Keynote Speakers
November 2, 2023
Conference Welcome and Opening: November 2, 2023, 9:40 – 10:20 am
Honorary Inaugural Speakers
Prof. Santishree D. Pandit
Vice Chancellor
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
New Delhi, India
Prof. Timira Shukla
Director
I.T.S. School of Management
Ghaziabad, India
Opening Keynote I: November 2, 2023, 10:20 – 11:00 am
Mr. Tarun Aggarwal
Vice President
Maruti Suzuki India Limited
Gurugram, Haryana, India
Tarun Aggarwal, Vice President, ERDD Electrical, xEV, and Electronics Systems, Maruti Suzuki has been confirmed for Connected Car Pune. Mr. Tarun Aggarwal has more than 26 years of experience at Maruti Suzuki (MSIL). He has been part of the MSIL Research and Development growth story, during which time he has headed several engineering verticals such as interior and body design, styling design, new model program management, and product strategy.
In his current role, he is responsible for taking strategic initiatives for various functions of infotainment, wiring harness, switches, controllers, engine electrical, EV, and hybrid systems. He has been a key driver of change in the emerging technological space of connected car solutions, infotainment, and EV. He has successfully set up dedicated cross-functional teams cutting across the length and breadth of MSIL for advanced engineering initiatives.
During his eight-year stint as Head of New Model Program Management, he successfully spearheaded the New Alto program from scratch to build. This was a first-of-its-kind development initiative by MSIL. Also, he has played instrumental roles in initiatives such as the 3-row Ertiga concept, and the Vitara Brezza, the first Compact SUV for India by Indians.
Keynote II: November 2, 2023, 11:00 – 11:40 am
Dr. Christopher Harris
Associate Professor of Computer Science
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, Colorado, United States
Using ChatGPT and other generative AI in the workplace, specifically manufacturing
Dr. Christopher Harris is an Associate Professor of Computer Science in the School of Mathematical Science at the University of Northern Colorado. Previously, he taught at the State University of New York in Oswego and has nearly 20 years of work experience as a technical strategist at companies including the World Bank, Northrop Grumman, Ratheon, E! Entertainment Television, and AT Kearney. He served as the General Manager at Advisa Group, a technology consultancy based in Beijing, China. Professor Harris received his PhD in Information Science at the University of Iowa, an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, his Masters in Computer Science from Virginia Tech, and his Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering from the University of South Florida. Professor Harris’ research areas include applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to business, agriculture, human resources, and manufacturing, ensuring fairness in machine learning algorithms, and applications involving blockchain and smart contracts.
Keynote III: November 2, 2023, 11:40 am – 12:20 pm
Dr. Prabir Kanti Basu
Senior Vice President
Reliance New Solar Energy Ltd (RNSEL)
Reliance Industries Limited
Faridabad, Haryana, India
- Qualified National Entrance Test (NET, Dec-1989) among the top 11, Physics, India
- Received his Ph.D in 1997 from NPL, New Delhi (work)/BITS, Pilani on crystalline silicon wafer solar cells
- Joined semicon industry, 1995, involving fabrication of discrete devices
- Became the Head, Solar cell division, 1998, fabricating cells, modules and systems
- Teaching Physics, EM theory, Semiconductor devices, 2003-2010 in Engineering Institutes
- Worked at Sungkyunkwan University, S Korea, 2004, on advanced solar cell research.
- Worked as consultant with UPV Solar, Coimbatore, 2006-2010, for setting up Si solar cell plant
- Worked at SERIS, NUS, Singapore, 2010-2015, as Senior Research Fellow (Scientist), Head, Multi-Si wafer Solar Cell Group.
- Key research focus was to develop cost-effective processes to improve industrial Si cell efficiency
- Worked as Senior Project Executive Officer (Scientist), NCPRE, IIT Bombay, 2016-2018, to establish industrial Si cell fabrication facility in developing new tools/processes
- Rejoined SERIS, NUS as Team Head -Front End, 2018, to start work on >23% efficiency industrial Si cell technologies.
- Holding several patents (7), e.g., ‘SERIS-etch’, ‘new selective emitter technology’, ‘Additive-free DWS multi-Si texturing’, ‘controlled industrial poly-Si etch’ etc
- Published research papers in international journals (42) and presented research works in international conferences (100)
- Authored books on “Engineering Physics”, “Electromagnetic Theory”, “Solid State Engineering Physics (published by the CRC Press, USA)”
Key areas: silicon wafer solar cell fabrication, advanced surface treatments, process integration, processing equipment specialist, consultancy, teaching
Keynote IV: November 2, 2023, 12:20 – 1:00 pm
Er. Harjinder Singh Cheema
Chairman Cheema Boilers Limited
Formal Chairman CII Mohali Zone
Sennate Member and Professor of Practice at Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, Punjab
Professor of practice at Beant University, Rayat Bahra University, Shoolini University
Advisor at FIED IIM Kashipur, Lovely Professional University and Chandigarh Group of College
A title of talk: Innovation & Invention is must for 5Trillion Economy of India
Mr. Harjinder Singh Cheema, a marine engineer of exceptional vision, founded a small manufacturing unit that has since grown into a company valued at 7,000 million and employing 1,150 people. Cheema Boilers is a leading global engineering solutions firm specializing in the production of boilers for various industries. The firm offers custom-made service concepts to optimize efficiency, availability, and reliability. Through a skilled workforce and state-of-the-art facilities, the company has been successful in doubling its turnover annually and expanding its operations, technology, workforce competency, and customer base. Cheema Boilers exports to over 140 countries worldwide, making it a truly global enterprise. He will be sharing few of his inventions in the field of energy and environmental protection in this conference with the help of presentations and crisp videos.
November 3, 2023
Keynote V: November 3, 2023, 9:40 – 10:20 am
Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal
Chairman
Hero Corporate Service Private Limited
264, Okhla Industrial Estate
Phase III, New Delhi 110020, India
Sunil Kant Munjal is a business promoter, an institution builder, a social entrepreneur, an angel investor, and a thought leader. He has been joint managing director of Hero Motocorp and is currently Chairman of Hero Enterprise. Besides being an investor, Mr. Munjal actively oversees higher education, healthcare & capacity building projects managed by various family trusts. He is the Founder, of Serendipity Arts Foundation, a unique social project that promotes and incubates fine and performing arts; he is also President of the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam, an organization that promotes performing arts across North India.
He sits on the boards of India’s iconic educational institutions including ISB, IIM (Ahmedabad) and SRCC. He also heads the board that manages The Doon School, India’s premier high school. He is also a board member, DCM Shriram Consolidated, Coca Cola India Advisory Board, Bharti Foundation, and several Hero Group companies. Has headed India’s premier industry (CII) and management bodies (AIMA). He has been a Prime Minister’s Council on Trade & Industry member advising former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on economic issues. He also chaired the Study Group on Skill Development, Training, and Workers’ Education constituted under the Second National Commission on Labour Reforms.
He has prepared a number of socio-economic reports in the areas of skill development, vocational training, CSR and tribal development. He’d made a presentation on skills and training to the PM’s Council, and this triggered many future initiatives on skills. Likewise, his presentations on red tape to the PMO, the commerce and finance ministries activated key policy changes currently being introduced under Ease of Doing Business.
Mr Munjal , a member of the Narasimham Committee in the 1990s, laid a framework for banking and financial sector reforms in India. He has also been a member of the Taskforce on Indirect Taxes (Kelkar Committee), which provided the first concrete roadmap for simplifying India’s indirect tax system, including framework for VAT and GST. He has also been a member of the consultative groups on industry and external sectors set up by the Planning Commission.
Keynote VI: November 3, 2023, 10:20 – 11:00 am
Dr. Kamal Kishore Singh, IPS
ADG of Civil Defence in the Disaster Management Department
Government of Bihar, India
Keynote topic: Digitalization, E-procurement, and modernization in public sector
Dr. Kamal K. Singh did MBBS from Patna Medical College and worked as a medical practitioner between 1993 and 1995. He cleared the UPSC exam in 1995 and was allotted Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1996. He started his career in Bihar as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and moved up to serve as district SP in many severe Left Wing Extremist infested districts, Operation Commander as Commandant of Bihar Military Police Battalions, SP of Weaker Sections in Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Assistant Inspector General (AIG) at Police Headquarters (Inspection), and Deputy IG of CID.
Dr. Singh was then selected to serve on Government of India (GoI) deputation as DIG of Police in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Operation DIG in Left Wing Extremist areas, and IG (Operations & Sector) CRPF.
Later, he served as IG of State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), Nodal Officer for Bihar State of the digital police project of GoI Crime & Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS), and Nodal Officer for Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS).
Then he served as IG of Provisions at the State Police Headquarters (PHQ), In- charge of Human Rights cell and Legal section of Bihar PHQ, IG of Modernization, IG of Weaker Sections in CID, and Additional DG of Modernization & SCRB. Currently he is serving as ADG of Civil Defence in the Disaster Management Department.
In addition to managing digital projects, procurement and modernization of police, Dr. Singh has had wide experience of election management as district SP and as State nodal officer on behalf of CRPF in 2015 Bihar Assembly Elections and as State government Police Nodal Officer in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections and 2020 Bihar Assembly Elections.
Dr. Singh is a motivational speaker and career counselor. He has been a Guest Faculty at Bihar Institute of Public Administration & Rural Development (BIPARD), Bihar Police Academy, and UGC. He has given a series of lectures at Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), and St. Xavier’s group of institutes.
Dr. Singh has been honoured with various awards during his studies, IPS training, and in professional career. These include President’s medal for meritorious services in 2012, internal security medal for operational command in Left wing extremists infested sectors in 2013, certificate of appreciation from Finance Department (Govt. of Bihar) for initiating and remarkable lead in e-procurement in 2018, etc.
Keynote VII: November 3, 2023, 11:00 – 11:40 pm
Prof. Angelika Peer
Full Professor
Faculty of Engineering
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Italy
Angelika Peer is currently Full Professor at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. From 2014 to 2017 she was Full Professor at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Before she was senior researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Automatic Control Engineering and TUM-IAS Junior Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the Technical University of Munich, Germany. She received the Diploma Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology in 2004 and the Doctor of Engineering degree in 2008 from the same university. Her research interests include robotics, haptics, teleoperation, human–human and human–robot interaction as well as human motor control.
Keynote VIII: November 3, 2023, 11:40 am – 12:20 pm
Prof. Dr. LEONG Wai Yie
Immediate Past Chairperson of The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Council Member, the Vice President of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM)
Vice President of International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES)
Deputy Vice Chair of World Federation of Engineering Organisation (Women in Engineering Committee)
Wai Yie is currently the Immediate Past Chairperson of The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET Malaysia Local Network), IET United Kingdom Council Member, the Vice President of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) 2020/2022 and Vice President of International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) 2020/2023, and Deputy Vice Chair of World Federation of Engineering Organisation (Women in Engineering Committee).
She specialises in medical signal processing and telecommunications research. She has been researching IR4.0, wireless sensor networks, ultra-wideband and wireless communications, and Brain Signal Processing for signal conditioning and classification in various EEG-based mental tasks. She has developed a gait analysis system and upper limb tracking system. The novel bio-informatics technique has been commercialized and licensed to healthcare companies to extract important features of biomedical signals. Her research works have contributed to cultural enrichment, quality of life, health, and well-being and enhanced the biomedical research capacity, knowledge, and skills of businesses and organisations. The research project has also contributed toward the wealth creation growth of biomedical companies, business revenue, and innovative capacity. She has been successfully attracting R&D investment from businesses.
Wai Yie has been awarded the Private Education Excellence Awards 2022 ‘Special Recognition – National Unity Award’ under the University category, 2022 Laureate of the WFEO Women in Engineering Award, First Runner Up of the 2021
Wai Yie has been the National and International Academic Accreditation Panel for more than 20 universities. She has over 10 years of research and industry experience in Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia, with a special interest in biomedical signal; image processing, smart control, telecommunications, and wireless sensor networks. She was also the 2013 Young Scientist (by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia) and has been elected as the Chair of the International Networking Group of Young Scientists Network-Academy of Sciences Malaysia (YSN-ASM). She has been representing women engineers at meetings and discussions at United Nations.
Keynote IX: November 3, 2023, 12:20 – 1:00 pm
Vijay Sharma
Vice President
Pavna Industries Limited
Aligarh, UP, India
A dynamic professional with over 26 years’ rich cross functional experience in Business Development, Product Engineering, Product Development, Plant Operations, Production Management, & After Sales Support. Proven abilities to enhance the production process, operations, optimize resource & capacity utilization, escalate productivity & operational efficiencies; while curtailing costs & expenses across organizations. Proven abilities in managing technically advanced, cost-efficient, state of the art production systems and processes. Resourceful at strategizing techniques for maximum utilization of manpower/machinery. A keen planner with skills in conceptualizing and effecting process initiatives to enhance plant efficiency and productivity. Recognized proficiency in steering Marketing Operations with focus on accomplishment of the company’s mission & profitability targets In-depth knowledge of working and dynamics of Products with demonstrated abilities in optimizing product performance and efficiencies. Significant experience of developing and working with highly technical systems geared towards optimizing Customer Service Operations and Service deliveries. Deal with all customers since start from development to its routine supplies, followed with regular visit to them to discuss development issues, quality issues, prices negotiation, finalization, accordingly to take care in Organization. Closely worked with Japanese for their Indian projects with Honda Lock Japan for their Global sourcing and successfully developed cost effective parts from India. Evaluation of Fuel Injection system projects with Aisan Industry Company Ltd Japan for India OEM’ like Bajaj, TVS etc. Set up entire facility for Bank Angle sensor with Technical Collaboration Toyo Denso Japan for Indian OEM’s like Honda India. Set up for entire projects of EMS for manufacturing PCB for lighting industries. Clean Room developed for Assembly of Automotive Lights, PCB etc. according to ISO-8 / Class-100,000. Heading the Engineering Department of company equipped with latest software like Ideas, Pro-E, from conceptual design stage to product development stage follow the APQP approach. Monitoring the business plan of the company for achieving the company target. Coordinator of UNIDO partnership cluster programmed conducted jointly by UNIDO, ACMA and CII related to the implementation of the various constituents of lean manufacturing practice like 5S, Kaizen, 3M, Visual Controls, Model machine, Quality Circle, Poke Yoke, single flow manufacturing etc. Leading the team to get ISO/TS: 16949:2002, certification with integrated management system. Extensive experience in implementing quality standards and carrying out internal audits, vendor assessment, resolving customer complaints.
November 4, 2023
Keynote X: November 4, 2023, 9:40 – 10:20 am
Mr. Rakesh Vasisht
Vice Precedent
Hero Motocorp
Delhi, India
Mr. Rakesh Vasisht is a seasoned executive leader with over three decades of rich corporate experience, with a particular emphasis on the automotive industry. For the past two decades, he has held senior leadership positions with the world’s largest two-wheeler company, Hero MotoCorp. Throughout his career, Rakesh has played a pivotal role in the transformation of Hero Honda into Hero MotoCorp, contributing to its growth and success.
As an executive leader, Rakesh Vasisht is known for his ability to drive transformative change and establish a clear organizational vision in response to ever-changing business environments. He has a broad business perspective and excels in identifying and evaluating critical arguments that impact decision-making in key business matters. Rakesh also possesses strong operational expertise in sales and marketing, project management, and negotiation of significant projects.
One of Rakesh’s notable achievements is his role as the Executive Sponsor for the Scooter business at Hero MotoCorp since October 2020. During the second half of FY 21, he successfully reversed a seven-year declining market share trend by increasing the company’s market share by 2%, despite a 20% decline in the Indian scooter market. Additionally, Rakesh guided the Institutional Sales team, resulting in a remarkable 150% increase in sales during the same period.
Furthermore, Rakesh Vasisht has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills throughout his tenure. He has a proven track record of building lasting relationships with senior management across all stakeholder groups, including dealers, vendors, partners, shareholders, and the Board of Directors. His excellent presentation skills enable him to effectively address various audiences, fostering collaboration and driving positive outcomes.
In his role as Head of the CEO’s Office at Hero MotoCorp from June 2000 to September 2020, Rakesh actively participated in several internal committees, such as the Operations Council for new model development, Ethics Committee, and New Dealer Appointment Committee. He also conceptualized and managed the Chairman’s Club, which recognized and engaged with high-performing dealers within the company. Rakesh led the corporate affairs requirements of the company and was responsible for overseeing significant projects from time to time. Additionally, he held leadership positions in internal audit, corporate real estate, and corporate administration, demonstrating his multifaceted skill set.
Rakesh Vasisht’s passion for government affairs is also noteworthy, as he possesses experience in conducting political and financial analysis that influences key legislations. This expertise further enhances his ability to navigate complex business environments and drive strategic decision-making.
Overall, Rakesh Vasisht is a dynamic and accomplished executive leader who brings transformative change, establishes organizational vision, and influences the direction of innovation and transformation within an organization. With his strong operational background, exceptional communication skills, and extensive leadership experience, he continues to contribute significantly to the success of Hero MotoCorp.
Keynote XI: November 4, 2023, 10:20 – 11:00 am
Mr. Sanjay Ranawade
Senior Vice President (CMO)
Jewellery Division
Titan Company Limited, India
Keynote XII: November 4, 2023, 11:00 – 11:40 am
Ajay Sambrani
Managing Director Asia Pacific
Member of Group Executive Management
TUBACEX
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mr. Ajay Sambrani is TUBACEX Asia Managing Director and a member of the TUBACEX Group Executive Committee. Mr. Ajay Sambrani is an Engineer with MBA from Sweden . In his role, Mr. Ajay Sambrani is responsible for the TUBACEX Businesses in Asia leading the Manufacturing Operations in the region as well as managing all the Sales Offices throughout Asia Pacific & Australia.
Core Competencies
- KAM Business Growth and Transformation
- Technical Marketing Strategy
- New Business Development International Business
- Project Management Operation Management
- Stakeholder Management Marketing & Sales
- M&A
Education and Training
- Master of Business Administration & Management, ABB University, Vasteras Sweden
- Bachelor of Engineering, Industrial & Production, Karnataka University – India
- Leadership Management Programme – HarvardBusiness School
- Global Strategy – IMD – Lausanne Switzerland
Keynote XIII: November 4, 2023, 11:40 am- 12:20 pm
Dr. Sushil Kumar
Professor in Operations Management
Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
Prabandh Nagar, IIM Road
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sushil Kumar is Professor in the Operations and Supply Chain Management Group at the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIM Lucknow), India.
He has 27 years of rich experience in teaching post-graduate students and conducting training programmes in IIM, Mumbai and IIM Lucknow. After completion of PhD from IIT Delhi, he joined IIM Mumbai (NITIE) as an Assistant Professor in 1996. In 2005, he shifted to IIM Lucknow as an Associate Professor. Since 2009 he is Full Professor at IIM Lucknow.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from NIT Kurukshetra, Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. He did Post-doctoral Fellowship at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, and as a part of his work, visited numerous manufacturing and service organizations in Japan.
He has published several research papers in the International and National journals, some of which have been highly referred to. He has been a consultant to a number of Private and Government/Public Sector organizations. He has guided several doctoral students.
His teaching/research interests are Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Service Operations Management, Project Management, Design Thinking, etc. Apart from these, he also teaches some other very interesting courses.
His training programmes in the area of Decision Making, Creative Problem Solving, Design Thinking and Project Management are well received by the participants from industries and other organizations and he has trained more than 1000 industry participants in such programmes.
He is member of the Governing Board at IIM Ranchi since 2019. He is member of the Academic Council at IIITDM Jabalpur and MIT-WPC University Pune.
He has been Chairman OSCM Ara, Chairman Post Graduate Programme, Chairman Placements at IIM Lucknow. A keen sports lover, he represented his institute in Football and Athletics in his college days. He is a trekking enthusiast and done a number of treks in India. He has completed Skiing course in Japan. He pursues badminton now-a-days. He knows Marathi, Hindi, English and a little bit of Japanese. He lives with his wife, a son, a daughter, and a dog at IIM campus Lucknow.
Keynote: November 4, 2023, 12:20 – 1:00 pm
Dr. Abhijit Majumdar
R. Jaikrmar Chair Professor for Operations Management
Indian Institute of Technology
Delhi, India
Abhijit Majumdar is currently holding the position of R. Jaikrmar Chair Professor for Operations Management at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India (IIT Delhi). His research area includes sustainable supply chain management, circular economy, decision modeling, etc. He graduated from Calcutta University with a Gold medal in Textile Technology program. He also holds M.Tech and MBA degrees from IIT Delhi. He acquired Ph.D. in Production Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. He has 24 years of experience in academia and 2 years of experience in industry. He is a visiting professor at the University of Huddersfield, UK. He has authored two textbooks and edited five books. He has also published 170 research papers in refereed journals which have received more than 5900 citations. He has guided 15 Ph.D. scholars. He is an area editor of Operations Management Research journal. He is a recipient of the Best Industry Relevant Doctoral Thesis Supervision Award, IIT Delhi (2023); Eminent Engineer Award from Institution of Engineers, India (2023), Best Industry Relevant Masters Project Supervision Award, IIT Delhi (2019); Gandhian Young Technology Innovation (GYTI) Award (2016 and 2021); Teaching Excellence Award of IIT Delhi (2015) and Outstanding Young Faculty Fellowship, IIT Delhi (2009-2014).
Past Keynotes
- IEOM 2010 – Dhaka
- IEOM 2011 – Kuala Lumpur
- IEOM 2012 – Istanbul
- IEOM 2014 – Bali
- IEOM 2015 – Dubai
- IEOM 2015 – Orlando
- IEOM 2016 – Kuala Lumpur
- IEOM 2016 – Detroit
- IEOM 2017 – Rabat, Morocco
- IEOM 2017 – Bristol, UK
- IEOM 2017 – Bogota, Colombia
- IEOM 2018 – Bandung
- IEOM 2018 – Paris
- IEOM 2018 – Washington DC
- IEOM 2018 – Pretoria
- IEOM 2019 – Bangkok
- IEOM 2019 – Pilsen
- IEOM 2019 – Toronto
- IEOM 2019 – Riyadh
- IEOM 2020 – Dubai
- 2020 Detroit, USA
- 2020 Harare, Zimbabwe
- 2021 Singapore
- 2021 Sao Paulo, Brazil
- 2021 Haiti
- 2021 Harbin, China
- 2021 Rome, Italy
- 2021 Bangalore, India
- 2021 Indonesia
- 2021 Monterrey, Mexico
- 2022 Istanbul
- 2022 Nigeria
- 2022 Orlando
- 2022 Paraguay
- 2022 Rome
- 2022 Warangal, India
- 2022 Johor Baru, Malaysia
- 2022 Sydney, Australia
- 2022 Dhaka, Bangladesh
- 2023 Manila – Annual
- 2023 Zambia – African
- 2023 Lima, Peru – SA
- 2023 Houston, USA – NA
- 2023 Lisbon, Portugal – EU
- 2023 India – New Delhi