Former McKinsey head Rajat Gupta to address IIT alumni conference in US

Gupta served a two-year prison term on insider trading charges

India-born former McKinsey head Rajat Gupta will address an IIT alumni leadership conference in the US to discuss issues ranging from leadership to cutting-edge technologies.

Gupta, an IIT Delhi alumnus, will join chief executives, entrepreneurs and technology experts at the second annual 'IIT Bay Area Leadership Conference' to be held in Santa Clara in California tomorrow.

Speakers and IIT alumni at the conference include author and wellness expert Deepak Chopra, venture capitalist Ravi Mhatre,Parag Havaldar, a computer engineer from IIT Kharagpur who won an Oscar this year for technical achievement, HCL co- founder Arjun Malhotra, product director at Google and IIT Madras alumnus Aparna Chennapragada and VP Engineering at Google Shashi Thakur of IIT Bombay.

The 11000-member strong IIT Bay Area Alumni Association is hosting the conference, the theme for which is 'From Engineers to Leaders.'

"IITians are the smartest technologists in the world, however, they miss opportunities due to lack of leadership development. The IIT Bay Area Leadership Conference is designed to raise awareness for learning leadership skills from peers, seniors and professionals," Umang Gupta, Founder and CEO of Gupta Technologies and Keynote Systems said in a statement.

Gupta, 68, who founded the Indian School of Business (ISB), sits on the board of PanIIT USA and is the current chairman of the WHEELS Global Foundation, a US-based on- profit organisation started by IIT alumni that focusses on applying technology to uplift rural communities and provide technological solutions to global challenges.

"Gupta argues that success comes from constantly finding ways to make a difference to your employer. His approach is focused and intentional," a statement issued by Wheels Global Foundation said.

Gupta, a former director at Goldman Sachs, is a free man now after completing a two-year prison term on insider trading charges.

He has been gradually re-entering the social and philanthropic world. He has undertaken visits to India and spoken at the Young Indians National Summit hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi in March.

Last month, he spoke at a panel discussion here on the rising tide of economic nationalism and protectionism organised by the New York Tri-State chapter of Pratham USA, one of the largest non-governmental organisations.