Business Reporter :

 

 

THE much-anticipated Central India Management Conclave 2026 (CIMCON’26) is all set to emerge as Central India’s largest and most impactful leadership and management summit, bringing together policymakers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, CXOs, professionals, academicians, and emerging leaders under one powerful platform. The Conclave will be inaugurated at the hands of Anand Sancheti, Managing Director of SMS Limited, whose leadership in infrastructure and nation-building initiatives has earned widespread recognition across India. Scheduled to be held from February 20 to 22, 2026 at IIM Nagpur, CIMCON’26 is positioned as a transformative knowledge platform designed to inspire exponential growth, innovation, and collaborative leadership. With more than 450+ delegates already registered and participation expected to exceed 500 leaders, Conclave promises three days of high-intensity learning, dialogue, networking, and strategic thinking, with 45+ meticulously curated sessions planned across multiple tracks to deliver actionable insights and transformative perspectives for leaders and organisations.

 

Theme - ‘10X in 10 Years’: The overarching theme of CIMCON’26 “10X in 10 Years” reflects a bold and forward-looking vision. The theme challenges businesses, institutions, and individuals to reimagine growth beyond incremental progress and instead pursue exponential transformation. In a rapidly evolving global economy shaped by digital disruption, geopolitical shifts, automation, artificial intelligence, and changing consumer behaviour, the traditional pace of growth is no longer sufficient. CIMCON’26 aims to decode what it truly takes to achieve tenfold impact within a decade whether in business scale, innovation capability, governance effectiveness, market expansion, or institutional excellence.

 

The Conclave will explore how leaders can combine vision, execution, technology, culture, and systems thinking to build organisations that do not just survive change but lead it. 50+ distinguished speakers: CIMCON’26 will feature 50+ distinguished speakers, including industry stalwarts, policy leaders, technology pioneers, entrepreneurs, academicians, and governance experts. These speakers will share real-world insights, practical frameworks, case studies, and visionary perspectives across multiple domains.

 

The diversity of speakers ensures that participants gain a 360-degree understanding of growth from boardroom strategy and policy alignment to grassroots innovation and operational execution. Structured across five powerful tracks: To ensure depth, relevance, and focused engagement, CIMCON’26 has been thoughtfully structured into multiple thematic tracks: Track 1. Visionary voices: The Main Track will feature keynote sessions, plenary dialogues, and visionary discussions. This track will set the tone for the Conclave by addressing macro themes such as economic transformation, leadership evolution, governance reforms, industry outlook, and the future of enterprise.

 

It will serve as the intellectual backbone of CIMCON’26, offering big-picture thinking and inspirational leadership narratives. Track 2. 10X Essential ingredients: This track focuses on the core elements necessary for exponential growth. Sessions will examine leadership mindset, culture building, capital strategy, risk-taking ability, operational discipline, and performance metrics that differentiate high-growth organisations from average performers. Track 3. Code in motion: In an era where digital transformation defines competitiveness, the “Code in Motion” track will spotlight technology, automation, digital acceleration, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making. Industry experts and technology leaders will explore how digital infrastructure, smart systems, and automation can dramatically enhance productivity and unlock new business models. Track 4. Young turks: Innovation is often driven by bold thinking and fearless experimentation.

 

The “Young Turks” track will highlight disruptive ideas, startup ecosystems, and early-stage innovation stories. Emerging entrepreneurs and next-generation leaders will share how agility, creativity, and unconventional strategies can redefine industries and challenge established norms. Track 5. 10X Toolbox: Growth requires not only vision but also execution discipline. The “10X Toolbox” track will offer practical tools, frameworks, execution tactics, and actionable methodologies. These sessions are designed to provide delegates with ready-to-implement strategies that can be immediately adapted in their organisations. Special Feature: 10X Roundtables – Board room sessions: One of the most distinctive highlights of CIMCON’26 will be the “10X Roundtables”, a special Board Room Session format curated for focused, high-engagement discussions among select leaders. Unlike traditional panel discussions, these sessions emphasise co-creation, peer learning, and structured problem-solving.

 

A landmark learning opportunity for Central India: CIMCON’26 is being positioned as a landmark learning Conclave for the entire Central India. While major management and leadership forums are often concentrated in metropolitan hubs, this initiative brings world-class dialogue and intellectual capital to the heart of the country. By bridging policy, industry, academia, and entrepreneurship, CIMCON’26 aims to strengthen Central India’s contribution to national economic growth. A platform for collaboration and collective growth: Beyond knowledge sessions, CIMCON’26 will serve as a powerful networking ecosystem. With hundreds of decision-makers and influencers under one roof, the Conclave is expected to catalyse partnerships, investment discussions, mentorship opportunities and ventures. The event reflects a larger vision: Creating a sustained movement for leadership excellence, innovation acceleration, and institutional transformation in the region.

 

A defining moment for regional leadership: As Central India stands at the cusp of industrial expansion, infrastructure development, startup growth, and digital transformation, CIMCON’26 comes at a critical juncture. CIMCON’26 is steered by the dynamic leadership of the Directors and Founding Members of the CIMCON Management Foundation, a collective of industry leaders, academicians, entrepreneurs, and policy influencers committed to building a world-class knowledge platform for Central India. The Foundation is led by Director & Chairman Srikant Sampath, Co-founder of iTalent India Management Consultants Pvt Ltd, along with Directors Dr Ashutosh Paturkar, Dean at G H Raisoni Skill Tech University, Nagpur; Saurabh Mohta, Director at Truform Techno Products Pvt Ltd; Amit Bajpayee, Founder of AAA Media Solutions and Managing Director of Techleela Solutions Pvt. Ltd.; and Mohan Agrawal, Managing Partner of Girsons Rubber Industries. The governing body is further strengthened by Life Members Prashant Godbole, Managing Director of Godbole Gates Pvt Ltd; Rohit Chandak, Global Flow Measurement Expert; CA Ranjit Dani, Co-Founder of Think Finserv Pvt. Ltd.; and Kaushal Mohta, Commercial Director at Truform Techno Products Pvt. Ltd. and Secretary of Vidarbha Industries Association.

 

The Foundation is guided by distinguished members including Chief Patron Bhimaraya Metri, Director of Indian Institute of Management Nagpur; Vijay Phanshikar, Editor of The Hitavada; Ashish Kulkarni, Founder of Punnaryug Artvision Pvt. Ltd.; Dr Prashant Gupta, Dean (Faculty & Academics), IIM Nagpur; and Dr Alok Kumar Singh, Dean, Executive Education at IIM Nagpur. Together, this diverse leadership team brings a powerful blend of academic excellence, industry expertise, entrepreneurial insight, and governance experience, forming the intellectual backbone of CIMCON’26. Central India Management Conclave 2026 (CIMCON’26) is organised by the CIMCON Management Foundation in association with Indian Institute of Management Studies, Nagpur as Knowledge & Venue Partner, Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) as Lead Partner and Vidarbha Management Association (VMA), Amravati Management Association (AMA), Laghu Udyog Bharti, MIDC Industries Association (MIA), Butibori Manufacturers Association (BMA) along with Vidarbha Economic Development Council (VED) as Partner Associations.

 

CIMCON’26 is powered by a strong ecosystem of sponsors and partners who share the vision of accelerating leadership, innovation, and economic growth in Central India. The Conclave is led by RC Plasto Tanks & Pipes Pvt Ltd as Presenting Sponsor, with strategic support from Vidarbha Infotech Pvt Ltd as Associate Sponsor. The growth narrative is further strengthened by Growth Sponsors; Bajaj Steel Industries Ltd and K S Cheema Group of Companies. The event experience is complemented by Lanyard Sponsor; Nitika Pharmaceutical Specialities Pvt Ltd and Munching Partner; Sunder Biscuits & Namkeen. Media and outreach partnerships include Print Media Partner; The Hitavada, Digital Partner; Techleela Solutions Pvt Ltd, Radio Partner; 92.7 Big FM, and Travel Partner; TripMagix, ensuring widespread visibility and engagement across platforms.