Pune Hosts The Confluence Dialogues Launch; Global Leaders Discuss Sustainable Development and Conscious Leadership
Pune, 6th May 2026: Pune witnessed the grand launch of The Confluence Dialogues during an invite-only gathering at a closed-table dinner hosted at a prominent city hotel, with a distinguished assembly of national and international delegates in attendance.
The Founder of The Confluence Dialogues, Iftekhar Pathan, Founder and Chief Convenor, said that the former President of the Republic of Mauritius, Her Excellency Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, delivered the keynote address titled ‘From Soil to Statecraft’ at the inaugural Confluence.
In her address, Dr. Gurib-Fakim enunciated the importance of conscious leadership, particularly as the world stands at a critical inflection point — balancing economic acceleration, climate responsibility and social inclusion. She emphasised the importance of women in leadership roles in India and the new development paradigm.
The distinguished panel was graced by the prominent industrialist Yohan Poonawalla of the Poonawalla Group, alongside H.E. Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim and Iftekhar Pathan.
Yohan Poonawalla emphasised the importance of philanthropy for today’s leaders, and spoke of his family’s long-standing tradition of inculcating these values in the next generation.
“The next decade will not be defined by how fast we grow, but by how responsibly we lead.”
— Iftekhar Pathan, Founder and Chief Convener, The Confluence Dialogues
Sharing the animating vision behind the platform, Pathan articulated four guiding intents: to explore and envisage India’s next growth model beyond GDP, embracing responsible growth; to trigger collaborations between policy, capital and enterprise; to position Pune and Maharashtra as a thinking hub for the country’s strategic conversations; and to deliver a strategy translated into sustainable actions.
Delivering the closing remarks, Vishal Naik, a prominent technology entrepreneur, highlighted the significance of such a dialogue, and made a special mention of the preponderance of women leaders in attendance at the inaugural Confluence Dialogues.
