Patna: Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna (CIMP) held its flagship conclave HR Next 2.0 on Friday, bringing together senior human resource leaders from across India to examine how Artificial Intelligence, digital systems and evolving skill demands are reshaping the future of work. The event, held on the CIMP campus, marked a significant scale-up from its inaugural edition, drawing deeper academic–industry engagement.
The conclave opened with a ceremonial lamp-lighting followed by a welcome address from Prof. Vibhash Kumar, Placement Chairperson and HR Next Conclave Chair. He described HR Next as “a dynamic platform designed to harness insights from the nation’s most distinguished HR professionals”, adding that the 2025 edition featured an expanded programme including HR Unplugged, HR Tech Session, HR InnovateX, HR Quest – ET Quiz, and the HR Pinnacle Awards.
“AI is reshaping everything we know about HR”
CIMP Director Prof. (Dr) Rana Singh underscored the urgency for HR professionals to embrace new technologies. “As one of the world’s largest providers of human capital, India must continuously upgrade its HR capabilities. With AI transforming workplace systems and organisational culture, collaboration between academia and industry is more critical than ever,” he said.
The conclave’s Chief Guest, Mr. Raj Kumar Dubey, Director of Human Resources at Bharat Petroleum and Chairman of Indraprastha Gas Ltd, emphasised the shifting balance of knowledge within organisations. “Businesses often know more about their people than HR itself. With AI’s immense power to influence and transform, the real challenge is developing HR skills that embrace technology while preserving the human touch,” he noted.
The event also hosted an impressive lineup of Guests of Honour, including senior leaders from Indian Oil Corporation, KPIT Technologies, Brigade Group, Bandhan Bank, Oracle, Nuvoco Cements, Ultratech Cement, GE Transportation and Attitude & Intelligence Learning Systems.
Panel Discussions Explore the Skills and Systems of the Future
HR Unplugged: Smart Tech with Human Touch
Moderated by CIMP’s Rajasshrie Pillai, the discussion brought together Mr. Dubey, Dr. Mukesh Ranjan Das, Mr. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Mr. Shivesh Singh and Mr. Sajid Iqbal. The panel examined how AI-powered systems are transforming workforce management, recruitment, and organisational culture—while stressing the need to balance efficiency with empathy.
HR Tech Session: How AI Is Rewriting Jobs and People Strategy
Led by Mr. Setu Shah, Senior Director, Global Product Strategy at Oracle, the session explored AI-driven recruitment, predictive analytics, agile HR operations, ethical use of data, and the future of learning and development. Shah highlighted how automated screening and intelligent talent insights are enabling “faster, fairer and more efficient hiring in the digital age.”
Panel Discussion 2: Skills Every Future Manager Needs
Moderated by Prof. Mamta Singh, the panel featured Mr. Prasenjit Das, Ms. Rina Pandey, Mr. Amir Usmani, and Mr. Kumar Priyaranjan. The conversation focused on adaptability, data literacy, design thinking, emotional intelligence, and human-centric leadership as essential strengths for the next generation of managers.
Students Compete, Innovate and Win
The innovation-focused HR InnovateX Hackathon featured six finalist teams presenting solutions to real-world HR challenges before a panel of industry judges.
The HR Quest – ET Quiz, held in collaboration with The Economic Times, tested participants’ knowledge of HR trends.
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First Place: Anjali Sinha & team
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Second Place: Kumar Nishant & team
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Third Place: Devansh Seth & team
Their performances were praised for depth, clarity and teamwork.
Honouring Excellence in HR
The conclave concluded with the HR Pinnacle Awards, recognising organisations for exemplary HR practices across learning, culture, inclusion, digital transition and talent development. The awards ceremony marked the finale of what participants described as one of CIMP’s most engaging industry–academia events to date.
In the vote of thanks, Mr. Kumod Kumar, Chief Administrative Officer at CIMP, said, “HR Next 2.0 has been more than an event—it has been a collective journey toward shaping the future of human resource management.”
