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Saarthi

Guiding purpose. Creating impact.

Saarthi is Deloitte’s Independent Directors learning platform, designed to empower board members at every stage of their journey through structured sessions, practical insights, and immersive learning.

About Saarthi

Independent Directors today operate in an ever-evolving environment. Regulatory shifts, ESG imperatives, digital disruption, and intensifying stakeholder scrutiny demand more than oversight; they call for strategic foresight, ethical judgment and informed stewardship. Today, with heightened accountability, boards cannot afford to be reactive. The role of the Independent Director is evolving from compliance custodian to strategic guardian of trust, resilience and sustainable growth. This programme is designed to equip Independent Directors with the insights, skills, and tools needed to navigate complexity, challenge constructively, and contribute meaningfully to the long-term success of their organisations.

Saarthi Advisory Board: Steering the future of boardroom leadership

With decades of collective experience spanning corporate governance, regulatory affairs, emerging technologies, and industry transformation, the Advisory Board serves as the program’s compass, ensuring every participant gains both knowledge and wisdom to apply where it matters most.

Kalpana Morparia

Kalpana Morparia is a former CEO of J.P. Morgan India and Chairperson for South & Southeast Asia at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., with over 40 years in banking and financial services. She serves as a director on HSBC Holdings, Philip Morris International, and Great Eastern Shipping and is a Partner at Kalmor Advisors LLP. A retired director of Hindustan Unilever and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, she is recognised among Forbes’ “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” and actively supports philanthropic initiatives, including the Bharti Foundation and Generation India Foundation.

L Krishnakumar

L Krishnakumar is Non-Executive Chairman of Tata Consulting Engineers Limited and serves on boards including Infinity Retail Limited (CROMA) and Pfizer India Limited. A senior finance professional, he played a key role in transforming Tata Tea into Tata Consumer Products and served on its subsidiaries’ boards, including the JV with Starbucks. He has held leadership roles at IHCL, Larsen & Toubro, and A.F. Ferguson & Co. He is a member of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants, Cost Accountants, and Company Secretaries of India.

Manoj Kohli

Manoj Kohli, former Country Head of SoftBank India, has supported over 20 portfolio companies, including OLA, OYO, Paytm, and Swiggy. Previously MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel, he expanded its customer base from 2 million to over 400 million globally. He has served as Executive Chairman of SB Energy and held senior leadership roles at DCM Shriram, Honeywell, and Escotel. He has chaired COAI and GSMA’s Public Policy Committee and remains associated with CII.

N Kumar

N Kumar is Chairman of the Group Corporate Board at The Sanmar Group and former President of the Confederation of Indian Industry. He serves as Honorary Consul General of Greece for South India and chairs the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. An independent director on several public company boards, he actively supports social and environmental causes, including WWF India and VisionSpring Foundation.

P R Ramesh

P R Ramesh has over 40 years of experience in accounting and corporate governance. A Former Chairman of Deloitte India, he has served on Deloitte Global and Asia Pacific Boards. Currently, he is an Independent Director at Nestlé India, Air India, NSE Investments, Tejas Networks, Larsen & Toubro, and Cipla. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, he has been associated with SEBI, RBI, IRDAI, ICAI, and industry bodies such as CII.

R V Kanoria

Rajya Vardhan Kanoria is Chairman and Managing Director of Kanoria Chemicals & Industries Limited and Chair of its Swiss subsidiary, APAG Holding AG. A former president of FICCI, he has held roles in international trade bodies, including ICC Paris. He serves on boards such as JK Paper and Swaraj Engines and has previously served on Nestle India and Cholamandalam Investment & Finance boards. He has been recognised with the Swiss Ambassador’s Award and the Order of Leopold II for contributions to global business and ethics.

Saarthi: The core team

Deloitte leaders’ perspective on Saarthi, what sets it apart, and how it’s redefining the future of corporate governance in India.

K R Sekar

"Saarthi is built on a simple yet powerful premise—that Independent Directors are not only custodians of governance, but catalysts for long-term value creation and trust. At Deloitte, our experience with regulators, promoters, and boards across industries has shaped this programme to help Independent Directors ask sharper questions, uphold the highest standards, and lead with purpose in a rapidly evolving corporate landscape.”

Anthony Crasto

"The role of Independent Directors today goes far beyond compliance. With ESG, digital transformation, and stakeholder expectations reshaping board dynamics, directors must provide strategic foresight and resilience. Saarthi is designed to prepare them for these challenges, helping them move from oversight to impact and enabling them to steer organisations toward sustainable success.”

Santosh Shetty

"Independent directors have an increasingly critical role in fostering trust, innovation, and resilience. Through Saarthi, we aim to bridge the gap between evolving regulatory expectations and practical boardroom realities. This programme brings together deep expertise and actionable insights to help Independent Directors lead with clarity, courage, and conviction in an era of constant change.”

Shabana Hakim

"Saarthi is not just a programme—it’s an immersive leadership journey. Thoughtfully curated with real-world insights and Deloitte’s decades of experience in governance and advisory, it creates a space for Independent Directors to learn, challenge, and grow. Our goal is to empower them to navigate complexity and enable a successful collaboration in shaping corporate purpose and accountability.”

Saarthi: The differentiator

A distinctive blend of learning, thought leadership, peer networks, and enabling platforms, empowering Independent Directors to create long-term impact.

Curated learning

A structured, multi-dimensional curriculum integrating real-world case studies, contemporary board issues, practical toolkits, and diverse faculty insights

Expert stewardship

Strategic direction and guidance from Saarthi’s eminent Advisory Panel whose experience anchors the program

Leadership networks

Gateway to a curated community of Independent Directors and access to invitation-only forums

Deloitte advantage

Access to proprietary thought leadership, and program resources, through a dedicated member portal

Saarthi: Spectrum

Saarthi sessions will cover topical and emerging areas (illustrative topics below) – with a view to equip IDs with relevant industry knowledge, case studies and practical toolkits to help strengthen their roles in audit committees and boardroom discussions.

Highlights from the launch event

Launched on October 10, 2025, across Deloitte’s Bengaluru, Gurugram and Mumbai offices, Saarthi brought together over 60 Independent Directors, along with Advisory Board members and Deloitte Subject Matter Experts, to share boardroom perspectives, explore emerging risks and opportunities, and reflect on the strategic priorities shaping organisations today.

Key highlights:

Perspectives from Saarthi’s Advisory Board on the evolving role of Independent Directors
Navigating the new normal: Macroeconomic trends and their boardroom impact
From AI to Agentic AI: Technology-driven disruptions transforming industries
From risk to opportunity: Impact of geopolitics and technology on business strategy
Fireside chat with Romal Shetty, CEO, Deloitte South Asia, on his vision for Saarthi

Knowledge hub

Explore a curated repository of insights, including points of view, case studies, and articles, to stay ahead of evolving boardroom trends and governance imperatives.

• How boards are nurturing and measuring stakeholder trust

• Five fundamental forces that define the modern chair’s role

• Governance of AI: A critical imperative for today’s boards