Amit Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. His work involves using GIS and Remote Sensing systems for national and international security. He has a Master in Computer Science, and has a Ph.D. in, “Application of GIS for India’s Defence: To assess battlefield conditions and its effects on weapons and weapon systems”, from Defence & Strategic Studies Department, University of Pune. He was previously a PBC-Post Doctoral Fellow at the National Security Studies Center, University of Haifa, Israel, from 2013-to 2016, & an (Honorary) Research Fellow (2016-2019). He was also a member of the Strategic Technologies group in the STIP 2020 Policy Team, under the auspices of DST (GoI). https://www.nias.res.in/assistant-professor/amit-mukherjee

Dr. Satheesh Reddy spearheads India's defence research and indigenous development of defence systems and technologies. He guides the development of major programmme on missiles and strategic systems, fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial defence systems, underwater systems, radar systems, strategic materials, armaments, and futuristic technologies. Navigation technologies and systems, which form the core of defence assets have been designed and developed by Dr Satheesh Reddy for multiple platforms, enabling self-reliance in these critical areas. He has received numerous other awards including American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Missile Systems Award. He is the first scientist outside USA to be awarded in nearly four decades.

Mr. J D Patil is a Whole-time Director and Senior Executive Vice President for L&T’s Defence Business & New Age Smart Technology businesses. He heads the Defence Business at L&T with a focus on Naval Platforms (Submarines & Warships), Naval & Land Weapon Launch & Engineering Systems, Guns Systems, Missile Systems, Armoured Systems, Radar Systems, Military Communication Systems, Unmanned Systems & Avionics. Under his leadership, L&T contributed to ISRO building strategic material independence, besides being a development partner and serial production partner for main lift-off Solid Booster stage through the entire range of Space Launch Vehicles, including SSLV under development.

He is a former officer of the Indian Army and is currently serving as Adviser in the Ministry of Defence. As an officer of the Infantry, he was involved in operational tasks in various sectors of Siachen, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim as well as the North East region. He was also appointed as the Military Advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat of India in October 2018.

He was the Military Secretary of the Indian Army. Prior to this, he served as the 47th Commander, XV Corps of the Indian Army between February 2018 and February 2019. Prior to this he was the Director General of Military operations for one year including during the Doklam crisis in 2017.During his tenure as Corps Commander maximum terrorists were neutralized in comparison to the last one decade.

Brig Sandeep Chaudhary, VSM** (VSM Bar) is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and was commissioned into Corps of EME on 17 Dec 1989.

The officer has a brilliant career profile spanning 32 years, having been the Best Student in the two prestigious courses- Technical Staff College & Higher Defence Management Course. He has the distinction of being the first Director (Vigilance) at Army Headquarters. He has had a multitude of challenging appointments in Command and Staff domains to include Command of a Unit in Intense Counter Insurgency Area in North East as a Colonel, as also command of the highest Engineering Support Unit - a Base Workshop in the Northern Theatre as a Brigadier. The officer has served at the Career Management Branch of Indian Army-Military Secretary Branch, as also been Colonel Q (Operations) of a Command Headquarters. The officer has represented the country twice abroad, once for a prestigious course at Israel and on a UN Mission at Ethopia - Eriteria. He is now Commandant of the only R&D establishment of the Indian Army called Simulator Development Division excelling in developing Simulators & Products in niche technology domains of Artificial Intelligence, VR/AR & Robotics. The first time nation showcased Swarm of Drones event on Army Day 2021, was under aegis of Simulator Development Division.

For his professional acumen and astute military leadership, he has been awarded nine times in his career to include Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) twice, 4 times COAS Commendation Card, 3 times VCOAS/ Army Commander Commendation Card, a UN Mission Force Commander Commendation Card. Under his steward steering of the Simulator Development Division, the unit has been awarded Army Commander Unit Citation, as also 30 Army Commander Commendation Cards to the team at SDD- an unparalled achievement.

A very keen sportsman, he has excelled in Squash for the Indian Army.

Dr. Rao S. Ramayanam, is currently working as Vice President Sales, Middle East, Africa, South & East Asia for Capella Space, the first US based commercial SAR company. He is an accomplished senior executive in international sales, business development and marketing with more than 25 years of working experience in international companies and organizations including Capella Space, UrtheCast, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Space Imaging, The World Bank, APSRAC (India) and National Remote Sensing Center (India).

He achieved amazing success in the sales of High Resolution Satellite Imagery, Satellite Access, Ground Station sales to International Defense & Intelligence and Commercial Markets. He has extensive experience in cloud based and onsite large enterprise system sales and turn-key project management in Remote Sensing (RS) and GIS applications. His interpersonal skills and team building on a global level helped in establishing a 40 member channel partner network in Middle East, Africa South & East Asia and establishing business relationships in 50+ countries worldwide.

He has developed several remote sensing applications and got the recommendations implemented at the grass root level for micro level planning, disaster management, drought management, irrigation using surface water resources, ground water mapping and management, etc. in the State of Andhra Pradesh where successive Chief Ministers have utilized his services to develop the state. He has been awarded the Astronautical Society of India award for his contributions to remote sensing applications. He has been supporting several customers including the government customers, oil & gas industry customers, construction & real estate industry and environmental industries spread across Middle East, Africa and South & East Asia.

Lt Col Vivek Gopal, an alumnus of NDA, Khadakwasla was commissioned in the Corps of Electronics & Mechanical Engineers in Dec 2000. The officer has a wide experience in the field of Electronic Warfare (EW) & has handled a plethora of systems in his six-year stint with various EW units. A M Tech in Communication Engineering, the officer has handled various appointments in peace, field, high altitude as well as intense CI/CT environment in his career spanning 22 years so far.

The officer was awarded the GOC-in-C Commendation in 2022. A Certified Project Manager and certificate holder in Public Policy, he is also a member of various prestigious organizations like Indian Science Congress, Institution of Engineers, IETE, Institute of Scholars, CENJOWS, SAMDeS, Association of Old Crows & AFCEA. A technology enthusiast, he has several publications to his credit which have been well cited world over. He is pursuing his M Phil in Defence & Strategic Studies.

A paratrooper, the officer evinces keen interest in latest developments in the field of communication & EW. He is also a Member of the Institution of Engineers.

Presently, the officer is serving as Instructor Class ‘A’ in Military College of Electronics & Mechanical Engineering.

Lt Gen (Dr) Rajesh Pant is India’s National Cybersecurity Coordinator. He is responsible for overseeing the development of India’s first national cybersecurity strategy. Previously, he was the head of the Indian Army’s cyber training establishment for three years and served in the Indian Army Signals Corps for 41 years.

Superannuated on 30 Sep 20 as the Director General Weapons & Equipment from ARMY HQs, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi wherein Lt Gen Verma steered a large team with the focus extending across the entire spectrum of planning and acquisitions through outreach to Indian as well as Global Industries, R&D Facilities, Quality Assurance and associated National and International bodies. He has Pioneered transformational changes to instill agility, efficiency and generate responsiveness in the processes through innovative and out of box solutions. He has deep Exposure to apex decision making processes and functioning of Government and International bodies. His postings gave him a wide overview of National Strategy Building, Think tanks and Industrial bases both within the country and internationally. He is a Consultant with DRDO. He is a Fellow of the Indian Institution of Engineers and is an Advisor/Subject Expert with the UPSC. He is also an Adjunct Faculty at IIT Delhi. He is an avid sportsperson and paratrooper.

Dr Radhadevi is a senior scientist working with Hyderabad-based Advanced Data Processing Research Institute (ADRIN), under Department of Space. She has been chosen for the award for her contribution in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. She scripted history at Prague on Saturday when she was awarded the Eduard Dolezal Award 2016. She received the award during during the 23rd International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) Congress held at Prague. She also became the first Indian woman space scientist to win this award.

Technically sophisticated and business-savvy management leader with a pioneering career spanning 31 years, reflecting strong leadership qualifications and with “hands-on” expertise in Telecom, Information Technology (IT), Defence and Broadcasting sectors. Maintains focus on achieving strategic objectives while formulating and implementing advanced technology and business solutions to meet a wide range of needs. Superior record of delivering simultaneous large-scale projects on time. Team based democratic management style and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Published technical and academic articles in Magazines and Journals. Alumnus of IIT Roorkee and IIM Bangalore.

Winner of J. C. Bose award (1987) by Ministry of Defence, National e-Governance award (2007) by Government of India , CIO 100 award ( 2007) , by International Data Group (IDG), Deepak C. Jain Award ( 2009) by IIM Bangalore.

Geospatial Sales and Business Development Professional with a 25-year accomplished career of high-value sales and business development combined with extensive production and project management experience. Outstanding sales performance with proven track record in designing, building and growing reseller network.

Dedicated to identifying new opportunities and markets and introducing new product lines. Experience in a full range of operations, including strategic and tactical business planning, finance, customer service, and procurement. Exceptional communicator with strong presentation, negotiation and closing skills.

Col Kuldeep Yadav was commissioned in Corps of Electronics & Mechanical Engineers (EME). A thought leader in domain of Cloud, Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The officer has had a distinguished career and won awards while serving with distinction in challenging areas of J & K and North East. He has excelled in academics and is a Gold Medalist in all courses attended including MTech and BTech. He is an alumnus of prestigious Defence Service Staff College & MTech Computer Technology and specialises in Cloud & AI. He represented India at United Nations at Israel as Technical Advisor to Force Commander supporting 1500 strength multinational force from 10 nations including USA, Japan, Austria etc. He is an innovator & his innovations have had immense impact on enhancing the operational preparedness of Indian Army and also applied for 2 Patents in his name. Officer is well read & regularly contributing to prestigious International and National Technical journals. He is presently heading AI Centre for Excellence in and involved in Learning & Development in domain of IT. He is proud recipient of COAS Commendation Card & GOC-in-C Commendation Card twice for innovation and successful projects in 2020 and 2021.

Prof. Manan Suri leads the Neuromorphic Research group at IIT-Delhi and is the founder of IIT-Delhi deep tech start-up CYRAN AI Solutions. His research expertise includes - advanced AI hardware and applications. His work has been globally recognized by numerous prestigious institutions. He was selected by MIT Technology Review, USA as one of the world's Top 35 Innovators under the age of 35. He received the prestigious IEEE-EDS Early Career Award, Young Scientist Award from The National Academy of Sciences, Young Engineers Award, from The Institution of Engineers, and Laureat du Prix (2014) from the French Nanoscience Foundation. He received INAE Young Engineer Award in 2021 and was elected as an Associate of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 2020. He was selected as Young Technologist of the year by IEEE – Delhi in 2022. He has filed 15+ patents and authored 90+ publications. Prof. Suri has been passionately building translational technology from concept to R&D to deployable products. CYRAN AI Solutions won the National Technology Start-up Award from TDB-DST, IDEX challenge from DIO, and Dare-to-Dream Award from DRDO. Prof. Suri also serves as advisor to leading global tech companies and government bodies. In past, he has worked at NXP Semiconductors, Belgium as Senior Scientist and CEA-LETI, France as a researcher. He received his PhD from INP-Grenoble and Masters from Cornell University, USA.

Alok Singh - is an Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer, belonging to 1995 batch, with a background in Marketing management and Physics. He has been trained at Centre of Excellence at Vicenza, Italy, for handling International Police Interventions in disturbed societies. He has successfully commanded 10 districts of diverse socio economic status. Ensured Public Peace and Communal Harmony in Kanpur and Meerut. Promoted a safe atmosphere for Business and enterprise to thrive. Lead teams of special troops and diverse human talents. Lead operations against Naxalites and was Awarded with Presidents Medal For Conspicuous Gallantry. Have many times been chosen by different Establishments to Control Very Volatile situations, either, in the form of armed militants, communal violence or massive deployment for Law & Order Situations. He has been trained/designated as State Resource Person for Disaster Management, having been trained for Incident Command Systems.

Lt Gen Madhavan Unnikrishnan Nair, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal was commissioned into the Corps of Signals of Indian Army on 15 December 1984. He is a graduate of the National Defence Academy, Pune, India and a post graduate from the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Nilgiris, India. He attended the Army Higher Command Course from the Army War College, Mhow, India in 2009 and the prestigious National Defence College, New Delhi, in 2014. He holds a degree in Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and two Master of Philosophy degrees on Defence and Strategic Studies from the Indore University and the Madras University.

He has vast experience in command and staff assignments, and has served all over India including two tenures in Jammu and Kashmir and four tenures in the North East India. He has been a Col Q of an Infantry Division along the Western borders, and a Director at the Military Operations Directorate of the Indian Army.

His area of specialisation includes development of information and communication technology, cyber space, cryptology and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance applications in Indian Armed Forces. He has been the Chief Information Security Officer of the Ministry of Defence, India and of the Indian Armed Forces, and responsible for protection of critical information infrastructure in defence domain, as part of one of his responsibilities. He represented the country at a conference on Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations at the US Indo Pacific Command at Hawaii in 2010, and was head of a delegation on cyber security at the ASEAN ADMM plus dialogue in 2016 held at Laos. He has also been part of Working Groups on cyber security, cryptography, and techint domains, representing the Indian Armed Forces at multiple forums, both in India and outside. He was instrumental in raising of the Indian Defence Cyber Agency, and subsequently headed the Signal Intelligence directorate of the Indian Armed Forces. He has the rare distinction of being a Chief of Staff of an operational Corps along the Northern borders, besides being a Chief of Staff of the Indian Army’s Central Command at Lucknow, prior to his current assignment as the Commandant of the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering at Mhow.

Lt Col Gulshan Mehta is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Military Academy, Dehradun and was commissioned into Corps of EME on 09 Jun 2007.

The officer had a splendid career profile spanning 13 years having been an outstanding student during the prestigious course of M Tech in Telecommunication System Engineering from IIT, Kharagpur. The officer has tenanted various important and challenging appointments and ensured highest level of mission readiness of equipment of the Indian Army. Presently, the officer is posted with Simulator Development Division which is renowned and the only R&D establishment of the Indian Army, since Jul 2019 where in last 30 months, the officer has been instrumental in the development of 10 Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Based trial evaluated products for the Indian Army. These products have been well accepted by the field army and is being used for efficient training of the Indian Army personnel. The officer is the Subject Matter Expert in the niche technological field of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality and has contributed articles in various renowned journals.

To add on to his technical acumen, the officer has done Advance Course in Computer Technology from Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, Secunderabad and UAV System Engineer Course from Air Force Training Establishment, Bhatinda.

The officer has also represented the country at Bangladesh wherein he installed and trained the Bangladesh Army on the Virtual Reality Based 84mm Rocket Launcher simulator developed by him which was recently presented by the Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army.

The officer has also represented the country at Bangladesh wherein he installed and trained the Bangladesh Army on the Virtual Reality Based 84mm Rocket Launcher simulator developed by him which was recently presented by the Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army.