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Shaping Tomorrow with Deep Tech: Digitizing Boards and Governance Processes
The Institute of Directors (IOD) organised the 2025 Annual Directors' Conclave centred on the theme 'Shaping Tomorrow's Boards: The Competitive Edge' on August 08, 2025, in New Delhi. The event brought together thought leaders and industry veterans from both the public and the private sectors to identify challenges and suggest effective boardroom development. The participants emphasised that Shaping Tomorrow's Boards is not a onetime endeavour, but an evolving journey. It requires a shift in mind-set - from reactive to proactive, from isolated decision-making to holistic thinking, from short-term gains to sustainable value creation. As directors, the role is to ensure that organisations are not just successful but significant; and not just profitable but principled.
'Technology' was identified as the 'game-changer'. The digitization of governance processes and the use of AI in board analysis and virtual boardrooms becoming a common practice was highlighted throughout the discussions.
The 21st century is often described as the age of rapid innovation, where new technologies are reshaping industries, economies, and even the way humans live and think. From smartphones that connect billions of people to satellites that map the entire planet, technology is deeply woven into our daily lives. Yet, behind the convenience of consumer apps and digital platforms, there exists another category of innovation, one that digs deeper into the very foundations of science and engineering.
This domain is known as Deep Tech, which is building entirely new foundations. It addresses complex global challenges such as climate change, healthcare, food security, and sustainable development. Examples of Deep Tech include artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, biotechnology, advanced materials, clean energy, and space technology. These domains do not simply improve existing systems but create possibilities that did not exist before.
Deep Tech cannot thrive in isolation. It requires an ecosystem that includes research institutions, start-ups, governments, and industries. Universities generate fundamental knowledge, start-ups bring agility, governments provide funding and regulation, and industries ensure scaling and deployment. Corporates bring us capital, technology, manpower and access to markets - which is a complex issue where board must be careful.
This ecosystem is difficult to sustain because Deep Tech ventures are capital intensive and slow to mature. Unlike consumer apps, they do not deliver quick returns. They demand patient capital, interdisciplinary talent, and longterm policy vision. Nations that invest in these ecosystems position themselves as leaders in the global innovation race.
Deep Tech must be pursued ethically and sustainably. Engineering excellence must prioritize not only precision and performance but also inclusivity, accessibility, and environmental stewardship. Innovation must serve humanity, not divide it. Balancing innovation with ethics, security, and inclusivity will be a defining challenge of the coming decades.
The future will belong to nations, companies, and individuals who can combine Deep Tech innovation with engineering mastery. The new narrative of India's economic growth makes it unavoidable to utilize our scientific, technological and commercial power to set the Global Agenda. Keeping that in mind, the Government of India introduced the National Deep Tech Start-Up Policy (NDTSP) in 2024 to support start-ups and researchers working in transformative technologies.
The challenges ahead are immense. The boards will have to transform to fit into this new global order and build capabilities to develop an ethical approach for future deep tech applications to lead the global markets. IOD is fully prepared to play a professional role in guiding companies to achieve these.
Looking ahead, we are pleased to announce that IOD will be hosting the 2025 Annual London Global Convention during November 04 - 07, 2025 on the theme, 'Boards in an Unpredictable World: Navigating Geopolitical Shifts, Climate Crises & Technological Disruptions'. This event will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, and industry experts to explore the evolving role of boards in navigating today's dynamic corporate landscape, where members will have an opportunity to learn the new dimensions of business.
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Pradeep Chaturvedi
Vice President - Institute of Directors
He is former Advisor FAO & former Chairman, Institution of Engineers, Delhi. He is a Mechanical Engineer & has been involved with Environment & Energy Policy (planning & implementation) of energy projects under the UN Agencies for over three decades in India & other Asian and Pacific countries. He is Vice-President, World Environment Foundation & Institute of Directors, India.
Owned by: Institute of Directors, India
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