Conference Speakers
| Inaugural Speaker | Inaugural Speaker |
 Dr. Kiranpreett Kaur Chief of people CPM India A CHRO and Ph.D. in Human Resources, she is an author, TEDx speaker, and global talent acquisition strategist. She specializes in AI and Digital HR, serves as a POSH trainer and guest faculty, and is recognized as an award-winning HR innovator and culture champion. |  Mr. Rajesh Jha Country sustainability Manager ABB India Rajesh Jha is a sustainability leader with experience across ABB, Toyota, Jindal Stainless, and NEERI. He specializes in ESG, sustainable supply chains, and environmental performance, and currently serves as Country Sustainability Manager at ABB India. |
| Invited Speaker | Invited Speaker |
 Prof Kamal Jain Director Of FROST & Distinguish professor in IIM Raipur A seasoned management academic and HR specialist with leadership roles at IIM Indore and IIM Raipur, including Dean (Academic), Chair Placements, and Professor. He has extensive consulting experience with government bodies and industry in areas such as HR audits, recruitment, competency mapping, and organizational climate assessment. |  Ms. Hemlata Ramu Senior Director HR Biocon Biologics Hemalatha Ramu is a strategic HR leader with 20+ years of experience across manufacturing, pharma, biopharma, and R&D. She specializes in talent management, leadership development, culture building, and organizational growth, and currently serves as Senior Director – HR at Biocon Biologics. |
| Panel Discussion | Panel Discussion |
 Ms. Smitha Bopanna Director Noesys Software Pvt Ltd. Smitha Bopanna is a technology leader and Co-Founder of Noesys Software and Infoveave, specializing in data management, business analytics, and decision intelligence. She focuses on building a Center of Excellence in Business Analysis and Validation, offering niche consulting services in business analysis, testing, and program management. With experience across healthcare, insurance, financial services, HR, and retail, she partners with organizations and SMEs to enhance delivery, streamline processes, and drive tech-enabled efficiency. |  Mr. PK Narayanan CEO Coach PK Narayanan is a seasoned CEO Coach who helps CEOs and Founders strengthen their Leadership Presence so they can influence more, inspire more, and create greater impact. With decades of experience as a CEO, business consultant, and strategic advisor, he specializes in scaling leadership impact, simplifying execution, and driving high-performance outcomes. PK has coached leaders across industries in India and abroad, enabling them to grow their businesses and lead with clarity, confidence, and emotional awareness. |
| Panel Discussion | Valedictory Speaker |
 Mr. Atul Sharma National Vice President & Founding Director ISTD & Solution Wilcom Company Atul Sharma is a senior HR and leadership development expert with 30+ years of experience across large Indian and global organizations. An IIM-B alumnus, he has led L&D for a 30,000+ employee enterprise, driven strategy initiatives, and contributed widely to ISTD, CII, and industry forums. As Founding Director of Solutions Wilcom, he focuses on leadership development, executive coaching, and HR consulting. |  Mr. Jahangir Shaikh Director HRBP Zepto Jahangir Shaikh is a seasoned HR leader with nearly two decades of experience across retail, telecom, logistics, cash logistics, and edtech. As Director–HRBP at Zepto, he drives the full people charter across multiple business units, leads frontline excellence initiatives, and strengthens organizational effectiveness, capability building, and culture. He brings deep expertise in talent management, HR strategy, employee relations, and scaling people processes for fast-growing businesses. |
About the conference
In an age of rapid technological advancement, ever-changing employee expectations, and unprecedented business challenges worldwide, Human Resource Management is experiencing a drastic revolution. The traditional roles of HR, which concentrated more on day-to-day administration and compliance, have transformed themselves as the strategic partners that act as catalyst to bring positive changes in organizational culture with innovation, competitive edge and sustainability. At the forefront of this evolution is HR 5.0, a progressive paradigm that amalgamates the effectiveness of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, and data analytics with the enduring values of empathy, inclusivity, and human relationship. It aims to build a workplace where digital innovation supports, but not replaces human capital, and where organizations flourish with people-centric approach.
In the above backdrop, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development (SDMIMD) is organizing the 13th International Conference on “HR 5.0: The Human-Centric Future of Work”, on 18 and 19 December 2025, under the aegis of BCIC (Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce) – SDMIMD Centre for Management Excellence.
The conference aims to bring together thought leaders, academicians, scholars, researchers and practitioners around the globe to explore how HR may lead the way in building organizations that value people’s contribution, while leveraging the power of digital innovation. Along with the presentations from national and international speakers during the two days of the conference, the conference will provide an opportunity to the participants to share their viewpoints on management issues, through presentations of research articles and experience sharing documents.