Board Stewardship Global Summit 2025 Honours Dr. Ram Charan as Global Board Legend
The Board Stewardship Global Corporate Governance Summit 2025 opened today at the historic Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) with a full house of more than 400 Board leaders, Independent Directors, regulators, and governance experts. The summit also honoured Dr. Ram Charan as a Global Board Legend, recognising his decades of shaping boardroom practice in India and worldwide. Widely regarded as one of the most influential advisors to CEOs and boards, he continues to guide organisations through rapid change. Day One, themed “Reimagining the Future Board”, set a strong forward-looking tone for the two-day summit being held on 2–3 December.
Opening the summit, Vikesh Wallia, Managing Director & Editor, Board Stewardship, highlighted the record participation and the platform’s expanding influence across newsletters, magazines, books, and nationwide events. He said, “We are delighted with the record turnout this year, with more than 400 registrations for our conference at the Bombay Stock Exchange. Over the past year, we have expanded our impact by delivering 360 daily newsletters, 12 monthly magazines, and several free-to-download books, while taking our events to Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Singapore, and Tamil Nadu. Our new Co-Elevate training program has also filled a critical gap by moving beyond compliance and preparing professionals for real board responsibilities. This two-day conference comes at an important time as boardrooms adapt to global governance shifts and rising expectations around digital readiness.”
In his Inaugural Address, G. N. Bajpai, Former Chairman of SEBI & LIC, reminded delegates that modern corporations operate within five dominant forces—sociology, politics, economics, technology and climate. He said, “A corporate never operates in isolation; even the most remote enterprise is influenced by global developments. Today’s environment can be viewed through five buckets: sociology, politics, economics, technology and climate. COVID created isolation but also revived cultural values. Unipolar global politics has given way to transactional relationships. Economic rules have shifted with the rise of information, bio and cosmic economies. Technology is reshaping possibilities, from private space ambitions to self-governed models. At the same time, the habitability of Earth is under pressure, raising urgent questions about apathy toward climate risks.”
Delivering the Keynote Address, Shailesh Haribhakti, eminent Chartered Accountant & Board Icon, Chairman Advisory Board, Board Stewardship, emphasised the expanding mandate of boards in an era defined by volatility and interconnected risks. He said, “The future board will not be remembered for minutes but for the future it shapes. Boards began as custodians of compliance and became guardians of capital; now they must rise as architects of civilisation. The world is no longer linear or predictable—everything is exponential, interconnected and volatile, driven by planet transitions, demographic shifts, artificial intelligence, geopolitics, fragile supply chains and rising expectations of younger generations. Board agendas can no longer be static. They must be built on strategic mining of past patterns, live evaluation of regulatory, energy and supply-chain transitions, and the combined force of AI and sustainability. Future boards must test culture, skills, incentives, cyber strength and execution speed, becoming execution stewards and civilisational advocates in a tightly coupled global system.”
In her Special Address, Kamala Kantharaj, Chief Regulatory Officer, Bombay Stock Exchange, reflected on BSE’s 150-year legacy and the role governance plays in organisational resilience. She said, “The Bombay Stock Exchange has recently completed 150 years, a landmark that reflects how strong structures and good governance can sustain an institution through changing times. I congratulate the Board Stewardship team and its advisory group for the steady work they have put in over the past year through publications, webinars and focused programs. The discussions lined up cover technology, artificial intelligence, climate and the growing uncertainty businesses face. India’s 2047 Viksit Bharat goal demands a significant jump from the current five-trillion-dollar market cap, and organisations will need strong brakes even as they accelerate. Governance, fair decision-making and the quality of board members will determine which companies adapt, withstand disruption and create long-term value.”
A spotlight session with Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre, Singapore, brought sharp clarity to the evolving debate around ESG. He stated, “ESG as it was practiced is dead—but long live E, S, and G. The backlash wasn’t political; it was because we asked businesses to act unnaturally—consume less, sacrifice profit, follow endless rules. The future is doing well by doing good. Boards must create value, not just preserve it. In today’s connected world, profitable solutions to real human and social challenges ensure longevity, impact, and inspire others to follow. Businesses that align purpose with profit are the ones that will thrive and endure.”
A fireside chat with leading global advisor Dr. Ram Charan reinforced India’s accelerating economic momentum. He said, “India is on fire. Nowhere else in the world do I see this level of optimism, growth drivers and confidence. Many companies are programming themselves for 10x growth, and boards must match that ambition. Their most critical responsibility is selecting the right leader, because nothing can overcome a wrong choice. Leadership is never about ‘the best person’—it is always about the best fit for the context. Boards that grasp this multiply capability, not just oversee compliance.” Adding to this, Ravi Kant, Former Managing Director & Vice Chairman, Tata Motors, highlighted how disruption is forcing new leadership behaviours. He said, “Today’s pace of disruption has made rigid hierarchies untenable. Data-driven progress now demands distributed leadership—not the old command-and-control model that Gen Z rejects outright. Our study shows a striking 0.85 correlation between the type of leaders and the success of AI adoption, with 79% of AI implementations failing not due to technology but because of people. The leaders who make AI work are humble, open-minded team players who build trust, collaborate, and pursue big goals with an outside-in view.”
The day also saw discussions on future-fit board composition and capabilities featuring Dr. Pramod Solanki, Anita Shantaram, Alessandro Giuliani and Rakesh R. Sony, followed by the release of the white paper The Digital Board Member by Mita Dixit, Manish Varghese, Amit Narayan, Vikesh Wallia and Raajeev B. Batra. The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) session brought together Ritesh Bhatia, Uday Bhansali, Ketan Dalal and Anand Desai for an in-depth look at evolving data governance responsibilities.
The day concluded with a Board Stewardship felicitation ceremony, after which Raajeev B. Batra, Fellow of Board Stewardship, wrapped up proceedings, reflecting on the urgency for boards to strengthen stewardship, digital readiness, ethical culture and leadership clarity as India enters a phase of accelerated growth and rising uncertainty.
