Abstract:

With the AI Revolution bringing astonishing changes in life and living, it is imperative to navigate the tight-rope balancing between Optimism Quotient (OQ) and Emotional Quotient (EQ), especially in enhancing the resilience of leaders. The talk focuses on elucidating the transformational impact of leadership competencies on increasing work efficacy, augmenting a sense of creativity among team members with a holistic understanding of complex challenges and unprecedented opportunities in an era of intensified globalisation. For leaders, OQ empowers EQ, catalyses trust, fosters collaboration, sparks teams’ ingenuity, and cultivates a quality work culture. In today’s dynamic work environment, leadership competencies must be navigated ethically to reinforce OQ and EQ and address workplace challenges. This, in turn, propels leaders’ resilience, efficiency, empathy, and adaptiveness to effectively cope with emerging contingencies while incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity in organisational setting.

Current Position:

• Vice Chancellor, IILM University, Gurugram

Former Positions:

• Vice Chancellor, SPSU Udaipur
• Pro Vice Chancellor, Amity University, Gurugram
• Founder Dean, IILM Gurugram

Education & Fellowships:

• PhD Philosophy, University of Delhi
• PhD Psychology, University of Delhi
• Fellow, Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), London
• Fellow, Somatic Inkblot Society, USA
• WELL Mind Advisor, International WELL Building Institute, New York

Leadership Experience:

• Nearly 3 decades of leadership in higher education as Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor, and Dean Academics
• Led innovative transformations in academic institutions with focus on global curriculum, state-of-the-art research facilities, and interdisciplinary collaborations
• Champion of student-centric learning, fostering industry partnerships, and internationalization

Research & Publications:

• Author of The Power of Positivity: Optimism and the 7th Sense (SAGE)
• Author of Inkblot Personality Test: Understanding the Unconscious Mind
• Extensive research portfolio covering telecom, international marketing, FMCG, tourism, hospitality, management, and psychology
• Creator of psychometric tools such as the Optimism Index and LEAPS Wellbeing Scale
• Published numerous research papers in national and international journals

Awards & Recognitions:

• Featured in Outlook Spotlight Magazine – ‘India at 75: The Change Makers of Modern India’ (2022)
• Green Building Leadership Award, USGBC (2018) for contributions to sustainability

Key Roles & Affiliations:

• Governing Body Member, Medanta Institute of Education and Research
• Editor, SIS Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health
• Editor, International Journal of Hinduism and Philosophy
• Contributor, Bhagavad Geeta Research Foundation, UK

Social Contributions:

• Founder, Triarup Foundation (a social enterprise for uplifting marginalized communities)