22 September 2025 | Bengaluru, India
Bengaluru, 22 September 2025: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Karnataka, organized the Karnataka HR Conclave 2025 on the theme “Shaping India’s Future Workforce: Harnessing Generative AI for Inclusive, Sustainable, and Human-Centric Growth” at Hotel ITC Windsor, Bengaluru. The inaugural session brought together distinguished leaders to discuss how AI is transforming work and how organizations can build inclusive and people-centric environments.
Mr. Rabindra Srikantan, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council & Managing Director, ASM Technologies Ltd, highlighted Karnataka’s leadership in technology-driven growth. He stressed that generative AI offers vast opportunities but requires investment in reskilling and policy frameworks to ensure inclusive and sustainable development, alongside strong industry-academia collaboration.
Ms. Radhika Nair, Convenor of CII Karnataka, Future Skills Panel and Head of People & Culture at Volvo Group, welcomed attendees and set the tone by emphasizing that the challenge is not adopting AI but embedding it responsibly with empathy, fairness, and inclusion. She underscored the need for organizations to foster continuous learning and adaptability among employees.
Mr. Christopher David, Assistant Vice President – Consulting at Knolskape, presented current HR trends, noting AI’s role in making organizations more agile and efficient. He urged leaders to embed transparency, ethical judgment, and trust in AI-driven transformations and described generative AI as a nation-building agenda that can future-proof India’s workforce by adopting inclusive, sustainable, and human-centric strategies.
Ms. Kalpana Balasubramanian, former CEO of Grant Thornton dGTL, reflected on AI as a powerful agent of change, emphasizing that HR’s role is crucial in developing an AI-literate workforce where humans are enabled, not displaced, by AI. She highlighted the importance of fostering a learning mindset and empathy to navigate workforce diversity.
Closing the session, Mr. John Robert Divyanathan, Country Head – ER at Bosch Limited, noted how AI is reshaping workplaces. He called for collaboration among industry, government, and academia to ensure a smooth, ethical, and sustainable transition, emphasizing the need for future-ready HR policies balancing automation with human-centric values.
Other topics covered during the conclave included workforce reskilling, AI-enabled talent strategies, inclusive leadership, and the ethical use of technology in human resource management. The event also spotlighted discussions on sustainability and creating an agile, future-ready workforce.
The conclave was supported by key partners including Volvo, Bosch, AM LEGALS, Blue Tree, and CIEL. Prominent companies participating included ASM Technologies Ltd, Knolskape, Grant Thornton dGTL, and Bosch Limited, among others, all contributing to shaping the future of work in India.
