Wiley Global Innovation Conclave 2019 -

Bringing together the best different World's on a Single Platform to

Ideate, Engage, Innovate, Future of Learning | Work| Research

The predestined arrival of the Industry 4.0 era brings with it, a wave of unexpected changes. These changes, howsoever gradual, will be felt immensely in the horizons of learning, research, and work. As predicted, education has already begun to fall behind with the rising demands of the industry and seems to continue doing so in the coming years. Research and work, therefore, are left without their core to deal with the consequences. A scenario as such, coupled with exponential developments in the prevailing age of disruption, makes way for a change - a change which not only scales the problems but paves the path for a better and sustainable future.

Resonating with this much-awaited wave of change, WileyNXT, the proprietary of Wiley - the global leader in research and education - has taken a giant leap towards the future with the inaugural Wiley Global Innovation Conclave 2019 (WGIC), held in Bengaluru, India on 31st January.

The conclave was decorated by the presence of over 100 CXOs from technology companies and startups, with leaders from research and academia. They engaged in discussions and debates through a series of presentations and panel discussions. With a focus on bridging the skills gap and improving job readiness, this event fostered thoughtful conversation around the role innovation plays in the future of learning, research, and work. Inherently, to sought some of the most critical problems awaiting the future of learning, work and research, Wiley also presented its WileyNXT platform, announced the WileyNXT Innovation Awards, and launched the Black Book authored by industry leaders. As the pioneer of the surge for a better tomorrow, the WGIC witnessed the fruition of path-breaking ideas, perspectives, and predictions. The success of WGIC can also be credited to the collaboration with the illustrious Wiley Innovation Advisory Council (WIAC) and along with the Wiley Executive Leadership Team which is constantly working to beat the challenge of skill gaps that the industry is facing and how to facilitate innovation in India to create new job opportunities.

The Highlight Reel

Philip Kisray (VP, International Development, Wiley) kick-started the WGIC with introducing the role of Wiley in bringing together the three core communities (academia, research, industry) to set the direction for future. Some of the major questions set in motion by Philip were addressed by various thought leaders during the conclave.

Past the initial progressions, Peter Wiley (Chairman Emeritus, Wiley), Judy Verses (EVP & GM, Research, Wiley), Clay Stobaugh EVP, Government Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer, Wiley), and Vikas Gupta (MD, Wiley India), collaborated to set the context of how Wiley through its various forms of innovations in academia, research and work is building a world of exponential technologies. “We will soon introduce learning solutions to bridge the higher education gap in India to enrich the learning experience of students and help them develop skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace”, said Mr. Peter Wiley, Chairman Emeritus, Wiley.

Speaking at the event, Vikas Gupta, Managing Director, Wiley India said that Wiley is trying to harness new technologies and equip students with the skills necessary that will allow them to excel in their future careers.

After the context was set, Ajay Nanavati, Chairman, Syndicate Bank and retired-MD, 3M India and MD, 3M Israel, delivered the ‘Keynote Address’ and chaired a session “Innovation and Industry 4.0” , which talked about the disruptions and innovations brought in by the Industry 4.0 revolution.

As a driving force, the WGIC not only focused on ideating a mutual future but also sought to deliver the new age of success. InnovationNXT Talk, a unique platform uniting industry leaders and experts, acted as one of the major attractions of the event. The platform was leveraged by WileyNXT to spark insightful discussions and bring forth, the world of tomorrow.

The first InnovationNXT Talk delivered by Prof. C.N.R. Rao, Bharat Ratna Awardee, and Gopichand Katragadda, CEO, Myelin Foundry concentrated solely upon the role of innovation in the landscape of research and Industry 4.0. The core challenge seen by Wiley in research is the inability of application of the same by the educational institutions of India.

Applied research is an area where innovation can make money and create business ideas and opportunities. Though core research has been around for 30 years, books are published around it but it is becoming a big business opportunity because the whole ecosystem of applying that into everyday needs is driving innovation and leading to jobs and new revenues.

The second round of discussions in the InnovationNXT Talk series featured Sriram Rajagopal (CEO and Founder, Diamondpick), Vikas Gupta (MD Wiley India), and Mohan Krishnaraj (VP and Global Head, User Experience, Harman International). Unravelling the uncertainties over Learning in the age of Industry 4.0, the discussion also aimed to unmask the Human Face of Innovation.

The world of compassionate AI, elaborated by Jo Vempati and Ramakant Vempati (Co-Founders, Wysa), marked the end of the InnovationNXT Talk series. Speaking about the power of Artificial Intelligence, Vikas Gupta (MD Wiley India) said that “Technology such as artificial intelligence is poised to greatly change the way we work and live, and following the recent announcement of India’s National AI for All strategy, such work has never been more important. WGIC was truly a rare opportunity for every stakeholder to witness the world-leaders define a united future.

Held alternatively with the InnovationNXT Talk, IdeaNXT - a leading platform to engage, ideate, and transform the future - successfully captured the essence of the conclave with a thought-provoking ideation of tomorrow.

The introductory IdeaNXT discussion, moderated by Sukumar Rajagopal (Founder and CEO, Tiny Magiq, Ex-SVP & CIO, Cognizant) focused solely on the future of learning in the age of disruption. Graced by global experts from over the globe, the discussion not only evaluated the means to bridge industry and academia but took a step further to elaborate its implications on the near future.

The panelists for the first IdeaNXT were Srimathi Shivashankar, EVP, HCL Technologies, Suresh Bethavandu, VP & Global Head - Talent Acquisition, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Gavin Chow, VP Strategy & Performance, Wiley, Dr Rishikesha Krishnan, Professor of

Strategy at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Raghvendra K., Senior Vice President and Global Head – HRD, Infosys BPM.

Wiley has been taking a step further in terms of learning, work and research by working closely with the industry to bring context to concepts. Wiley takes the business problems from the industry and makes them a part of the curriculum that they are creating.

Deep Thomas, Group Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Aditya Birla Group moderated the second session of IdeaNXT discussion concentrating upon the future of work. Since the era of Industry 4.0 has created a major rift in the present-day world, WileyNXT managed to bring world-leaders under a single roof and unite them for a common cause.

The panelists for the second IdeaNXT were Avnish Sabharwal, MD, Accenture Ventures

and Open Innovation, Srikanth Karra, Chief Human Resource Officer, Mphasis, Srikripa Srinivasan, VP, Advanced Analytics Group, Dell, Padmashree Shagrithaya, VP, Analytics,

AI and Visualization, Capgemini and Matthew Leavy, SVP, Business Development,

Wiley.

The last IdeaNXT discussion, moderated by Vijaya Kumar Ivaturi, Co-Founder and CTO, Crayon Data Pte, brought together some of the foremost experts to ideate and transform the future of research. Since the research spectrum has experienced a drift from the core model to an applied model, WileyNXT’s idea behind the discussion was to bring forth a much clearer, better version of the future.

The esteemed panel for the last IdeaNXT boasted the following names - Dr. Rohini Srivathsa, National Technology Officer, Microsoft India, Chris Arnold, Knowledge Services Leader at Wells Fargo and Lecturer in UC Berkeley School of Information, Judy Verses, EVP and GM Research, Wiley and Prof. K.S.Narayan, Dean - Research & Development at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.

Some of the other major highlights include Clay Stobaugh (EVP Government Affairs and CMO, Wiley) enlightening the audience about the Wiley Network - a global thought leadership platform by Wiley to engage the community, deliver engaging experiences, and build an intricate web of networks.

The initiation of the WileyNXT Innovation Awards to recognize upcoming contributors to the field of learning was announced. The award ceremony will be launched for Asia Pacific and will be later extended globally.

There are three broad categories for the awards: Future of Learning, Future of Research, and Future of Transformation. Within each category, there will be three sub-categories: Industry, Startup, and Academia. That’s a total of nine recognition awards and the first give away will happen at the next Wiley Global Innovation Conclave.

A fireside chat by the Black Book Authors regarding the context, needs, and development of the Wiley Black Book, marked the beginning of the end of WGIC, 2019. Leveraging the core theme of the event, the discussion created the ideal atmosphere for the big launch of the Wiley Innovation Black Book on Exponential Technologies, 2019. This book is a united effort by world leaders from different origins, fields, and expertise to predict the future and acts as the ultimate blend of a futuristic vision.

Speaking at the launch of this book, moderator Sameer Dhanrajani, Chief Strategy Officer, Fractal Analysis said, “For the first time in India, 18 industry leaders have come together to contribute one chapter each, on exponential technologies and to impart what we foresee in the future of work. (It covers) the possibilities, the scenarios, the projections — all coming together and stitched in a format where every industry segment has been represented, every function and experience has been articulated. It’s been stitched in the form of a collector’s edition.”

The session had esteemed panelists Saraswathi Ramachandra, Head of Digital Banking and Analytics CoE, Danske IT and Support Services, India, Anshu Sharma Raja, MD, Retail Banking Technology, Standard Chartered Global Business Services Private Limited, Atul Jalan, Founder and CEO, Manthan, Ajay Kelkar, Co-Founder, Hansa Cequity, Ashish Singru, Senior Director & Head, Global Analytics Center, Ebay, Pankaj Rai, SVP Strategy, Wells Fargo, Divesh Singla, Vice President and leads Health Economics and Outcomes Research practice for Access Consulting, the Market Access Unit of PAREXEL and Anees Merchant, Senior Vice President, Course5 Intelligence.

The conclave concluded with Peter Wiley, Chairman Emeritus, Wiley and Vikas Gupta, MD Wiley India, delivering a vote of thanks to their illustrious company. With a global event as highly decorated as the WGIC, it was only fitting that two of the foremost leaders of their field should mark its end.

The WGIC may have lasted just a single day, but it was a day when the greatest leaders of our generation set their minds towards a single cause - ideating, engaging, and transforming the future of learning, research, and work.