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Global business leaders, policymakers, and sustainability officers convene to align vision, voices and values for systemic change
New Delhi, 24 February 2026: At a defining moment for global and national climate action, the CEO Forum 2026 — convened by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as part of the Silver Jubilee edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) — brought together leading voices from business, finance, industry, and policy under the theme: “परिवर्तन | Transformations: Vision, Voices, and Values for Sustainable Development”.
As the world grapples with climate volatility, economic uncertainty, widening inequalities, and technological disruption, this year’s CEO Forum held at Taj Palace, New Delhi, moved beyond incremental sustainability conversations to focus squarely on systemic transformation — and the role of corporate leadership in driving it.
The Forum opened with a high-level call to action led by Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, Mr Mahendra Singhi, Distinguished Fellow & Governing Council Member, TERI, and Mr Virinder Sharma, Member (Technical), Commission for Air Quality Management. Dr Dhawan said, “With two-thirds of our infrastructure yet to be built and a young workforce at our core, India stands at a pivotal juncture. Success lies in channelizing this potential to transform a rising nation into a global blueprint for growth; to achieve this, industry, government, and policy makers must come together.” Mr Singhi shared, “The transition to a low-carbon economy is no longer just a corporate goal; it is a national mandate. Following Prime Minister Modi’s 2070 Net Zero commitment, we have witnessed a radical change in the thought processes of leaders and bureaucrats alike, manifesting in bold missions that turn climate ambition into systemic action.”
Mr Sanjay Singh, Director – Strategy & External Relations, Jindal Steel Ltd, remarked, “To reach the status of a developed economy, India must bridge the gap in per capita consumption. Tripling our current steel production to 500 million tons is not just an industrial target—it is the foundational requirement for the infrastructure, housing, and technology that will define a Viksit Bharat.”
The inaugural session concluded with an address by Dr Virinder Sharma, Member, (Technical) CAQM, Government of India. “While climate change dominates the global discourse, local air quality often remains a silent crisis. Clean air transformation must be internalized by industry as a core pillar of their operations. If we are to maintain our economic momentum, we must bridge the gap between our technological ambitions and the environmental reality on the ground,” he shared.
As part of the Special Address framing the economic and industrial contours of India’s green transition and on unlocking clean industrial growth through the Industrial Transition Accelerator, Dhruba Purkayastha, Senior Fellow, Industrial Transition Accelerator, averred, “Industrial transition is no longer a future concept, it is the foundation of India’s next phase of economic growth. At a time of global uncertainty, India has a unique opportunity to lead low-carbon industrialization through consistent policy, innovation, and investment.”
A high-level Fireside Chat explored how economies can balance sustainable development with economic growth, particularly in India and across the Global South, featuring Mr Sourav Roy, CEO, Tata Steel Foundation, Mr Andrew Prag, Managing Director – Policy, We Mean Business Coalition. Mr Roy said, “Sooner or later, you will encounter land as a critical issue — and the moment you recognise that land is a public good, you understand that it cannot simply be picked up and treated as a private transaction. We also need to be clear that a single conversation or one panel discussion cannot be mistaken for dialogue; that is not how true dialogue happens. And language itself cannot be seen merely as a means of exchange — it shapes understanding, trust, and the way we build collective solutions.”. Mr Prag observed, “We should not get stuck in questions of burden sharing — the real task before us is to unlock the incredible leadership potential we are already seeing across India and other countries of the Global South. This transition is not about slowing growth; it is about reshaping growth so that it is competitive, resilient, and low-carbon. The challenge today is less about ambition and more about how we mobilize finance and reduce the cost of capital in emerging economies. If we align policy, finance, and corporate action, the Global South can become the engine of the global clean economy.”
The TERI–Grundfos session moderated by Mr Ajay Shankar, Distinguished Fellow, TERI examined how infrastructure investment decisions must integrate the water–energy nexus. Ms Usha Subramaniam, Country President, Grundfos, shared, “Energy gets the lion’s share of attention because its demand is visible and easily comprehended, but the true impact lies in the synergy between water and energy. As we zoom in on the choices that define our future, we must bring this ‘hidden area’ into focus.” Dr Ritu Mathur, Director, Energy Assessment & Modelling, TERI elaborated on the exponential growth of India’s data centres with a presentation.
Industry leaders from Ecofirst Services, Avaada Energy, and Tata Projects were also part of this session. Mr Chitranjan Kaushik, CEO, Ecofirst Services Ltd, detailed the inextricable link between the two sectors: “Water and energy are inextricably linked; every drop of water carries an iota of energy, and every unit of energy requires water.” Mr Prashant Choubey, President, Avaada Energy Pvt Ltd, expanded on the environmental and economic consequences, stating, “We are currently trapped in a cycle where falling water tables demand higher energy intensity, leading to greater systemic strain. The only way forward is to address these as an integrated challenge.”
Finally, Mr Sourabh Mukherjee, Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Sustainability, Tata Projects Ltd, grounded the dialogue in the reality of large-scale development, “The convergence of energy and water—the water-energy nexus—is no longer a theoretical debate; it is a construction and operational reality. In AI-driven data centers, profitability is all about energy and water usage, utilities, not data, determine viability. When pumping, cooling, and water treatment systems are deliberately designed for efficiency, savings of 40% — even up to 60% — are possible.”
The first CEO Panel on ‘Rethinking Scale & Partnerships’ deliberated on scaling impact through cross-sectoral partnerships. During the session, leaders across logistics, power distribution, cement, and urban transport highlighted how scale and sustainability can move together through innovation, infrastructure expansion, and strong vision. From rail-led freight decarbonization and passive cooling technologies to green power procurement and EV adoption, the discussion underscored that transformation is already underway, supported by policy reforms, financial restructuring, and public–private collaboration. Emphasis was placed on vision-driven leadership, infrastructure acceleration, and integrated planning to ensure that growth does not compromise environmental responsibility. Mr Sanjay Swarup, CMD, Container Corporation of India, said, “95% of our transportation is through rail, which is a green mode of transport, and it saves a lot of CO₂ emissions. In this financial year, for the first 10 months, up to January 26, we have already saved two lakh metric tons of CO₂ emissions by transporting the cargo through rail as compared to road. EVs save CO₂ emissions by almost 50% as compared to diesel. Rail is a green mode of transport. So overall, it will be beneficial for the country and for the society as a whole.” Mr Abhishek Ranjan, CEO, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, observed, “Right now what we’re doing is we are tying up only green power. Green power, by the virtue of economics, is cheaper in lifetime cycle cost basis. The scale is not at all, or not always, colliding with the sustainability part. The attitude of the workforce must change in terms of their responsibility towards more efficient operation.” Mr Vikas Kumar, MD, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation stated, “For any metro system to be viable, it has to be a network, and a network, or I would say, a mesh. We have already, like, three of our installations are carbon neutral right now.”
A dedicated panel explored how Chief Sustainability Officers can be positioned at the cusp of decision-making and transformative action, featuring leaders from VERRA, ICICI Bank, Hero Future Energies, and InfluenceMap.
The CEO Forum 2026 concluded with a high-impact Fireside Chat, ‘Transformations Through Technology Adoption – Pathways for Energy Transitions,’ moderated by Ambassador Ajai Malhotra, Distinguished Fellow, TERI. Ambassador Malhotra opened the dialogue by emphasizing that energy transitions have shifted from being a policy choice to an existential imperative. He noted that driven by ambitious targets—including 500 gigawatts of non-fossil capacity by 2030 and a commitment to Net Zero by 2070—India stands at a critical juncture where technology adoption serves as the primary driver to unlock transformative pathways for inclusive growth. This was echoed by Mr OP Sinha, Chairperson, OTBL and Director (Exploration), ONGC Ltd, who highlighted that India is witnessing an energy revolution with investments now exceeding 165 billion US dollars. He pointed to the nation’s success in biotechnology-driven fermentation, which achieved 20 per cent ethanol blending in fossil fuels, as a milestone that has fundamentally transformed the economy by driving a massive reduction in fossil fuel imports. Mr Chitranjan Kaushik, CEO, Ecofirst Services Ltd, further observed that the market is not just ready for energy transformation but is ‘hungry’ for it. He remarked that while the dominance of the fossil fuel industry may have slowed innovation in the past, the last decade has seen a surge of breakthroughs—from solar films to building-integrated photovoltaics—ensuring that technology is no longer just a panel on a roof, but the engine pushing energy transformation into every field of the economy.
Marking a milestone announcement, the CEO Forum honoured bold, visionary, and transformative leadership in sustainable development through “WSDS Silver Jubilee Special Recognition”. TERI’s Director General Dr Vibha Dhawan formally recognized select partners and business leaders for their contributions to advancing sustainability and climate action. The recognized leaders highlighted the urgency of collective and forward-looking climate action. Mr Andrew Prag expressed his gratitude for the award, noting his long association with The Energy and Resources Institute since his first visit to World Sustainable Development Summit in 2007, commending TERI’s continued leadership under Dr Vibha Dhawan, and appreciating the recent collaboration on India’s national contributions and business-led climate action pathways. Accepting the award on behalf of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation team and family, Mr Vikas Kumar acknowledging The Energy and Resources Institute as a valued knowledge and research partner in advancing sustainability, and congratulating TERI on completing 25 years.
The Forum also spotlighted TERI’s flagship initiatives including LaBL 2.0 — leveraging clean energy for a billion livelihoods — and its work on bio-energy pathways in sustainable agriculture and green shipping.
As WSDS marks 25 years of global sustainability dialogue, the CEO Forum 2026 reinforced a powerful message: business leadership is not peripheral to sustainable development — it is central to shaping resilient, inclusive, and low-carbon futures.
