Sapience
Flagship Annual Management Conclave
In a world increasingly shaped by global shocks — from pandemics and geopolitical tensions to economic and environmental disruptionsbusinesses had to adapt through agile, locally grounded strategies. Sapience 2025, themed “Global Shocks, Local Strategies: Business Continuity in Uncertain Times”, brought together leaders from across industries to share how organizations ensured resilience while maintaining global competitiveness.
The two-day conclave featured six engaging panel discussions led by respective student-run clubs such as The Marketing Club, The Finance Club, The Operations Club, and more. With 25+ distinguished speakers, the event presented diverse viewpoints on navigating uncertainty and crafting sustainable, future-ready business strategies.
Theme: Global Shocks, Local Strategies – Business Continuity in Uncertain Times
Dates: 30th – 31st July 2025
Venue: Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon
Participation: Invitation Only
Keynote Address
Romil Pant
Business Head EVP, Thomas Cook
Mr. Pant will share real-life lessons on navigating global shocks with local strategies, focusing on resilience, agility, and business continuity.
30th July, 2025
Fireside Chat
In Conversation with Anita Malik, CHRO, Jakson Group
30th July, 2025
Marketing Panel
30th July, 2025
The Marketing Panel discussed how brands could remain relevant and resilient in an unpredictable world through hyperlocal strategies, real-time consumer insights, and culturally rooted storytelling. The session explored how trust, adaptability, and purpose-led narratives drove long-term brand continuity.
Speakers
Dr. Amit Kumar (Moderator)
Associate Professor, Great Lakes, Gurgaon
Santosh Kumar
Senior Director – Global Marketing, Biocon Biologics
Alekhya Chakrabarty
Head of Marketing & Growth, Unstop
Rajiv Gopinath
Chief Solutions Officer, Publicis Media
Neerja Jha
Head of Sports, Warner Bros Discovery
Harveer Sidhu
Senior Partner, 360 One Wealth
Insight: The panel highlighted that relevance in volatile times came from local cultural resonance and purpose-driven campaigns. Speakers emphasized that trust-building and agility in messaging were more critical than big-budget campaigns.
Entrepreneurship Panel
31st July, 2025
The Entrepreneurship Panel highlighted how startups and enterprises responded to global disruptions by building locally adaptive, scalable, and resilient business models. The session focused on founder experiences, risk mitigation, and innovation amid uncertainty.
Speakers
Vishal Sharma
Founder & CEO, Nuvo Retail
Vinay Malshe
Co-founder, Malshe Infrastructure
Abhijeet Anand
Founder & CEO, abCoffee
Gopalakrishna Kuppuswamy
Co-founder, Cognida.AI
Dr. Swapnil Sahoo (Moderator)
Assistant Professor, Great Lakes, Gurgaon
Insight: Founders shared candid accounts of navigating funding crunches and talent shortages during crises. A recurring theme was that frugality, experimentation, and customer empathy became the true differentiators for resilience.
Operations Panel
31st July, 2025
The Operations Panel examined how global shocks reshaped supply chains and operations strategies. The session highlighted localization, digital transformation, and the shift from lean to agile frameworks for business continuity.
Speakers
Sridhar J
Head – Packaging Development, Plum Goodness
Krishnan S. Iyer
CEO, NDR InVit
Vineet Nagpal
Head – Operations, Essilor
Pamela Thakur
Head – Supply Chain, Philips
Jaya Priyadarshini (Moderator)
Assistant Professor, Great Lakes, Gurgaon
Insight: Speakers emphasized that local sourcing, dual suppliers, and digital visibility tools were no longer optional but necessary. One panelist noted that “resilience has replaced efficiency as the top KPI for supply chains.”
Analytics Panel
30th July, 2025
The Analytics Panel explored how data-driven insights and technologies like AI and predictive modeling helped businesses respond to global disruptions with local precision. It also examined real-time decision-making and scenario planning for resilience.
Speakers
Vivek Kaushal
Associate Group Manager - AI, Tally Solutions
Dr. Pushpender Nath
Head – Advanced Analytics, Annalect India
Mukund Shastri
Chief Data Science Officer & Group VP, Comviva
Lakshmanan Gnanapragasam
Head – Strategy & Analytics, Epsilon
Dr. Sanchita Kuchi (Moderator)
Associate Professor, Great Lakes, Gurgaon
Insight:
- Dr. Pushpender Nath shared how real-time analytics transformed crisis response during COVID-19 and chip shortages ? Takeaway: “Master the platform, don’t let it master you.”
- Mukund Shastri spoke about tectonic shifts driven by GenAI and advocated for AI quality certifications to ensure reliability.
- Lakshmanan Gnanapragasam emphasized the 80–20 principle in AI and the importance of privacy, data consent, and ethical design.
- Vivek Kaushal (Associate Group Manager AI, Tally Solutions) added a startup perspective, urging young professionals to “start small, but think long-term.”
HR & OB Panel
31st July, 2025
The HR & OB Panel reflected on how organizations maintained employee engagement, well-being, and performance during disruptions. The session explored HR’s role in fostering inclusive culture, mental wellness, agile workforce planning, and leadership continuity.
Speakers
Dr. Sanghamitra Bhattacharyya (Moderator)
Professor, Great Lakes, Gurgaon
Vishal Karad
Head of Human Resource, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals
Mukhvinder Singh Bains
Director – L&D, Accenture
Sachin Mathur
Director – HR, ideaForge
Nidhi Vinod
Director – L&D, Epsilon
Gautam Duggal
Senior VP HR, CITI
Insight: Discussions stressed that mental health, inclusivity, and empathetic leadership had become as vital as productivity metrics. Panelists pointed out that companies which invested in people-first cultures navigated disruption more effectively.
Finance Panel
30th July, 2025
The Finance Panel shared how financial systems adapted to ongoing global volatility through agile capital structuring, liquidity management, decentralized finance, and localized financial strategies that turned risk into opportunity.
Speakers
Bhaskar Acharya
Head – Service Business Assets, BNY Mellon
Mani Shekhar
Senior Director (Valuation Services) RSM US LLP
Rafat Jahan Siddiqui
Regional Head - North, JM Financial
Ashok Kumar Radhakrishna
Business Controller, Red Bull
Dr. Kirti Sharma (Moderator)
Associate Professor, Great Lakes, Gurgaon
Insight: Panelists emphasized that financial resilience came from flexibility. Liquidity buffers, scenario modeling, and adoption of digital-first banking practices were cited as the key tools that helped organizations ride out volatility.
Sapience 2024
Sapience 2024, themed "AI for All," explored the transformative impact of artificial intelligence across business functions. Held at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon, the two-day conclave brought together 25+ industry leaders, with a keynote by Hari Krishnan, MD at Publicis Groupe India. Through six dynamic panel discussions — spanning Marketing, Finance, Analytics, HR, Operations, and Entrepreneurship—the event emphasized the importance of ethical, human-centric AI adoption to drive innovation, inclusivity, and long-term value creation. Conversations revolved around the intersection of technology and empathy, real-world AI applications, and how future leaders can harness AI not just for efficiency, but for meaningful, responsible growth.
