Bengaluru | July 21 – As Arthan marks ten years of strengthening leadership and organisations across the social impact sector, they hosted the People Leaders Conclave 2026 – Bengaluru Edition under the theme “Making the Next Decade of People Leadership Visible.” Over the past decade, Arthan has supported 1,800+ leadership hires, delivered 60+ organisational development engagements, and brought together 1,200+ founders, senior leaders and practitioners through cross-sector conversations.
Building on this journey, the Bengaluru edition brought together founders, CEOs, HR leaders and organisational development practitioners from across the social impact sector to explore how organisations can strengthen leadership, talent and organisational development while preparing for an AI-enabled future. Following the Delhi edition earlier this year, the conclave continued creating space for leaders to exchange ideas and shape the future of people leadership across the sector.
Opening the conclave, Rahul Balakrishnan, Co-founder, Arthan, reflected on a pattern he has observed over a decade of working with mission-driven organisations. While organisations invest significant effort in hiring talented people, they often overlook the systems that help those people succeed. He encouraged leaders to invest as much in building their organisations as they do in building their programmes, highlighting the importance of clear roles, decision-making, processes and feedback. As he put it, “Strong systems actually free up people. They don’t constrain them.”
Reflecting on Arthan’s ten-year journey, Gayathri Shastri, Team Principal, Arthan, spoke about the organisation’s work alongside mission-driven organisations to strengthen leadership and organisational capacity, sharing how these milestones have shaped Arthan’s understanding of what organisations need to grow and endure.
A key highlight of the conclave was the panel discussion, “The Future of Talent and Leadership in an AI-Enabled Impact Sector,” featuring Sapna Karim, Chief Operating Officer, Janaagraha; Dr. Angela Chaudhuri, Board Member and Advisor, Swasti; Shruti Goel, Co-CEO, Upaya Social Ventures; and Krisha Mathur, Director, ACT, moderated by Rahul Balakrishnan.
Setting the context for the discussion, Rahul Balakrishnan observed, “As social entrepreneurs, we often spend a lot of time asking how our programmes can become better. Sometimes what gets missed is the work we need to do internally. It is that internal work that enables better impact externally.” The panel explored how organisations can build stronger institutions in an AI-enabled world.
Dr. Angela Chaudhuri encouraged leaders to approach AI with curiosity rather than certainty, observing, “I have little to tell founders and leaders within impact. They already know how to act. What I would ask is that we remain curious: Who are we leaving out? Whose narrative is becoming dominant, and whose is being erased? The real question is not whether AI makes us faster. It is whether it strengthens our judgment and widens whose voices count.”
Speaking about the practical realities of AI adoption, Shruti Goel observed that while AI can significantly improve speed and efficiency, it cannot replace clear thinking. She noted that “AI can help us move faster, but it doesn’t replace good thinking. If the data isn’t good or we aren’t clear about the problem we are trying to solve, AI won’t fix that for us,” reinforcing that technology is only as effective as the foundations organisations build around it.
Bringing the conversation back to people and leadership, Sapna Karim reflected on what continues to attract and retain talent in the social impact sector. She noted, “Purpose is why many of us choose to work in this sector. But purpose and professionalism in the pursuit of excellence and impact were never meant to compete with each other. Organisations will grow by continually evaluating and investing in both aspects with an unwavering focus on nurturing individuals who join their journey.” Her reflections highlighted that as organisations adopt new technologies, purpose, strong leadership and well-run institutions remain central to building workplaces where people choose to stay and grow.
Speaking on the role of leadership, Krisha Mathur remarked, “Technology is evolving incredibly fast, but what constitutes good leadership has not changed. Organisations with strong learning cultures will be able to adopt technology much faster than organisations that simply adopt tools.” Her remarks highlighted that while AI will continue to shape the way organisations work, leadership, culture and sound judgement remain at the heart of strong institutions.
Nandita Krishan, Associate Director & Lead – Organisation Development, Arthan, unveiled the organisation’s latest study, What Does OD Actually Mean: Between Knowing and Doing-Perspectives from Social Impact Leaders on Organisational Development in India. Based on ten in-depth conversations with social impact leaders, funders and advisors, the study explores the gap between understanding organisational development in principle and putting it into practice in the everyday realities of building organisations.
The conclave concluded with interactive working group discussions designed to move from imagining the future to identifying the actions needed to build it. In the first round, participants explored what the workforce of 2030 could look like, reflecting on themes such as skills, AI, mindset and ways of working. Building on those conversations, the second round focused on leadership, employee engagement, and technology & AI, where participants identified immediate priorities and longer-term milestones for creating organisations that are ready for the future.
Across the discussions, leaders highlighted how AI can improve candidate experience, automate repetitive processes and support operational efficiency, while agreeing that human judgement must remain central to hiring decisions, organisational development and strategy. Participants also emphasised the importance of leadership succession, responding to changing employee expectations, and building cultures rooted in trust, learning and accountability.
Building on the momentum of the Delhi and Bengaluru editions of the People Leaders Conclave, Arthan will continue convening leaders across cities to strengthen conversations around people leadership, organisational development and the future of work in India’s social impact sector. As part of its tenth year, Arthan is bringing together senior leaders from across the ecosystem through a series of convenings, culminating in a milestone gathering this December to reflect on the sector’s journey and the road ahead.