IFQM Symposium 2026: India's Journey Towards Viksit Bharat Must be Powered by Quality, Innovation and Scale

India’s ambition to become a globally competitive, self-reliant and innovation-led economy must be underpinned by a strong culture of quality, innovation and excellence, emerged as a key message on Day 1 of the third edition of the IFQM Symposium 2026 in New Delhi. Bringing together senior industry leaders, policymakers, global quality experts, CEOs, CXOs and academia, the symposium explored how India can leverage its scale, technology and human capital to build globally competitive institutions and enterprises.

Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister for Communications & Development of North-Eastern Region, Government of India with GC members of IFQM

Delivering the keynote address on “Powering Viksit Bharat – Scale without Boundaries to Advance Development through Technology, Digital Innovation and Inclusive Connectivity,” Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia – Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India said that the world will soon look to India to learn about quality, innovation and self-reliance. He highlighted the role of initiatives such as IFQM in taking India forward towards Viksit Bharat@2047 and strengthening the country's journey towards Atmanirbharta.

IFQM, established by a consortium of India’s leading enterprises, is an industry-led movement committed to catalysing Indian organisations to become globally competitive and export-capable through Quality, Innovation and Excellence. The Foundation is focused on strengthening the capabilities of Indian industry, including MSMEs, through initiatives that promote quality, innovation and sustainable development in line with the nation-first objectives of Viksit Bharat.

Speaking at the symposium, Mr. N. Chandrasekaran, Executive Chairman, Tata Sons, highlighted India's progress in building sustainable, world-class infrastructure and institutions. He said, “India has made tremendous progress in developing sustainable world-class infrastructure and institutions. Our economy is doing very well, and over the last few years it has exceeded expectations. Achieving this amid global economic uncertainty is no mean task. It was possible because of infrastructure growth, manufacturing, especially precision manufacturing and investment in human process (education and skill development).”

Delivering the inaugural address, Mr. S.N. Subrahmanyan, Chairman & Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro, focused on the importance of making quality a culture across organisations. He said, “In infrastructure, doing projects with quality is critical. We are still not there yet; there is a lot to learn from global practices. Hopefully, initiatives like IFQM will help us reach that level of excellence. Personally, I can share many examples, and each one contributes to the lessons we need to achieve quality. Every employee has to be involved. It's not just about quality; it's about innovation. Quality has to be a culture; I think that will make it happen.”

Recognising Excellence in Quality and Governance
A key highlight of Day 1 was the recognition of Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman, IFQM, by the International Academy for Quality (IAQ) with the Marcos E. J. Bertin Quality in Governance Medal, recognising his contribution to advancing sound governance through quality principles and methods. The honour was presented by Mr. Sunil Sinha, Trustee, IAQ, and Mr. Raúl Molteni, President, IAQ.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Raul Molteni, President – International Academy for Quality highlighted IAQ’s vision of moving beyond traditional quality management towards “quality for humanity”, and underscored India's growing importance in advancing this agenda. He noted that Indian companies have demonstrated that Total Quality Management (TQM) can be implemented at scale and evolve into a broader movement. Mr. Sinha emphasised the importance of recognising leaders who have embedded quality into the way organisations are managed and governed.

Reflecting on TVS Motor Company’s quality journey, Mr. Venu Srinivasan recalled how Japanese quality experts helped strengthen the company’s focus on TQM more than three decades ago. He emphasised that the Deming Prize should not be viewed as the destination, but as the beginning of an organisation’s TQM journey. He noted that the journey extends beyond processes and practices to building trust with stakeholders, highlighting the responsibility that comes with good governance.

IFQM and karlsruhe institute of technology (kit) join hands to strengthen industry–academia collaboration
Further strengthening its focus on knowledge, research and capability building, IFQM and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) formalised a new collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the symposium.

Mr. Soumitra Bhattacharya, CEO and Director, IFQM, exchanged the MoU with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gisela Lanza, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, in the presence of Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor Company.

The collaboration will strengthen cooperation in quality and innovation and reflects a shared ambition to embed these principles more deeply into the systems and processes that drive industry. The partnership will also advance IFQM’s focus on industry–academia collaboration, connecting academic research and expertise with the evolving needs of Indian industry.

Taking the quality conversation across sectors
Day 1 featured six panel discussions that brought together industry leaders and MSMEs to examine the challenges and opportunities across sectors and demonstrate how quality and innovation can create measurable impact.

The discussions included “Pharma & Life Sciences: Moving Beyond Generics – Pioneering Global Leadership in Innovative Medicine”; “From Scale to Excellence: Reimagining Infrastructure for India’s Global Leadership”; “IFQM as Force Multiplier – Measurable Impact Across Sectors”; “Humble Beginnings to Global Standards – The Force Multiplier Playbook”; and “Transforming India into a Trusted Global Electronics Hub.”

The sessions also highlighted the experiences of MSMEs that have benefited from the IFQM initiative, showcasing how focused interventions in quality, technology, capability building and innovation can help businesses strengthen their competitiveness and move towards global standards.

Day 1 also featured five keynote addresses exploring India's Viksit Bharat ambition, quality and innovation, technology-led transformation, artificial intelligence and global competitiveness, including perspectives on China's evolving role in the global economy.

An exclusive CEO session, “Creating Force Multipliers for the Industry-led Movement – Boardroom Vision to Shop Floor Excellence,” brought together senior business leaders to examine the practices and organisational interventions that can translate boardroom vision into excellence on the shop floor. The session focused on how leadership commitment, employee participation, quality culture and innovation can work together to create sustainable and measurable impact across organisations.

With its first day bringing together perspectives from government, industry, academia, global quality institutions and MSMEs, the IFQM Symposium 2026 reinforced the need for India to move from scale to excellence and from individual organisational initiatives to a broader, industry-led movement for quality and innovation.

About IFQM 
Instituted in the year 2023, IFQM is the Indian Foundation for Quality Management ( IFQM) that is committed to the promotion of transformative changes across Indian industries. It seeks to institutionalize a culture of quality that meets and exceeds global standards. It is about bringing in continuous improvements of both products and services, thereby elevating the perception about Brand India. Committed to the prosperity and quality of life of all, IFQM functions as a catalyst in making Indian businesses globally respected with cooperative trust, respect, empathy, and mutual sharing. Through its initiatives, IFQM supports India's journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047, with an emphasis on innovation, excellence, and stakeholder engagement across sectors.

*The IFQM Governing Council: • Mr. N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons • Mr. Dilip Sanghvi, MD, Sun Pharmaceuticals • Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon Biologics • Mr. TV Narendran, CEO & MD, Tata Steel Limited • Mr. K.N. Radhakrishnan, Director & CEO, TVS Motor Co • Dr. Randhir Thakur, CEO & MD, Tata Electronics Pvt. Ltd. • Mr. Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India & South Asia • Mr. SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman & MD, Larsen & Toubro • Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor Co & Chairman, IFQM • 
 

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