11th Wharton India Economic Forum : ‘Realizing the Indian Dream’

Wharton India Economic Forum 2006 (WIEF), the premier student-run business forum
focusing on India, will take place on November 11th, 2006 at the Doubletree Hotel in
Philadelphia. Established in 1996, this year marks the eleventh year of the conference and
also coincides with the 125th anniversary of The Wharton School. The theme of this year’s
conference is ‘Realizing the Indian Dream.’
The past decade has seen India at the forefront of the global business and political
landscape. Though the success has been attributed to a myriad of factors such as the
country’s focus on information technology, favorable economic policies, and a growing
number of ambitious entrepreneurs, the common thread underlying all of these initiatives is
the Indian Dream. Although the Indian Dream parallels the idea of the American Dream, we
seek to further delve into what exactly constitutes India’s ideal for success. WIEF 2006 will
serve as the platform for thought leaders to define their perception of this dream.
The conference has attracted some of the most prominent business leaders in the world today.
A sample of the speakers for this year are:
Industry, Products and Services
· Mr. Rahul Bajaj, Chairman, Bajaj Auto
· Mr. Bharat Desai, Chairman & CEO, Syntel
· Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman, Godrej Industries Limited
· Capt. G.R. Gopinath, Founder & MD, Air Deccan
· Mr. Rajat Gupta, Former Worldwide Managing Director, McKinsey & Co.
· Mr. Harish Manwani, President, Asia Africa, Unilever
· Ms. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson & MD, Biocon
· Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, MD & CEO, Hero Cycles
· Ms. Madhu Nair, MD, The Leela Palaces & Resorts
· Mr. Rajendra Pawar, Founder & Chairman, NIIT
· Ms. Urvi Piramal, Vice Chairperson of the Piramal Group & Vice-Chairperson of
Morarjee Realties Limited
· Mr. Keshav Prasad, MD Applied Materials (India)
· Mr. Subhanu Saxena, CEO & President, Novartis UK
Private Equity, Venture Capital and Real Estate
· Mr. Neeraj Bharadwaj, Partner, Apax Partners
· Mr. Akhil Gupta, Chairman, The Blackstone Group, India
· Mr. Prakash Gurbaxani, CEO, TSI Ventures
· Mr. Shiv Khemka, Vice Chairman, SUN Group
· Mr. Ajit Nazre, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
· Mr. Rahul Patwardhan, CEO, IndiaCo Ventures (P) Ltd; GP, Duke Equity Partners
Media & Entertainment
· Mr. Rajat Jain Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company (India) Pvt. Ltd.
· Mr. Karan Johar, Filmmaker, Producer, Actor, Screenwriter, Talk-show Host
· Mr. Ronnie Screwvala, CEO, UTV & President, Film and TV Producers Guild, India
· Mr. Manmohan Shetty, Chairman, Adlabs, Chairman, National Film Development
Corporation of India, VP, Film and Television Producers Guild of India Ltd., Film
Producer & Director
Banking and Financial Services
· Mr O. P. Bhatt, Chairman, State Bank of India
· Mr. Gunit Chadha, CEO & MD, Deutsche Bank AG, India
· Mr. Rana Kapoor, Founder, Managing Director & CEO, Yes Bank
· Mr. Jerome P. Kenney, Vice Chairman, Executive Client Coverage Group, Merrill Lynch
· Dr. Anil K. Khandelwal, Chairman & MD, Bank of Baroda
· Mr. Sanjay Nayar, CEO – India & Area Head – Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Citigroup
· Mr. Neeraj Swaroop, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, India
Government and Public Policy
· Ms. Neelam Deo, Consul General of India in New York
· Ambassador Raminder Singh Jassal, Deputy Chief of Mission Embassy of India
· Shri Adarsh Kishore, Finance Secretary, Government of India
· Dr. Ashok Lahiri, Chief Economic Advisor, Department of Economic Affairs
· Shri Rajiv Ratan Shah, Member-Secretary, Planning Commission
· Mr. Ron Somers, President, US India Business Council
· Mr. Shashi Tharoor, United Nations Under-Secretary-General
· Dr. Arvind Virmani, Principal Advisor, Planning Commission, Government of India
These speakers and many others will take part in the following panels related to India’s
economic prospects:
- Government: Driving India Ahead
- Indian Industry: Redefining Boundaries
- Gateway to India: Opportunities and Challenges
- Media & Entertainment: It’s Showtime!
- Destination India: Entrepreneurs at Work
- Investment in India: Fueling the Growth
- Indian Financial Services: Fortune in the Middle of the Pyramid
This year’s conference promises to offer the most unique perspective ever on the promise of
India’s future growth and development. For those interested in participating in the Indian
Dream, please join us for this event.