Sangam 2025: Industry leaders join academic experts at JKLU HR conclave to groom talent for future

Jaipur, December 6, 2025: Sangam 2.0, an annual HR Conclave at JK Lakshmipat University, brought together top industry leaders, academic experts, and scholars to address the crucial need for enhanced collaboration between academia and industry to meet the evolving demands of tomorrow's workforce.

Delivering the keynote address, Harsh Pati Singhania, Pro Chancellor of JK Lakshmipat University, offered a powerful vision on how higher education can lead the charge in creating a more agile and adaptable talent pool. "The future of work is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and global. It’s imperative that academic institutions focus on cultivating a holistic skill set that includes both technical and soft skills," Singhania said.

Underscoring the significance of the conclave’s theme, “Grooming the Talent for Future, Now,” Professor Vijaysekhar Chellaboina, Vice Chancellor of JK Lakshmipat University, stated, ”We want to ensure that what we are teaching is relevant because education must be dynamic, aligned with the rapid pace of technological and social change. At JKLU, we believe in nurturing talent that is not just academically proficient but also industry-ready.”
Prem Singh, President-Group HR of JK Organisation, reinforced the importance of bridging theoretical knowledge with practical industry applications.

 “Collaboration between the industry and academia is critical to ensuring that students are not only prepared to meet the challenges of the future but are also equipped to drive innovation,” Singh remarked in his address.
One of the key sessions of the conclave focusing on the theme “Aligning University Capabilities with Future Workforce Needs,” saw participation by distinguished industry experts and academic leaders, including K.S. Bakshi, Group Head (HR), Interglobe Enterprises (parent company of IndiGo); Rajkamal Vempati, Group Executive & Head HR, Axis Bank; Dr. VP Singh, Adviser & Distinguished Professor, Jaipuria Institute of Management; Neeraj Narang, Senior Director, Global HCM Strategy & APAC Lead, Oracle; Debashish Bera, Managing Director (Partner), Accenture Strategy; Achina Sharma, Director, HR Business Partner, Adobe and Mahesh Garg, Chief Technology Officer, Indian Railways.

The leaders emphasised on the need for creating co-innovation spaces for academia and industry to bridge the gap between industry needs and academic expertise.

Amit Malik, President - Japan, Asia Pacific & Australia at Wadzpay, delivered a keynote address on “How Tech Talent Shapes Organisational DNA,” reflecting on the transformative role of technology professionals in shaping the future of organisations.

In his thought-provoking speech, Malik mentioned that technology professionals can make the difference between a “slow organisation” and “fast organisation” because they no longer just build products; they also set the “default behaviour” of the organisation in terms of decision making, execution and building trust.

“Whether leaders recognize it or not, tech talent is constantly shaping organisations. It does so by making sure how fast an organization moves, how safely the organization operates, how intelligently the decisions are made and how it feels to work there,” he said.

The first panel discussion of the day, “Academia–Industry Synergy: Co-creating Future-Ready Managers,” was moderated by Dr. V P Singh. Panelists included:

The panelists, including Neeraj Narang, Debashish Bera, Achina Sharma, and Dr. Nidhi Vashishth, Founder, Dakshta Consultants, dissected how universities and industries can collaborate to co-create a future-ready workforce, emphasising the need for curriculum innovations, internships, and mentorship programs that provide students with real-world insights and experience.

A second panel discussion on “The Power Skills of Tomorrow: Empathy, Communication & Design Thinking” moderated by Anurag Malik, Partner at E&Y, focused on the “human” skills that play pivotal role in building successful organisations. Distinguished panelists including Rajita Singh, Global Delivery HR Leader, Kyndryl; Janani Prakaash, SVP & Global Head – People & Culture, Genzeon; and Mahesh Garg, Chief Technology Officer, Indian Railways offered practical insights from real-word scenarios that underscored the critical importance of these “power skills.”

This session emphasised the role of empathy, communication, and design thinking in shaping leaders capable of managing change and driving innovation in increasingly complex environments.

The HR conclave highlighted how institutions like JK Lakshmipat University can play a critical role in bringing industry insights into academic programmes and shape the talent pipeline for a rapidly evolving global economy.

The event also highlighted the importance of integrating industry insights into academic curricula, with Professor Archana Shukla, Director of the Hari Shankar Singhania School of Business, explaining the need for organisations from all sectors to create more opportunities for collaborations with academia.