 DEHRADUN, Aug 30: UPES successfully hosted the inaugural edition of DrishtiKone - The Industry Day at its campus, bringing together a distinguished cohort of corporate leaders, academics, and students for a day of strategic dialogue and collaborative thinking. Conceived as a curated, invitation-only platform, DrishtiKone marked a bold leap in advancing industry-academia synergy, reinforcing UPES's commitment to nurturing future-ready talent and forging purposeful partnerships with the corporate world.
The first of its kind event at UPES was led by Dr. Ram Sharma, Vice Chancellor, UPES and the Deans and academic leads from across the university. The event witnessed participation from senior leaders across leading organisations, each bringing deep insights from their respective industries. These included Mr. Harish Mehta, Founding Member and First Chairman of NASSCOM and Chairman of Onward Technologies; Aarti Kapoor, Director - Global HR Operations & Service Delivery, McDonald's; Suraj Chettri, Vice President and Head of HR - India & South Asia, Airbus; Partha P Roy Chowdhury, Commercial Lead - Japan, India & Bangladesh, Lockheed Martin India Pvt. Ltd.; Tanu Sinha, Head of Design - India & South Asia, PepsiCo; Thaj Mathew, General Counsel and Vice President, Honeywell; Dr. Shravani Shahapure, Associate Director, Deloitte; Virat Sharma, Senior Vice President, Zepto; Ankit Bhargava, Head - Digital Projects, Reservoir Management, ONGC; Debajyoti Mohanty, Country HR Leader - Digital & Networks and Global HRBP - Corporate Units & Openreach, BT Group; Dhruv Kohli, Vice President - Government Public Sector Strategy, HCL GovTech; Archana Srivastava, Head HR - India, TE Connectivity; Swapna Sangarri, Vice President - HR, Quick Heal; and Kapil Murlidhar Sharma, Executive Director - Strategic Partnerships (Asia Pacific), Microsoft. Their presence and active participation reaffirmed the relevance of DrishtiKone as a strategic platform for long-term academia-industry alignment and collaborative innovation.
The proceedings commenced with a leadership round table that witnessed strategic conversations between UPES leadership and top executives from leading organisations, laying the foundation for future collaborations in research, talent development, and innovation. Following this, faculty members from across all the UPES schools, hosted immersive sessions aligned to industry verticals, showcasing the university's academic strengths, research capabilities, student projects, and infrastructure. These engagements allowed corporate leaders to gain a first-hand understanding of UPES's multi-disciplinary approach, talent readiness, and commitment to innovation.
Leading the event into the second half with a keynote address, Mr. Harish Mehta, Founding Member and First Chairman of NASSCOM and Chairman of Onward Technologies, highlighted India's growth trajectory facilitated by technology and shared some advice for students and young professionals, "AI, robotics, biotech and quantum technologies hold the power to solve challenges like poverty, education and healthcare. To harness this, we must develop an exponential mindset and be adaptive. Remember, no matter how powerful AI becomes, it lacks human judgement, creativity and drive. Dream big and keep the exponential thinking, humanity and energy at the centre to achieve them."
Speaking about the event, he added, "India needs an innovation-driven ecosystem that includes the government, industry and academia. All entities need to work together to create an R&D culture. DrishtiKone is a big stepping stone in building that culture in India."
This was followed by two insightful panel discussions that formed the core of the day's agenda. The first, titled Skills of the Future, explored how organisations are recalibrating their talent strategy to stay ahead of rapid technological change. The second panel, Decoding GenZ: Truth, Trends & Talent Expectations, brought together senior HR leaders to understand what today's students expect from their careers-and what industry must do to evolve in response.
The event finally culminated with a vote of thanks by Dr. Ram Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, UPES. Speaking on the occasion he said, "DrishtiKone is not just an industry interaction, but a reimagining of academia's role in shaping work, leadership and innovation. At UPES, we see the university as a living hub where ideas move seamlessly between industry and classrooms, enabling students not only to learn but to shape the world. By curating purposeful conversations with leaders across sectors, we bridge what is taught with what is expected-expanding what is possible. This is how we define future-readiness: not as a slogan, but as an experience."
With DrishtiKone, UPES has set the stage for a new kind of industry interaction, one rooted in long-term collaboration, talent nurturing, and co-creation of knowledge. Designed with a dual objective-deepening industry engagement across placements, internships, and research, while immersing new students in a high-impact, industry-connected learning experience-the event served as both a showcase of intent and a catalyst for transformation.
At UPES, academic rigour is complemented by global exposure, interdisciplinary learning, and industry integration. As it continues to expand its industry collaborations and global network, initiatives like these ensure that students and faculty are equipped to lead with purpose and confidence. |
