Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce & Industry organised a Special Session on ‘Beyond The Playbook: Modern Leadership for a Changing World‘ with Smt. Roopa Kudva, Business Leader, Start-up Investor and ex-CEO, CRISIL. The Moderator was Mr. Souvik Das, Associate Partner, Global Solutioning Leader for Digital Product Design & Engineering, IBM Consulting. The Session was held on Tuesday, 10 February 2026 at 4.00 pm at the Conference Hall of the Chamber.
In conversation Mr. Souvik Das, Ms. Roopa Kudva said that leadership is a unique and personal journey. To become a good leader, it is not important to copy the journey of another leader. The book emphasises the story of modern leadership more than play book.
Mr. Das asked Ms. Kudva about relevance of the true leader. She replied that a true leader needs to balance micro management and detachment at the same time.
Ms. Kudva also suggested that employees should ask according to their abilities & not worry about the outcomes and focus on their future contribution to the company.
Mr. Das raised the question about tech revolution in a company. Ms. Kudva expressed that for any big company; the leader can bring the idea of transformation for a company. The leader should have the ability to understand the pattern and connect the dots.
Lastly, Ms. Roopa Kudva shared that she has a deep connection with Kolkata and she mentioned in Kolkata she experienced argumentative readers which she appreciates.
Earlier, Ms. Mamta Binani, Chairperson, Council on Legal & Corporate Governance, MCCI in her Welcome Address said that for decades, leadership was associated with authority, control and certainty. Leaders were expected to have all the answers, set the direction and enforce it. Today we are witnessing a paradigm shift in leadership styles. The most effective leaders create cultures where people feel safe to speak up, challenge assumptions and contribute ideas. They replace ‘command and control’ with ‘listen and learn.’
The Session ended with a hearty Vote of Thanks proposed by Ms. Priyanka Chatterjee, Committee Member, MCCI who highlighted the importance of selecting the appropriate leadership style in a changing world.
