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A Power-Packed Regional Dialogue for Future Ready HEIs
Shaping Andhra Pradesh’s Edge in Higher Education
- Friday, 17th July 2026
- 09:30 AM – 06:00 PM
- Hyatt Pune, Kalyani Nagar
Digii100x comes to Maharashtra
Maharashtra is not just India’s economic engine. It’s the state where institutional ambition and the Viksit Bharat 2047 mandate meet their greatest opportunity: leading the country’s economy, serving millions of students across urban centres and rural districts alike, and now tasked with ensuring that scale and quality rise together.
Built as a series of curated, closed-door dialogues, Digii100x Maharashtra convenes senior leaders from academia, policy, and industry from across the state, gathering in Pune for a day of candid conversation and collaboration.
Grounded in regional context and peer experience, these discussions move beyond broad ideas to practical judgement – what’s working, what needs rethinking, and where to focus next.
*Image Source: Google
Thoughtfully Designed for: Clarity. Conviction. Momentum.
Thoughtfully Designed for
Clarity. Conviction. Momentum.
Each session moves past vision statements to examine the structural, cultural, and strategic moves required over the next five years.
A Mix of Legacy and New Ideas
The room is curated to ensure high-value exchange. By bringing together seasoned institutional leaders with voices shaping digital education and governance, we create dialogue grounded in experience and informed by emerging models.
Focusing on One Region
Discussions reflect the realities of institutions operating across Maharashtra, a state with one of India's largest and most diverse higher education ecosystems spanning engineering, management, medicine, and liberal arts, with shared challenges and transferable lessons.
Moving From Ideas to Action
This is not a forum for product pitches. The intent is to surface clear next steps, covering governance choices, operating models, and capability shifts that translate ambition into campus-level action.
Starts - Ends
Session
Agenda
Istana Ballroom
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Registration & Networking Tea/Coffee
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Registration & Networking Tea/Coffee
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Inaugural Ceremony
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Registration & Networking Tea/Coffee
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Registration & Networking Tea/Coffee
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Inaugural Ceremony
Istana Ballroom
11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Keynote Address
When the World Comes to India: Why
the Top Global Universities Are Betting
on India and What It Means for Our
Institutions
11:15 AM — 12:15 PM
Panel Discussion
Decoding Great Institutions:
What Are the Essential Ingredients of Institutional Excellence?
12:15 PM — 1:15PM
Panel Discussion
The Entrepreneurial Institution:
Nurturing Founders, Driving Innovation, and Building Viksit Bharat
The Terrace Hall
11:30 AM — 01:00 PM
Vice Chancellors &
Institutional Heads’ Roundtable
One State, One Higher Education Ecosystem:
Unlocking Collective Excellence Through Collaboration
Business Centre
11:00 AM — 12:00 PM
Roundtable
The Digital Transformation Mandate:
Building the Foundation for AI-First Campuses
12:00 PM — 01:00 PM
Roundtable
Inheriting Legacy, Building the Future:
How next-gen edupreneurs balance ambition, responsibility, and institutional reality
01:15 PM - 02:00 PM
Lunch
Istana Ballroom
02:00 PM - 02:50 PM
Panel Discussion
The New Student Genome: Decoding
the Future Learners
02:00 PM — 03:00 PM
Panel Discussion
The Future of Work:
Which Industries Will Create India’s Next Million Jobs?
03:15 PM — 04:15 PM
Panel Discussion
Maharashtra’s Education Legacy:
The Journey So Far and the Next Leap
The Terrace Hall
01:45 PM — 03:00 PM
Founders & CXO’s Roundtable
Beyond Campus Boundaries:
Building High—Impact Education Ecosystems for Innovation, Talent, and Growth
03:00 PM — 04:15 PM
Presidential Roundtable
Leadership for Institutional Excellence:
Attracting, Nurturing, and Retaining the Talent
Business Centre
02:00 PM — 03:00 PM
Roundtable
Re-Architecting the Tech Function:
The People, Power, and Processes Needed to Lead Transformation
03:00 PM — 04:00 PM
Roundtable
Beyond Marks and Rankings:
What Makes a Great Student?
Istana Ballroom
04:30 PM - 06:00 PM
Valedictory Ceremony
06:00 PM Onwards
Networking Tea/Coffee
Leaders Joining Us
India’s most influential voices in higher education, policy, industry, and innovation.
Shri. Jishnu Dev Varma
Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra
Shri. Chandrakant (Dada) Patil
Hon’ble Minister for Higher and Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra
Shri. Anandrao Vishnu Patil (IAS)
Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India
Shri. Prashant Narnaware (IAS)
Secretary to the Hon’ble Governor
Shri. S. Ramamoorthy (IAS)
Joint Secretary to the Hon’ble Governor
Shri. B. Venugopal Reddy (IAS)
Additional Chief Secretary – Higher and Technical Education Department, Government of Maharashtra
Shri. Praveen Pardeshi
Chief Economic Advisor to Hon’ble Chief Minister &
Chief Executive Officer, Maharashtra Institution for Transformation, Government of Maharashtra
Shri. Vinayak Pai
Managing Director & CEO, Tata Projects Limited, & Chairman BOG – COEP Technological University, Pune
Dr. Ganesh Natarajan
Chairman – GTT Data Solutions Ltd | 5FWorld | EPPS | Honeywell Automation India | Lighthouse Communities Foundation
Sanjay Ghodawat
Founder & Chairman,
Sanjay Ghodawat Group
Dr. S. B. Mujumdar
Founder & Chancellor,
Symbiosis Society
Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar
Principal Director, Symbiosis Society & Pro Chancellor, Symbiosis International (Deemed University)
Dr. Ashwin Fernandes
Chair, QS India and Vice President, Strategic and International Engagement QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Aatash Shah
Senior Vice President & Business Head, UNext Learning
Abdul Qadir Abdul Rahman Buhari
Pro-Chancellor, B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology
Aditya Malik
Director & Group CEO,
SNVA Veranda
Prof. Ajay Kapoor
Vice-Chancellor, Somaiya Vidyavihar University
Akshay Saxena
Co-Founder & Co-CEO,
Avanti Fellows
Amey Mashelkar
Head,
JioGenNext
Amit Nitinrao Kolhe
Managing Trustee,
Sanjivani Group of Institutes
Amit Kumar
CTO and Director,
Easebuzz
Amitava Ghosh
Co-Founder, TransformM Advisory Services LLP
Amruta Ruikar
Head – International Admissions & Promotions, Symbiosis International University
Dr. Apoorva Palkar
Vice Chancellor,
Maharashtra State Skills University
Dr. Aravind Chinchure
Founder & CEO,
QLeap Academy
Aryan Jha
Officer on Special Duty to the Chairman, Sandip University
Ashish Mishra
Trustee,
Aditya Group of Institutions
Dr. Asmita Jagtap
Executive Director,
Bharati Vidyapeeth Health Sciences
Dr. B. B. Ahuja
Vice-Chancellor,
JSPM University Pune
Ben Gudgeon
Senior Director, International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP) & World Inclusion Congress
Dr. Bhimaraya Metri
Director, Indian Institute of Management Nagpur
Bhushan Lawande
Founder & MD,
E4 Development & Coaching Ltd.
Charu Malhotra
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Primus Partners
C. M. Faiz Mohammed
Director, HKBK Group Of Institutions
Devayani Bhosale
Director,
SNBP Group of Institutions
Digvijay Karad
Founder,
Wari Art
Dr. Dishan Kamdar
Vice-Chancellor,
FLAME University
Dhaval Jadhav
OSD – III to CM Office of the Chief Minister, Goa
Dviwesh Mehta
Director- Harvard Business Impact Education, Harvard Business Publishing
Dr. Ganesh Rao
Director,
Pune Business School
Gayathri Anandakrishnan
Secretary,
KPR Institutions, Coimbatore
Dr. Girish Desai
Executive Director,
Pimpri Chinchwad Education Trust (PCET)
Prof. Gopalkrishna Joshi
Founding Vice-Chancellor,
MIT Vishwaprayag University
Gurinder Singh Bahra
Vice-Chairman,
Rayat Bahra Group
Hemant Sahal
Founder & CEO,
Digii
Col. Dr. Hemlata. K. Bagla
Vice-Chancellor,
HSNC University
Dr. Hrridaysh Deshpande
Former Vice-Chancellor,
Ajeenkya DY Patil University
Hrishikesh Deshmukh
Head – IT Services & Operations, JSPM University
Hrishikesh Dhande
Deputy Director,
Pune International Centre
Jai Daga
CTO-Director IT, The South Indian Education Society
Dr. Janice Jaison
Professor, MIMER Medical College
Jaya Deshmukh
Director & CEO,
MICA Ahmedabad
Jitendra Chouksey
Founder & CEO,
FITTR
Joutishman Dutta
Vice-President,
Assam down town University
Dr. Jyoti Mcwan
Registrar,
Atharva University Mumbai
Prof. Kannan. M. Moudgalya
Emeritus Fellow, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Bombay
Kiran Deshpande
Executive Council Member, SemiX IIT Bombay & Former CEO, Tech Mahindra
Kunal Shah
Head of Strategy & Corporate Development (Education Vertical), The Times Group
Kurush Irani
President – Group Corporate Social Responsibility, Bajaj Finserv
Kushal Dodia
Associate Director Of Information Technology, Daskalos
Dr. Lalitbhushan. S. Waghmare
Vice Chancellor,
Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research (DU)
Maheshwer Peri
Founder & Chairman,
Careers360
Dr. Manish Bhalla
Vice-Chancellor,
D. Y. Patil International University, Akurdi
Mayank Kumar
Co-Founder & CEO, BorderPlus And Co-founder & MD, upGrad
Mekin Maheshwari
Founder & CEO, Udhyam Learning Foundation
Dr. Milind Kamble
Founder & Chairman, DICCI & Chairman, BoG – IIM Jammu
Dr. Milind Kamble
Vice Chancellor,
Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University
Mudit Dalmia
Vice-President,
N. L. Dalmia Educational Society
Prof. Mukund Kulkarni
In-Charge Vice Chancellor,
Vishwakarma University
Prof. (Dr.) N. J. Pawar
Vice Chancellor,
Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth
Narayanan Ramaswamy
Partner & National Leader – Education and Skill Development, Government and Public Services, KPMG – India
Naveen Gupta
Head – Mid Market & Education Segment, Reliance Jio
Dr. Netra Neelam
Founder Director,
Nurturing Facets
Nimish. C. Tolia
Secretary,
SDNB Vaishnav College
Dr. Nilesh. R. Berad
Director – Institute of Management, MET Bhujbal Knowledge City (BKC)
Prof. Nitin. R. Karmalkar
Ombudsperson, Symbiosis University of Applied Sciences & Former Vice-Chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University
Prof. Nivedita Ekbote
Deputy Secretary, Progressive Education Society & Corporator, Pune Municipal Corporation
Dr. Palak Sheth
Project Director,
Jio Institute
Prof. Parag Kalkar
Pro-Vice Chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University And President, Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS)
Paramanandhan Balasubramanian
Former Chancellor, SBUP and Governing Body Member, SBUP and Founder Trustee, Sri Balaji Society, Pune
Prathap Das
Regional Head – South Asia,
AACSB
Prajwal Bhalsing
Chief Information Security Officer, Indira University
Dr. Rajan Saxena
Former Vice-Chancellor,
SVKM’s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Deemed University
Dr. Rajendra Vikhe Patil
President & Chancellor,
Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences
Rajesh Kumar
Co-Founder & CEO,
Kalvium
Dr. Rajesh Ingle
Vice-Chancellor, Deccan Education Society Pune University
Rajendra Belgaumkar
Founder and Principal,
Seneca Consulting
Rajendra Singh
Senior Business Leader,
Digii
Rajiv Agarwal
Managing Director, PE Investments RaRe Enterprise
Rajlakshmi Vijay Patil
Managing Trustee,
D Y Patil University, Navi Mumbai
Prof. Ramakrishnan Raman
Vice-Chancellor,
Symbiosis International (Deemed University)
Raman Preet
Founder & Chairman,
PIBM Group of Institutes
Dr. Ranjan Banerjee
Vice-Chancellor,
Nayanta University
Dr. Ravi Mahamuni
Principal Scientist, Head of Design Research Lab, Tata Consultancy Services Limited
Ravin Nair
Managing Director,
QS I- Gauge
Dr. Ravikesh Srivastava
Vice Chancellor,
Vijaybhoomi University
Rishab Mehta
Founder,
GrayQuest
Dr. S. Vaidhyasubramaniam
Vice-Chancellor & Tata Sons Chair Professor of Management SASTRA DEEMED University
Sachin Sanap
Trustee,
Modern Education Society (MES)
Sagar Bahadur
Executive Director – Asia and Head of Regional Strategy, Acumen
Dr. Samir Karkhanis
Founder & CEO,
Yangpoo University Partners
Sanjay Padode
President,
Vijaybhoomi University
Prof. Sanjeev Arjunrao Sonawane
Vice-Chancellor,
Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University
Dr. Santosh. S. Sonavane
Vice-Chancellor, Pimpri Chinchwad University
Dr. Sayalee Gankar
Provost, MIT Art Design And Technical University Pune
Dr. Shankar. S. Mantha
Chancellor & President, Ramdeobaba University & Former Chairman, AICTE
Shripati Acharya
Managing Partner,
Prime Venture Partners
Shyamal Gupta
Chief Operating Officer,
Illinois Institute of Technology – Mumbai Campus
Dr. Simon Mak
Founding Vice Chancellor,
Universal AI University
Dr. Smita Jadhav
Pro Vice-Chancellor,
Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
Sowmya Acharya
Founder,
Acharyanet
Dr. Suchitra Karad Nagare
Joint Managing Trustee & Executive Director, MAEER’s MIT Group of Institutions, Pune
Sudhir Kalkar
Chairman – Managing Council,
S.P. Mandali Trust
Sujatha Kshirsagar
President,
Career Launcher
Sunil Madhusudan Joshi
Member & Chairman – College Development Committee,
WeSchool
Prof. Sunil. S. Bhagwat
Director, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune
Prof. Sunil. G. Bhirud
Vice-Chancellor, COEP Technological University
Dr. Sunil. S. Jalalpure
Secretary, KLE Society, Belagavi
Sunil Dahiya
Executive Vice-President,
Skilling Wadhwani Foundation
Sushil Mundada
Co-Founder,
ExtraaEdge
Dr. Swati Mujumdar
Pro-Chancellor (Active Vice-Chancellor), Symbiosis Skills & Professional University
Dr. Udhav Bhosle
Vice-Chancellor,
Sanjay Ghodawat University
Dr. Ujwala Shirish Chakradeo
Vice-Chancellor,
SNDT Women’s University
Prof. Umakant Dash
Vice-Chancellor,
Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics
Dr. V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai
Vice-Chancellor & Provost, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Chancellor, ICFAI University & Former Chairman, UGC & Advisor & Professor of Eminence, Jio Institute
Dr. V. S. Kanchana Bhaaskaran
Vice-Chancellor,
Vellore Institute of Technology
Vignesh Murugesan
Director – Education & Skills, G&PS, KPMG India
Dr. Vishwanath. R. Patil
Director – Innovation, Incubation and Linkages, University of Mumbai
Dr. Venkatapathy Subramanian
Senior Research Scientist,
IIT Bombay
Vik Singh
Consul (Commercial) & Trade and Investment Commissioner, South Asia – Australian Trade and Investment Commission
Prof. Vivek. A. Saoji
Vice-Chancellor,
Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University)
Moments that defined progress
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Address
Hyatt Pune,
Adjacent to Aga Khan Palace, Kalyani Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra – 411006
