/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179061505616863921.webp)
What is the story about?
Building a platform for India’s next decade
India’s aspiration to become a $30 trillion economy is as much an execution challenge as it is an economic ambition. The CEO Sphere, a flagship CNBC-TV18 and Autodesk platform, brings together leaders shaping India’s future to examine the decisions, capabilities and technologies that can translate that ambition into growth at scale. At the CEO Sphere Soirée, themed “The $30 Trillion Sprint: Building India’s Next Decade”, that question brought together leaders from infrastructure, real estate, engineering, industrial, technology and security businesses, alongside Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, IAS, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.
The discussion, moderated by Mridu Bhandari, moved across sectors but kept returning to a common idea: India’s next phase of growth will depend not only on the scale of investment, but on how effectively businesses, government, technology and talent come together to deliver. Haresh Khoobchandani, Vice President – Asia Pacific & Japan, Autodesk, put the technology imperative in the context of a larger resource challenge: “There’s not enough money, talent and resources today in the world to solve all the problems that we’re facing. There’s just not enough.”
From ambition to execution
For Amit Kumar Sinha, MD & CEO, Mahindra Lifespaces, the starting point is clarity about where a business chooses to play. Reflecting on the company’s growth ambition, he spoke about defining clear guardrails, focusing on execution and demonstrating that growth can translate into returns for stakeholders. “Once you have clarity on what you will do and what you will not do, once you have demonstrated execution prowess, then you have gotten the support of stakeholders to actually scale the business,” he said.
Amit Sharma, MD & CEO, Tata Consulting Engineers, placed that execution imperative much earlier in the project lifecycle. For large and complex projects, the quality of the thinking at the conceptual and design stage can determine what follows. “It’s the early design engineering concepts that will make or break the project,” Sharma said, making the case for stronger conceptualisation, realistic project plans and timelines, and designs that remain relevant as technologies evolve.
For Suvojoy Sengupta, Chief Executive – India, AECOM, the challenge is less about whether India has the appetite for infrastructure and more about how the ecosystem works together to deliver it. He pointed to the need for a stronger partnership between public and private players, clearer risk allocation and smoother coordination across policymakers, regulators, developers and execution agencies. “The smoother we make it between policymakers, regulators, developers and execution agencies,” he said, “I think one example of that is the renewable energy sector where the government listened to the feedback from investors and private sector.”
For Sanjay Dutt, MD & CEO, Tata Realty & Infrastructure, predictability is an important part of the equation. He pointed to the changing policy environment and the concentration of economic activity in established metros as factors shaping the economics of real estate, while making a broader case for looking beyond the obvious urban centres. As he put it, “You will see Indian real estate development companies housed and growing here but also being global.”
That shift is already visible in industrial infrastructure. Dr Ramnath Subramaniam, Joint MD, TVS Industrial & Logistix Parks, said the economics of land are increasingly making Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations attractive. “It is no longer economical for us to build warehouses in Tier 1 cities,” he said. The company’s approach is to follow customers into newer markets with plug-and-play, technology-enabled infrastructure.
For Shyam Raghunandan, MD, Schüco India, the question is also about how India builds. As the market balances speed, affordability and quality across different segments, he argued that greater attention to skills and execution could have a significant impact. “What India desperately misses is excellence in trade craft,” he said.
Frederic Martin, Managing Director, John Cockerill India, highlighted another dimension of India’s industrial opportunity: the ability to build capabilities that can serve markets beyond India. The company is strengthening its Indian team and connecting those capabilities with its international operations. Looking ahead, Martin said, “We are going to export full engineering solutions in the future.”
Pushkar Gokhale, EVP & Business Head – Security Solutions, Godrej & Boyce, brought resilience into the conversation, arguing that security needs to be considered as part of the infrastructure planning process rather than added after the fact. He linked security to the broader requirements of resilience, risk mitigation and business continuity. “I think security is something which sits at the centre,” he said. “Many times what happens is if you really want to ensure business continuity and risk mitigation you need to have a layered security.” He also made the case for looking at security not simply as a cost, but as an enabler: “I think the time is ripe that we need to take security seriously and don’t look at it just as a mere expense but as an enabler to ensure business continuity throughout.”
Technology as the connective layer
The technology conversation at the Soirée moved beyond the question of whether India should adopt AI. The more fundamental question was how organisations can create the connected foundation that allows technology—and AI in particular—to deliver value across the full project lifecycle.
For Haresh Khoobchandani, the next step is to move beyond isolated digital interventions and connect the different parts of the value chain. “The role we need to play now is: how do you connect all of them? How do you start to build connected workflows? How do you start to build connected data?” he said.
That becomes particularly important because data across design, build and operate often remains trapped in individual silos. “Connected data now becomes mandatory, in my opinion, for organisations to layer AI on top of it and then for AI to genuinely provide the right insights,” Haresh said. The implication is that AI’s usefulness depends on the quality, continuity and accessibility of the data beneath it.
That connected foundation can also change how organisations approach sustainability. Haresh noted that with the right data, organisations can simulate outcomes, understand carbon calculations, material usage and energy consumption, and make smarter design decisions earlier in the process.
He pointed to an implementation in India that illustrates what this can look like in practice. At ITC in Bengaluru, he said, digital technologies are being used across the journey from the office to the construction site, with a paperless, prefab and integrated approach. The larger lesson, he argued, is that technology alone is only one part of the transformation. Leadership and organisational change are equally important.
“Sometimes it starts from the top,” Haresh said, describing how ITC’s move to eliminate printing and printers helped trigger a wider change in how people operated and behaved. The objective, ultimately, is to connect technology across the value chain so that data can flow and enable smarter decisions.
Mumbai 3.0: Planning the next growth engine
The conversation then moved from India Inc. to the policymaking side of the growth equation, with Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, IAS, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, joining the discussion on Mumbai’s role in the $30 trillion ambition.
Dr Mukherjee outlined a long-term blueprint for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region extending to 2047, built around economic value creation, quality of life and sustainability. “Nothing makes sense unless it generates money, and the whole thing is to make the maximum value come out of it,” he said, while also stressing that quality of life and sustainability must be integral to the plan.
He also underlined the scale of the capabilities required to deliver that vision. While technology, resources and financing are important, he identified human capital as the most important capability to build—across engineers, execution teams and the skilled workforce required on the ground.
On Mumbai 3.0, Dr Mukherjee described a model that goes beyond simply extending Mumbai’s urban footprint. The ambition is to create a new global growth centre with economic districts, logistics, technology, GCCs, data centres and other industries, while bringing together infrastructure, economic activity and quality of life.
The discussion also reinforced that Mumbai’s transformation cannot be delivered by government alone. Dr Mukherjee emphasised the role of India Inc. in supporting projects and building confidence around their economic impact, while the industry leaders at the table highlighted the importance of a stronger partnership between government and business.
Technology again emerged as an important part of that equation. Dr Mukherjee described MMRDA as a systems-driven organisation and pointed to the scale of its operations as evidence of why technology is indispensable. He also shared an example of AI-driven monitoring being used in metro operations, illustrating how digital tools can move from an abstract promise to a practical capability.
The leadership equation
Across the evening, the conversation ultimately returned to leadership: the choices that determine whether ambition becomes execution, whether technology becomes transformation and whether growth can be sustained at scale.
The leaders brought different perspectives from real estate, engineering, industrial infrastructure, manufacturing, security, technology and public policy. Yet the larger message was clear: India’s $30 trillion ambition will depend on the cumulative effect of investment, execution capability, connected technology, talent and collaboration between government and business.
The sprint, therefore, is not only about building more. It is about building with greater coordination, stronger capabilities and the digital foundations required to make decisions at scale. The next decade will test how effectively India can turn ambition into execution—and execution into enduring growth.
India’s aspiration to become a $30 trillion economy is as much an execution challenge as it is an economic ambition. The CEO Sphere, a flagship CNBC-TV18 and Autodesk platform, brings together leaders shaping India’s future to examine the decisions, capabilities and technologies that can translate that ambition into growth at scale. At the CEO Sphere Soirée, themed “The $30 Trillion Sprint: Building India’s Next Decade”, that question brought together leaders from infrastructure, real estate, engineering, industrial, technology and security businesses, alongside Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, IAS, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.
The discussion, moderated by Mridu Bhandari, moved across sectors but kept returning to a common idea: India’s next phase of growth will depend not only on the scale of investment, but on how effectively businesses, government, technology and talent come together to deliver. Haresh Khoobchandani, Vice President – Asia Pacific & Japan, Autodesk, put the technology imperative in the context of a larger resource challenge: “There’s not enough money, talent and resources today in the world to solve all the problems that we’re facing. There’s just not enough.”
From ambition to execution
For Amit Kumar Sinha, MD & CEO, Mahindra Lifespaces, the starting point is clarity about where a business chooses to play. Reflecting on the company’s growth ambition, he spoke about defining clear guardrails, focusing on execution and demonstrating that growth can translate into returns for stakeholders. “Once you have clarity on what you will do and what you will not do, once you have demonstrated execution prowess, then you have gotten the support of stakeholders to actually scale the business,” he said.
Amit Sharma, MD & CEO, Tata Consulting Engineers, placed that execution imperative much earlier in the project lifecycle. For large and complex projects, the quality of the thinking at the conceptual and design stage can determine what follows. “It’s the early design engineering concepts that will make or break the project,” Sharma said, making the case for stronger conceptualisation, realistic project plans and timelines, and designs that remain relevant as technologies evolve.
For Suvojoy Sengupta, Chief Executive – India, AECOM, the challenge is less about whether India has the appetite for infrastructure and more about how the ecosystem works together to deliver it. He pointed to the need for a stronger partnership between public and private players, clearer risk allocation and smoother coordination across policymakers, regulators, developers and execution agencies. “The smoother we make it between policymakers, regulators, developers and execution agencies,” he said, “I think one example of that is the renewable energy sector where the government listened to the feedback from investors and private sector.”
For Sanjay Dutt, MD & CEO, Tata Realty & Infrastructure, predictability is an important part of the equation. He pointed to the changing policy environment and the concentration of economic activity in established metros as factors shaping the economics of real estate, while making a broader case for looking beyond the obvious urban centres. As he put it, “You will see Indian real estate development companies housed and growing here but also being global.”
That shift is already visible in industrial infrastructure. Dr Ramnath Subramaniam, Joint MD, TVS Industrial & Logistix Parks, said the economics of land are increasingly making Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations attractive. “It is no longer economical for us to build warehouses in Tier 1 cities,” he said. The company’s approach is to follow customers into newer markets with plug-and-play, technology-enabled infrastructure.
For Shyam Raghunandan, MD, Schüco India, the question is also about how India builds. As the market balances speed, affordability and quality across different segments, he argued that greater attention to skills and execution could have a significant impact. “What India desperately misses is excellence in trade craft,” he said.
Frederic Martin, Managing Director, John Cockerill India, highlighted another dimension of India’s industrial opportunity: the ability to build capabilities that can serve markets beyond India. The company is strengthening its Indian team and connecting those capabilities with its international operations. Looking ahead, Martin said, “We are going to export full engineering solutions in the future.”
Pushkar Gokhale, EVP & Business Head – Security Solutions, Godrej & Boyce, brought resilience into the conversation, arguing that security needs to be considered as part of the infrastructure planning process rather than added after the fact. He linked security to the broader requirements of resilience, risk mitigation and business continuity. “I think security is something which sits at the centre,” he said. “Many times what happens is if you really want to ensure business continuity and risk mitigation you need to have a layered security.” He also made the case for looking at security not simply as a cost, but as an enabler: “I think the time is ripe that we need to take security seriously and don’t look at it just as a mere expense but as an enabler to ensure business continuity throughout.”
Technology as the connective layer
The technology conversation at the Soirée moved beyond the question of whether India should adopt AI. The more fundamental question was how organisations can create the connected foundation that allows technology—and AI in particular—to deliver value across the full project lifecycle.
For Haresh Khoobchandani, the next step is to move beyond isolated digital interventions and connect the different parts of the value chain. “The role we need to play now is: how do you connect all of them? How do you start to build connected workflows? How do you start to build connected data?” he said.
That becomes particularly important because data across design, build and operate often remains trapped in individual silos. “Connected data now becomes mandatory, in my opinion, for organisations to layer AI on top of it and then for AI to genuinely provide the right insights,” Haresh said. The implication is that AI’s usefulness depends on the quality, continuity and accessibility of the data beneath it.
That connected foundation can also change how organisations approach sustainability. Haresh noted that with the right data, organisations can simulate outcomes, understand carbon calculations, material usage and energy consumption, and make smarter design decisions earlier in the process.
He pointed to an implementation in India that illustrates what this can look like in practice. At ITC in Bengaluru, he said, digital technologies are being used across the journey from the office to the construction site, with a paperless, prefab and integrated approach. The larger lesson, he argued, is that technology alone is only one part of the transformation. Leadership and organisational change are equally important.
“Sometimes it starts from the top,” Haresh said, describing how ITC’s move to eliminate printing and printers helped trigger a wider change in how people operated and behaved. The objective, ultimately, is to connect technology across the value chain so that data can flow and enable smarter decisions.
Mumbai 3.0: Planning the next growth engine
The conversation then moved from India Inc. to the policymaking side of the growth equation, with Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, IAS, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, joining the discussion on Mumbai’s role in the $30 trillion ambition.
Dr Mukherjee outlined a long-term blueprint for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region extending to 2047, built around economic value creation, quality of life and sustainability. “Nothing makes sense unless it generates money, and the whole thing is to make the maximum value come out of it,” he said, while also stressing that quality of life and sustainability must be integral to the plan.
He also underlined the scale of the capabilities required to deliver that vision. While technology, resources and financing are important, he identified human capital as the most important capability to build—across engineers, execution teams and the skilled workforce required on the ground.
On Mumbai 3.0, Dr Mukherjee described a model that goes beyond simply extending Mumbai’s urban footprint. The ambition is to create a new global growth centre with economic districts, logistics, technology, GCCs, data centres and other industries, while bringing together infrastructure, economic activity and quality of life.
The discussion also reinforced that Mumbai’s transformation cannot be delivered by government alone. Dr Mukherjee emphasised the role of India Inc. in supporting projects and building confidence around their economic impact, while the industry leaders at the table highlighted the importance of a stronger partnership between government and business.
Technology again emerged as an important part of that equation. Dr Mukherjee described MMRDA as a systems-driven organisation and pointed to the scale of its operations as evidence of why technology is indispensable. He also shared an example of AI-driven monitoring being used in metro operations, illustrating how digital tools can move from an abstract promise to a practical capability.
The leadership equation
Across the evening, the conversation ultimately returned to leadership: the choices that determine whether ambition becomes execution, whether technology becomes transformation and whether growth can be sustained at scale.
The leaders brought different perspectives from real estate, engineering, industrial infrastructure, manufacturing, security, technology and public policy. Yet the larger message was clear: India’s $30 trillion ambition will depend on the cumulative effect of investment, execution capability, connected technology, talent and collaboration between government and business.
The sprint, therefore, is not only about building more. It is about building with greater coordination, stronger capabilities and the digital foundations required to make decisions at scale. The next decade will test how effectively India can turn ambition into execution—and execution into enduring growth.
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179077008901140147.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179076255170477733.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179073756587736735.webp)
/images/ppid_59c68470-image-179074261808352848.webp)
