Against the Grid: Celebrating Disruptive Innovation

Design Leads, We Follow – Relentlessly

About the Ahmedabad Design Week

Ahmedabad Design Week is a celebration of design, creativity, imagination, and innovation. With six glorious editions to cherish, it has been a space where ideas have taken shape and found application. Where young minds have collaborated with mentors, industry stalwarts, and seasoned veterans to discover new inspirations and perspectives to look at the world of design and everything around us.

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Started as India Design Confluence and later rebranded to Ahmedabad Design Week, this annual confluence in it glorious journey of five years has impacted the landscape of design and art. In the ever-evolving world of design, where the mind constantly explores uncharted territories, seeking fresh perspectives and innovative patterns that shape our reality, Ahmedabad Design Week shines as a distinguished & inspiring landmark.

Vision

To inspire a culture of questioning, experimentation and creative courage, where established conventions are challenged and new possibilities are imagined through design.
Through Ahmedabad Design Week 8.0, we envision a space where disruptive ideas find expression, diverse perspectives come together and design becomes a catalyst for meaningful change.

Mission

• To question the familiar and challenge assumptions that shape the way we think, create and experience.
• To bring together diverse minds from design, technology, culture, business and creative practice to exchange ideas and perspectives.
• To create spaces for experimentation through conversations, workshops, exhibitions and immersive experiences.
• To celebrate disruptive innovation that challenges patterns, redefines possibilities and contributes meaningfully to what comes next.

Our
Workshops

Registration Closed

Collaborative Workshop

Exploring
Pedagogy | Sustainablity | Interaction Design

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Registration Closed

Art Installations

ADW
Installations

Wood Installation

Created by Bram Rouws and Vincent Roy

Wood Installation

Created by Bram Rouws and Vincent Roy

#ADW2020

Other
Attractions

Food Fiesta

Curated by Foodaholics in Ahmedabad

Vintage Car Exhibition

By Gujarat Vintage & Classic Car Club (GVCCC)

ADW 8.0 Theme :- Against the Grid: Celebrating Disruptive Innovation

Against the Grid:
The grid gives us structure. It gives us a way to organise, navigate and make sense of the world.
But every system has its boundaries. Every convention begins with a choice. And every familiar pattern was once something someone decided to question.
Design moves forward when we look beyond those boundaries.
Against the Grid is an invitation to challenge the expected, disrupt familiar patterns and explore possibilities that do not yet have a blueprint.
Because innovation does not always begin with a new answer.
Sometimes, it begins with questioning the question itself.

CELEBRATING DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION
Disruption, in design, is not change for the sake of change. It is the willingness to challenge what exists when something different can create greater meaning, relevance or possibility.
From products and spaces to technology, communication, culture and everyday experiences, some of the most significant shifts happen when someone chooses to look at a familiar problem from an unfamiliar perspective.
Through Ahmedabad Design Week 8.0, we bring together thinkers, creators, educators, practitioners and changemakers who are willing to step outside established patterns and explore what comes next.
The grid is what we know.
What lies beyond it is what we create next.

JOURNEY SO FAR

7

Glorious Editions

50MN+

Digital Footprints

250+

Speaker Sessions

35K+

Student Participation

180+

Workshops

40+

Panel Discussions

35+

Networking Meets

20+

Red Dot Awardees

25+

Countries Represented

Guests of Honour

Charu Kokate

Senior Partner at Safdie Architects

Charu Kokate

Guided by purpose, Charu Kokate envisions architecture as a catalyst for positive change, creating ripples that extend across communities, neighborhoods, and cities. As Senior Partner and Director of Safdie Architects’ Singapore office, she plays a pivotal role in advancing the firm’s work throughout Asia. A self-proclaimed 'Design Guardian,' Charu ensures that complex projects are executed with precision and integrity, guiding interdisciplinary teams through the intricate transition from conceptual vision to built reality. Charu’s portfolio features some of Singapore’s most celebrated architectural achievements, including Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort and Jewel Changi Airport—both recipients of Singapore’s prestigious President’s Design Award. Her extensive work also includes Altair Towers, a 69-story residential tower in Colombo, Sri Lanka; Boulevard 88 | EDITION Singapore, two luxurious residential towers set above the acclaimed boutique hotel on Singapore’s famed Orchard Road; and the flagship headquarters campus of Surbana Jurong, the first headquarters to be sited within a rainforest and recipient of Singapore's 2025 President*s Design Award. Currently, Kokate is part of the leadership team overseeing the Marina Bay Sands expansion, poised to once again redefine Singapore’s skyline. Charu serves as a distinguished ambassador for Safdie Architects’ humanist design philosophy, representing the firm at influential global forums such as TEDx, the World Architecture Festival, the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), Architects, not Architecture (AnA), and the Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU). Celebrated as a thought leader, keynote speaker, and jury member, she actively contributes to advancing architectural discourse within the industry. As a dedicated mentor, Charu is passionate about empowering women in design, fostering leadership and resilience to inspire the next generation of architects.

Mentors

Dr. Sunil R Parekh

SPoC Sustainability @ Zydus Group and Strategic Advisor @ Jubilant Bhartia Group

Shri Ritesh Hada

President - Karnavati University

Shri Umang Hutheesing

President, Hutheesing Design Company est 1881

Dr. Sunil R Parekh

Dr. Sunil R Parekh - Industry Experience: Senior Strategy Advisor with Zydus Life Sciences Group & Jubilant Bhartia Group, and Director in India’s oldest VC Firm-GVFL Ltd, iCreate and several Start-Up Incubators and Angel Funds. Co-founder: TechXchange (India-UK Partnership for Start-Ups), 2016. 48 years of work experience with corporates in India, Africa and the USA. Delegate & speaker: UNFCCC Conference CoP-27, Egypt, 2022 | TedX | B20; S20 under G20 seminars. Also an empaneled Arbitrator and a fellow of the Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA). Public Policy Work: Previously consultant at ADB. Current member of several national Industry Associations (CII, FICCI, GCCI, AMA, IDMA, IAN etc) Awarded in Gujarat & Nationally: - Outstanding Contribution to National Development OCND Award, 2014 - ‘ET ICON’ - Economic Times Award, 2018 - Power 100 Eminent Personality of Gujarat in 2011 & again in 2014 - Special Invited Member of OAU, Abidjan Meet (Organisation for African Unity, 1993) - Founding member of Vibrant Gujarat team with then CM Modi, 2002 - D. Litt. Award 2023 by Karnavati University for Global Impact, Innovation and Leadership. On the boards of several leading NGOs, academic institutions, Think Tanks & educational institutions. Associated with the World Economic Forum WEF Geneva as a Founding Curator AGS. Research & Publications: Contributed to the literature on Gujarat’s Industrial Development for Oxford Univ Press Publication OUP and ORF Foundation (a Brookings Affiliate).

Why should ADW be on your “must-attend” list?

🞉 Network and learn from design visionaries, industry leaders and mentors from 21 + countries and more.
🞉 Tailored sessions, workshops, panel discussions and experiences to sharpen your design skills.
🞉 Discover fresh grounds of inspiration, creativity & innovation.
🞉 Dive into emerging trends and real-world applications forging a path toward futuristic learning.
🞉 Be part of a movement that nurtures creativity, amplifies potential and charts the future of design.It is about harnessing Collective Wisdom.

Guest Speakers at ADW 8.0

Vijaybahu Joshi

Associate VP & Head of Experience Design - Jio Platforms Ltd

Sarang Kulkarni

Co-Founder & Type Designer, Ek Type | Founder, WhiteCrow Designs

Ruchi Mehta

Vice President – Design, BookMyShow

Sarang Kulkarni

Sarang Kulkarni is an internationally recognised Indian type designer and calligrapher, known for his contributions to multilingual typography, bespoke type design and the preservation of Indian scripts. He is the Co-Founder of Ek Type, an award-winning collaborative type foundry established in 2013, and the Founder of WhiteCrow Designs, a Mumbai-based design studio established in 2005. An alumnus of Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai, Sarang specialises in developing contemporary typefaces rooted in the rich traditions of Indian writing systems. Through WhiteCrow Designs, he has worked with prominent brands including Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Star Network, Coca-Cola, Flipkart, Future Group, Godrej, Facebook and Pidilite, creating multilingual brand identities, custom lettering and typography solutions. At Ek Type, he has contributed to widely recognised typeface families including Baloo, Modak, Gotu, Anek and Naatak, several of which are available as open-source fonts through Google Fonts. His work on the Anek Multiscript Variable Font Family, developed for Google Fonts, reflects his commitment to making Indian typography accessible across digital platforms and languages. In 2019, Sarang became one of the first Indian designers to be inducted into the prestigious Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI). His contributions to typography have also earned recognition through two D&AD Awards, and he served on the Typography Jury at D&AD in 2019. Beyond his professional practice, Sarang is actively involved with the Aksharaya Society, a non-profit organisation dedicated to documenting, promoting and preserving Indian scripts. Through workshops, lectures and collaborations with design institutions, he continues to champion the cultural significance of letterforms and the evolving role of Indian typography in contemporary visual communication.

Ruchi Mehta

Ruchi Mehta: Creative Leadership & Design Innovation An alumna of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, Ruchi Mehta is a multidisciplinary design leader recognized for bridging the gap between physical spaces and digital experiences. Key Achievements Digital Transformation at BookMyShow: Joining as the Head of Design during the lockdown, Ruchi led the UX-UI team in a complete reimagination of India’s largest ticketing platform. She pioneered a post-transaction discovery experience that significantly elevated customer satisfaction and unlocked new avenues for platform monetization. Large-Scale Experiential Design: Currently serving as the Creative Director for Spatial Design, she directed the fourth edition of Lollapalooza India, ensuring a world-class festival experience that sets a benchmark for live events in the region. Her past works include installations for the the Taj Khazana, Khalsa Museum, Raas Jodhpur and the Chimayananda Museum. Industry Leadership at Dentsu: As the Creative Director at Fountainhead MKTG (Dentsu Group), Ruchi led her team to a record-breaking number of industry awards, cementing her reputation as a powerhouse in exhibition and experiential design across the tech, automotive and luxury industry. Academic & Industry Authority: She has served as a Visiting Faculty member at the Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC), Mumbai, and is a frequent jury member for prestigious industry honors, including the Friends of Figma Awards. Innovation in AI & Therapy: Beyond commercial design, her self-portrait series using Generative AI gained international attention, leading to an invitation to speak at the The American Art Therapy Association. Her talk explored the intersection of AI, self-expression, and therapeutic practice. Foundational Excellence: Originally trained as an Industrial Designer, Ruchi’s career is a testament to versatility, having successfully navigated roles in Product design, textiles, fashion, luxury experiencies and exhibition design.

Rajib Ghosh

Strategic Design & AI Innovation Partner

Nirmit Soni

Founder, TUGBÖTZ Design

Mrudul Pathak Kundu

Former Editor, ELLE DECOR, India

Rajib Ghosh

Rajib Ghosh is a Strategic Design & AI Innovation Partner based in Hyderabad, India. He partners with enterprise leaders, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), and founders to transform design into measurable business growth through AI-informed strategy, human-centred innovation, and practical experience gained from shipping products used by hundreds of millions of people. He believes that most design investments underdeliver not because of poor design, but because design is not connected to the right business questions. His expertise lies at the intersection of design leadership, behavioural research, AI product strategy, and executive storytelling, backed by experience working at a global scale. Rajib creates CXO-level value through AI Product Strategy, Design-Led Growth, Speed and Clarity, and Capability Building. His work involves identifying the right AI opportunities, prototyping AI-powered experiences, and reducing risks before engineering investments are made. He develops strategies that directly connect design with business outcomes such as product adoption, revenue, and customer retention. He also uses frameworks to accelerate innovation cycles, transform complex and ambiguous challenges into clear executive decisions, and embed human-centred design practices into product, engineering, and strategy teams. His professional engagement areas include AI Futures Intensive, where he helps organisations map, prototype, and de-risk AI opportunities before engineering; Strategic Innovation Intensive, which focuses on developing validated innovation strategies through in-depth research and insights; Design and Strategy Sprints, which enable rapid cross-functional alignment on product vision and strategy; Discovery Sprints, which use behavioural research to uncover genuine user needs and motivations; and Experience Audits, which provide expert UX diagnostics and prioritised recommendations. He also conducts Ideation Jams, offering one-to-three-day collaborative workshops, Capability Building Workshops, coaching and embedded practice development, and ongoing CXO-level design strategy advisory through retainer engagements. Rajib has delivered significant business impact through his work with leading global organisations, particularly Microsoft. His contributions to Microsoft Edge include improving retention and engagement through strategic design interventions. A new strategy and design for the First Run Experience (FRE) increased Browser Share of Minutes (BSoM) by 0.06 points, with one BSoM point representing approximately 150 million in revenue. Data and Open Tabs Import, along with seamless continuity from Chrome, increased BSoM by 0.38 points. His Copilot-led reactivation strategy through Second Chance FRE positively impacted Edge usage and was shipped after the Copilot launch. He also developed a new decision framework, governance strategy, and design for the Edge Notification Platform, increasing Notification NSAT from 70% to 90%. Improved personalisation using GenAI increased new-device retention by 2%, while a strategic design improvement in the Password Save dialogue increased the password-save rate by 23.8%. His strategy and design for AI Themes on the Microsoft marketing page resulted in one million theme adoptions within just one month and generated positive public relations. Rajib also contributed to modernising the Microsoft Edge Web Store by redesigning its storefront for business and end users, simplifying product discovery and engagement and achieving approximately 5% faster entity discovery in early experiments. His work on launching and scaling the Microsoft Viva Connections Feed helped acquire 1.5 million monthly active users (MAU). Similarly, his strategy and design contributions to Microsoft Lists Web and Mobile helped the product achieve a combined monthly active user base of 19 million across mobile and desktop platforms. Beyond Microsoft, Rajib has delivered impactful innovation and design projects for organisations such as Oracle, Dr. Reddy’s, Stryker, Mercedes-Benz, Black+Decker, Novartis, Covidien, ISB, and WISH Foundation. In collaboration with PropelLabs and Dr. Reddy’s, he worked on improving therapy adherence for people with chronic illnesses. Through a behaviour-based intervention, the initiative achieved patient adherence of up to 70% in test groups compared with control groups during the pilot phase, along with increased engagement. His work with Stryker through PropelLabs focused on developing an innovative product line and establishing an innovation team. This strategic innovation intervention led to the successful launch of SmartMedic, India's first ICU bed upgrade platform designed to enhance patient care and caregiver safety, while also helping establish an internal innovation team in India. Rajib has also made significant contributions to entrepreneurship and design education. He designed and delivered a Design Thinking skilling initiative across Andhra Pradesh through ISB's Technology Entrepreneurship Program, impacting more than 15 technology institutes and helping generate funding for student-led ideas. He also co-designed and executed India's first design-led virtual incubation programme, supported by the Department of Science and Technology. The programme contributed to the successful development of healthcare startups such as Healthians and Nora Health. His professional achievements have been recognised through several prestigious awards and accomplishments. He holds two patents in Browser UX (2024) and Voice Interaction (2008). His recognitions include the Microsoft Outstanding Leadership Award (2022), Microsoft Product Excellence Award (2019), TiE50 Awards for reQall (2009 and 2012), the DEMO God Award (2007), the Apple Interface Design Award (1995), and the DuPont Award at ICSID'97 in Canada. Rajib has received training in Future Thinking from the Institute for the Future and is certified in LEGO Serious Play facilitation. He has also received training in behavioural economics from Dan Ariely and Nir Eyal, innovation management from Erasmus University and the University of Illinois, and neuroeconomics from the Higher School of Economics. His work has been featured in leading global publications, including O'Reilly Best iPhone Apps (2009), Interactions Magazine (May and June 1996), and MacFormat Magazine (Issue 30, November 1995). He holds a Bachelor of Design (BDes) degree from the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. One of his notable professional collaborations was working directly with Professor Don Norman, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, at reQall. During this collaboration, he contributed to designing one of the world's first multimodal AI digital assistants. Rajib Ghosh brings together strategic thinking, design leadership, behavioural insights, and AI innovation to help organisations solve complex business challenges, create meaningful customer experiences, and achieve measurable growth.

Nirmit Soni

Nirmit Soni is an accomplished automotive and industrial designer with over 19 years of international experience in transportation design, vehicle development and mobility innovation. He is the Founder of TUGBÖTZ Design, an automotive and industrial design consultancy established in Germany and now based in Ahmedabad, specialising in automotive design, industrial products, digital visualisation and product strategy. An alumnus of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, Nirmit has built an extensive international career working with leading automotive manufacturers, including Volvo, Honda, Renault, Opel, General Motors and Tata Motors. His professional experience spans design environments in India, Japan, Germany and Sweden, bringing together diverse cultural perspectives, advanced automotive design practices and an understanding of global mobility markets. Under his leadership, TUGBÖTZ Design has developed a multidisciplinary practice serving established automotive manufacturers and emerging mobility brands. Among its notable projects is the AVORE EX Series of electric motorcycles, where the studio played a central role in developing the brand’s design identity and translating initial concepts into production-ready vehicle designs. The project represents a significant milestone in the studio’s contribution to India’s evolving electric mobility sector. Nirmit’s passion for automotive design was recognised early in his career when he won Top Gear India’s 2006 design competition to conceptualise an affordable one-lakh-rupee car, earning him an opportunity to attend the Geneva Motor Show. His professional journey has also been featured in MINI India’s MINITALES series, highlighting his connection with automotive design and car culture. Beyond his professional practice, Nirmit contributes to design education as a visiting faculty member at the National Institute of Design and through industry talks and workshops. His work reflects a commitment to combining design creativity, engineering precision and cultural understanding to shape meaningful mobility experiences and the future of transportation design.

Ashish Deshpande

Independent Director, Council Member at Association of Designers of India, Elephant Design

Anand Jha

Vice President, Product Development, Hero Cycles Ltd.

Abhijit Bansod

Founder & Creative Director, Studio ABD

Ashish Deshpande

An Industrial Designer from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India, Ashish started his design entrepreneurship journey, 37 years ago, by co-founding India’s pioneering design practice, Elephant. Elephant today is present in India as well as in Singapore. Ashish leads Product & Retail Experience Innovation group and has lead projects ranging from consumer appliances related to air, water & energy, medical equipment, wearable electronics, automotive and retail. He & his team at Elephant is recipient of several awards including Spark (USA), Greener Gadgets (USA), iF Design Award (Germany), Golden Pin Award (Taiwan), Lexus Design Awards India, CII-Design Excellence and 5 products designed by his team have received the India Design Mark. Ashish is HFI certified Usability Analyst. His consulting experience spans start-ups, Corporates, MNCs from India, South-East Asia, Japan and Europe. Ashish has worked with CIIE, Intel and T-Hub Hyderabad to mentor start up incubatees through Design Thinking. Having served on the jury panel of "Power of Ideas" run by CIIE - IIM-A, Ashish mentors several start up initiatives incubated by CIIE, MIT ID and Intel – Innovate for Digital India. Ashish was invited to mentor start-ups during Smart India Hackathon promoted by the Prime Minister of India. Ashish conducts workshops on Design Thinking, Growth by Design & Product Innovation. Invited to speak at International Design Congress, Gwangju, he also delivered keynote at International Symposium, Naju Innovation City, Korea, World Eco-friendly Design Expo and spoke at A+ Design Symposium, Taiwan. Recently, he has delivered a product innovation workshop for Design students at Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan. Ashish has been on the Product Design Jury at Cannes Lions in France as well as at the Taiwan International Student Design Competition. Ashish is founding trustee and past President, Association of Designers of India and an active member of the Design Alliance Asia. He has served as appointed member of India Design Council, has been on the jury of India Design Mark and was invited to attend Good Design Mark Jury, Japan. Ashish is IICA certified Independent Director and was invited to join the Board of Directors of Symphony Limited in 2018.

Anand Jha

Anand Jha is an accomplished product and design leader with over 19 years of experience spanning product development, industrial design, user experience, innovation and business strategy. Currently serving as Vice President of Product Development at Hero Cycles Ltd., he brings extensive cross-industry expertise to the development of contemporary mobility products and consumer-focused design solutions. His professional journey includes leadership roles at prominent organisations such as General Motors, Siemens, Accenture, Delhivery, Roposo, Times Internet, Tata 1mg and Miko. At General Motors, he contributed to automotive design, including work on the Chevrolet Volt, while his tenure at Tata 1mg involved transforming digital healthcare experiences and scaling a diabetes subscription service through design-led interventions. Prior to joining Hero Cycles, Anand served as Chief Design Officer at Miko, a consumer robotics company, where he contributed to product innovation and the development of interactive, technology-driven experiences. His career reflects a distinctive combination of physical product design, digital experiences, consumer technology and commercial strategy. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, where he earned his Master of Design, Anand also holds an engineering degree from Visvesvaraya Technological University and an International Executive MBA from SDA Bocconi. His expertise extends across product strategy, design leadership, user research, business innovation and multidisciplinary product development. Beyond his corporate career, Anand is an active speaker, educator and contributor to the design community. He has shared his expertise at platforms including UX Now, IIIT Delhi, IIT Jodhpur and Ahmedabad Design Week, while also serving as a guest faculty member and academic advisor at Ambedkar University Delhi. Through his work across automotive design, healthcare, consumer robotics and mobility, Anand continues to advocate for the integration of design thinking, technology and business strategy in creating meaningful products and experiences.

Abhijit Bansod

Abhijit Bansod is an acclaimed Indian industrial designer and the Founder and Creative Director of Studio ABD, a Bengaluru-based multidisciplinary design consultancy established in 2008. Known for bringing Indian cultural narratives into contemporary product design, he has played an influential role in shaping India’s industrial design identity across consumer products, luxury watches, lifestyle accessories, packaging and design innovation. An alumnus of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, Abhijit spent nearly a decade at Titan, contributing to celebrated collections including Titan Heritage, Titan Black, Fastrack and Titan Raga. His work on the Titan Heritage collection earned recognition at the Businessworld-NID Design Brilliance Awards in 2008. Under his leadership, Studio ABD has collaborated with over 100 clients, including Titan, Tanishq, Godrej, Havells, BPL, ITC, Hindustan Unilever, Colgate, Bosch and Isha Life. Notable projects include the Titan Nebula Palace Collection, Red Dot Award-winning BPL Studylite, Havells Glamtube, Godrej Allure washing machine, Classmate Hook and Spin pens, and design work for Paper Boat and Eastern. His work extends to social innovation through Tigoona, a mobility and retail solution for street vendors, and bespoke commemorative design through Xclusiv by Studio ABD, with projects including the BCCI Naman Awards, the Bat of Honour for Sachin Tendulkar, and creations for Aditya Birla Group, BITS Pilani and Titan. His contributions have earned national and international recognition, including the Red Dot Design Award (2010), the British Council’s Young Creative Entrepreneur Award (2011), and recognition at the India Design Mark, Kyoorius Design Awards and India’s Best Design Awards. With a career spanning nearly three decades, Abhijit continues to champion an original Indian design language that brings together cultural identity, storytelling, technology and commercial relevance, strengthening the presence of Indian design on the global stage.

What is in store for you?

Inspiring Speaker Sessions
Hands-on Workshops
Insightful Panel Discussions
Captivating Studio Exhibitions

Immersive Art Installations
Thrilling Design Competitions
Engaging Design Tours

Inaugurated by

Resul Pookutty – ADW 6.0

Indian sound designer - Theme - SHARED SIGNATURES (2025)

Dr. Rajagopala Chidambaram – ADW 5.0

Chairman, School for Advanced Studies in Nuclear Science and Technology, BARC - Theme - INDIABLE - Design thinking through Generations (2024)

Mr. Masahiro Hara – ADW 4.0

Inventor of QR Code and Awarded European Inventor Award - Theme - Technologically Revolutionising Across Paradigms (2023)

General M M Naravane, PVSM , AVSM , SM, VSM, ADC – ADW 3.0

Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army - Theme - Design and Innovation in Defence and Aerospace (2022)

Dr. R. A. Mashelkar – ADW 2.0

Padma Vibhushan, National Research Professor, Eminent Scientist - Theme - Toy'ing with Design (2021)

Shri Piyush Goyal – ADW 1.0

Hon'ble Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Railways, Govt. of India - Theme - Design in India (2020)

Get in touch with us

The
Venue

1) Karnavati University Campus

Adalaj-Uvarsad Road, At.&Po.: Uvarsad,Dist.: Gandhinagar,
PIN: 382422 Gujarat

Contact Us

[email protected]
Mobile :- +91-9998634567

Partners

Event
Partners

Hosted by

Education Partner

Glimpses of Previous editions

Ahmedabad Design Week Previous edition Media Coverage

17 February,2025/Gujarati News 18

અમદાવાદ ડિઝાઇન વીક 6.0: ભારતના 20થી વધુ કારીગરોએ પરંપરાગત કલા દર્શાવી, દેશના સમૃદ્ધ વારસાની કરી ઉજવણી

16 February,2025/Rediff Moneywiz

Ahmedabad Design Week: 100+ Designers Showcase Creations

15 February,2025/Gujarati Jagran

Ahmedabad Design Week 6.0: શેર્ડ સિગ્નેચર્સ – સહયોગ અને રચનાત્મકતાની ઊજવણી

17 February,2024/The Blunt Times

Ahmedabad Design Week 5.0 :Day-II Concluded On A High Note At Karnavati University With Engaging Discussions And Deliberations

27 January, 2023/The Hindu

New QR code to have colours, will hold more data, says Japanese inventor Hara

26 February, 2022/अमर उजाला

सेना प्रमुख: जहां तक सेना का सवाल, हम जो कुछ भी खरीदते हैं, उसका 85% हिस्सा भारतीय कंपनियों से

Past Speakers

ADW 4.0 IDC ADW 1.0 ADW 2.0 ADW 3.0 ADW 5.0 ADW 6.0 ADW 7.0

Ketan Mehta

Film Director and Founder, Cosmos Maya

Masahiro Hara

Inventor of QR Code and Awarded European Inventor Award

Dr. Greg Autry

Clinical Professor of Space Leadership, Policy and Business, Arizonia State University, USA and Former White House Liaison at NASA

David Kusuma

President, World Design Organization

Suraja Kishore

Chief Executive Officer – BBDO India

Dr. Greg Autry

Dr. Greg Autry is a Clinical Professor of Space Leadership, Policy and Business in the Thunderbird School of Global Management and an Affiliate Professor with the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University. He previously taught technology entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California, strategy, macroeconomics at the University of California at Irvine, and space entrepreneurship in an International Space University program at the Florida Institute of Technology. Dr. Autry served on the 2016 NASA Agency Review Team and as the White House Liaison at NASA. He was nominated to serve as Chief Financial Officer pf NASA in 2020. Dr. Autry currently serves as Chair of the Safety Working Group on the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) at the FAA and as Vice President for Space Development at the National Space Society. Dr. Autry served for many years as Advisor and Senior Economist for the Coalition for a Prosperous America, a non-profit dedicated to reassessing U.S. Trade Policy. He is the coauthor, with Peter Navarro, of the groundbreaking bestseller, Death by China: Confronting the Dragon, a Global Call to Action and producer of the film version, narrated by Martin Sheen. Dr. Autry started his career as a software and network engineer and has founded and managed several businesses in the technology sector. His writings have been published in major news outlets including Foreign Policy, the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal and Space News. Dr. Autry has appeared frequently in major media outlets including the BBC, CNN and NPR. He has published several business case studies set in the commercial space sector through Harvard Business School Publishing. He serves on the editorial review boards of: The New Space Journal and The Journal Space Safety Engineering. Dr. Autry holds a BA from California Polytechnic University at Pomona and an MBA and PhD from the Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine.

Suraja Kishore

Suraja believes creativity is the life force that expands our universe. He is passionate about nurturing creative energy to scale brands and business. He loves to work with like-hearted people who value doing good for people and planet as good business. Suraja loves juggling logic & magic, it is evident in his journey first as a copywriter, then as a strategic brand planner followed by leading business and clients. Prior to BBDO, Suraja has worked with McCann Erikson, Publicis and Lowe Lintas, India. He has worked on some iconic campaigns like Ariel #ShareTheLoad for P&G, #WhatAnIdea for Idea telecom, #JaagoRe for TATA Tea and #It’s between you for WhatsApp. Having worked with Unilever, VISA, Marico, P&G, Nestle, Godrej, Tata, Idea Cellular, Citibank, Ford and WhatsApp to name a few he has, over the years, built an enviable reputation in Indian advertising & marketing industry. He has been part of the jury for prestigious advertising & marketing awards such as the MRSI Golden Key Awards 2021, the Women Disruptors Awards, the Lisbon Ad Awards, the Drum's Digital Industries Awards and the Effies’ Awards. Suraja Kishore is the Founder of CCC – Post Graduate Programme in Crafting Creative Communication (CCC) at MICA, India’s most reputed creative programme in copywriting & art direction. He keeps his interest in academics alive as a visiting faculty to a few reputed management schools. ‘Nurture talents to grow business’ is his secret of success. A long-distance runner Suraja finds running meditational and he finds clarity while running that he shares it with the world on Instagram @skrunningthougths. He believes food is edible philosophy and that we are gifted a brand-new life every day.

Honey Bajaj

Co-Founder & Chief Design Officer, Stealth Health-tech). She was awarded Inventor of the Year 2016

Vinita Michael

Founder & Creative Director, Vinita Michael LLC

Yakup Bayrak

System Designer, Entrepreneur

S Sivakumar

Head – Industrial Design , Royal Enﬁeld

Sanjiv Waeerkar

Director, Ice Candy

S Sivakumar

Sivakumar’s work with Royal Enfield has made him famous among the design fraternity. Native of Sikkal, near Tanjore, Sivakumar or CVA, as he is known in the industry, is from a renowned family of temple architects (sthapathis) and also a sculptor by himself. Apart from being an Industrial Design Specialist, he is a proficient Clay-Modeler too. His passion for Engineering and Art has made him to enter the field of Industrial Design. The Designer has worked only with two wheeler companies and has a special love for motorcycles. He believes that ‘Design is all about humanization of relevant technologies’ and at the same time he thinks every designer is responsible to create unique creations, which is possible only by having a great understanding of Rational and Emotional quotients of the society. He played a significant role in converting the business to a hugely successful one at Royal Enfield by establishing and leading an in-house Industrial Design department along with the contribution of some path breaking motorcycle designs in the industry. In the current role he is responsible for complete Industrial Design activities at Royal Enfield Design Studio - Chennai, right from the conversion of business idea to a product concept including Visualization & Digitization phases. Also he supports the realization phases of design and development in which he gets his team coordinated with the Engineering, Sourcing, MSE, Production and all Marketing functions. His department sub functions include Design Styling, CAS, CTG, Art & Modeling teams. He was also the First In-house motorcycle designer at Hero Honda where he established an Industrial design dept. and created a state-of-art design studio then there at Dharuhera. Some of his familiar Design projects that is highly recognized in the market are… Royal Enfield Classic 500 & 350 Royal Enfield Himalayan 410 Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 & 350

Sanjiv Waeerkar

Sanjiv is the Director of Ice candy, a company he started to cater to the increasing demand of creating original Indian content for the media and entertainment space. Sanjiv Waeerkar has been in the Animation Industry for the past 30 years and has a wealth of experience in this business. Sanjiv was a partner with Ronnie Screwvala in UTV Toons, and a pioneer in starting the outsourcing animation Business in India. After a decade of delivering animation TV series projects with the best of producers (Disney, Dreamworks, TV 12 Singapore etc) he moved on to work on the three 3D animation feature films “Arjun the warrior prince”,” Dream blanket “and “Alibaba and 41 thieves.” All produced by UTV toons. Sanjiv has also directed and produced, two TV Animation features titled “Cric X” and “The World champs”. “Cric X” got released on Disney XD in summer 2014. Sanjiv is the creator of “Bunty aur Billy” animation TV series aired on Disney’s channel. This series was co-produced by Ice candy and Toonz entertainment. The same show was titled “Cat vs Keet” on chootoonz channel where it is immensely popular and continues its popularity internationally.Sanjiv is the creator of "Simple Samosa" a show on local food items as chars. its Season 1 got released on Disney in summer 2018. This show is completely produced at Ice candy. Sanjiv is also a founding member of TASI, the most prominent animation body in India. He has been one of the spearheads and front-runner for the animation society of India. He is generally always invited to be a part of the jury for almost all International and National events catering to animation in India.

Kadambari Sahu

Senior Vice President - Design, ValueLabs

Anand Jha

Chief Design Officer, Miko

Sanyukta Shrestha

Designer

Shruti Kamath

Co-Founder & Creative Director, Athlos Activewear

Samir Chabukswar

Founder & CEO at YUJ Designs

Shruti Kamath

Shruti is a co-founder and creative director at Athlos activewear. Her interests are art, design, active lifestyle and everything in its intersectionality. Through her work on brand building and designing functional apparel, she has established foundations for an aspirational activewear brand in India.

With Athlos, Shruti has built a brand from scratch while also heading the apparel design team. Balancing the cross-function between branding and product, the role has enabled creating products with strong personalities while keeping the customer at core of all design thinking.

Prachi Sakhardande

Studio Head and Principal, Design & Research Microsoft

Lorenzo Imbesi

President, Cumulus

Tovi Sorga

Founder & Director, Tovi Sorga Design; Founder, ‘Alkemest Design

Harsh Wardhan

Innovation Program Lead, Google

Aman Mehta

Vice President - Product Design & User Experience, PharmEasy

Daniel Boey

Fashion Director & Creative Curator, Daniel Boey Creatives and Author

Sanandan Sudhir

President & CEO - On2cook India Pvt. Ltd.

Siddhartha Jayakar

Founder & CEO, Labyrinth Cinematic Solutions

Aparna Piramal Raje

Author, Working Out of the Box: 40 Stories of Leading CEO, MBA, Harvard Business School

Revathi Kant

Chief Design Officer, Titan Company Ltd.

Amitabh Shrivastav

Founder, The Art Kommune

Manjri Vade

Contemporary Artist

Anar Patel

Founder, Craftroots

Kulin Lalbhai

Executive Director, Arvind Limited

Irakli Rusadze

Fashion Designer

Rajiv Sethi

Designer, Scenographer and Art Curator

Rajesh Kutty

Lead Interior Designer, Bentley Motors Ltd.

Alain Monnens

Studio Alain Monnens

Angela Guzman

Design Lead, Google

Ar. Rajiv Mishra

Director, Directorate of Art, Government of Mahrashtra and Principal, Sir J.J. College of Architecture

Carol Hanlon

Founder, TCF Global & BEC Global

Sanath PC

Founder & Sr. VFX Supervisor, Firefly Creative Studio

Sunil Sethi

President, Fashion Design Council of India

Julian Roberts

Fashion Designer and Academician

Pallavi Foley

Jewellery Designer and Artist

JoAnna Pettit-Almasude

Executive Director, The Red cART Studio

Uttam Pal Singh

Head, Discovery Kids, Discovery Communications India

Peter Bil’ak

Graphic and Typeface Designer

Peter Knapp

Chairman & Global Creative Director, Landor

Surya Vanka

Founder & Chief Designer, Authentic Design

Rasmus Holscher

CEO & Partner, Holscher Design

Cristhian Salamanca

India-LATAM Business Consultant, Designer and Speaker

Chris Messina

Inventor of #hashtag, Product Designer & Technologist Google I/O & TEDx Speaker

Peter Knapp

Peter Knapp is the Chairman and Global Creative Officer of Landor, a global leader in brand consulting and design. Starting in the London office he subsequently moved to the Hong Kong office for a few years where he had overall responsibility for steering and directing all branding programs in Southeast Asia. Now back in London, he works closely with the global executive team to establish Landor's creative vision. Specializing in integrated branding, he works to merge graphic, 3-D, digital, and engagement platforms to create total customer environments. Through his experience of over 20 years with Landor, he has accumulated a wide spectrum of industry experience in sectors including automotive, petroleum, spirits, financial services, telecommunications, retail and leisure and is widely known for his unparalleled expertise in airline branding. Peter drives successful strategy and design to produce inspired ideas for some of the world's largest global brands. His knowledge of integrated branding and design programs has helped him launch, reposition, and reintroduce hundreds of brands around the world including Adecco Group, BP, British Airways, Etihad Airways, Johnnie Walker, Land Rover, and M&S. He says his trick is to stay open minded and receptive as inspiration can come from any place at any time. He believes that creating conditions that allow creativity to flourish is essential for design and designers. Open discussions, inspiration and a good atmosphere are all vital. Peter would like to follow his passion and rebrand a football club or rebrand NASA. He believes it is important to maintain creative vision while keeping the client involved in the process to deliver original and relevant solutions. He is passionate about football, archery, astronomy and music that helps him create a buffer space from his job.

Surya Vanka

Surya Vanka is a designer, corporate leader, educator and author who has worked at the leading edge of designing physical and digital experiences for over 25 years. He has a broad industry experience including most recently as director of user experience at Microsoft. Surya is a leader in global design, best known for his path breaking work in user experience - creating industry-leading best practices in design. Surya has been an Associate Professor in Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a fellow at the prestigious Centre for Advanced Study. He is the author of two books on design, several publications, and has taught design in more than 20 countries. He is the winner of two Microsoft Engineering Best Practice Awards, a Microsoft Achievement Award, Accessibility Achievement Award, World Brand Congress Leadership Award and several industry recognitions. He has lead businesses to execute fast in ambiguous spaces, while experimenting with methods to harness unused creative capital within teams. At Authentic Design, he developed 'Design Swarms', a collaborative design thinking method that employs simple but powerful visual game boards. Design Swarms became so popular as a method, that workshops have been used in business projects by multiple of the world's leading companies to create innovative solutions for social challenges such as aging with independence, homelessness, the opioid crisis, refugee shelters, waterborne diseases, ocean pollution, and disaster relief. He initiated and was part of the core team that created the DMI Design Value Scorecard. Surya's mission is to unleash the creative thinker in every human to become a value creator. His work has appeared in numerous publications and news programs, including Form, I.D., Design Council, WIRED, Interactions, the BBC and National Public Radio. Surya chaired the hugely successful 50th Anniversary Conference of Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) in August 2015 in Seattle. Surya lives in Seattle and leads Authentic Design, a consulting practice that provides interaction design, user experience, strategic innovation and design capability development for clients around the world.

Rasmus Holscher

Rasmus Holscher is a Danish architect and designer who is developing solutions that improve, change and shape the future world for people in the public and private space. Rasmus is a Managing Partner at Holscher Design, a Scandinavian design studio that for the past 50 years has been collaborating with a long list of international companies like Phillips, JCDecaux, Geberit, Flos, d line, Coloplast, Royal Copenhagen and CISCO to create spellbinding design solutions. Their multi-disciplinary design team provides consultancy within the whole scope of design- from industrial products, graphics, packaging and interior to branding, digital and service design, to transform the client's vision into solutions that generate a measurable market impact. The solution should fit into the client's portfolio and match the brand. Their projects are often complex, the solutions simple, balancing form and function in equal aesthetic measure. Rasmus specializes in urban design, transportation and the integration of technology in modern cities and is dedicated to working at the intersection of architecture and product design. His designs are future forward, minimalistic with roots in the Scandinavian design tradition. He aspires to create innovative, pleasurable and meaningful products. He believes that solutions based on genuine user insights can empower, enrich and energize both people and brands. By relentlessly pursuing their philosophy since 1960, they have helped clients enhance the quality of life for millions of people globally. Their experience and competence makes them capable of creating value by design- for companies and customers in a large range of fields, such as Smart City, Smart Home, Health/ Well-being, Lighting and many more.

James ‘Jim’ Jeffers

Sr. Director & Sr. Principal Eng., Adv. Rendering & Visualisation Arch., Intel Corp.

Daniela Paredes Fuentes

Co-Founder & Managing Director, Gravity Sketch

Paul Sandip

Industrial Designer, Founder - Paul Studio

Anil Reddy

Founder & Design Director Lollypop Design

Yehuda & Maya Devi

Illustration ArtistCreator of the web comics "One of those days"

James ‘Jim’ Jeffers

Intel Achievement Award winner, Jim Jeffers leads Intel's Advanced Rendering and Visualization Team, developing open source rendering libraries like Embree, OSPRay, Open Image Denoise, and Open SWR used for generating animated movies, special effects, automobile design and scientific visualization working in tandem with companies like Disney and DreamWorks as wells as scientists like Stephen Hawking. Jim joined Intel in 2008 participating in the development of manycore parallel computing and the Intel® Xeon Phi™ product family, including co-authoring 4 Books on manycore parallel programming. He holds multiple patents in the field of video and image insertion and synchronization. His experience includes software design and technical leadership in high performance computing, graphics, digital television, and data communications. He is also a founding board member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Software Foundation. His notable work prior to Intel includes development for the Tech Emmy winning virtual 'First Down Line' technology seen on live American football TV broadcasts. Jim and his team are working closely with the U.S. Department of Energy to build the world's first exascale supercomputer, Aurora for the Argonne National Laboratory. Once completed, Aurora will be capable of an exaflop- that's a quintillion (or a billion billion) floating point calculations per second! Jim is a passionate, results-oriented technology and engineering leader with a unique combination of strategic vision and strong tactical delivery expertise. He has authored and presented on parallel computing hardware and software. Jim's expertise lies in high performance computing (HPC), scientific visualization, parallel computing, graphics and video device drivers, agile product development life cycle, and VoIP telecommunications.

Daniela Paredes Fuentes

Daniela Paredes Fuentes is the co-founder Gravity Sketch- a tool for sketching in 3D using augmented and virtual reality. She leads the development of the user experience in the digital and physical environments. Through user research and embedded analytics, she develops the interactions for the new 3D digital world. Daniela is an experienced innovation designer bridging science, engineering, and design as well as an entrepreneur pushing to turn promising ideas into successful realities. With a focus on finding new growth opportunities and strategic priorities, Daniela is shaping the future of Gravity Sketch. Prior to founding Gravity Sketch, Daniela graduated from The Royal College of Art and Imperial College London with a Masters in Innovation Design Engineering. Gravity Sketch is her university project that has bloomed into a successful business. Upon graduation, she started working as an Innovation Designer at Jaguar Land Rover where she was responsible for developing interiors technology that would combine smart materials and Artificial Intelligence to create alternative experiences for autonomous vehicles. This allowed her to take her graduation project to the next level and realize the true potential of the technology she had developed. Now, her innovation is used by some of the top automotive companies around the world, blockbuster film studios and many enterprising designers looking to expand their creative vision. Apart from being a finalist in the Furroshiki Textile Design Contest, Mexico-Japan, Mexico City (2009), she has been awarded the UK Women in Innovation Award (2019), MUJI Award (2014) and the First Prize at Hiperentrega, Mexico City (2007). Daniela believes her job is to create experiences that will seamlessly and interestingly marry the paradigms of a physical world and its digital counterpart. She is interested in the human aspect of technology and the incredible possibilities our digital identities can bring to future products and services.

Paul Sandip

Paul Sandip is an electrical engineer, cartoonist and a multiple award winning product designer. An alumnus of NID, Ahmedabad, Paul has designed over 300+ iconic everyday objects in 121 product categories for clients across 14 countries. His designs are led by consumer focussed incremental innovation and a refined sense of style. Known for his simplicity and original design thinking, he has been the winner of the prestigious Red Dot Award twice, besides 30 other international and domestic design awards. His work has been extensively featured across the globe in numerous exhibits like the Triennale Museum in Milan, Ambiente Fair in Frankfurt, Red Dot Award Show in Singapore, Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong, Alliance Francaise in New Delhi and in the permanent collection of the Danish Design Museum, Copenhagen since 2009, as an example of Design to improve life. He has been invited by corporations like Apollo Munich, Hewlett-Packard and Dell to deliver his 'Design Thinking Simplified' workshops/ lectures. In 2004, he created the 'Spherical bulb holder' and 'Angular multi-plug' for GM Modular which are iconic best seller designs. Paul is involved in product development at LG Electronics, Whirlpool, Havells, Orient, Syska, Polycab, Bluebird and many others. He has developed medical/ diagnostic devices in association with Public Health Foundation of India. He is a jury member for the India Design Mark. He has spoken at TEDx events in India, been interviewed by NDTV Prime and showcased his works at Rashtrapati Bhawan. He is a mentor and judge for Designathon at Dell. He has been honoured by the Prime Minister of India as a Designpreneur in 2005 and the President of Taiwan in 2010. He is a registered industrial designer with the Government of India under the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme. In 2018, Paul was selected to represent Industrial Design at the India?Italy Tech Leadership Roundtable in the august presence of His Excellency Mr. Giuseppe Conte, the Prime Minister of Italy and Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India.

Dr. Reet Aus, Ph.D.

Fashion, Theatre and Film DesignerFounding Partner, Aus Design OÜ

Gaurav Jai Gupta

Textile & Fashion DesignerFounder, Akaaro

Suhasini Paul

Toy Designer and TEDx Speaker

Suhasini Paul

Paul is an Electrical Engineer and a post graduate alumnus of NID, Ahmedabad who has also done Management Program for Women Entrepreneurs (MPWE 2016) from IIM, Bangalore. She designs the surprise toys found inside Kinder Joy for Indian/global market, sport toys for Disney, India and break-time play things for ITC Foods. Suhasini is also credited with creating the strategies for promotional toys and merchandise for one of the most popular Indian animated characters, Chhota Bheem. She is the brains behind many board games for kids produced by FRANK. She is the first toy designer in the country to have her name imprinted on the games designed by her for Indian and global clients. She is the Toy Expert for Indian e-commerce giant Snapdeal since 2015. She has worked extensively on rubber wood toys and school furniture, both in rubber wood and blow moulded plastic. Her core strength lies in taking concepts to reality by connecting the right resources with the right people in her network. Her services as a toy designer are sought after by toy companies in India, China, Thailand, Italy, UK, USA and Germany. She has been honoured by the Prime Minister of India as a Designpreneur in 2005 and President of Taiwan in 2010. She has been featured on the cover of INDULGE Magazine by Indian Express in 2011 and in the Best of FEMINA in 2012. Ms Paul has also been a speaker at TEDx HP Bangalore in 2014 and appears on NDTV chat show, 'Bringing up Baby'. Her toy design process has been documented by Dell in their video series 'Design Circle - The Creative Journey'. In March 2018 her work was showcased at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, for the 14th President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind. As an educator, she is a visiting faculty member and juror at NID and NIFT.

Prof. (Dr.) P. V. Madhusudhan Rao

Head, Department of Design, IIT Delhi

Prof. Sudarshan Khanna and Surabhi Khanna

Designer, Educator, Pioneer-toy research & design (KEYNOTE SPEAKER)

Dadi Pudumjee

Padma Shri recipient; Puppeteer; President, UNIMA (KEYNOTE SPEAKER)

Adrian Light

Director, ONE20 Group Architects

Paul Budnitz

Founder & CEO, Superplastic

Prof. Sudarshan Khanna and Surabhi Khanna

Prof. Sudarshan Khanna is Design Educator. He was the Principal Designer and Chairman of Education & Research at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad and Head of Toy Innovation Centre. An internationally acclaimed designer and educator, he has helped establish several new courses and programs, including the Post Graduate Program in Toy & Game Design at NID. He has been Education Development Consultant with Learn Today, the education wing of India Today group. He has authored three books and many articles on toy design, culture and creative education. Over 15 educational TV programs have been made on his work related to toys, design development, culture and education. He has been invited as an expert by institutions in India, South America, Europe and Scandinavia and has conducted numerous workshops for teachers.

He was conferred 1996 National Award for his life time work for design-science among children by Department of Science and Technology. He is recipient of international BRIO Award 2013 for his lifelong contribution for research and innovation for toy design and development in India. Prof. Sudarshan Khanna is the past president of ITRA (International Toy Research Association) and founder Chairperson of “Toys for Tomorrow???- vision-action international forum. Prof. Sudarshan Khanna was the Ravi J Matthai Chair for design and education innovations at National Institute of Design, India. Professor Sudarshan Khanna has been conducting workshops for teachers, trainers & students, relating value of design methods and creativity as part of the innovative learning process.

Surabhi Khanna is a designer, educator. She has a Masters in industrial design from NID, India after graduation in architecture. She is a Faculty at National Institute of Design Haryana (NIDH), Kurukshetra.

Since 2010, she has been working on projects and workshops related to heritage, innovations, culture-based design. Surabhi has developed courses and electives related to playful design concepts for students of design and architecture. She has conducted design & education workshops for teachers, trainers and children at several organizations and schools in India and other countries.

Katerina Kamprani

Architect / Designer

Miguel Wilson

Toy & Product Designer

Johnathon Strebly

President, International Council of Design

Mahendra Chauhan

Head of Design - Watches, Wearables and Accessories, Titan Company Ltd

Anita Savicka

Director, Anita Sondore Inc.

Anita Savicka

Anita Savica is a Latvian jewellery designer and owner and Creative Director of Anita Sondore Ltd.

She is the recipient of many international awards and has showcased her designs globally.

Riga based jewellery designer ANITA SONDORE creates trendy Fine Contemporary Jewellery. All pieces are designed in Latvia, produced in Italy. At the heart of the brand is the distinguished Roman school of jewellery, where the creator of the brand developed her mastery with the Ermini family, as well as with the Parisian brand, Van Cleef & Arpels, Le Arti Orafe Jewellery School, Firenze, Italy. In the Year 2017 Anita advanced her skills by obtaining Master’s Degree in Jewellery Design at Arts Academy of Latvia.

Fine Jewellery created by ANITA SONDORE is bold and beautiful, inspired by the opulence of Northern Europe’s imperial cultural heritage but interpreted with a modern sensibility. Luxury, unique rings, earrings, pendants and necklaces, all handcrafted in 18k gold, enriched with sparkling diamonds, make a powerful statement about the women who wear them.

“My jewellery, in a fairly direct way, tells my own story – it’s a mirror of the time. They are personalities, individuals, living, breathing, ringing, with an idea, with a message from the heart,??? explains Anita.

The key message of the ANITA SONDORE’s brand is – the court painter. Since the past days, court painters have been those that have recorded important historical events, faces and moods. Today, ANITA SONDORE continues to do this- to present today’s people, events, faces and hearts.

Currently ANITA SONDORE jewellery is available at Harvey Nichol’s Luxury Department Store in London, Mozafarian Jewellers’ Boutiques - Dubai, Simonelli studio in Rome, Italy, Grand Hotel Kempinski and Grenardi in Riga as well as private collections all around the world.

Manish Kukreja

President, TAITMA

Dr. Antal Kelle

Artist

Rahul Minda

Head of Product Design and Development – Skillmatics

Devanshi Kejriwal

Creative Director, Skillmatics

Dr. Kristóf Fenyvesi

STEAM Education Researcher, Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä; Experience Workshop Founder, Finland

Manish Kukreja

Manish Kukreja is an Engineer by profession & graduated from BIT Bangalore in 1995 with Honours. He played an important role in the company’s development, when in his first year, he developed 2 products that became an instant success. His product design acumen & production planning carefully helped the company double it’s no of sku’s in 2 years. In 1998, after 3 years of R&D, he successfully introduced the ‘Door Open’ feature in ‘Plastic Toy Cars’ for the first time in the world. Till then, the feature was available only in Metal Toy Cars. When the production base completely shifted from Bombay to Silvassa in 2003, he helped design the layout of the factory & its production process. From using links to nuts, simple solutions were adopted to help innovate new variety & features like moving hands & legs of a cyclist, animals, etc. Min Toy Private Limited was established in 2003 as the main manufacturing unit. MIN standing for: Made in INdia. One of the first to use 3D Printing technology to develop new products, brand Shinsei has led the way in innovation & development. Winning numerous awards for quality & innovation from 1990 till 2019. Constant feedback is taken and improvements are made on a regular basis. One main being the insert wheel production for 90% products, which not only made it safer for kids, but helped increase productivity by over 15%. In early 2020, the company featured in the Top 10 Most Promising Toy Manufacturing Companies in India in the Silicon India Magazine. In 2013, Manish Kukreja was elected as the Hon Secretary of TAITMA, The All India Toy Manufacturer’s Association. TAITMA is the first, oldest and the only Toy Manufacturers Association in India. Since then TAITMA has made tremendous progress. Understanding the importance of communication with the various government departments, Mr. Kukreja made numerous visits to various ministries to establish connections. In 2016, Manish Kukreja was elected as the President of TAITMA, thanks to the tremendous work done as the secretary. His continuous interactions with the government department helped the entire industry tremendously when, through logical reasoning & presentation, GST of games was reduced from 28% to 12%, a huge success for the industry. Similarly, the BIS implementation was handled efficiently. During the pandemic, many industries were on the verge of shutting down as the government stuck to the original BIS implementation dates. Mr. Kukreja gave an extensive presentation with logical argument to the government. An extension for four months based on the arguments given by the government which helped many industries avoid closure. By 2020, the company has over 200 different sku’s, perhaps the largest collection in pull back toys in India. On 5 th November 2020, Min Toy Private Limited received its BOS License for all its products. Mr. Kukreja has been a mentor & guide to many start up companies in toys like Play Panda, etc. He is also a regular consultant to many government bodies & foreign consultancy firms.

Aishwarya Tipnis

Principal Architect, Aishwarya Tipnis Architects and Conservation Planner

Dr. Sanjeeb Kakoty

Associate Professor, IIM Shillong

Fabio Guaricci

Founder, TOY Design

Dr. Mariana Amatullo

President - CUMULUS Association, Vice Provost - The New School, New York

Prof. Lolita Dutta

Associate Director, School of Communication Design, U I D

Dr. Mariana Amatullo

Mariana Amatullo was elected President of Cumulus in June 2019 after serving two consecutive terms of service as a Cumulus board member starting in 2013. Mariana is Vice Provost for Global Strategic Initiatives and Associate Professor of Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York. Prior to joining The New School, she co-founded and led the award-winning social innovation department, Designmatters at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Mariana brings almost two decades of expertise managing a portfolio of international and national educational projects, research initiatives and publications at the intersection of design, design management and social innovation; her research focuses on the value of design in organizational transformation. Mariana lectures internationally about design and social innovation and serves on a variety of executive and advisory boards in design and the arts. She is the recipient of the inaugural 2012 DELL Social Innovation Award for Outstanding Social Innovation Education; a Salzburg Global Fellow, a Fellow with the Royal Society of the Arts and a Scholar-in-Residence at the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. Amatullo is the lead editor of LEAP Dialogues: Career Pathways in Design for Social Innovation (DAP, 2016) she is currently working on a global survey of design for social innovation case studies slated for 2021 publication. Amatullo holds a Ph.D. in Management (Designing Sustainable Systems) from Case Western Reserve University; an M.A. in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Southern California, and a Licence en Lettres Degree from the Sorbonne University, Paris, where she also studied Art History at L’Ecole du Louvre. A native of Argentina and the child of a diplomat, Amatullo grew up around the world.

Sanjoy K Roy

Entrepreneur of Arts and MD, Teamwork Arts

Krishan Jagota

Lead, Product Design, Sideways

Colin Giles

Head of Animation & VFX Vancouver Film School

Jared Wade

Senior Vice President, Design Innovation of Hasbro, Inc.

Sonam Gyaltsen

Founder, Echostream

Sanjoy K Roy

Sanjoy K. Roy, an entrepreneur of the arts, is the Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces over 33 highly acclaimed performing arts, visual arts and literary festivals across 40 cities in countries such as Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA, including the world’s largest free literary gathering — the annual Jaipur Literature Festival. Roy has received the National Award for Excellence and Best Director for the film Shahjahanabad: The Twilight Years.

He is a founder trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) working to provide support services for street and working children in the inner city of Delhi where over 55,000 children have benefited from education, training and residential services. In 2011, the White House presented SBT the US President's Committee of Arts and Humanities Award for an International Organisation.

Roy works closely with various industry bodies and Government on policy issues within the Creative Industries and Cultural Sector in India and is a senior office bearer on several committees working on policy infrastructure for the creative industries - he is Co-chair of the Art and Culture Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and former President of Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) and an advisor to the Arts Council of England Diversity board for theatre. He is on the advisory council of various International Agencies, Federations and Universities.

Roy has lectured and works in collaboration with Universities including those of Western Australia, DUT, Brisbane, Monash, University of Chicago, Harvard, MIT Media lab, Admas, Symbiosis, University of Houston, Columbia College, London School of Economics, University of York, Swansea, etc.

In conversation with Prof. Lolita Dutta and Mr. Sanjoy Roy

Prof. (Dr.) Thomas Garvey

Associate Professor, Carleton University, Ottawa and Executive Board Member & Treasurer, WDO

Prof. Sangita Shroff

HoD, Dept. of Design, Nirma University

Siegfried Zoels

Co-Founder & MD, Fördern durch Spielmittel e.V. (Toys for Children’s Rehabilitation)

Philip Royappan

Deputy General Manager (Marketing), FUNSKOOL

Prof. Samir Shukla

Professor, Gujarat University Design Academy

Prof. Sangita Shroff

Prof. Sangita Shroff heads the Department of Design at the Nirma University, Ahmedabad. She is an alumna of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad (1976 batch), and has also studied design in London as an UNDP Fellow. Her primary specialisation is Visual Communication with further specialisation in Exhibition and Space Design. She has more than 35 years of experience in design education, research, training and professional design praxis.

Prof. Shroff has diverse professional design work ranging across communications, branding, exhibitions, museums, furniture, interiors, architecture, fashion, accessories, textiles and the Indian craft sector. She has actively worked with industry, central and state governments, UN bodies, NGOs, and craft clusters at the grass-root level. She has been actively involved with design education in India and has been a visiting faculty member at her alma mater and other design and architecture schools. Significant contribution has been in the research and development of curricula for various disciplines. She has been actively teaching several courses and providing leadership and direction to design programs and institutions. Her portfolio has also included faculty development programme.

For over 16 years, Prof. Shroff had held several academic and administrative responsibilities at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Delhi and Gandhinagar. She was the Director of the Indian Institute of Crafts & Design (IICD) Jaipur. Her broad spectrum of experiences and widespread network with the industry, the social sector, practising professionals and academicians across the board is highly valuable for the students and institutions that she has been associated with. Her primary interest is to add value to higher education through an inclusive, culturally centred and contextual mandate.

Philip Royappan

Philip Royappan is an avid marketer with over 21 years of experience primarily in the toy business. During his formative years, he explored rural sales in territories as varied as Rajasthan, Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh. The diverse brands that he handled included Kiwi Shoe Polish, Durex and Confectionary products such as Coffee Bite, Lacto King and Coconut Punch.

Philip’s journey into brand management began way back in 2003, when he joined Funskool, India’s leading toy company, as a Product Manager. Initially, he was in charge of the very popular “Board Games??? portfolio of Funskool and managed iconic products like Monopoly, Game of Life and Jenga. Philip has played a vital role in building the range of toys that Funskool has now – be it striking association with international brands for either license or distribution rights or be it designing and developing Funskool’s own brands. He has been instrumental in building Funskool’s own brands like Giggles and FunDough.

With an unerring focus on new product development, Philip works with a cross functional team to churn over fifty new products every year, across a range of categories from Infants & Pre-school, Games, FunDough , Puzzles etc. He is one of the experts in the Toy industry in India today. He has been pivotal in building Funskool’s distribution with international companies such as Disney, Viacom and Warner Bros.

Philip believes that the most important part of a toy marketer’s job is to keep his/her ears to the ground and understand the latest trends that children follow in a KGOY (Kids Growing Older Younger) environment. He feels this is the most important factor to stay relevant today. After all, the toy business may be fun, but it is surely a very demanding, serious business. Philip’s other interests are Medieval History, Travelling and Books of Fiction.

Dr. Bhawana Vasudeva

Head, Dept. of Architecture, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

Dr. Manish Arora

Assistant Professor, Banaras Hindu University

Shahrukh Mushtaq

Incubation Manager IIEDC (Innovation Incubation Entrepreneurship Development Center), NIT Srinagar

Suhasini Paul

Toy Designer and TEDx Speaker

Dr. Bhawana Vasudeva

Currently serving as Head, Department of Architecture and Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning, Associate Director of Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara (Gujarat, India). she have been teaching and practicing as a freelance architect for the last two decades, completed Ph.D. from CEPT University, Ahmadabad, India, studied Masters of Urban & Rural Planning (M.U.R.P.) at IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India, and Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) at MANIT Bhopal, M.P., India

Dr. Bhawana Vasudeva has over 23 years of teaching experience at the undergraduate level in architecture, and seven years at the postgraduate level (Masters in Urban and Regional Planning, MURP). The teaching experience primarily consists of teaching and evaluation of various architecture and planning courses. I have contributed several research papers in conferences, seminars, symposiums, book chapters, and Journals. I have been regularly involved in various academic administration activities.

She has been engaged in various architectural design and planning consultancy projects which were carried out to achieve energy efficiency, heritage conservation, efficient use of built, semi built and open spaces, well-organized and comfortable interiors, overall face-lifting, redesign of large campuses, and improvement in acoustics and interiors of various built spaces. I have also served in HUDCO (Housing & Urban Development Corporation) where my responsibilities were included the appraisal of different architectural and planning projects, monitoring the progress of building centers that were established to promote cost-effective building construction and technologies. I am a member of the Council of Architecture (COA), Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI), Indian Institute of Architects Vadodara Chapter(IIA), Acoustical Society of India(ASI), Indian Association for Air Pollution Control(IAAPC).

Manish Bhatt

Founder Director, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi

General M M Naravane, PVSM , AVSM , SM, VSM, ADC

Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army

Shri Hari Babu Srivastava

Outstanding Scientist & Director General (TM) and (SAM), DRDO

Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy

Secretary, Dept. of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO

Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, PVSM, UYSM, YSM, VSM (Retd.)

Former Director General Defence Intelligence Agency

Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, PVSM, UYSM, YSM, VSM (Retd.)

Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, was commissioned into 4 RAJPUTANA RIFLES (OUTRAMS) in December 1983. He commanded 15 RAJPUTANA RIFLES. 2. A graduate of Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, he has attended Senior Command Course, Higher Command Course and prestigious National Defence College Course - 53. He has also attended Senior Offrs Course at Centre for Superior Studies of National Defence (CESEDEN) Madrid, Spain and Senior Executives Course on Transnational Security Cooperation at Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. 3. The General Officer has served a total of eight tenures in Counter Insurgency/Counter Terrorism Operational areas of which six in Kashmir valley and a tenure each in Jammu region and Manipur in North East. The General Officer has been an Instructor at Infantry School Mhow and abroad. The General Officer has four tenuers in Perspective Planning Directorate and a tenure in Weapon and Equipment Directorate. He has been a Colonel General Staff of an Infantry Division on Western front and Brigadier General Staff of operational active 15 Corps. 4. In addition to normal command and staff assigngment the Generl Officer commnded Rashtriya Rifles in Kashmir Valley, a RAPID Division and distinction of commanding elite 15 Corps during most challenging environment of Pulwama IED blast and Abrogation of Article 370 & 35A. 5. The General officer was Director General Defence Intelligence Agency & Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Intelligence) under the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) till he superannuated from service after more than 38 years on 31 Jan 2022.

Major General M. Indrabalan

Additional Director General, National Cadet Corps, Bihar & Jharkhand

Rear Admiral Rahul Kumar Shrawat, AVSM (Retd.)

Chairman & Executive Director Naval Group India Pvt Ltd, Formerly , Chairman & MD , Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd ( MDL ) and Director General WESEE , Navy

Dr. Sudhir Mishra

Former CEO & MD, BrahMos Aerospace

Wg Cdr Saurabh Singh Chauhan

Indian Air force

Prahlad Kakar

Founder, Genesis Film Production

Dr. Sudhir Mishra

Dr. Sudhir Mishra is former Distinguished Scientist & Director General (BrahMos), DRDO, Ministry of Defence and CEO&MD, BrahMos Aerospace. He has led highly motivated and technically competent team of Engineers, Scientists and Technicians located at various work centres, successfully developing and delivering the World’s Best Supersonic Cruise Missile to meet the requirement of Indian Armed Forces. Dr. Mishra is a Graduate of Government Engineering College, Jabalpur, M.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Ph.D. from National Institute of Technology, Warangal. He has more than 37 years of R&D experience in the area of missiles technology, production technology, technology management and defence diplomacy. His technical expertise and contribution has resulted in the realisation of several DRDO Missile Programmes. His “Mind to Market” approach has led to design, development, production and product support encompassing complete Product Life Cycle of BrahMos Weapon System. Under his leadership, "Team BrahMos" achieved newer capabilities and versions for Land to Land, Sea to Land and Air to Sea & Land applications. He spearheaded the BrahMos-Air Version programme leading to successful flight test of BrahMos from Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft against Sea and land target. Realisation of BrahMos-A is an historic achievement for India becoming first country in the world to have such unique capability. He has achieved unique distinction of achieving India’s first major weapon export order to Phillippines. He interacted and coordinated with several ministries and PMO to setup procedures, mechanisms and processes for defence exports. He is academician of Russian Academy of Cosmonautics. He is a fellow of Royal Aeronautical Society (UK), Aeronautical Society of India, Institution of Engineers(India), the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE), Indian Institution of Production Engineers and Centre for Excellence in Project Management, New Delhi. He is a member of many national and international professional societies. He is awarded with Degree of ‘Doctor of Science’ by Shobhit University, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, People’s University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and Honorary Degree of ‘Doctor of Literature’ from SAGE University, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He has been awarded with the “DRDO Scientist of the Year Award” by the Prime Minister of India, “Distinguished Alumnus Award-2018” by IIT Madras, Eminent Engineer Award by Institution of Engineers (India), IIM-TATA Gold Medal Award by Indian Institute of Metals, Kolkata, “Madhya Pradesh Gaurav Samman” by Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, “Distinguished Alumni Award” by Government Engineering College, Jabalpur, “Super CEO Award” by The Machinist, Times of India Group, “Vigyan Pratibha Samman” by Council of Science & Technology, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh“, “Life Time Achievement Award” by Sriram College of Engineering & Technology, Jabalpur. He is member of Board of Management of Govind Guru Tribal University, Banswara Rajasthan nominated by Hon’ble Governor of Rajasthan & Chancellor and Member in the Advisory Board of many Academic Institutions, Universities and Societies. He has published several scientific papers and has delivered numerous lectures in National and International Seminars & Conferences.

Harsha Kikkeri

CEO, HoloSuit Pte Ltd

Richard McCallum

Vice Chairman, UK India Business Council

Kshitiz Anand

Associate Vice President, Design, Paytm

Siddhartha Jayakar

Founder & CEO, Labyrinth Cinematic Solutions

Kedar Nimkar

Founder, Audiogyan and Vice President, Design, Jupiter

Bandana Jain

Founder, Sylvn Studio

Dr. R. Shivaraman

Co-founder, Big Bang Boom Solutions

Maxima Basu

Fashion Designer

Prakash Khanzode

Co-Founder & Head of Product Design & Engineering, Onio Design Pvt. Ltd.

Nitin Zihani Choudhary

Production Designer, Art Director and Illustrator.

Dr. R. Shivaraman

Dr. R. Shivaraman, PhD (Nanotechnology – Magnetic Data Storage Devices) is one of the youngest PhD’s in Nanotech in the country. Having completed his Masters in Nanotechnology following his Bachelors (Computer Science), Shiva derives his expertise in a broad range of topics from the time spent in top research facilities such as University of Western Australia, Carnegie Mellon University, SRM University and Bhabha Atomic Research Center. Shiva co-founded Big Bang Boom Solutions, an indigenous defence solution provider and tech integrator. Big Bang Boom’s flagship product is its work on developing robotization and unmanned operations capabilities for the T-series Tanks (T-72 & T-90), India’s Main Battle Tank. Big Bang Boom also works on a BN based Hybrid Chobham Armor for individual use, use of drones for Riot Control, Blockchain for Defense Supply Chain Management, etc. Big Bang Boom in association with LOADs Korea won the DAPA Korea Defence Startup Challenge 2018 with a ground breaking solution to deploy Korean government’s proprietary defence tech to create an unmanned AI based autonomous pollution monitoring platform. After his academic career in which he published over 50 research papers and 2 patents, Shiva started his entrepreneurial journey with Accendere, a Research Incubation startup and spearheaded the Management Consultancy, Research Incubation and New Product Development verticals of Accendere. Accendere successfully established itself as the world’s first research capability augmentation company and counts amongst its client’s prestigious names such as the IITs and IIMs in addition to several other marquee private institutions across the world. Accendere went on the pioneer the WAIN platform to connect the academic research with its users / adapters from the industry creating a platform for funding, co-development and primary research acquisition. The WAIN platform has over 72k researchers and the students from RI’s around the country have managed to publish over 5000 high impact Research Papers and file several patents for indigenous developed technology. The “edtech” startup was incorporated with a capital of $2,000 (broke even in 2 months and 3 days - 63 days from date of incorporation) and the founders successful exited at a valuation of $4million after taking the merged conglomerate CL Educate Limited through a successful IPO (BSE & NSE) in March 2017. Shiva now serves as an investor and advisor for several startups such as • Empower Labs – Launched their flagship Augmented Reality Game ‘Delta T’ with over 70000 players in 150 countries. • Flique Sports – Semi-professional and casual football integrator with a proprietary platform to reengineer football scouting and recruiting mechanisms. • Hoo Food Innovations – A new age foodtech company reinventing ways to deliver and package food which a focus on bringing new cuisines from around the world into Indian consumption routine in a “hip” way. • Portmanteau Food Solutions – A homegrown food startup looking to reinvent traditional south Indian cuisine to international styles. As a researcher and a passionate educationist, Shiva is adept at solution engineering, and nurturing research potential across the country.

Stephen Mascarenhas

Founder & CEO, Cinegence Media Pvt. Ltd.

Manish Tripathi

Costume Designer of Ram Lalla

Ayesha Parikh

Founder – Art and Charlie

Abhimanyu Nohwar

Director – UX Design, Honeywell

Krishan Jagota

Head of Product Design - Sideways Consulting

Sanath PC

Owner, Firefly creative studio Pvt Ltd

Uttam Pal Singh

Head, Kids Cluster, Warner Bros. Discovery

Mehak Mirza Prabhu

Corporate Storytelling Coach

Priyanka Sharma

Gujarat Bureau Chief - Republic TV

Merlin D’Souza

Founding Partner, Brandmusiq /Music Composer/Producer/Pianist at Music Mode

Ankur Choksi

Co-Founder and Principal, Studio Lotus

Manish Bhatt

Founder Director - Scarecrow Communications Ltd.

Hariom Seth

Founder, Tagglabs

Saptarshi Prakash

Director of Design, Swiggy

Vijaybahu Joshi

Associate Vice President & Head of Experience Design, Jio Platforms Limited.

Gautam Vazirani

Creative Strategist & Fashion Curator, RISE Worldwide

Dr. D Udaya Kumar

Designer of the Rupee Symbol

Aaquib Wani

Founder & Director, Aaquib Wani Design

Ashish Sompura

Chief Architect - Ram Mandir

Gaurav Juyal

Host, Art Attack India Learning Experience Designer

Garima Maheshwari

Head of Design, Tanishq

Manish Bhatt

Founder Director, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi

Ajay Saran Sharma

Senior Vice President of Design Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

Uday Dandavate

Co-Founder, SonicRim Ltd

Gaurav Joshi

Head of Design & Research, Disney+ Hotstar (India) & Disney+ (MEA,SEA)

Ankur Grover

Founder & CEO, TinkerLabs

Kadambari Misra

Co-Founder - Adira Thoughtful Gifting

Atul Khola

Lead Product Designer - CRED

Rohini Dandavate

Odissi Dance instructor & Facilitator of Intercultural Community Arts Workshops

Subrata Chakraborty

Art Director (For movies such as Padmaavat, Raazi, Haider, Gangubai Kathiawadi and many more)

Kriti Tula

Creative Director and Founder - DOODLAGE

Devina Kothari

Director, Zuan Labs LLP

Bose Krisnamachari

Artist, Curator and Scenographer

Kruti Shah

Co-founder, Chaal Chaal Agency

Savio Mascarehnhas

Group Art Director, Amar Chitra Katha

Gajesh Mitkari

Founder at Modak

Munwar Khan

Former Head of Design & DGM, OPPO Mobiles India | Current - Director, David Dunne Design Thinking Lab | Adjunct Professor, Woxsen University.

Juhi Santani

Principal Designer & Founding Partner Retale Design Solutions

Dhisti Desai

Co-founder and Design Director of Pineapple Design

Tribhuvan Babu Sadineni

Cinematographer

Nikunj Goyal

Design Lead: Gaming & Interactive Experiences - boAt Lifestyle

Ankush Tiwari

Founder & CEO, pi-labs.ai

Dr. Preet Deep Singh

Vice President Strategy, Blue Machines AI

Zuowen Wang

Design Specialist at the ASUS Design Center

Jens Kaeumle

Associate Dean of Fashion and the De Sole School of Business Innovation, Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD)

Dr. Ashish Mohan

Executive Director, Head - Technology, R&D, Innovation, IP & Industry Academia, Confederation of Indian Industry

Dhaval Joshi

Founder, SIMU Labs

Chetan Raut

Business Development & Strategic Alliances, Nvidia

Dr. Hanuman Naik

Head - Research & Development Specialist (Materials & Composites), Simpliforge Creations

Abhishek Chandra

Director & Head - Business + CX + Product + Ops + Tech, Zell Education

Alok Agarwal

Senior Manager & AI Subject Matter Expert, EY

Prabuddha Vyas

Managing Director, UniKwan

Guru Vaidya

Digital Media Solutions Leader at Adobe APAC

Pratiq Shah

Partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP

Mani Madhukar

Programme Lead at IBM

Rasesh Shah

Chief Practice Officer at Fractal AI

Renuka Srinivasan

3DEXPERIENCE Edu Sales Director, Dassault Systemes India

Dr. Chirag Paunwala

Chairman of IEEE Gujarat Section

Kulwant Nagi

Founder - AI Growth Skool

Shayak Sen

Head of Design at Myntra

Yashodha Deshpande

Senior UX Designer at Google

N Roshan Singh

Founder & Chief Creative Officer Moodboard Design Studio | The AI Design Lab

Alicia Faleiro

Digital Media Creative Cloud Solution Consultant, ADOBE

Isha Porwal

Digital Transformation Lead - Google for Education Team

Rahul Saini

Chief Design Officer at Paytm

Harshit Agarwal

Art & Creative Tech Resident, Google Arts & Culture

Laina Emmanuel

Co-Founder & CEO, BrainSight.AI

Vyshak Venkatesh

Design Lead, BrainSight.AI

Dr. Ramachandra Budihal

Global Head of Autonomous & Robotics, Wipro Limited

Saptarshi Prakash

Associate Vice President of Design, Swiggy

Anil Reddy

Founder & Former Design Director, Lollypop Design

Dr. Ramachandra Budihal

Dr. Ramachandra Budihal is a veteran technology leader with more than three decades of experience in hardware, software, AI, machine learning, robotics, and autonomous systems. He is currently Global Head of Autonomous Systems and Robotics at Wipro Limited. In his role at Wipro, Dr. Budihal drives research and innovation in future mobility technologies. He leads teams working on autonomous driving platforms, AI and machine learning solutions, and advanced robotics, shaping strategies that help Wipro partner with industry and academic leaders on real-world technology breakthroughs. Before rising to this role, he built a strong foundation across multiple engineering domains, beginning as a hardware engineer and moving into software, systems architecture, and innovation leadership. Over his career, he has led efforts that generated significant business value, developed new technology platforms, and helped secure numerous patents for Wipro. Dr. Budihal’s interests extend beyond corporate tech. He co-founded the Mahabharata Samshodhana Pratishthanam, a non-profit that uses digital imaging and computing to preserve Indian cultural heritage, including digitizing more than a million ancient manuscripts. His work in this space earned him the Maharishi Badrayan Vyas Samman, a national honour awarded by the President of India for contributions to cultural technology integration. He has also spoken at events such as TEDx and INK Talks, sharing insights on technology’s role in society and imagining future human-machine interaction. Across his career, Dr. Budihal has blended deep technical skill with leadership in product vision, research initiatives, and cross-discipline collaboration—helping shape both innovation inside Wipro and the broader tech community.

Nikunj Goyal

Design Lead, Gaming and Tech Experiences, boat Lifestyle

Kshitij Rajput

Head of Industrial Design, boAt Lifestyle

Prof. Blair Kuys

Executive Dean, School of Design and Architecture at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

Manish Maheshwari

General Partner, BAT VC Co-Founder, Fanory.ai Former Head, Twitter India

Ayushi Anand

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Kalpnik Films

Ayushi Anand

Ayushi Anand is an Indian filmmaker, digital strategist, and entrepreneur, best known as the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Kalpanik Films, a creative studio based in Mumbai that combines filmmaking, digital marketing, and AI-powered content creation. Kalpanik Films was launched in 2013 by Aayushi and her business partner, Vishal Yoman, and has since worked on music videos, film publicity, and digital campaigns for major labels and entertainment projects. Aayushi began her journey as an assistant director in the film industry and gradually expanded into direction, creative strategy, and digital production. At Kalpanik Films she leads creative operations, helps shape digital storytelling strategies, and oversees campaigns that bring together visual narrative and audience engagement across platforms. Under her leadership, Kalpanik Films has contributed to projects tied to Bollywood and music platforms, including film publicity design for projects such as Kaagaz (2021), India’s first fully AI-generated music video and the world’s first AI-generated Holi song. Aayushi also engages with emerging tech in creativity, positioning Kalpanik Films as a studio that leverages generative AI and digital innovation in content creation. She has been featured by global platforms for her experiments in AI-driven personal branding and creative work, reflecting her interest in blending culture, technology, and storytelling. Her work sits at the intersection of film, digital strategy, and creative technology, and she continues to shape Kalpanik Films’ role as a hub for narrative-led, digitally native visual projects rooted in both entertainment and brand communication.

Vishal Yoman

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Kalpnik Films

Sahid SK

Creative Professional, Creator & Evangelist, AI x Culture

Dhruv Gandhi

Chief Executive Officer, Simpliforge Creations

Gaurav Mathur

Vice President of Design, Flipkart

Archana Surana

Board Member, Cumulus Association

Gaurav Mathur

Gaurav is an experienced design leader dedicated to crafting user-centric products that seamlessly blend aesthetics with functionality. Over the last two decades, Gaurav has worked on numerous digital experiences. Currently, he heads design at Flipkart where he is involved in creating experiences for millions of Indian shoppers, travellers, as well as sellers, and fulfilment partners. Before Flipkart, Gaurav led UX design for Myntra. Gaurav studied architecture at School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and completed his Master of Design degree in Visual Communication from IDC, IIT Bombay.

Archana Surana

Design Educator, Mentor & Entrepreneur, Founder & Director, ARCH College of Design & Business, Cumulus Association Executive Board 2022-28 Founder & Chair, Women Mentors Forum, Vital Voices LEAD FELLOW, Rotary Alumni, TIEcm Archana Surana is the Founder & Director of ARCH College of Design & Business, Jaipur. She has pioneered specialized undergraduate and postgraduate design programs with international and national certifications. She is also the Founder & Chairperson of Women Mentors Forum, impacting more than 1500 women entrepreneurs and professionals. A Vital Voices Lead Fellow and U.S. State Department alumna, she has served as Vice President of the CUMULUS Executive Board (2022-25) and has been re-elected as a Board Member for the 2025-28 term. She plays an active role in shaping the future of design through her contributions to the CII National Committee on Design, the CBSE Committee on Skill Development, and global networks such as IFFTI and WDO. Her mission through the Design Culture initiative is to foster Design Ability amongst young people to become design Leaders. Over the past two decades, Archana Surana has been recognised nationally and internationally for her pioneering contributions to design education, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and community leadership. Her accolades span diverse fields-from prestigious education and business awards to honours celebrating women’s leadership, social impact, and global collaborations. Ranging from the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award (2005) to recent recognition for Sustainable Practices at CASCA 2025, her journey reflects a consistent commitment to excellence, innovation, and empowerment.These honours highlight not only her role as a transformative leader in design and education but also her influence as a changemaker who inspires students, artisans, women, and professionals across India and the world.