Three-month programme convenes board leaders, governance experts and academics to examine emerging challenges in corporate governance
1 July, 2026, Bengaluru: The Centre for Corporate Governance & Sustainability (CCGS) at IIMB concluded its three-month virtual programme, the Corporate Directors Forum (CDF), on 25th June 2026. Since its launch on 21st April, the programme has brought together CEOs, COOs, CFOs, aspiring directors, corporate governance practitioners and senior executives in board functions for a series of discussions on contemporary boardroom governance, sustainability and leadership.
The Corporate Directors Forum (CDF) was designed with the aim of improving the quality and effectiveness of board-level governance by providing experienced directors with opportunities to engage in peer learning, access resources, and discussing strategic issues and best practices. The forum provided resources and opportunities for directors who aspire to join a board or lead in a workplace and senior executives seeking to enhance their expertise in corporate governance and modern leadership.
Over the three months, CDF sessions covered a wide range of topics on corporate governance, sustainability and leadership practices. Mr. Suresh Narayanan, Former Chairman & MD, Nestle India, led a session on ‘Corporate Excellence through Corporate Governance’. Prof. Anil B Suraj, Chairperson, NSR Pre-doc and Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, and faculty of the Public Policy area at IIMB, delivered a session on ‘Optimising Board Effectiveness: Structure, Composition & Responsibilities’.
Mr. J N Gupta, Managing Director, Stakeholder Empowerment Services, shared insights on ‘Stakeholder Capitalism Vs Shareholder Primacy’; Mr. Ajay Nanavati, Former Chairman, Syndicate Bank and Former Managing Director, 3M India, on ‘Executive and Independent Directors: Driving Strategy, Ensuring Accountability’; Prof. P D Jose, faculty of the Strategy area at IIMB, on ‘Sustainability & Responsible Business as Strategic Imperatives’; Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan, Dean, Alumni Relations & Development and faculty of the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, on ‘Tokenism to Transformation: Building Truly Inclusive Boards’; Deepika Jain, Partner, KPMG, on ‘Managing Risk, Internal Control and Assurance’; Prof. Sourav Mukherji, Dean, Faculty and faculty of the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, on ‘Purpose Driven Leadership: Aligning Organisational Goals with Core Values’; Mr. Krishnakumar Natarajan, Founder & Managing Partner, Mela Ventures, on ‘Leadership Engine: Building Talent, Incentives and Long-term Value Creation’; and Prof. Padmini Srinivasan, Chairperson, CCGS and faculty of the Finance & Accounting area at IIMB, on ‘Understanding Financial Metrics from the Board’s Perspective’.
The programme concluded with an in-person session at the IIMB campus featuring discussions on succession planning, geopolitical risk, governance in an AI-driven world, and board-level decision-making through a case study. The concluding sessions were led by N. Krishnan, Principal Consultant, Sadashiva Consulting Services; Prof. Chetan Subramanian, RBI Chair Professor in Economics and faculty of the Economics area at IIMB; Ramakrishna Potti, AI Advisory Consultant, Reckonsys Tech Labs Pvt. Ltd.; and Prof. Padmini Srinivasan.