Digii100x Andhra Pradesh
Building Great Institutions:
Developing Leaders, Faculty, and Teams for the Next Decade
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“A decade of building has earned us the right to a decade of building people.”
What does it take to move higher education from building campuses to building institutions that can thrive for decades? That was the central question at the Digii100x Andhra Pradesh Roundtable. Academic and institutional leaders explored how stronger leadership pipelines, empowered faculty, professional support teams, institutional character, and open knowledge networks can move institutions beyond physical expansion and toward a more human-centred, resilient model of institutional excellence.
Key Discussion Pillars
Leadership Development & Succession
- Building leadership depth by identifying high-potential leaders, strengthening autonomy, and creating second-line succession pipelines.
- Moving beyond traditional hierarchies to give Deans and HODs greater ownership of decisions and resources.
Faculty Excellence & Autonomy
- Moving beyond one-size-fits-all faculty expectations through differentiated pathways for teaching, research, and industry engagement.
- Creating greater academic freedom, professional purpose, and opportunities for faculty growth and innovation.
Professionalising Support Teams
- Recognising administrative and operational teams as strategic partners in delivering institutional quality and student experience.
- Building career pathways, digital capabilities, institutional memory, and a stronger sense of belonging across support functions.
Institutional Culture & Ecosystem Alignment
- Shifting from rigid metrics and paperwork toward shared values, psychological safety, and authentic institutional character.
- Opening knowledge, faculty development, and academic resources across institutions to strengthen the wider regional ecosystem.
Featured Speakers

Abhay Shankar Meganathan
Vice Chairman, Rajalakshmi Group of Institutions

Dr. Deepesh Chandrasekharan
Principal (I/C), Kumaraguru College of Liberal Arts & Science

Dr. Gitanjali Batmanabane
Pro Vice Chancellor, GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences & Research

Dr. Girish. J
Vice Chancellor (Officiating), GMRIT Deemed to be University

Prof. H. Sudarsana Rao
Vice Chancellor, JNTU Anantapur

Lokesh Anand
Partner, Jetri (formerly 9.9 Education)

Nidhi Reddy
Founding Senior Partner, Jetri

Dr. Parag Diwan
CEO & Chairman, Paradigm Consultants & Founding Vice Chancellor, UPES

Raghavan. S
Associate Director, KPMG

Rahul Singhi
Co-Founder, Poornima University

Dr. Rangarajan Mahalakshmi Kishore
Chairperson & Managing Trustee, Vel Tech Group of Institutions

Ravichandran Rajagopal
Vice Chairman, Sri Vishnu Educational Society

Dr. Regeena J Murali
Founder & Chancellor, Jeppiaar University

Dr. Samayamantula Srinivas Kumar
Former Vice-Chancellor, JNT University Anantapur

Dr. Saurabh Bhattacharjee
Registrar, National Law School of India University

Dr. V. J. Byra Reddy
Vice Chancellor, Woxsen University
Where These Conversations Happened
Digii100x Andhra Pradesh was held on 12 June 2026 in Visakhapatnam, bringing together vice-chancellors, institute directors, university founders, registrars, trustees, and higher education strategy voices from across public and private institutions.
The roundtable focused on a central question: how can higher education move beyond a decade of physical expansion to build institutions defined by strong leadership, capable people, and enduring institutional culture?
Leaders examined leadership development, faculty excellence, decentralised decision-making, professionalising support teams, succession planning, institutional character, and open knowledge networks.
The focused discussion became the foundation for this playbook: “Building Great Institutions: Developing Leaders, Faculty, and Teams for the Next Decade.” It captures the discussions, experiences, practices, and actionable insights that emerged from those conversations around the table.
HEI Leaders
Institutions
Policy & Funding bodies
Move from Building Campuses to Building Great Institutions
Build leadership depth, empower faculty, strengthen support teams, and embed the culture and collaborative ecosystems that enable institutions to thrive for decades.
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