TALENT INDIA 5.0 Brings Together Academia, Industry, and Policymakers to Shape the Future of Talent in Tamil Nadu
Chennai, SEP 2025: The first edition of TALENT INDIA 5.0 The National TPO & HR Sangamam, organised by the Tamil Nadu Association of Training and Placement Officers (TNATPO), was successfully held at IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai, bringing together over 1,000 stakeholders from academia, industry, and policymaking bodies.
The day-long summit was inaugurated in the presence of eminent leaders including Thiru Ma. Subramanian, Honble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, who delivered the inaugural address. Dr. Abhay Jere, Vice Chairman, AICTE, delivered a powerful keynote address and released key publications including the Skill Report and Placementor Newsletter.
Dr. Ganesh Krish, Summit President & Chief Patron (Founder & President, TNATPO) delivered the opening address and spoke about the importance of this forum; Dr. Anbuthambi Bhojarajan, L&T, delivered the closing address.
While launching the TNATPO – TPO Insurance Scheme and the Run & Ride for Skills & Nation Building campaign, and delivering the inaugural address, Thiru Ma. Subramanian, Honble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu, emphasised the importance of health for all training and placement officers. He advised members to give importance to morning routines including walking, running, and exercising as part of their daily habits. He appreciated the organisers for giving due focus to health-related activities in addition to their core placement and training initiatives.
Three thought-provoking panel discussions formed the core of the summit. The first panel discussion on Industry 5.0 and Education 5.0 Shaping the Next-Gen Workforce brought out discussions on how academia can build initiatives towards Education 5.0 while industry transitions towards new roles, new technologies, and new methods. The panel was moderated by Vignesh Murugesan, Director Education & Skills, KPMG India, with panelists including Prof. Dr. Kanna Moudgalya, Inventor, Spoken Tutorial, IIT Bombay; Rajiv Krishnan, CEO & MD, Mafoi Group; Ms. Febin M F, Head L&T EduTech, Larsen & Toubro; Dr. Lakshmi Narayanan, VP HR, Data Patterns; Dr. Subramani R, Vice President, UPS Tech Center; and Dr. Venkataramana, Director, NITHM, Telangana.
The second panel discussion was on the theme Bridging Skills, Placements, and Entrepreneurship. The panelists from various industry sectors discussed existing skill gaps, the role of placement officers, and industry hiring trends, providing valuable takeaways for the TPOs and HR managers in attendance. The panel was moderated by Satish Rajarathnam, Head HR & IT, Myridius, with panel members including Rajeshwari N, Head HR, Nippon Paints; Ganapathi Subramaniam, CHRO, Sundaram Home Finance; Hema Rengaswamy, VP HR, Standard Chartered; Charles Godwin, HR Leader, Zoho Corporation; Vijayan R, Head Global Campus Hiring, Prodapt; and Bhargavi Krishna Shetty, Head Talent Acquisition, RNTBCI.
The third panel discussion, on the theme Strengthening the Talent Ecosystem Collaborative Models for IndustryAcademia Partnerships, featured discussions on different models of collaboration and their high-impact outcomes. The panel emphasised avenues for colleges and universities to strengthen internships and placements. The panel was chaired by Rathinavel Rajan, Regional HR Head, Ball Corporation, with members including Parthasarathy R, Global Talent Acquisition Leader, Agilisium; Thirukumaran R, Talent Attraction Leader, Nokia; Naresh Rajendran, Director HR, Grundfos; Dr. Suceendran K M, Head Academic Alliances, Tata Consultancy Services; Aruna Perumal, HR Head India, Sagent; and Dr. Ramesh Kanneganti, Chairman, National Security Studies Committee, UGC.
The Valedictory and Awards Ceremony was graced by Thiru Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Honble Minister for School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu, as Chief Guest, who delivered an inspiring valedictory address. The Minister appreciated the efforts of placement officers in helping students achieve their career dreams. He emphasized the success of the Naan Mudhalvan Scheme in Tamil Nadu, which has since been adopted in several other states. He also highlighted that school education is taking steps to strengthen core foundational skills at the school level, ensuring students succeed in college and beyond.
The Honble School Education Minister released the 2025 edition of THE GRADUATE book, on this occasion. The book serves as a guide to support college students in their journey at college.
The Minister also conferred the TNATPO Student Success Partner Awards 2025, a unique initiative honouring organisations for their outstanding contributions in enhancing placements, employability, and entrepreneurship development in Tamil Nadu. The awards were presented to IIT Swayam, Naan Mudhalvan, Startup Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu Institute of Labour Studies, and ICT Academy.
The summit also brought together members from across the country, with the presidents of the Placement Officers Associations of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra being honoured for their participation. The core members of TNATPO for 202526 were introduced.
The summit concluded with TALENT INDIA 5.0 reaffirming its role as a platform to strengthen industry academia collaboration, foster innovation, and drive Tamil Nadus talent ecosystem towards global competitiveness. For more details including conference photos, videos visit www.indiatalentsummit.in / www.tnatpo.org / Dr Ganesh Krish – +91 9962244795
