It indeed calls for a special occasion to bring together the crème de la crème of corporate India under one roof, and the inaugural Fortune India Best CEOs event was one such befitting occasion. The event began with Fortune India’s editor-in-chief, Sourav Majumdar, setting the context for an enriching and insightful evening.

The first engagement was a lively panel discussion on ‘The Future of IT Companies in the GenAI Age’, where industry leaders explored the speed of adoption, the confusion around new technologies, and how businesses should prepare for the next decade. Sandeep Kalra, CEO, Persistent Systems, and C. Vijayakumar, MD and CEO, HCLTech, emphasised that AI will enhance human capabilities, rather than replace them.

The leaders also discussed the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence, the importance of strategic partnerships, in tandem with the need for businesses to ready themselves in a future dominated by AI, elucidating the immense potential for innovation across different sectors.

The discussion was followed by an enriching and entertaining chat with Dinesh Vijan, founder of Maddock Studios, which will release seven new horror-comedies over the next five years. Vijan averred that there is no secret sauce behind the success of the studio, and cited that some of the films that failed to deliver in the recent past were formulaic films. Maddock Films also aims to create a host of sustainable IPs, that will leverage India’s cultural depth. Vijan also emphasised the need to adapt to the evolving media landscape with a screen-agnostic approach.

The event turned its focus towards Uttar Pradesh, which has recorded a phenomenal growth story—doubling its GDP and per-capita income in the last seven years—with Alok Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, enumerating the four pillars that contributed to its success, how it plans on capitalising in the GCC sector with its new policy, and positioning Noida and Lucknow regions as the new GCC hubs in the state.

Devina Mehra, founder, chairperson, and managing director of First Global, and Prashant Jain, founder and chief investment officer of 3P Investment Managers, decoded the ‘CEO’ multiple—the elusive art of evaluating leadership beyond quarterly spreadsheets. They averred that true leadership embellishes competitive advantages, and also explored India’s evolving leadership models and the challenges faced by new-age firms backed by private equity.

Sanjiv Puri, ITC’s managing director, captivated the dais with an enlightening discussion on navigating business challenges, emphasising the importance of adaptability and innovation. He highlights ITC’s strategy of micro-segmentation and technology integration to stay competitive. Puri also stresses the need for resilience against climate and geopolitical disruptions, while fostering a growth-oriented, empowered organizational culture.

No event on leadership can be complete without discussing uncertainty and volatility, epitomised by the Covid-19 pandemic, and an enriching discussion followed with a diverse congregation of panellists—; CK Venkataraman, MD, Titan; Satish Pai, MD and CEO, Hindalco; Rajesh Jejurikar, ED and CEO, Auto and Farm Sectors, Mahindra & Mahindra; Abhishek Lodha, MD and CEO, Lodha Developers. The leaders emphasised the tenets of agility and a customer-centric approach as key to thriving in uncertain times. Each leader recounted their experience navigating the uncertainty of a world riddled by the Covid-19 pandemic, and how they came on top. They followed it up with their learnings on how to tackle volatility and ensure resilience.

The discussion was followed by an inspiring fireside chat with KV Kamath, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jio Financial Services. He epitomised the transformative potential of technology in India’s financial services sector, and how India has a robust growth potential, with a strong financial system and digital infrastructure as key drivers. He also averred that the first two decades have the potential of being India’s most significant phase.

The event reached its crescendo, with Shashwat Goenka, vice chairman, RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, in a freewheeling conversation with Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry. Goyal highlighted India’s strategic trade negotiations with developed economies to mitigate competitive challenges for domestic firms. He emphasised the importance of high-quality production and sustainable development, while advocating for increased domestic investment in deep-tech startups to harness India’s talent and innovation potential.

Fortune India’s debut Best CEOs Awards drew to a close with the winners being felicitated by Piyush Goyal, Shashwat Goenka, and Sourav Majumdar.