Programme Information

A decorated war veteran, Major General Cardozo became the first officer with a disability in the Indian Army to be approved for command of an infantry battalion and brigade, after losing a leg during the battle of Sylhet in Bangladesh.He was also the first officer of the Indian Army to be awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on a patrol in the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1960. Major General Cardozo has been part of the Sino-Indian war of 1962, and the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. After retirement as Chief of Staff of a Corps in the North East of India,
he worked as Vice President of the War Wounded Foundation and was later appointed as the Chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India. His books ‘Param Vir’, and ‘The Sinking of INS Khukri’ have been widely acclaimed.

Pradeep Gupta, a prominent figure in the IT industry, chairs the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). He’s lauded for his leadership and mentoring, receiving the quot;National Entrepreneurship Award as the Best Mentor quot; from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India. He’s deeply engaged in fostering startups globally, evident in his roles as an Angel investor, Chief Mentor at Electropreneur Park, and co-founder of the Indian Angel Network.

Recognising Pradeep’s contribution to the startup ecosystem of India, the Government has put him on the Investment Management Committee of its 10,000 crore ($1.25 Bn) Fund of Funds.

As the Chairman of the CyberMedia Group, overseeing brands like Dataquest and PCQuest, Pradeep remains at the forefront of media innovation. His contributions have earned him prestigious awards, including the Distinguished Alumni accolades from IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta, as well as the Helen Keller award for his work in the disability sector. He features in the book “100 Great IITians”.

Pradeep holds degrees from IIT Delhi (1975) and IIM Calcutta (1977), and has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Rai University for his remarkable contributions.

Arvind Gupta has dedicated the past three decades to leading and innovating within the digital space. As the Head and Co-Founder of Digital India Foundation, he has committed himself to digital inclusion and policy innovation.His role extends to academia, where he shares his knowledge as an Adjunct Professor at IIT-BHU.

Mr. Gupta’s extensive career spans sectors and continents, excelling in Consumer Internet, Digital Media, Payment Systems, Analytics, and the Data Economy. Recognized on the Global FinTech Top100 list, he also holds prestigious roles at the World Economic Forum and OECD.

He received the Eisenhower Global Fellowship for Innovation in 2014, the DataQuest Pathbreaker of the Year award, and the Distinguished Centenary Alumni award from IIT-BHU. As CEO of MyGov, he spearheaded efforts for digital inclusion through participative governance.

Mr. Gupta drives successful startups like amplify.ai and ApnaPay. As a Founder Member of iSPiRT, he champions nationwide Digital Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) initiatives, showcasing his commitment to digital progress. He’s a prominent speaker at global forums and contributes articles on the digital economy and governance to prestigious publications like The Harvard Business Review and The World Economic Forum. Recently, he joined an advisory council addressing digital monopolies.

Board member, Narayana Health and Jubilant Pharmova Mr Arun Seth took early retirement from his corporate career to focus on bringing the benefits of IT/Telecom to real world businesses in energy, health, fintech, medtech, education, hospitality etc. via a vibrant innovative entrepreneurial eco system and a focus on giving back to society.  He had been very active with Govt and Regulators on shaping Telecoms Policy and IT policy being an elected member of Nasscom for more than a decade. Currently an independent Director on FMRT, IITK and on the board of listed cos Jubilant Pharmova Ltd, Jubilant Ingrevia Ltd, Narayana Hrudalaya. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur and IIM Calcutta – he has worked in senior commercial positions in the BT, HCL, Usha Martin and the UB Group, in the last 40+ years.

Mr. Narayanan has been working with the deaf community for the past 25 years. He is the Secretary of National Association of the Deaf, India. He is actively involved in the setting up and functioning of Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre.  Currently, he is leading the campaign for the recognition of Indian Sign Language as one of the official languages of India, issuance of driving licenses for deaf people, and captioning on TV, among other issues.