January 20th ,2026; Mandi: The School of Management at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, organized the third edition of its annual two-day industry conclave – Himalayan Business Summit (HiBS) 2026. The summit highlighted the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in reshaping business models, leadership paradigms, and sustainable growth strategies in India. The summit provided students with valuable networking opportunities, mentorship, and insights into emerging business trends and strategies, sharpening their skills and preparing them for future leadership roles.
The two-day national summit brought together top officials and technology leaders from leading companies including, Raymond Limited, Kirloskar Management Service, VDart Digital, NDTV Profit, Religare Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited, Onix, InXiteOut, Aamrass Digimarc LLP, DBS Bank, Target, SAP, Datawise, Steel Authority of India Limited, Vallabha Industrial Chemical Engineers Pvt Limited, National Aluminium Company Limited. The industry leaders shared their insights on the impact of AI on business models and leadership paradigms as well as to discuss the responsible and ethical use of AI in Indian Corporate sector.
The two-day summit centre on three core themes: Reimagining traditional Indian sectors through AI, Leadership strategies for AI-driven growth, and Responsible AI as a source of long-term competitive advantage. HiBS 2026 placed special emphasis on translating AI innovation into practical, scalable, and outcome-driven business value, particularly across India’s manufacturing, services, MSME, and policy-driven business ecosystems.
While shedding light on this event, Prof Anjan Swain, Chair, School of Management, IIT Mandi, added, “India stands at a crucial juncture in its AI adoption journey, where the focus must shift from experimentation to effective execution for meaningful outcomes. HiBS 2026 has been designed as a platform for leaders to engage with the challenges surrounding AI and its impact on sustainable growth.”
With AI increasingly influencing operational efficiency, governance, and strategic decision-making, HiBS 2026 aims to bridge the gap between technology capability and business execution. The summit featured keynote address by Chief Guest – Mr Chitta Ranjan Mohapatra, Director in charge, Bhilai Steel Plant (SAIL). A case competition was conducted for students to learn the practical implementation of AI-solutions in business use cases.
Through such national-level initiatives, IIT Mandi continues to strengthen its role as a thought leader in technology-driven management education and research. HiBS 2026 reflects the institute’s commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue between academia and industry to advance the adoption of responsible, scalable, and impact-oriented AI-driven business practices in India.
Notably School of Management at IIT Mandi offers a unique Data Science and AI specialization in its MBA program which was started in 2022. Leading companies have been regularly recruiting talented MBA professional from this program in the last two years.
