prof. Surya Kumar, Dean of Innovation, Translation, and Startups at IIT Hyderabad; and Dr. Jay Mookherje, Chief Executive Officer at iHub-Data, IIIT Hyderabad. They talked about the ever-evolving R&D within academic institutions, sharing insights into effective strategies for commercializing and monetizing research outcomes. Additionally, the panel delved into the potential for fruitful collaborations between academic research and industry, aiming to catalyse accelerated growth and innovation.
This year’s summit introduced a distinctive feature: an exclusive CXO roundtable. Over 30 national-level leaders and prominent figures from the city took part in this invigorating discussion. The agenda covered a wide array of topics, including the government’s initiative to both share and solicit feedback on policies and technology adoption. Furthermore, the government provided insights into their vision and strategy for fostering industry growth. CXOs had the opportunity to share their invaluable experiences regarding technology regulation and enhancing citizen services. Additionally, the roundtable facilitated direct interaction between CXOs and policymakers, enabling them to exchange updates about their respective organizations and establish meaningful connections.
As a finale, in a glittering awards function in the evening, awards were given away to honor IT/ITES companies and startups for their major achievements in exports, productivity, and product development. Sri. Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Principal Secretary, ITE&C Dept., gave away the awards to winners in various categories. Other eminent guests of honor for the evening who graced the occasion included: Mr. V. Rajanna, President, Technology, Services, and Software, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and Mr. CP Gurnani, Former CEO&MD, Tech Mahindra.
Mr. V. Rajanna, President, Technology, Services, and Software, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., and Former President, HYSEA, delivered the evening industry keynote. He emphasized that AI will have a profound impact on every aspect of business and society as we know it today. While efficiency and productivity will continue to be a major theme for enterprises, it is only the tip of the proverbial AI iceberg, the true potential will be realized in the transformational value it drives across business functions creating opportunities for new kinds of services and revenue streams. GenAI will bring about a paradigm shift in driving the next generation of superior customer experiences. I strongly believe that Hyderabad, with its flourishing industry ecosystem and vast talent pool, is well poised to capitalize on this growth opportunity, he said.
This year, HYSEA bestowed its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award upon Mr. CP Gurnani, former CEO and MD of Tech Mahindra, a distinguished leader renowned for his profound impact on both corporate and societal realms. Recognized for his transformative contributions to education and philanthropy, Mr. Gurnani has left an indelible mark on the industry, inspiring generations with his visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to excellence.
HYSEA presented the esteemed 10x Startup Awards to the top ten promising startups in the early-stage category. Three products or innovations were recognized in the established category, marking a significant recognition of innovation and the entrepreneurial prowess of the state. Following rigorous evaluations conducted at IIIT-H, a distinguished 100-member jury meticulously selected 64 finalists from a pool of 170 nominations. These finalists showcased their cutting-edge products at the expo held on February 14th, 2024, at HICC, seizing the opportunity to engage with prominent entrepreneurs, business leaders, CXOs, VCs, angel investors, researchers, and other key industry and government decision-makers. Looking ahead, HYSEA is charting a dynamic trajectory by planning a comprehensive three-month startup enablement program for the 10x category winners. Developed in collaboration with IIIT-H, TiE, and T-Hub, this program will offer invaluable resources such as market access, mentorship from seasoned tech leaders, and corporate collaboration facilitated through HYSEA’s intervention platform, CATALYST—a nexus for corporate-startup convergence.
The HYSEA National Summit and Awards are one of the most prestigious industry events in the city and have, for more than three decades, showcased the city’s vibrant culture of innovation, booming start-up industry, and conducive business ecosystem. 700+ delegates, including more than 100 IT industry leaders, attended the event.
We would like to make a special mention of our patron members and sponsors, whose help is pivotal in organizing events of this magnitude.
Industry Patrons: ServiceNow, Broadridge
Eco System Patrons: Q City, SpeedInfra, Raheja Mindspace, ICICI Bank, NSL Infra, Vamsiram Builders
Gold Sponsors: HSBC, Prohance, and PALGenie
Hospitality Partner: HICC
