CNBC-TV18’s ‘Gateway to India: Leadership Corridor’ Explores India’s Path to Sustained Growth and Global Competitiveness 

Last Updated:October 16, 2026, 18:43 IST

The forum’s discussions highlighted importance of collaboration in aligning technological capabilities, investment and infrastructure with India’s ambitions for sustained growth.

CNBC-TV18’s ‘Gateway to India: Leadership Corridor’

CNBC-TV18, India’s leading business news channel, hosted the Delhi Edition of ‘Gateway to India: Leadership Corridor’ on October 14. The leadership forum brought together leaders from government, global corporations, Indian industry, the entrepreneurial ecosystem and sport to discuss the opportunities and challenges shaping India’s economic future.

Centred on the theme ‘Where the World Meets India’s Next Growth Story’, the half-day leadership forum explored the strategic priorities that will shape India’s ability to translate economic momentum into sustained competitiveness. A central thread running through the discussions was the relationship between India’s domestic capabilities and its ability to compete in an increasingly interconnected global economy. Conversations spanning artificial intelligence, global investment, maritime strategy, renewable energy, power infrastructure, circular economy innovation and sporting excellence highlighted the diverse dimensions of India’s growth trajectory.

Speaking about the vision behind the initiative, Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor, CNBC-TV18, said, “India’s growth story is often discussed through big numbers and bold projections, but understanding what will shape its next phase requires deeper, more nuanced conversations. With Gateway to India: Leadership Corridor, we wanted to bring Indian and global industry leaders together to go beyond the headlines, unpack the complexities shaping different sectors, and exchange perspectives on the questions that matter most to India’s future. At a time when industries are navigating rapid technological shifts, evolving global dynamics and new growth opportunities, creating a space for informed dialogue and diverse viewpoints is essential to understanding not just where India is headed, but what it will take to get there.”

Speaking at the session ‘The Business of AI Readiness’, Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins said India continues to offer strong long-term growth opportunities for the networking giant across manufacturing, engineering and semiconductor design. Robbins said the company’s manufacturing footprint in India is expanding, with a growing share of output being exported to global markets. Robbins noted that Cisco also intends to deepen investments in engineering capabilities and digital skills development as it scales its presence in the country.

The global investment environment was examined through ‘India and the New Global Investment Map’, featuring Gautam Kumra, Chairman, McKinsey & Company Asia. Kumra said, “I think there are certain things that have changed, with significant consequences. Speed is key, as organisations need to move faster because it is difficult to anticipate what comes next. Secondly, supply chain resilience and sovereignty are very much top of mind for political leaders and business leaders. Resilience has never been as important as it is today. And lastly, technology has become a senior-level priority. It is no longer something you can delegate to the CTO, CIO or CDO. It is absolutely front and centre.”

Further, ‘The Power Imperative: Security. Reliability. Sustainability’ brought together Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Power; and Sandeep Zanzaria, Managing Director and CEO, GE Vernova T&D India. During the discussion, Zanzaria highlighted that the opportunities for transmission players are immense and that this is not a short-term opportunity. He noted that India is going through a phase of energy transition that is expected to continue. With generation targets of close to 1,000 GW by 2035 and emerging sectors such as AI and green hydrogen, he said there are additional opportunities for both power generators and transmission players. He also noted, “Today the transmission network is becoming increasingly complex; unless you put a digital layer on top of that, it will become impossible to manage.”

Addressing the impact of AI on power demand, Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Power, said, “Every year, we see power demand grow by about 5-6%, even without AI and EV charging. This year, from May to September, we have seen growth of nearly 9-10%. That’s the type of growth, and AI is still not enough.”  He added, “As utilities and project developers, we see this as a good problem to have and an opportunity for all of us, whether in generation, transmission, distribution, or electrical equipment manufacturing. As a country, we are much better positioned than many others to meet this demand.”

Other key sessions addressed the intersection of trade, energy security, and sustainability. In a fireside chat on ‘Sovereign at Sea: Building India’s Trade & Strategic Power,’ Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi (Retd.), former Chief of Naval Staff and Chairman, National Maritime Foundation, added a maritime strategy perspective to the discussion on India’s trade and strategic priorities. ‘The Next Made-in-India Green Wave’ brought together entrepreneurs Anish Malpani, Founder, Without; Saket Dave, Founder and CEO, Wastelink; and Rishabh Patel, Founder and CEO, Dump In Bin, to discuss innovations in sustainability and circular economy solutions.

Sporting excellence took centre stage at ‘A Nation of Champions’, featuring Indian women’s hockey players Savita Punia and Navneet Kaur, alongside sprinter, Olympian and Arjuna Awardee M.R. Poovamma. The three athletes were felicitated at the event in recognition of their resilience, leadership and contributions to Indian sport.

Taken together, the forum’s discussions highlighted the importance of collaboration in aligning technological capabilities, investment and infrastructure with India’s ambitions for sustained growth. The Delhi Edition of ‘Gateway to India: Leadership Corridor’ brought these priorities into focus through insights from leaders across sectors shaping the country’s economic outlook.

The Delhi Edition was supported by Associate Partners, PhonePe and GE Vernova, whose valuable partnership contributed to the success of the forum.

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What was the main theme and date of CNBC-TV18’s Gateway to India Leadership Corridor Delhi Edition?

The Delhi Edition of ‘Gateway to India: Leadership Corridor’ was hosted by CNBC-TV18 on October 14 under the theme ‘Where the World Meets India’s Next Growth Story’.

What growth and investment plans did Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins outline for India?

Cisco Chair and CEO Chuck Robbins stated that India offers strong long-term growth opportunities across manufacturing, engineering, and semiconductor design. He noted that Cisco is expanding its manufacturing footprint in India for global export and intends to deepen investments in engineering capabilities and digital skills.

How are power demand and transmission challenges being impacted by emerging sectors like AI in India?

Dr. Praveer Sinha of Tata Power noted that power demand grew by 9-10% between May and September, driven heavily by increasing needs even before AI and EV charging scale fully. Sandeep Zanzaria of GE Vernova T&D India added that transmission networks are becoming increasingly complex and require a digital layer to manage effectively alongside generation targets nearing 1,000 GW by 2035.

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