Mr Senapathy “Kris” Gopalakrishnan is the Chairman of Axilor Ventures, an accelerator that helps start-ups during the early stage of their business journey. Kris served as the vice chairman of Infosys from 2011 to 2014 and the chief executive officer and managing director of Infosys from 2007 to 2011. Kris is one of the co-founders of Infosys. Recognized as a global business and technology thought leader, he was voted the top CEO (IT Services category) in Institutional Investor's inaugural ranking of Asia's Top Executives and selected as one of the winners of the second Asian Corporate Director Recognition Awards by Corporate Governance Asia in 2011. He also was selected to Thinkers 50, an elite list of global business thinkers, in 2009. He was elected president of India's apex industry chamber Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2013-14 and served as one of the co-chairs of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2014.
In January 2011, the Government of India awarded Mr. Gopalakrishnan the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third-highest civilian honor.
Mr Gopalakrishnan serves on the Board of Governors of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), is the Chairman, The Council, IISc Bangalore, and is the Chairman, Board of Governors of IIIT, Bangalore. He is the Chairman of the Vision Group on Information Technology of Karnataka Government and the Chairman of CII Digital Council.
Mr Gopalakrishnan is the chairman of Itihaasa Research and Digital which publishes history of Indian IT industry as “itihaasa” (http://www.itihaasa.com/) app as well as reports on industrial and academic research in India.
Mr Gopalakrishnan invests in promoting research on Brain sciences, aging related disorders as well as investing in start-ups and start-up ecosystem.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan holds master’s degrees in physics and computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Kris is a Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineers (INAE) and an Honorary Fellow of Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE) of India.
My best compliments to all the young designers on the occasion of this 42nd convocation!
For the last few years, you have been the most cherished members of this wonderful community and now it is a momentous occasion when you begin your professional journey.
This batch particularly deserves special compliments for having the courage to wake up every day and get ready to see through the blurry tomorrows in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, for demonstrating patience to adapt and adjust without compromising on the culture of learning, quality of academic pursuit, despite operating in a then esoteric (online) environment.
Congratulations to each one of the students who have done unique projects which have contributed to new knowledge in various domains of design.
More than ever, the world is currently interconnected in almost all domains: information travels at nearly a great speed and reaches a global audience within moments of a particular event having occurred. The world more than ever needs design thinking and practice which is well-intentioned, socially responsible, sustainable, community-oriented, and empathetic. Design frameworks are heading towards a very intersectional, dynamic, and ever-evolving form.
It has been interesting to see various projects and your work connect with the theme: ‘Collective Intelligence: For Me, You, Us; For People, Planet, Future’ in this edition of Young Designers, and this has harnessed the power of collective intelligence to explore new hybrid modes of learning and creating across geographies, ideologies, and disciplines. It also celebrates your uniqueness.
The history and legacy of any educational institution are ultimately made by its students and the work they have been doing for the past 60 years or so in the sub-continent. Our graduating students, when they go out of the institution, become resources themselves who can contribute to the institution’s legacy, knowledge, and history. To take forward the legacy is to hold oneself and their work accountable and in the highest regard—for the betterment of the self, society, nation, and ultimately the planet.
Best wishes to all of you.
Today's celebration is one of resurgence and rediscovery — where recent experiences have led us to ask pertinent questions — about the new normal, about the way we live and aspire to live, about accepting, and about leading change. The change which would ensure that we are future ready — both individually as well as a community.
This year, the diversity of projects done by graduating students from 20 different specialisations of design, are strung by one common thread — that of accepting change, identifying opportunities and continuous efforts to make the world better and its people, more humane. Benchmarks of academic rigour are established not just by getting right the first time but by continued efforts, by adapting to the changing paradigms through collaborative and co-created design interventions. It is also time to acknowledge the immense contribution of faculty members and staff of the institute, who have mentored the young graduates in the true sense of the Institute’s pedagogy of ‘Learning to Learn’.
On the occasion of the institute’s 42nd Convocation, my heartiest congratulations to this year's graduates, their parents, and sponsors for having ably demonstrated their commitment to adapt to the rapidly changing scenario and also for leading the design-driven change.
I wish the young designers success in all their future endeavours.
I am extremely delighted to be congratulating the graduating students this year. Over the last two and a half years, these students have seen the world change before their eyes. It is easy to normalise this change. But perhaps this is something we must not do. For now is the time to bring about some radical and lasting change of the right kind; not only in our individual lives, but collectively too. Here, the role of design may be critical as you question the products, processes, services and systems you own and use; or are subject to. It will be pertinent to ask what kind of world you would like to inhabit and embark on a journey to bring about those changes during your lifetime and professional career as a designer. In ways small and big, I am sure each one of you will contribute to the world in a positive way, enhancing not just the reputation of the institute along the way, but crucially, touching the lives of others. I wish you all the success in your future.
On the occasion of the 42nd convocation, I congratulate all the young designers for successfully completing their academic journey with us.
Designers have a lot to contribute in today’s dynamic Information age, where decisions depend on the facts placed by data. The conceptual understanding, ability to connect to the users and think about the ecosystem we live in is something I hope remains with you in your every step to create a better world. It was impressive to see the projects you all have worked on, ranging from those taken up for the masses to those socially conscious, ambiguous, and complex. It was fantastic to see a wide array of exploratory, experimental projects that went way beyond one’s imagination.
I wish each one of you the best in all your future endeavours.
Design is contextual, it has the potential to spark awareness and transformation within a community. In a world of material abundance and technological innovation, design is not just a process of creation but also of simplification, mediation and most importantly, navigation towards the right direction. We are stronger and smarter together, harnessing the power of collective intelligence to explore new hybrid modes of learning and creating across geographies, ideologies and disciplines
The symbolic identity of the 42nd convocation has small, irregular shapes that create a shimmering circle, conveying NID’s conviction in meaningful design and in expanding the focus from individual achievement to the larger whole we all function within. The colours convey warmth that comes from inclusivity and the circles emanating outwards a gesture of hope.