The 2026 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place from 19-23 January in Davos, Switzerland. Under the theme of ‘A Spirit of Dialogue', world leaders from government, business, civil society and academia will convene to engage in forward-looking discussions to address global issues and set priorities with a call for bold collective action.
KPMG in India, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), hosted a dynamic panel discussion, “Shift from Emerging to Pivotal: India in the New Geoeconomic Order”
Wednesday, 21 January
Lunch Session: 12:30 hrs CET
(This event has passed)
Central Sporthotel Davos, Tobelmühlestrasse 1, CH-7270 Davos Platz, Switzerland
As global economic and strategic realignments accelerate, India’s role is moving beyond participation to shaping outcomes. With rapid growth and strategic relevance, its impact extends across trade, value chains and technology. The panel discussed India’s rising prominence in global business strategy, investment flows and policy frameworks that foster inclusive growth.
Speakers
Launch of India’s ‘Shift from emerging to pivotal: India in the new geoeconomic order’ report
KPMG in India, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), hosted a dynamic panel discussion, “Shift from emerging to pivotal: India in the new geoeconomic order”. This session explored India’s rising prominence in global business strategy, investment flows and policy frameworks that foster inclusive growth.
A key highlight of the event was the launch of “Shift from emerging to pivotal: India in the new geoeconomic order". This insightful report illustrates how India’s policy, digital and energy architectures, combined with innovation momentum, are shifting the country from emerging to pivotal. It outlines an action agenda that presents a forward-looking lens for how India can influence norms, connect markets and enable sustained growth in an increasingly complex global environment. The report was unveiled in the presence of:
- Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India
- Shri Harsh Rameshkumar Sanghavi, Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Gujarat
- Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII
- Ramachandran Dinesh, Chairman TVS Supply Chain Solutions
- Rohit Kapoor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS)
- Bill Thomas, Global Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, KPMG International
- Yezdi Nagporewalla, Chief Executive Officer, KPMG in India.
India’s semiconductor and AI surge is powering its transformation into a global technology leader, anchoring resilient supply chains and enabling innovation at scale. As global supply chains diversify and technology governance becomes more distributed, India’s strategic investments signal a new era of collaboration and competitiveness.
KPMG in India hosted an exclusive roundtable on 'AI empowering defenders': AI as the new frontline in cyber defense
Wednesday, 21 January
Session: 15:55 - 16:50 hrs CET
(This event has passed)
Emmy Noether Room, AI House, Davos, Switzerland
Empowering defenders: AI as the New Frontier in Cyber Defense AI is transforming the cybersecurity landscape. While bad actors are already leveraging AI to launch sophisticated attacks, automate exploitation, and amplify disinformation campaigns, AI also offers defenders unprecedented capabilities to predict, prevent, and respond to threats. This roundtable explored how AI is empowering cyber defenders to achieve secure outcomes and help enhance resilience, close the skills gap, and establish global standards for responsible innovation.
Speakers:
- Jay Choudhary, CEO, Chairman & Founder, Z Scaler
- Alina Timofeeva, Influence Board Member, BCS
- Michael Daniel, President & CEO, Cyber Threat Alliance
- Mark Hughes, Global Managing Partner, Cybersecurity Services, IBM
- Belisario Contreas, Senior Director, Global Security and Technology Services, Venable LLP
- Prof. Dr. Kathrin Kind, Core Member at WEF
- Mathias Bossardt, Leader Cyber & Digital Risk Consulting, Partner KPMG in Switzerland
- Ryan Gillis, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Partnerships, Z Scaler
- Sundeep Wadje, Managing Director, Global Head of Emerging Technology Operational Risks & Intelligence, BNP Paribas
- Ajay Waghray, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Office, PG & E
- Sanjay Kaul, Group CEO, GIFT City
- Tom Muler, CEO & Co-Founder, Revel8 AI
- Mark Matheos, CFO, Dragos
- Robert Lee, CEO & Co-Founder, Dragos
Moderator
Entry restricted to registered participants
KPMG in India hosted an exclusive roundtable on 'Shadow AI: The hidden layer of intelligence'
Thursday, 22 January
Session: 10:45 - 11:40 hrs CET
(This event has passed)
Summit Stage, AI House
This panel explored “Shadow AI” models, tools, and autonomous agents operating outside formal oversight. As AI proliferates beyond institutional control, risks around security, governance, and accountability intensified. The discussion examined how organisations and policymakers can detect, audit, and manage hidden AI systems, and how to balance open innovation with the systemic risks posed by unmonitored or unauthorised intelligent agents.
Speakers:
- Menna El-Assady, Professor, ETH Zurich and Faculty, ETH AI Center
- Navrina Singh, Founder and CEO, Credo AI
- Peter Tsankov, Co-Founder and CEO, LatticeFlow AI
Moderator
Key themes being discussed at the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum in Davos is dedicated to addressing five key global challenges: cooperation in a contested world, unlocking new sources of growth, investing in people, deploying innovation responsibly, and building prosperity within planetary boundaries. It highlights the importance of responsibly implementing emerging technologies, transitioning to sustainable economic models, and managing geopolitical tensions in an increasingly divided world. Collaboration among businesses, governments, and civil society is essential to develop shared solutions and take decisive action. The Forum's Centres play a key role in integrating public-private initiatives to enhance impact.
KPMG's global reach and broad expertise create a unique opportunity for KPMG professionals to bring people together, championing public-private cooperation and working with others to build solutions that can help build a more sustainable future.
Hear from the experts
Davos 2026 | Yezdi Nagporewalla
Yezdi Nagporewalla discusses the impact of geopolitics on global business, AI adoption in boardrooms, and India’s rising relevance as a stable growth market in his conversation with Money control. He also highlights the upcoming union budget, local manufacturing initiatives, and the India-Europe trade deal, that promises clarity and trust for corporate India.
KPMG in India leaders from WEF 2026, Davos
- Yezdi Nagporewalla
- Akhilesh Tuteja
We are operating in a global landscape defined by persistent uncertainty - geopolitical realignments, climate pressures, technological disruption and shifting capital flows. Within this environment, nations that can adapt, execute, and inspire confidence will shape the future. India is actively re-shaping its opportunities within this uncertainty - not reacting to it but leveraging it. By expanding market access, deepening regional and minilateral partnerships, and building agile trade frameworks, India is scaling manufacturing, accelerating frontier technologies and strengthening global supply-chain integration.
As AI scales across governance, OT, data platforms, and agentic systems, one fact stands out. Cyber resilience is now a collective responsibility and demands a full 360 degree view.
A few realities we cannot ignore:
- Threat actors have the same tools we do
They move without guardrails or governance. Their speed is increasing. Our defenses must adjust just as fast - AI in operational tech will be the hardest frontier
IT environments are challenging enough, but energy grids, airports, and industrial systems were never built for AI driven autonomy. Securing them will take a very different playbook - Businesses want more data. Cyber teams pay the price
More data fuels better models, but it also expands exposure and complexity.
For years, the easy answer to trust was to keep a human in the loop.
Agentic AI breaks that model. If the agent completes the loop, the human becomes irrelevant. If we force the human back in, the system loses the efficiency it promised.
That is the tension we must solve next. Not with slogans, but with real engineering, governance, and clarity on where autonomy is acceptable.
Our Insights
Trade & tariffs - Geoeconomics is increasingly at the heart of corporate decision-making
Transformation - Economic outlook increasingly depends on the ability to harness innovation to boost long-term productivity
Workforce - Investing in reskilling and upskilling is crucial to achieving a resilient workforce
Trusted AI - AI is reshaping how industries operate, compete and create value
ESG - Resilient ecosystems enable long-term economic and social opportunity and stability
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