Akhil is the Vice Chairman of Bharti Group and Executive Chairman of Bharti Infratel Limited. He has played a pivotal role in Bharti’s phenomenal growth right since inception and has been closely involved from the very beginning in the growth of Bharti in the telecommunication services sector – both organically and by way of various acquisitions. He has led the formation of various partnerships for Bharti with leading international operators like British Telecom, Telecom Italia, Singapore Telecom and Vodafone in addition to induction of leading financial investors like Warburg Pincus, Temasek, KKR, Qatar Foundation Endowment, AIF and Sequoia among many other Private Equity funds. He has also been instrumental in raising several billion dollars by way of project finance for the Group over the years from global banks & bond markets.

Shyam Mardikar looks after network strategy, architecture and planning as Chief - Architecture and Planning. In this profile he is responsible to create the network architecture blueprint to seamlessly move to a multi technology, data centric and customer experience aware network which is closer to the customer and dynamically adapts itself for the best user experience. Spectrum strategy, IP'fication of network, engineering for co-existing 4G and 3G networks, low cost small cells and inducting capabilities like SON and SDN are some of his current priorities.
Prior to his current stint with Airtel, Shyam was the group CTIO for Lebara group based out of UK. He managed group's network and IT functions across its seven countries of MVNO operations across Europe and Australia. Shyam started his career as a software research engineer with CDOT, India's telecom research organisation and then worked with Department of Telecom in various capacities in network installation, planning and operations. In an earlier stint with Airtel, as head of network services and engineering, he was responsible to run Airtel's pre-paid platform, packet core, VAS and core network systems.

P. Balaji is the Director-Regulatory, External Affairs and CSR of Vodafone India. An Executive Committee member at Vodafone India, Balaji leads the company’s Regulatory, Public Policy & Government Relations activities. He spearheads the External Affairs function overseeing Corporate Communications, Reputation Management. He administers the Corporate Social Responsibility and the Vodafone Foundation in India. He leads a team focusing on advocacy for industry issues.
Prior to Vodafone, Balaji was in the mobile devices industry as Managing Director of Nokia and Sony Mobile Communications, India. He has extensive experience in telecom technology/equipment sector. He held leadership roles in Ericsson India, was on the executive board of India operations and handled diverse roles in Marketing, Strategy, Sales, Technical Solutions, Communications, Corporate affairs and Business Development. He made significant contributions to the global strategy formulation for the group.
Balaji has over 25 years of experience in Telecom & IT, in diverse functions including sales, marketing, strategy, operations, and product management. He has been associated with start-up and turn-around ventures of TATA group, AT&T, Ericsson, Lucent and Sony during this period and has held Senior Leadership positions in these companies.
Balaji is the Chairman of ASSOCHAM National Council on Telecommunications and Convergence. He is member of National Council of apex industry chambers like CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, AIMA and Telecom Sector Skill Council. He has been President of Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association (TEMA), Northern Region Chairman of the Telecom Export promotion council and of task force set up by government on policy matters. An Electronics Engineer from IIT Roorkee, Balaji did his MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad in Marketing, Finance and Strategy. He was selected for the leadership program of Tata group and worked closely with senior leaders in the Tata group. He loves travelling, tennis, singing and watching sports and movies.

Josh Foulger is the Country Head and Managing Director of Foxconn International Holding, India. He has around 25 years of hands-on International experience in managing mega operations and global supply chains. Prior to Foxconn, he spent 17 years with the Nokia Corporation, where he was the President of the Nokia SEZ and started the manufacturing operations for Nokia in India, and a few countries. He has conducted business in many countries, and has lived and worked in the US, India, and Vietnam. Over the years, he has been a part of policy making in the electronics manufacturing industry in India. He is currently the Co-Chairman of the Fast Track Task Force to bring back mobile phone manufacturing and supply chain to India. He was named as the Electronics man of the year, in 2016. He also serves on the boards of esteemed educational institutions. He has a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Texas. Josh lives with his family in Chennai.

Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo is the founder and the National President of Indian Cellular Association (ICA). ICA is the apex body of the mobile handset and components’ industry comprising manufacturers, brand owners, technology providers, application and solution providers, distributors, retailers and eminent consumers of mobile handsets. ICA was established in the year 2002 to provide value and service to the mobile cellular industry in India by fuelling its growth, improving competitiveness, helping create a legal and ethical market and regulatory environment. Mr. Mohindroo has had a distinguished career spanning over three decades during which he served in various Indian industries including Sugar, Food, Telecom, Information Technology, Retailing, Media & Broadcasting, DTH, International Trading, Infrastructure (Industrial Parks, Port Infrastructure), Steel, Woolen Knitwear, Textiles, Personal Care, Oleo-Chemicals, Paints, Pigments and Dyes etc. Mr Mohindroo has been strenuously supporting the Government of India’s vision to establish India as the Global manufacturing HUB for Mobile Handsets and Components in sync with the “Make in India” and “Digital India” initiatives. Mr. Mohindroo has been appointed as the Chairman of the Fast Track Task Force (FTTF), which has been established by the MeitY to promote significant manufacturing activity related to mobile handsets and components in India - 500 mn mobile handsets, boost exports to 120 mn, Rs. 50,000 crs components and generating employment for 15 lakhs by 2019. Mr Mohindroo is also the Founding Member and Hon. Secretary of Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) and Member – Governing Council, Telecom Export Promotion Council (TEPC

Mr. Arvind Bali is currently heading Videocon Telecom and is actively involved in Business Development, Project Management & Telecom Infrastructure Development. An accomplished business leader, Mr. Bali has 30+ year's expertise in management of various business streams ranging from telecom, plant & operations, manufacturing & utilities with globally respected outcomes. He possesses capabilities of transforming under-performing organizations with powerful analytical skills, potent communication capability & strategic vision.

LT Gen Kochhar has taken over as CEO, Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) after retiring as Signal Officer-in-chief. The General Officer has had an illustrious career spanning almost four decades and has tenanted very prestigious Command and Staff appointments in the Indian Army. Lt Gen S P Kochhar was appointed as the 23rd Signal Officer-in-Chief on 01 Sep 2011. Prior to taking over as the SO-in-C, the General Officer held the coveted appointment of additional director general of Personnel Services. During this assignment he undertook several innovative measures to empower the entire cadre of the Indian Army so as to facilitate a second career post retirement and to utilise their skills in the civil nation building process. Project ‘KSHMATA’ with Microsoft, Project ‘GYANDEEP’ with IGNOU, Project ‘SAMARTH’ and signing of MoUs with leading banks of the country are some of his major contributions towards this goal. The first ever compendium of HR Policies and Court Cases was also produced under his tutelage, which is now often consulted in all Armed Forces Tribunals. The General officer also headed the Tri Service Pay Anomalies Resolution Committee and has actively contributed in resolution of many 6th Central Pay Commission anomalies towards the benefit of pensioners and serving personnel. He serves as an Honorary Adjunct Professor with IGNOU and BITS Pilani, chairs the Army IGNOU Academic Council and is a member of the Integrated Academic Council of IGNOU. He is on the Board of Directors of ITI Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronics Corporation of India Limited and is also a member of working group on Convergence Communication and Broadband Technologies and the high level committee on National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN). He has also been delivering talks on empowerment, leadership and team building in various forums both military and civil. Highly qualified, he holds two MPhils and MTech from IIT Delhi, a graduate from Delhi University and is a fellow of IETE and AIMA, senior member of CSI and member of IEEE, C-DEP. The General officer has to his credit some path breaking initiatives like the converged tactical data networks in deserts, video conferencing, networking in the mountains using sparsely held legacy equipment, protocol convertors, Multi RF Radio, Laser Radio and data warehousing. He has published a number of papers on topical subjects and has also represented the country in international conferences on interoperability at Hawaii. His international exposure include official visits to the US, Europe, Africa, and SAARC Countries. The General officer has successfully done the prestigious National Defence College Course, the Higher Command, Senior Command, Technical Staff Officers Course, Advance ADPS and various other professional courses with aplomb. He has also had grounding in management from Management Development Institute, Gurgaon and College of Defence Management, Secunderabad. In recognition of his distinguished services and path breaking initiatives, he has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Bar, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India. He has been made the Honorary ADC to the President of India from 01 Jan 2012.

Dr. Kumkum Garg is a gold-medalist alumnus of IIT Roorkee and has a doctorate from Imperial College London, UK. She obtained her B.E. (Hons) in Electronics and Communication Engineering and M.E. (Hons.) in Computer Science & Engineering, from the erstwhile University of Roorkee (UOR), now IIT Roorkee, in 1971 and 1976, respectively and PhD degree in Distributed Computer Systems from London University in 1984. She has been a faculty member at IIT Roorkee for 34 years. She served as Head of its Information Superhighway Centre, from 2005 to 2006. Her research interests are in Computer Networks, Mobile Computing and Artificial Intelligence. She has guided more than 100 PG and research students in these areas and has more than 130 research papers in national and International Journals and Conferences. She has actively participated as keynote speaker, in many national and International Conferences in India and abroad, and organized many such International Conferences, for the benefit of the technical community. Dr. Garg is a recipient of the Commonwealth Scholarship of the British Council, UK, from 1981-84. She was awarded the Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) award in 2006, from Apple Systems, USA, for ‘commitment to the promise of educational technology in the classroom and beyond’. She has also been awarded by the Institution of Engineers (I), in 2013, for ‘her eminence and contribution to the profession of Computer Engineering’. She has a patent for her work on Mobile Agent Development, from the Govt. of India. She has also authored a book titled ‘Mobile Computing- Theory & Practice,’ published by Pearson Education, in April 2010. Dr. Garg is a Senior Member of IEEE, Fellow of Institution of Engineers (I) and Life Member of various Professional Societies, including ISTE, SMATAC and ISCEE. She has over 45 years of experience of teaching and research and has successfully undertaken a number of Sponsored Research and Consultancy projects from CISCO USA, AICTE, DRDO, MIT GoI and Govt. of Uttarakhand. She has been on the panel of experts for Computer Science and Engineering/IT education and state-wide area networking for various Government and private organizations. She has served as Guest Editor, Hindawi publications USA, in 2015 and as UGC expert nominee on UGC SAP committee (DRSII) for Dept. of Computer Science, Punjabi University, Patiala. Currently, she is a Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Institution of Engineers (India), Series B. Dr. Garg has served as Director, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal University, Manipal in 2010-12 and founding Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Pro Vice Chancellor at Manipal University Jaipur, from 2012 to 2017. Currently, she holds the position of Dean, Faculty of Informatics, Photonics & Robotics at Bhartiya Skill Development University, Jaipur.

Arpita has specialised in the Telecom sector over last 20 years in areas of Policy & Regulation, Market Entry Strategy, Business Planning, Operational Transformation & Excellence and Forensic Services and has held several senior leadership roles in the Big 4 professional service firms including Telecom sector leader for PwC India. She has experience of working with providers across the telecom value chain including Mobile operators, Carriers, Tower companies and Managed Service Providers in over 30+ markets including Africa, Middle East, and south Asia. She has also extensively worked for various Telecom Industry Associations and multilateral agencies such as World Bank & ADB. She is a Post-Graduate in Management from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a Bachelor of Engineering (Electronic & Communication) from Delhi College of Engineering (DCE). Prersently she mentorsTechnology startups as an Independent professional and is a regular contributor to the print and electronic media in the TMT space.

Born on 7th July, 1959 in a small village of Rajasthan state in India, Dr. M.P.Poonia is specialized in the areas of Mechanical Engineering (IC Engines, Gas Dyanics, Ref. & AC), Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development. He is M.Tech (Mech.) and Ph.D (Thermal Engg) from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He possesses more than 30 of total experience, out of which 6 years as Principal of Govt. Engg. College, Bikaner (Rajasthan) and 1 years and two months as Dean, Planning and Development in MNIT, Jaipur, (Rajasthan). He has published 80 papers in National and International Journals and published several books and manuals in the field of Mechanical Engineering. He has published/edited 08 Nos. books and 02 Lab Manuals. He is the Member of IEI, ISTE & Society of Automotive Engineers. Dr. Poonia is also a google Scholar. On 20th January, 2017, Dr. Poonia took up the responsibility of Vice Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi. During the period from 20th July, 2012 to 18th January, 2017, say around a period of 4½ years, Dr. Poonia served as Director, National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR), established by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, Chandigarh (India). Dr. Poonia made significant contribution as a Director, NITTTR, Chandigarh for the growth and development of technical education in the northern states of India and to conduct of sub-regional and in-country programmes in collaboration with Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education, Manila, Philippines. Under his able leadership, the institute has to its credit the conduct training programme for Nigeria. He has undertaken projects sponsored by All India Council for Technical Education, Deptt. of Science and Technology, Delhi and Govt. of Rajasthan and MHRD, Govt. of India. He is the recipient of many Awards for his academic achievements and National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities – 2013 by the Hon’ble President of India on 3rd December, 2013 in New Delhi in recognition of outstanding performance in the field of Best Institution for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the country. During his tenure as Director, NITTTR, Chandigarh, he remained member of Board of Governors of, as many as 20 Government/Autonomous bodies/Universities in the state of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Delhi and Chandigarh. He has visited many countries USA, China, Canada, Thailand, Singapore & Sri Lanka.

KDS Bedi is an expert soft skill, behavioral& sales trainer and has a glorious history of contributing in the field of training and development across diverse disciplines. He is curious, energetic and friendly while facilitating students, understanding and empathetic while counseling parents, motivating and focused while training individuals / teams / organizations.
Bedi has been certified as global sales & merchandising trainer by the Coca-Cola Company Atlanta and hasbasic and advance sales training certification by Mercedes Benz. He is also certified on modules like campus to corporate, communication skills, conference call essentials by Achievers Inc. Corporation. He is currently pursuing super-specializationin best practices for Training & Development– A research and delivery excellence module from ISTD which is recognized by Government of India, Ministry of HRD.
As a strong believer and implementer of innovative training methodologies, he has trained on the topics like leadership and attitude management, core soft skills like communication skills, body language, presentation skills, problem solving and Interpersonal and grooming skills. His expertise in hand holding of individuals, specifically customers is mainly due to his vast & rich experience with MNCs. He has good facilitation skills to lead a discussion and summarize learner’s thoughts and directsthem to a fantastic closure. His high level of energy combined with the sense of humor and the ability to complete task in a timely and organized manner have made him the preferred trainer for many companies. KDS Bedi also serves as a volunteer with CWY (World Alliance for Youth Development & Empowerment), anorganization which designs & delivers international educational programs for youth with a focus on volunteer work & community development in a cross-cultural environment the world over. He is alsocertified in The Yes Plus (Youth empowerment and skills) workshop and other advance level courses through the Art of living and has assisted in organizing several Youth Empowerment and Skills Development Programs through WAYE.

Ketan Kapoor is the co-founder and CEO of Mettl. A techpreneur with a career spanning 16 years so far, he has spent a major part of his professional life involved with start-ups, providing him with the necessary vision and acumen to build a company from the ground up. As CEO, Ketan brings his vast experience in the technology domain with an abundance of focus, drive, and energy to the Mettl team. Ketan co-founded Mettl in 2010, and what started as a simple cloud based talent measurement platform has now become a market leader employing the latest technology to help organisations fulfil their recruitment and training needs. Over the past seven years, the company has grown rapidly with a global clientele across 80+ countries and has been fully profitable since 2015. Before co-founding Mettl, Ketan led the marketing division at Isango, helping turn the start-up into one of the world's premier sellers of tours, trips, and activities. Prior to this, he was also instrumental in setting up the eco-system for India's first mobile payment & transaction platform at Indepay Networks. Ketan holds an MBA degree from IIM-Calcutta and B.Tech in Industrial Engineering from IIT-Roorkee. Ketan attributes Mettl’s exponential growth to the company’s single-minded focus onhelping its customers build winning teams. His goal for the next five years is to achieve the Rs. 300 crore-mark in terms of revenue, as well as achieve market leadership in corporate & vocational skilling and educational assessments across global markets. For his achievements as an entrepreneur, Ketan was presented with the Economic Times 40 Under 40 Entrepreneurship Award in 2017, being named one of the top business leaders in the country. Ketan strongly believes in giving back to society and has been involved with running a school in his wife’s native village for the last 5 years. A true family man, he prefers spending his leisure time with his children or in the company of friends.

Amit has been associated with the mobile handset industry for the last 14 years and has worked extensively in developing the sales and distribution infrastructure for Nokia mobile phones . He has been instrumental in development of various sales channels both offline and online to ensure greater access and shopper experience to the mobile phone consumer. Having started his career with Asian Paints he has worked at the grass root level across urban and rural markets with large semi -skilled and skilled workforce . He is quite passionate about innovation and establishing new businesses to create higher value for the various stakeholders in the system. In his current role , Amit leads business for North and East part of the country for HMD Global , the home of Nokia phones.

Mr. Pradeep Gupta is the CMD of Cyber Media (India) Ltd., South Asia's leading specialty media house. He is an industry veteran of over 30 years, and is recognized for the key leadership role he has played in promoting the interests of the globally dispersed Indian IT-ITeS industry. He is also a Founder Director of SQL Star International and Member of the TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) Global Board. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award of IIT Delhi and many other industry accolades.