NASSCOM Begins its Milestone 20th Edition of India Leadership Forum

MUMBAI, February 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

• Celebrates the IT-BPO industry journey from USD 100 million to 100 billion in two decades
• 1600+ delegates congregate from 25+ countries

National Association of Software and Services Company (NASSCOM) today, announced the commencement of the 20^th edition of its flagship event, the NASSCOM India Leadership Forum [NILF].

The core theme of NILF this year is 'hyperspecialization' and the platform promises to bring another exciting, thought provoking and insightful conference that will present a wide array of viewpoints and perspectives from leaders across the globe on different global issues. Apart from hyperspecialisation, the agenda of NILF is structured around three additional themes - Global Uncertainties, is business better than the mood; Leadership in Uncertain Times; and Emerging Opportunities.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Rajendra Pawar, Chairman, NASSCOM, said, "NILF in its 20 years has mirrored the evolution and growth of the IT-BPO industry in India. The industry has built a unique value proposition for global and Indian customers - adding value and access to specialist skills. As the industry enters its next phase of evolution and customer priorities move to business outcomes, hyperspecialisation is a key enabler that will position the industry ahead. At NILF, the structured agenda, keynotes and unconferencing sessions will create the perfect platform for industry leaders to strategise on opportunities ahead and addressing current uncertainties."

The forum has over 45 sessions with over 120 speakers, more than 1600+ delegates, and close to 25 country representations participating this time.

The year, the forum also has new and exciting sessions, like Gurukul - enabling mentorship for young companies; Analysts' Corner where research firms Gartner and Forrester will address issues pertaining to the global sourcing sector. The special 'break-away' sessions like the Leader2Leader, the Master Class, the Idea Incubator, and the power roundtables are focused towards bringing together industry-experts from all corners of the world to discuss and explain the nuances of business, technology, management, leadership and more.

Sharing his views, Mr. Som Mittal, President, NASSCOM, said, "Building alliances in key markets is a focus area for the industry. This year at NILF, we have 25 countries participating and focused sessions around Japan, China, Germany and Emerging Markets will discuss the theme of partnerships and global growth."

He further added, "NILF is much beyond an event for us - it's a platform where global leaders congregate every year to discuss the key changes in the industry, opportunities ahead, creating partnerships and addressing challenges. For us at NASSCOM, the discussions at this forum provide the strategic thrust and direction for our activities to enable the industry's growth and development."

Last week, NASSCOM also released the key findings of the Indian IT-BPO sector performance for FY2011-12. The year 2011-12 characterizes a landmark year as aggregate revenue for the Indian IT-BPO sector is estimated to cross USD 100 billion. Continuing as the bastion for the sector, exports accounted for ~USD 69 billion, growing by 16.3 percent over the last fiscal year. The IT-BPO sector continues to be one of the largest employers in the country directly employing ~2.8 million professionals, with over 230,000 jobs being added in FY2012. Despite challenges in the global market conditions, India sustained its growth trajectory. Some of the pivotal factors that have been contributing to this growth include new business models, organization efficiencies, services around disruptive technologies such as cloud, mobility, analytics, social media, and flexible product portfolios and verticalized solutions.

For FY2013, the export revenues are expected to grow by 11-14 per cent while the domestic revenues will grow by 13-16 percent.

Key Speakers

• P. Chidambaram, Minister of Home Affairs
• Kapil  Sibal, Minister of Communications & IT, HRD
• Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry
• Prithviraj Chavan, Chief Minister, Maharashtra
• Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group
• Rajiv Bajaj, Bajaj Auto
• Chanda Kochar, ICICI
• Shikha Sharma, Axis Bank
• Marshal Goldsmith
• Deepak Malhotra, Harvard
• Leaders from IT-BPO Sector
• Customers, analysts and more…

Technology and Creative Keynotes

• Invisible Computing: Interacting with the Future Now! Pranav Mistry, MIT
• Make way for next billion networked machines-on-wheels. Venkatesh Prasad, Ford
• Entertainment & Technology: The twain shall meet! Darcy Antonellis, Warner Bros
• Zero to Zetta. Padmashree Warrior, Cisco Systems
• Cross Generational Leadership: Abhishek Bachhan, Filmstar
• The rise of Blogistan? Shekhar Kapoor, Film maker
• The story of technology and innovation - on and off the pitch; Sir Richard Hadlee, Former Cricketer

About NASSCOM

NASSCOM® is the premier trade body of the IT-BPO industries in India. It is a global trade body with more than 1200 members, which include both Indian and multinational companies that have a presence in India. NASSCOM's member companies are in the business of IT-BPO services and products. NASSCOM's membership base constitutes over 95% of the industry revenues in India and employs over 2.5 million professionals.

For more information, please contact:

Vishal Gaba | Parekhit Bhattacharejee | Nitin Shukla
Genesis Burson-Marsteller
Ph: +91-9999240369 | +91-9999380203 | +91-9873985197
Email: vishal.gaba@bm.com | parekhit.b@bm.com | nitin.shukla@bm.com

Kavita Doshi
NASSCOM
Ph: :+91-11-23010199
kavita@nasscom.in