Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister for Communications and Development of North-Eastern Region, Government of India, delivered the keynote address on “Powering Viksit Bharat – Scale without Boundaries to Advance Development through Technology, Digital Innovation and Inclusive Connectivity.” He said the world would soon look to India for lessons in quality, innovation and self-reliance. He also highlighted the role of initiatives such as IFQM in advancing India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047 and strengthening Atmanirbharta.
Established by a consortium of India’s leading enterprises, the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM) is an industry-led movement aimed at helping Indian organisations become globally competitive and export-capable through quality, innovation and excellence. The foundation focuses on strengthening the capabilities of Indian industry, including MSMEs, through initiatives promoting 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 developing 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 and Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro, emphasised the need to make quality an integral part of organisational culture. 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.”
A major 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. The honour recognised his contribution to advancing sound governance through quality principles and methods. Mr. Sunil Sinha, Trustee, IAQ, and Mr. Raúl Molteni, President, IAQ, presented the medal.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Raul Molteni, President, International Academy for Quality, outlined IAQ’s vision of moving beyond traditional quality management towards “quality for humanity” and highlighted India’s growing importance in advancing this agenda. He noted that Indian companies had demonstrated how Total Quality Management (TQM) could be implemented at scale and developed into a broader movement. Mr. Sinha emphasised the importance of recognising leaders who have embedded quality into organisational management and governance.
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 said the Deming Prize should not be regarded as the destination but as the beginning of an organisation’s TQM journey. He emphasised that the process extends beyond systems, practices and procedures to building trust with stakeholders, highlighting the responsibility associated with good governance.
Further strengthening its focus on knowledge, research and capability building, IFQM formalised a collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the symposium.
Mr. Soumitra Bhattacharya, CEO and Director, IFQM, exchanged the MoU with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gisela Lanza of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in the presence of Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor Company.
The collaboration aims to strengthen cooperation in quality and innovation, reflecting a shared ambition to embed these principles more deeply into the systems and processes driving industry. It will also advance IFQM’s focus on industry-academia collaboration by connecting academic research and expertise with the evolving needs of Indian industry.
Day 1 featured six panel discussions bringing together industry leaders and MSMEs to examine sector-specific challenges and opportunities and demonstrate how quality and innovation can generate 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. These examples showcased how targeted interventions in quality, technology, capability building and innovation can help businesses strengthen their competitiveness and progress towards global standards.
The first day also featured five keynote addresses examining 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 discuss the practices and organisational interventions needed to translate boardroom vision into shop-floor excellence. The session examined how leadership commitment, employee participation, quality culture and innovation can work together to create sustainable and measurable impact across organisations.
The IFQM Governing Council comprises Mr. N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons; Mr. Dilip Sanghvi, MD, Sun Pharmaceuticals; Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon Biologics; Mr. TV Narendran, CEO and MD, Tata Steel Limited; Mr. K.N. Radhakrishnan, Director and CEO, TVS Motor Co; Dr. Randhir Thakur, CEO and MD, Tata Electronics Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India & South Asia; Mr. SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman and MD, Larsen & Toubro; and Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor Co and Chairman, IFQM.
Instituted in 2023, the Indian Foundation for Quality Management is committed to promoting transformative change across Indian industries and institutionalising a culture of quality that meets and exceeds global standards. Its work focuses on continuous improvement in products and services to strengthen perceptions of Brand India. With an emphasis on prosperity, quality of life, cooperative trust, respect, empathy and mutual sharing, IFQM aims to help Indian businesses earn global recognition while supporting India’s ambition to become a developed nation by 2047 through innovation, excellence and stakeholder engagement across sectors.
The first day of the IFQM Symposium 2026 brought together perspectives from government, industry, academia, global quality institutions and MSMEs, reinforcing the emphasis on moving India from scale to excellence and expanding individual organisational initiatives into a broader, industry-led movement for quality and innovation.
IFQM’s website is ifqm.org.in, its events portal is events.ifqm.org.in/events, and its LinkedIn page is www.linkedin.com/company/ifqm.
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