THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Building on the tempo set by its inaugural edition in 2018 to position Kerala as a global digital hub, the big-ticket Digital Summit #Future 2020 will be held at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Kochi on April 2 and 3.
Billed as country’s largest such conclave, the biennial event will see convergence of achievers, professionals, entrepreneurs and other stake-holders in the knowledge industry from across the globe to discuss key topics, challenges and opportunities in a global order dominated by digital technologies.
Launching the website of #Future 2020, S D Shibulal, Co-founder Infosys and Chairman of High Power Digital Advisory Committee (HPDAC), Government of Kerala, said the core purpose of this event is to inspire and energise people in the journey towards a knowledge-driven digital future.
Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo are among the speakers invited to the event.
“Towards a digital future” is the theme of the meet, which will feature 35 high profile panelists from across key sectors and 2500 delegates.
“This event is happening in the context of increasing use of digital technology across industries. Every industry will continue to create more and more jobs that require digital skills. Being a digitally savvy and well-connected state, Kerala is an ideal destination to be a digital hub”, Shibulal noted.
Shibulal noted #Future 2018 had made a head start by presenting Kerala’s strength before a global audience.
Giving an overview of the digital economy towards which world is heading in breakneck speed, V K Mathews, Chairman IBS Software and Convener #Future 2020, said it is significant that this event is taking place when the life and business are hugely impacted by digital technologies.
“We are living in times of deeply unsettling changes, which also hold opportunities. The functioning of economies, organisations and individuals are significantly changing. Economy is driven by the ability to collect, analyse and use massive amounts of digital data,” Mathews said.
The key topics to be covered by the meet are “Future of financial services”, “Future of healthcare”, “Future of Travel and Transport”, “Future of jobs and youth” and “Changing consumer behavior”.
“We are planning to make the forthcoming edition more impactful than the previous edition. There will be a startup zone at the venue for select startups to showcase futuristic innovations.
M Sivasankar IAS, IT Secretary, said the conclave will be a platform for thought leaders to come together and discuss the future of Kerala and keep the conversation going.
“Through its previous edition, we could convince the world the ecosystem in Kerala is conducive to emerge as a major digital hub,” Sivasankar noted.
Prominent panelists invited to the meet include Amitabh Kant, CEO Niti Ayog, Dave Calhoun, Chairman-Boeing, Douglas Steenland, Chairman-AIG, John Chambers, Ex Chairman and CEO Cisco, Harish Manwani, Partner Blackstone, Santhosh Mathew, Bill &Melinda Gates Founation,Thomas Kurian, CEO Google Cloud, Tarun Khanna, Professor Harvard, Rajesh Gopinath, CEO TCS, Tarun Khanna, Professor, Harvard, George Kurian, CEO NetApp, Ravi Menon MD-MAS and Amitabh Khosla, Director, IATA India.
The panelists will cover a wide range of topics including emerging trends, ground realities, and opportunities for individuals, enterprises and entrepreneurs to compete and lead in a digital world. For more details visit www.towardsfuture.in.
