Technological change and the arrival of the digital economy provide challenges and opportunities for every type of organization. The digital economy has been slow to take off in India. In the case of education, India spends more than Rs. 2.5 lakh crores every year on learning, with only 5% of it being digitized. Swift innovation is the need of the hour for both large and small entrepreneurs to deal with these rapidly changing realities but currently we spend only 0.9% of our GDP on new research and innovation.
On July 30, Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations, in collaboration with the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber, hosted Dr. Sheldon Levy, President and Vice Chancellor of Ryerson University in conversation with Shailesh Lakhani, Principal, Sequoia Capital, and Stewart Beck, High Commissioner of Canada to India, to discuss ‘Innovation, entrepreneurship & education in the digital age.’
Sheldon Levy is President and Vice Chancellor of Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. Previous post-secondary appointments include Vice President, Finance and Strategy, University of Ontario Institute of Technology; Vice President, Government and Institutional Relations, University of Toronto; President, Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology; and Vice President, Institutional Affairs, York University. He received a master’s degree in Mathematics and a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from York University.
Shailesh is Principal, Sequoia Capital India. Prior to joining Sequoia Capital India, Shailesh worked at Redknee’s India subsidiary as the Managing Director, and previously, was Head, Global Professional Services Group. He has also consulted for Microsoft India and Tata Sons. He received an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and a BASC in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
Stewart Beck is the High Commissioner of Canada to India with concurrent accreditation to Nepal and the Kingdom of Bhutan. He joined the Canadian Department of External Affairs and International Trade in 1982 and has served abroad in the U.S., Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. In Ottawa, he has held a number of positions, including that of the director general of the North Asia Bureau, director general responsible for senior management and rotational assignments, and assistant deputy minister for international business development, investment and innovation. He was consul general in Shanghai and prior to his posting to India, he was consul general in San Francisco.
Gateway House meetings are for members and special invitees only, and they are off-the-record and not-for-attribution. If you are interested in becoming a member, click here for more details.