The World Education Summit 2026, one of the most anticipated education conferences in India in 2026, has announced a distinguished group of higher education speakers for its upcoming Delhi edition.
Scheduled for 12–13 October 2026 at Hyatt Regency Delhi, the 36th Elets World Education Summit India will bring together policymakers, university leaders, school leaders, EdTech founders, CXOs, researchers, investors and international delegations.
The confirmed line-up includes directors of leading IIMs and IITs, along with senior university leaders from the UAE and Indonesia. Together, they represent the level of institutional leadership, research excellence and global perspective that has defined the World Education Summit since 2011.
Recognised as Asia and The Middle East’s Premier Summit on Innovation in Education, WES is designed as a closed-door, invite-only Education Leadership Summit where the people responsible for shaping education policy, institutions, innovation and partnerships meet in one curated room.
Why Leading Education Speakers Return to WES
Some education events attract prominent speakers for one edition. Trusted platforms bring them back.
Among the leaders confirmed for the World Education Summit Delhi 2026, Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant, Dr Prafulla Agnihotri, Dr Vinita S. Sahay and Prof. Ammar Kaka have featured in previous WES speaker line-ups.
Their continued association reflects the trust built by the Elets World Education Summit over 15 years and 35 editions. It is a trust created through credible conversations, carefully curated participation and opportunities for partnerships that continue beyond the event.
This is what differentiates WES from a conventional Education Conference in India. The platform is not built around footfall alone. It is built around the relevance of the people in the room and the institutional outcomes that can emerge from their conversations.
Meet the Leaders Joining World Education Summit 2026
Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad | Gujarat
An information systems scholar and experienced institutional leader, Prof. Bharat Bhasker holds a PhD and master’s degree in computer science from Virginia Tech. Before leading IIM Ahmedabad, he served as Director of IIM Raipur, Acting Director of IIM Lucknow and Mentor Director of IIM Sirmaur.
View Prof. Bharat Bhasker’s World Education Summit 2026 Announcement → https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7488498898823430144
Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant, Director, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | Uttarakhand
Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant is a distinguished chemical engineering academic who took charge as Director of IIT Roorkee in October 2022. A PhD from IIT Kanpur, he previously held several leadership responsibilities at IIT Delhi, including Dean of Faculty and Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar | Punjab
Prof. Rajeev Ahuja is a globally recognised computational materials scientist and Professor at Uppsala University, Sweden. His research spans energy materials, batteries, hydrogen storage and production, sensors and high-pressure physics, bringing a strong research and innovation perspective to this education summit in India.
View Prof. Rajeev Ahuja’s World Education Summit 2026 Announcement → https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7488524343979745280
Dr. Prafulla Agnihotri, Director, Indian Institute of Management Sirmaur | Himachal Pradesh
A Professor of Marketing and Strategy, Dr. Prafulla Agnihotri brings more than three decades of experience across industry and academia. He previously served as the founding Director of IIM Tiruchirappalli and as a Professor at IIM Calcutta. He has also co-authored Principles of Marketing with Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong.
Prof. Ashok Banerjee, Director, Indian Institute of Management Udaipur | Rajasthan
Prof. Ashok Banerjee is a chartered accountant, academic and specialist in finance and accounting. His teaching and research interests include corporate finance, corporate and business valuation, high-frequency finance and sentiment analysis.
View Prof. Ashok Banerjee’s World Education Summit 2026 Announcement → https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7498262262655414273
Prof. Ammar Kaka, Pro Vice-Chancellor and President, Curtin University Dubai | UAE
Prof. Ammar Kaka is an internationally experienced academic leader who has contributed significantly to transnational higher education in the Middle East. Before joining Curtin University Dubai, he served as President of Applied Science University in Bahrain and held senior leadership roles at Heriot-Watt University Dubai. He has authored more than 150 publications and supervised over 30 PhD scholars.
View Prof. Ammar Kaka’s World Education Summit 2026 Announcement → https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7498338035122749441
Prof. Dr Hamdi Muluk, Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Student Affairs and Alumni, Universitas Indonesia | Indonesia
Prof. Dr Hamdi Muluk is a Professor of Political Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Indonesia. As Vice Rector, he leads portfolios spanning research, innovation, student affairs and alumni while contributing to international research partnerships and academic collaboration.
View Prof. Dr Hamdi Muluk’s World Education Summit 2026 Announcement → https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7498316030679769089
Dr Vinita S. Sahay, Director, Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya | Bihar
Dr Vinita S. Sahay is Director and Professor of Marketing at IIM Bodh Gaya. She holds a PhD from CSJM University, Kanpur, and previously served at IIM Raipur, where she held leadership responsibilities across international relations, the doctoral programme and student affairs.
View Dr Vinita S. Sahay’s World Education Summit 2026 Announcement → https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7489937950613573632
Prof. Godwin Tennyson, Director (In-charge), Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli | Tamil Nadu
A founding faculty member of IIM Tiruchirappalli, Prof. Godwin Tennyson brings more than 20 years of academic and industry experience. His expertise spans operations management, decision sciences, supply chains and business analytics. He has held several institutional responsibilities, including Dean of Administration and Chairperson of international relations, placements and academic programmes.
More Than a University Leaders Conference
The confirmed speakers represent the diversity of leadership needed to build a future-ready global education ecosystem.
Rather than separating important conversations across a Higher Education Summit India, School Education Summit India, EdTech Summit India 2026, University Leaders Conference, School Leaders Conference and Education Partnerships Conference, the Elets World Education Summit brings these priorities together within one connected platform.
The agenda of this Education Summit 2026 will explore:
- Higher education and university leadership
- School education and K–12 transformation
- Artificial intelligence and digital learning
- Education technology and EdTech innovation
- Research, rankings and institutional excellence
- Skills, employability and industry–academia collaboration
- International education partnerships and MoUs
- Public policy and NEP 2020 implementation
- Education awards and leadership recognition
- Future-ready learning and institutional transformation
This makes WES relevant for people searching for a B2B Education Conference in India, Education Technology Conference India, Education Innovation Event, Education Industry Event India or an Education Leaders Summit capable of connecting ideas with decision-makers.
Why This Education Conference in Delhi is Different
Unlike a conventional Education Expo in India or a footfall-led conference, the World Education Summit is curated for relevance.
Every speaker, delegate and partner is reviewed to create peer-level conversations between people with the authority to evaluate ideas, influence institutional priorities and take partnerships forward.
For university leaders, the summit can open conversations around research, internationalisation, student mobility, school partnerships, industry collaboration and technology adoption.
For EdTech companies and industry partners, this B2B Education Event in India offers access to institutional leaders with relevant needs, not simply another exchange of visiting cards.
For policymakers and education bodies, the summit creates a space to hear directly from the institutions implementing reforms at scale.
Also Read: World Education Summit 2026 – Where India’s Education Decision-Makers Shape What’s Next
Are You on the World Education Summit 2026 List?
The World Education Summit Delhi 2026 will take place on 12–13 October 2026 at Hyatt Regency Delhi under the theme: “Building a Future-Ready Global Education Ecosystem.”
For institutions exploring the leading education events in India 2026, higher education conferences India 2026, EdTech conferences India 2026 or an education summit in Delhi in October 2026, WES offers something increasingly rare: a curated room filled with people who can move conversations towards action.
The leaders are joining.
The partnerships are taking shape.
The next question is yours:
Are you on the list?
Participation is closed-door, invite-only and subject to approval.
Explore speaking, delegate and partnership opportunities: wes.eletsonline.com/enquirenow/
