IMA Insights

As a younger man, your columnist once wandered through the vast courtyards of the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, awed by its towering gopurams and the hum of quiet devotion. What struck him most, though...

In a fast-changing business environment, leaders are expected to deliver growth, innovation and impact all at once. A recent session of the IMA India CEO Forum featured B Santhanam, Former CEO of Sain...

At our recent Q3FY26 CHRO Forum Dialogue in Bangalore, we hosted former Nestlé CMD Suresh Narayanan, who, drawing on decades of experience stewarding culture and capability and managing crises, reflec...

In an era where marketing is expected to prove its value with precision, AI is reshaping creativity and accountability. At a recent India CMO Forum Coffee Chat in New Delhi, senior marketing leaders e...

For years, business growth in India followed a simple script: acquire more customers, spend heavily on visibility and let scale deliver results. That model is faltering. Rising acquisition costs, prol...

In an era where technology promises exponential gains but often delivers only incremental results, the CFO’s role has expanded from that of financial custodian to one of transformation catalyst. At a ...

Your columnist traces his roots to the Paliwal Brahmins of Rajasthan’s Thar Desert, a once-prosperous community that turned the sands of Pali into farmland and bustling trade. Their abrupt exodus cent...

India’s cities, once symbols of ambition, are now choking under filth, traffic and civic neglect. The solution will not come from politics but from enterprise. A “Clean Cities Compact” could unite bus...

The emergence of US tariffs as a policy tool, is a decisive shift in global trade and indeed the liberal world order, which facilitated the emergence of Asia’s tiger economies. Once dismissed as a tem...

In the discussions that your columnist has had, over the course of the past couple of months, with IMA Forum Members, it was evident that urban consumption has begun to taper. As it happens, the trend...

Zomato’s recent announcement that it will be rebranding its parent company as ‘Eternal’ raises an important question: Why do companies change their names? Typically, an organisation’s name is one of i...

Traditional strategic plans are based on long-term goals and market forecasts. However, in a world of disruption, companies must adopt more agile approaches that allow them to pivot quickly. Methodolo...

We expect the US dollar to gain in value against a basket of global currencies, as higher inflation in America will force policy makers, in its central bank, to keep a hawkish stance on interest rates...

India’s road sector is on a transformative path. Propelled by the Bharatmala Pariyojana – an ambitious plan to construct 34,800 km of new highways and expressways – the country’s highway network expan...

The 2025-26 Union Budget came at a time of moderating domestic growth and heightened global uncertainty. At a recent joint session of the India CEO, CFO, CHRO, CMO, ISF and CFO NxT Forums, AK Bhattach...

As climate changes intensify, consumers across segments are demanding sustainable alternatives – and the automotive industry is no exception. Clean(er)-fuel options make up a rising share of India’s p...

We often think of Indian weddings as the most traditional of social events, steeped in age-old rituals and elaborate ceremonies. However, a closer look reveals that they serve as a powerful lens to un...

Public policy is crucial in shaping business outcomes, especially in dynamic markets like India. For businesses, anticipating and adapting to policy changes is a strategic necessity. From evolving com...

India’s landmark Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act is a big step towards establishing a culture of data privacy. Sixteen months after the law was notified, the Ministry of Electronics and In...

IMA recently held its Q4 FY25 CHRO Dialogue in Mumbai, with sessions on M&A and ESG. Leading the first session, we had Tarun Varma, Global Chief Human Resources & Sustainability Officer at Tat...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the Finance function by enhancing efficiency and improving decision-making capabilities, with Generative AI driving an even greater shift than previous tec...

India’s journey toward mass prosperity hinges on addressing the critical challenges of employment, employability and education. These three pillars form the foundations of economic growth and social d...

Donald Trump's election and the announcements made since are sending shockwaves around the world. The leadership transition in Washington DC will have far-reaching ripple effects, influencing glo...

DeepSeek is claimed to have been trained at a cost of approximately $6 million, significantly less than the $100 million for models like OpenAI's GPT-4. It appears to achieve similar performance ...

As a consumption-driven economy, India’s overall GDP growth is tied strongly to how its households spend. While the national accounts data provide a once-in-a-quarter snapshot of overall spending grow...

Transfer pricing (TP) has become a critical area of focus for companies and regulators, evolving significantly since its formal introduction in 2001. At a recent India CFO Forum session in Pune, Vijay...

In recent years, global trade has faced major geopolitical headwinds, including trade wars and economic decoupling, particularly between the US and China. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains...

With the world’s finite natural resources depleting rapidly, the circular economy offers a more sustainable model by prioritising resource efficiency, reuse and regeneration. It significantly reduces ...

Starting this year, organisations across the world will experience another generational shift as Gen Alpha – today’s teenagers, born between 2010 and 2020 – begin to enter the professional realm. Thes...

Last month, Donald Trump secured a decisive victory in the US presidential elections, marking the start of a transformative new era in American and global politics. IMA ran a series of sessions of the...

Javier Milei assumed office, as President of Argentina, where the effects of fiscal irresponsibility, by populist Peronist governments, had reduced what was once a rich nation into the ranks of the th...

Since the 1990s, neuroscience-related research has expanded significantly, uncovering the complex links between brain activity and decision-making.  By understanding the neural basis of decisions, bus...

Transfer pricing (TP) remains a critical area for CFOs to track and monitor, particularly owing to the ever-evolving nature of TP regulations and deepening enforcement by the tax authorities. Some of ...

India’s banking sector is quite literally the life-blood of its economy. It powers both industry and consumption and channels savings to more productive uses. Over the last decade, the sector has seen...

Our recent, Q3 FY25 CHRO dialogue sessions in Bangalore focused on two criticallly important subjects: sustainability, and leadership imperatives in an age of digitalisation. Dr Sujiv Nair, Global Chi...

India is on the cusp of an energy revolution, taking bold strides toward achieving energy independence by 2047 and net-zero emissions by 2070. We are pleased to share our latest research report, Green...

As China grapples with the lingering aftermath of Covid-19, its economy is visibly slowing. A once-rapid growth path, driven by infrastructural spending an expanding workforce, is less certain. Couple...

The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, launched in 2021-22 as part of the Make in India initiative, aims to strengthen India's manufacturing across key sectors. With an allocation of Rs 10...

Cybersecurity risks continue to rise, with a reported 20% of Indian users falling victim to cyber threats in the first quarter of 2024 alone and several high-profile cases recently coming to light. Sc...

Donald Trump’s mandate, coupled with the fact that the Republicans are expected to control both the Senate and House, will give him ample sway over Washington. The fear propaganda tom-tommed by the De...

Today’s world economy is marked by volatile financial markets, high interest rates and geopolitical tensions. Both the global and the Indian economy face heightened uncertainty as market fluctuations ...

The impact of US monetary policy spreads across the entire global economic architecture. Fund flows to emerging markets are directly proportional to interest rate differentials. This is logical, as in...

Sri Lankans, exasperated with corruption and crony capitalism amongst the ruling and business elite, voted for fundamental change. This constituted the basis of the support that drove the victory of A...

IMA recently published its ‘Vision 2030: India’s Growth Frontiers’ report, which offers a comprehensive analysis of the factors driving the country’s economic transformation. This report aims to provi...

The world economy is today delicately poised. America has avoided the recession that analysts have been projecting for over a year, but recent data indicate that it could be at a tipping point. China,...

 IMA recently published its ‘Vision 2030: India’s Growth Frontiers’ report, which offers a comprehensive analysis of the factors driving the country’s economic transformation. This report aims to prov...

It would be fair to say that India has been blessed with some of the world's most scenic places. Himalayan towns with magnificent views of the Great Himalayan Range, or lesser ranges like the Dha...

At our recent Q2 FY25 CHRO Dialogues in Delhi and Bangalore, our second session was an open house, moderated by IMA’s Chairman and Editorial Director, Adit Jain, on two perennially-important issues: a...

India's agriculture sector is crucial for the country’s food security. It also supports the livelihoods of over 40% of the population and strongly influences the growth of consumer markets. An ab...

IMA recently published its ‘Vision 2030: India’s Growth Frontiers’ report, which offers a comprehensive analysis of the factors driving the country’s economic transformation. This report aims to provi...