• Internationally respected inventor, entrepreneur and policy maker shares insights and views from 50 years of multi-faceted innovation and technology experience
• Former Advisor to India’s Prime Minister opines that great innovations require problem-solving for the masses
• Mr Pitroda stresses that innovating ourselves and embracing change are core starting points

In collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), SMU co-hosted a public lecture on “Innovation Challenges in Asia” on 8 April 2016 at the University. The guest speaker was world-renowned thinker and innovator, Mr Sam Pitroda, former Advisor to India’s Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation. 

Organised by the South Asia and Southeast Asia Desk of SMU’s International Office, in conjunction with CII, the session was moderated by Professor Gerard George, Dean of SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business and Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

[Photo: Mr Pitroda (left) with Professor Gerard George, Dean of SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business, who moderated the session.]

In the welcome remarks, Mr Girish Ramachandran, Member of the CII India Business Forum and President of TCS Asia Pacific, reiterated that Asia is now at the forefront of innovation. To continue the lead, university teachings and industry desires have to come together, good innovation cultures must be practised and intellectual property must be protected. He lauded Mr Pitroda as an architect of the digital economy and the technology and telecommunications revolution.

[Photo: Mr Girish Ramachandran, Member of the CII India Business Forum and President of TCS Asia Pacific giving welcome remarks.]

Mr Pitroda is indeed an internationally-respected telecommunications inventor, entrepreneur, development thinker and policy maker who has spent 50 years in information and communications technology and related global and national developments.

Speaking from extensive experience in advocating the use of technology and its access as key enablers to social change, and having gone through a few ‘tsunamis’ of innovation, Mr Pitroda shared many important perspectives, thoughts and anecdotes during the lecture on achieving excellence in innovation.

He said that while innovation is on everyone’s agenda, great innovations require problem-solving for the poor and needy, which provide the scale for affordable technologies to make giant leaps forward, and use knowledge to create wealth for more people. With internet technology impacting every aspect of our daily lives and making all that we do obsolete soon after, the starting point to innovation is that we must change and innovate ourselves, not just products, services and systems.

Throughout the lecture and subsequent discussions, Mr Pitroda emphasised that innovations happen at the edge – we must cross boundaries, and accept and respect those who are different. Even if excellent innovation ecosystems are present, great inventions will not be born if there is no will and intent to embrace change and solve wide-spread problems faced by the masses. It is also important to question and focus on the applications and outcomes, rather than just investing in and conducting research.

Credited with laying the foundation for India’s telecommunications and technology revolution in the 1980s, Mr Pitroda has been a leading campaigner on bridging the global digital divide. He was Advisor to then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the founder and first Chairman of India’s Telecom Commission, and the head of India’s National Knowledge Commission (2005-2009).

Recently, Mr Pitroda served as Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation, with the rank of a Cabinet Minister. He served as the Chairman of the Smart Grid Task Force, as well as the committees to reform public broadcasting, modernise railways, deliver e-governance, and other developmental activities.

Mr Pitroda is a Founding Chairman of five non-profit organisations including the India Food Bank, the Global Knowledge Initiative and the Institute of Transdisciplinary Health. He is also a founding Commissioner of the United Nations Broadband Commission for Digital Development and Chairman of the International Telecommunication Union’s m-Powering Development Board that looks to empower developing countries through the use of mobile technology.

In addition, Mr Pitroda is a serial entrepreneur having started several companies in the United States. He holds around 20 honorary PhDs, close to 100 worldwide patents, has published five books and numerous papers and lectured widely all over the world.

The event concluded with a networking session for the guests.

[Photo: CII and SMU representatives with Mr Pitroda (second from left).]

[Photo: The participants of the lecture actively engaged guest speaker Mr Pitroda during the question-and-answer session.]