The 25th CII Global Design Summit and Exposition 2025, held in Bengaluru on 26-27 November, brings together an extraordinary assembly of design leaders who have fundamentally shaped how India approaches design, engineering, and innovation. These pioneers represent the convergence of industrial might, design policy, and global governance that positions India as a significant force in the international design landscape.
Prof Pradyumna Vyas: The Statesman of Indian Design
Senior Advisor, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and President, World Design Organization (WDO)
Prof Pradyumna Vyas represents Indian design on the world stage as President-Elect of the World Design Organisation while serving as Senior Advisor at the Confederation of Indian Industry. His career spans over 36 years in design education, policy, and institutional leadership, during which he has made significant contributions to the growth of design both domestically and internationally.
His decade-long tenure as Director of the National Institute of Design (2009-2019) proved transformative for Indian design education. Under his leadership, NID achieved recognition as an ‘Institute of National Importance’ through an Act of Parliament, and he orchestrated the establishment of four new NID campuses across the country. Prof Vyas was instrumental in creating the India Design Council in 2009, serving as its first Member Secretary, and spearheaded the launch of the India Design Mark in collaboration with the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.
An alumnus of IIT Bombay, Prof Vyas holds an Honorary Master of Arts from the University for the Creative Arts, UK. His accolades include the Good Design Fellow from JDP Japan, Lifetime Achievement Award by Times Education Icons (2017), and Outstanding Contribution to Education by the World Education Congress (2015). He has also served on the jury of Japan’s prestigious G-Mark awards for several years.
Dr Udayant Malhoutra: Engineering Excellence Through Design
Chairman, CII National Committee on Design and CEO & Managing Director, Dynamatic Technologies Ltd.
Dr Udayant Malhoutra stands at the intersection of precision engineering and design thinking. As the head of Dynamatic Technologies Limited, he oversees a world-class design, engineering, and manufacturing enterprise that creates highly engineered products for hydraulic, automotive, aeronautic, and security applications. The company operates as a leading private R&D organisation with numerous patents and inventions, partnering with marquee customers including Airbus, Boeing, Bell Helicopter, BMW, Audi, Daimler, Mercedes, John Deere, and Cummins on a single-source basis.
With over three decades at Dynamatic Technologies, Dr Malhoutra has transformed the company into a knowledge-based organisation. Beyond his role as CEO and Managing Director, he chairs Eisenwerk Erla GmbH in Germany and Dynamatic Limited in the UK. His contributions to design governance in India are substantial—he serves as a member of the CII National Council and chairs the CII National Committee on Design. His institutional engagements have included serving on the Board of Governors at IIT Kanpur, chairing the National Sector Skills Council for Strategic Manufacturing, and contributing to the establishment of the National Institute of Design, Amravathi. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to technology and innovation, he was conferred the degree of Doctor of Engineering & Technology (Honoris Causa) from the University of Engineering and Management, Kolkata.
Prof Pradyumna Vyas & Dr Udayant Malhoutra
Pieter Elbers: Aviation Design and Customer Experience
Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo
Pieter Elbers brings a global perspective on service design and customer experience to the summit. As CEO of IndiGo since September 2022, he guides India’s largest airline’s future growth and expansion. His aviation career spans over 30 years, including a distinguished tenure at KLM where he served as President and CEO from 2014 to 2022. Elbers aims to build on IndiGo’s success by expanding its international reach and further connecting the nation. His recognition in the industry was affirmed when he was appointed Chair-elect of the IATA Board of Governors in June 2023.
Global Design Governance Representatives
Mr Oliver Lin serves as Vice President of the Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI) and as Board Director and Treasurer of the World Design Organization for the 2023-2025 term. His extensive experience includes leadership as Deputy CEO at the Taiwan Design Center and Vice President of the Taiwan Design Alliance. He has been Chief Curator for major exhibitions including the 2023 Hakka Expo Taiwan Pavilion, Taipei Expo 2022, and the 2018 Hsinchu 300 Expo. He served as Chief Director for World Design Capital® Taipei 2016 and the 2011 IDA Congress in Taipei.
Mr Srini Srinivasan, Chair of the Grand Jury for CII Design Excellence Awards and Senator of the World Design Organization, brings over 30 years of experience in creative design and technology development across Silicon Valley, Europe, and India. After serving as WDO President until February 2022, he continues working with global members to promote sustainability and design for a better world. As Founding President of WDO Foundation, he works with cities, municipalities, and local governments to execute projects that improve citizens’ lifestyles. He is also a member of the steering committee for Future of Design Education, a global initiative founded by Prof Don Norman.
Ms Sonia Manchanda, Founding Partner of Spread Design and Innovation and Board Member of the World Design Organisation, is a globally recognised designpreneur shaping futures in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and governance. As the first Indian woman serving a second term as an elected Board Member of WDO, she has created Design Barn and champions frugal and sustainable design for impact. Her recent accolades include the Indo Arab Women Excellence Awards 2024, the Golden Ratio Award from Karnavati University and UID in collaboration with CII, and a Red Dot in Brand and Communication 2025. She has been featured in influential books including Do Better with Less by Navi Radjou, Creative Intelligence by Bruce Nussbaum, and It Happened in India by Kishore Biyani.
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
