Digii100 Summit 2025 | New Delhi
Re-Architecting the Technology Function:
The People, Power, and Processes Needed to Lead Transformation
“Why does digital transformation succeed in some universities — but stall in many others?”
At the DIGII100 Summit 2025, technology leaders from leading universities explored a fundamental question: transformation is rarely a technology problem — it is a leadership, governance, and process challenge.
The discussion examined how institutions must rethink the role of technology teams, decision-making authority, and operational processes if digital initiatives are to truly transform campuses.
This playbook captures the key insights from the roundtable — how universities can empower technology leadership and build systems that scale with institutional ambition.
Key Discussion Pillars
Power & Technology Leadership
Giving technology teams a strategic seat in institutional decision-making instead of involving them only during implementation.
IT as Architect — Not Just Implementer
Moving technology leaders from reactive problem-solvers to proactive designers of institutional systems and processes.
People & the Talent Gap
Rethinking how universities attract, develop, and retain technology talent in an ecosystem that cannot compete with corporate salaries.
Process Before Platform
Ensuring institutional workflows are redesigned before digitization — because automating broken processes only scales the problem.
Voices From the Roundtable
Featured Speakers:
10 more speakers
Amit Sharma
Head IT, BML Munjal
Anand Ruhela
Head IT, SGT University
Anirudh Phadke
Chief Technology Officer, Employabilitylife
Dr. Balakrishna Rao
CIO, NIIT University
Gopala Krishna Gokeda
Group CTO, Laila Group
Gopi BR
Manager IT, Rajalakshmi Engineering College
Where These Conversations Happened
The Digii100 Summit 2025 was held on 13 December in New Delhi, and brought together over 300 Indian HEI leaders, policymakers, and industry partners.
The one-day, multi-track summit focused on how Indian higher education can use digital systems to strengthen governance, teaching, research, and student outcomes in line with the vision of a Viksit Bharat.
Across keynotes, panels, and closed-door roundtables, leaders examined issues such as institutional strategy, digital infrastructure, research management, industry collaboration, and academic quality.
One of these focused sessions was “The Research Playbook: Guiding India’s HEIs from Teaching-Only to Research-Driven.”
This playbook is based on the discussions and practical experiences shared in that roundtable.
HEI Leaders
Institutions
Policy & Funding bodies
Re-Think the Role of Technology in Higher Education
Discover how university technology leaders are redesigning the people, power, and processes needed to drive meaningful digital transformation.
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