Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad has partnered with Bank of America to launch a Centre for Digital Transformation (CDT). It has been launched as a knowledge hub for academia, policymaking, and the private sector to study and conduct research on digital transformation and innovation.

Announcing the launch of the Centre, Professor Errol D’Souza, Director, IIMA, said, “Advancements in the information technology sector are growing rapidly and transforming the way we function. The pandemic has further revealed the value of digital operating models and the need for industry, institutions, and nations to ramp up their adoption of technology. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we study the impact of this digital transformation on business, government, individuals and society.”

The activities of the centre include convening leaders from academia, government, and the private sector to address the moral, legal, and ethical questions surrounding the future application of technology and data, conduct cutting-edge research by disseminating white-papers, and research reports, establishing debates, workshops, and seminars regularly on key issues and conduct training programmes, focusing on the impact of digital transformation and innovation.

The centre has also set up an advisory council on responsible digital transformation. It aims to bring together diverse stakeholders to deliberate on the urgent needs and unique perspectives on digitalisation. “This is intended to help develop best practices and guidelines designed to benefit all stakeholders and achieve broader goals. The council will play a critical role in enhancing core competencies of the Centre and help guide the projects. The council will enable greater collaboration and alignment with external industry partners for long term value creation,” says IIMA.

Outlining the centre’s objective and activities, Professor Pankaj Setia, Founding Chair, Centre for Digital Transformation, IIMA said, “The Centre of Digital Transformation aims to engage in various activities that guide thought and action in the digital era. Specifically, the Centre will focus on activities that enhance an understanding of the digital ecosystem and catalyse leadership, as it leverages its expertise in research and development to provide thought leadership for digital transformation.”

The council members include Dr Ritu Agarwal, Senior Associate Dean of the Robert H Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, Debjani Ghosh, President of NASSCOM, Rajesh Gopinathan, CEO of Tata Consultancy Services, Nandan Nilekani, Non-executive Chairman of Infosys, Aditya Puri, Senior Advisor, The Carlyle Group, Dr Vallabh Sambamurthy, Albert O Nicholas, Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

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