The future of evolving Indian leadership drives successful India alumni events
In February 2026, Leeds University Business School hosted a series of successful alumni events in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, as well as supporting an offer holder event in Chennai.
These events brought together graduates from across India to reconnect, exchange insights and build new relationships within the alumni community. They also provided an invaluable opportunity for offer holders to speak directly with Business School alumni and gain real-world perspectives on their future studies and careers.
Hosted by Masoud Golshan‑Shirazi, Associate Professor in Global Leadership, each event featured rich discussions on The Future of Evolving Indian Leadership in a Fast‑Changing World. The programme brought together a diverse range of Business School alumni speakers across the three cities, drawing on their professional expertise through fireside conversations and panel discussions.
New Delhi
Fireside chat
- Jayant Krishna (Management, 1998)
Mumbai
Alumni panel
- Debashis Das (MBA, 2010)
- Subhadra Banerjee (MA Human Resource Management, 2023)
- Ashutosh Thatte (MA Human Resource Management, 2009)
Bengaluru
Alumni panel
- Harish Bhat (Management, 1997)
- Jayanti Bhattacharya (MA Advertising and Marketing, 2002)
- Nikhil Hegde (MBA, 2014)
- Arun Velekkat (MBA, 2008)
Participants shared valuable insights on the leadership and organisational shifts required to support India’s continued economic growth and global influence.
Alumni were highly engaged throughout the sessions, contributing thoughtful questions, reflections and professional experiences. It was particularly encouraging to see senior alumni supporting early-career graduates, and to witness offer holders benefitting from the opportunity to learn from the Business School’s alumni community.
Reflecting on the success of the events, Masoud said:
“The India alumni events not only provided the opportunity to reconnect with our former students and prospective new joiners, but also gave the participating academics an invaluable insight into one of the most important markets in the world and its culture. These insights will help us build stronger connections with our future students from India, as well as enhance our understanding of how Indian businesses are evolving.”
Catherine Thristan, Director of External Engagement (Partnerships and Executive Education), supported the events for the first time. She added:
“I was struck by the warmth of everyone involved and the strength of our Leeds network. Over ten days I truly valued the conversations I had and the opportunity to connect with our future students and our valued alumni.”
Many attendees also expressed keen interest in remaining actively involved with the Business School – whether through mentoring, guest speaking or participating in future alumni initiatives – reinforcing the continued strength and global reach of the Leeds University Business School alumni community. Sustaining these lifelong connections is central to the School, ensuring that the achievements of our graduates continue to shape and strengthen the Leeds University Business School community.
The Business School looks forward to hosting similar events in the future to strengthen our global alumni community, so keep checking our website for our latest events, news and updates and see how you can get involved.
New Delhi event photos
View the photos from the New Delhi event on Flickr
Mumbai event photos
View the photos from the Mumbai event on Flickr
Bengaluru event photos
View the photos from the Bengaluru event on Flickr
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