Debjani Ghosh

About

Debjani Ghosh is a Distinguished Fellow at NITI Aayog, where she conceptualized and built India’s first dedicated frontier technology think tank within government. The NITI Frontier Tech Hub focuses on anticipating major technology shifts and strengthening India’s ability to lead in frontier technologies for accelerated economic growth and societal development. Under her leadership, the Hub has developed multiple long-term roadmaps across strategic domains including biotechnology, semiconductors, quantum technologies and advanced manufacturing—providing government with actionable blueprints on what India needs to fund, build and regulate before these technologies reach scale. With a stellar career spanning over 28 years, including pivotal leadership roles at Intel and as the first woman President of Nasscom, Debjani has been at the forefront of India’s emergence as a global innovation powerhouse, championing technology as a force for both economic progress and societal well-being. As President of Nasscom from April 2018 to November 2024, Debjani redefined the organization’s focus on frontier technologies and deep tech, strengthening its position as a global thought leader. Her concepts of the “Techade” and “Inevitable India” further positioned the country as a trusted global partner for digital transformation. Guided by a philosophy of lifelong learning, Debjani attributes her journey to curiosity, adaptability and resilience. From studying economics and political science to becoming the first woman to lead Intel’s South Asia operations and later the first woman President of Nasscom, her career reflects a willingness to continuously learn, reinvent and push beyond traditional boundaries. Debjani served as India Co-Chair of the AI for Economic Growth & Social Good Working Group for the 2026 India AI Impact Summit, helping shape the Summit’s focus on translating AI ambition into measurable economic and societal outcomes. She also serves on several boards including Karmayogi Bharat, GIFT City and the RBI Innovation Hub, and was a member of the RBI’s FREE-AI Committee, which developed a framework for responsible and ethical AI in the financial sector. Her work has earned wide national and global recognition. In 2026, MIT Sloan Management Review India named her among its AI50—“The Leaders Shaping India’s AI Future”—recognizing 50 individuals influencing how AI is built, deployed and governed across the country. In 2018, she was honoured by the President of India as one of India’s pioneering “First Ladies.”