The CIO Association marked the seventh anniversary of its Kolkata Chapter with CIO Futurescape 2026, a national-level leadership forum that brought together more than 180 CIOs and senior digital leaders at Taj City Centre, New Town, Kolkata. The event focused on how Indian enterprises are moving from AI experimentation to AI-led leadership and accountability.
Founded in 2008, the CIO Association has evolved into a pan-India and international platform for technology leadership and peer collaboration. CIO Futurescape 2026 reflected this evolution, positioning AI not as a future ambition but as an immediate leadership imperative for enterprise CIOs.
Senior industry leadership in attendance
The conference was inaugurated by Manish Prasad, President and Managing Director, SAP India, and Raju Vegesna, Chairman and Managing Director, Sify Technologies.
They were joined by senior members of the CIO Association’s Kolkata leadership council, including Sandip Pradhan, President, CIO Association Kolkata Chapter and CDIO at Century Plyboards; Sanjeev Sinha, President – IT & D, India Power; Sanjay Goswami, CISO, Century Plyboards; Samrat Banerjee, CIO, Emami; and several other enterprise technology leaders representing manufacturing, infrastructure, mining, FMCG and diversified conglomerates.
From technology adoption to leadership accountability
Addressing the media, Dr Sandip Pradhan said CIO Futurescape 2026 signaled a clear transition in how enterprises are approaching AI. He said, “CIO Futurescape 2026 reflects a decisive shift—from discussing technology to leading with it. In 2026, AI is no longer experimental; it is a leadership responsibility. Through this platform, CIOs are coming together to shape responsible, secure, and scalable AI adoption that delivers real business outcomes. Our focus is not tools, but impact.”
Discussions during the event centred on responsible AI adoption, cybersecurity resilience, enterprise-scale deployment challenges, and the role of CIOs in aligning AI initiatives with governance, ethics, and measurable business value.
A growing national and global CIO network
The CIO Association today operates 19 chapters across India and overseas, with domestic chapters in cities including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata and others, along with international chapters in Bangladesh, Dubai (UAE), Indonesia and the Philippines. Governed by a Central Governing Body and chapter councils, the association serves as a structured platform for continuous learning and leadership exchange among CIOs.
Kolkata Chapter’s regional and societal role
The Kolkata Chapter plays a distinctive role within the association by extending enterprise technology leadership into broader regional and societal development across eastern India. Its ongoing initiatives focus on AI and digital skills development through industry–academia collaboration, cybersecurity awareness and resilience programs, engagement with startups and innovation ecosystems, and the promotion of responsible technology adoption aligned with public interest.
Through these efforts, the chapter has positioned eastern India as an emerging hub for enterprise AI leadership and digital transformation, while supporting national priorities such as Digital India, Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
CIO Futurescape 2026 reinforced a central theme echoed throughout the event: as AI becomes deeply embedded in enterprise operations, CIOs are no longer just technology enablers—they are accountable leaders shaping how AI delivers sustainable, secure and responsible outcomes at scale.