Arthan Hosts People Leaders Conclave 2026 in Bengaluru to Discuss the Future of Leadership in the Social Impact Sector

Conclave brings together founders, CEOs, HR leaders and organisational development practitioners to explore AI, leadership and workforce development

Arthan hosted the People Leaders Conclave 2026 – Bengaluru Edition under the theme "Making the Next Decade of People Leadership Visible" as part of its tenth year of supporting leadership and organisational development in the social impact sector. The event brought together founders, CEOs, HR leaders and organisational development practitioners to discuss leadership, talent development and organisational readiness in an AI-enabled future.

As Arthan completed ten years of working with organisations in the social impact sector, it organised the People Leaders Conclave 2026 – Bengaluru Edition. Over the past decade, the organisation has supported 1,800+ leadership hires, delivered 60+ organisational development engagements, and convened 1,200+ founders, senior leaders and practitioners through cross-sector discussions.

The Bengaluru edition followed the Delhi conclave held earlier this year and focused on strengthening leadership, talent and organisational development while preparing organisations for an AI-enabled future.

Rahul Balakrishnan, Co-founder, Arthan

Opening the conclave, Rahul Balakrishnan, Co-founder, Arthan, discussed the importance of organisational systems in supporting people and leadership. He noted that while organisations invest in hiring talent, systems such as clear roles, decision-making processes and feedback mechanisms are equally important. As he stated, "Strong systems actually free up people. They don't constrain them."

Reflecting on the organisation's ten-year journey, Gayathri Shastri, Team Principal, Arthan, spoke about Arthan's work with mission-driven organisations and the lessons learned in strengthening leadership and organisational capacity.

A panel discussion titled "The Future of Talent and Leadership in an AI-Enabled Impact Sector" featured Sapna Karim, Chief Operating Officer, Janaagraha; Dr. Angela Chaudhuri, Board Member and Advisor, Swasti; Shruti Goel, Co-CEO, Upaya Social Ventures; and Krisha Mathur, Director, ACT, and was moderated by Rahul Balakrishnan.

Introducing the discussion, Rahul Balakrishnan observed, "As social entrepreneurs, we often spend a lot of time asking how our programmes can become better. Sometimes what gets missed is the work we need to do internally. It is that internal work that enables better impact externally."

During the discussion, Dr. Angela Chaudhuri said, “I have little to tell founders and leaders within impact. They already know how to act. What I would ask is that we remain curious: Who are we leaving out? Whose narrative is becoming dominant, and whose is being erased? The real question is not whether AI makes us faster. It is whether it strengthens our judgment and widens whose voices count.”

Speaking about AI adoption, Shruti Goel stated, "AI can help us move faster, but it doesn't replace good thinking. If the data isn't good or we aren't clear about the problem we are trying to solve, AI won't fix that for us," highlighting the importance of data quality and problem definition.

Sapna Karim discussed talent and organisational development, saying, "Purpose is why many of us choose to work in this sector. But purpose and professionalism in the pursuit of excellence and impact were never meant to compete with each other. Organisations will grow by continually evaluating and investing in both aspects with an unwavering focus on nurturing individuals who join their journey."

Addressing leadership and organisational culture, Krisha Mathur remarked, "Technology is evolving incredibly fast, but what constitutes good leadership has not changed. Organisations with strong learning cultures will be able to adopt technology much faster than organisations that simply adopt tools."

During the conclave, Nandita Krishan, Associate Director & Lead – Organisation Development, Arthan, presented the study "What Does OD Actually Mean: Between Knowing and Doing-Perspectives from Social Impact Leaders on Organisational Development in India." Based on ten in-depth conversations with social impact leaders, funders and advisors, the study examines the gap between understanding organisational development and implementing it in practice.

The programme concluded with interactive working group discussions focused on the workforce of 2030, leadership, employee engagement, technology and AI. Participants discussed future workforce skills, leadership succession, changing employee expectations and organisational priorities for long-term development.

According to the organisers, participants also discussed the role of AI in improving candidate experience, automating repetitive processes and supporting operational efficiency while maintaining human judgement in hiring, organisational development and strategic decision-making.

Arthan stated that it will continue organising People Leaders Conclaves in different cities to facilitate discussions on leadership, organisational development and the future of work in India's social impact sector. The organisation also plans to conclude its tenth-year initiatives with a milestone gathering scheduled for December.