Armed Forces Speakers in India

Major Devender Pal Singh is a young major who was grievously injured in Kargil during Operation Vijay after which one of his legs was amputated. Today, that same soldier has run 12 half marathons, an accomplishment as miraculous as it is inspirational. He is popularly called as 'Indian Blade Runner’ and is the first amputee marathon runner of India besides holding several laurels including being a Limca record holder. His extraordinary journey from being an Army officer to an amputee marathon runner has given him recognition as a motivational speaker and he has been a source of inspiration to many. He received his senior secondary education from Kendriya Vidyalaya Roorkee. DP Singh’s extraordinary journey from being an Army officer to an amputee marathon runner has given him a recognition as a motivational speaker and he has been a source of inspiration to many.

Lt Gen PG Kamath served in the Madras Regiment (Infantry), Indian Army for four decades and has active experience on all the frontiers of the country, both on the LOC & LAC, High altitude, deserts and in Counter Insurgency warfare. His last appointment was the Commandant of Army War College. He also served as the Defence Adviser to the High Commission of India in Malaysia and Brunei. He is a recipient of ‘The Param Vishist Seva Medal’, ‘Ati Vishist Seva Medal’, ‘Yuddh Seva Medal’ and ‘Sena Medal’ from the President of India. After his retirement from the Army, he served as the ‘Special Rapporteur of the ‘National Human Rights Commission’ for the South Zone from 2015 to 2018. General Kamath is a prolific writer and has read and written extensively on Tibet, China, and other contemporary issues. 

Major Deepak Iyer is India’s most famous Special Forces speaker in the corporate space. He has the rare combination of being a Special Forces officer from the same Unit that did the surgical strikes in 2016, a former McKinsey consultant, an IIM-Ahmedabad and Columbia University trained MBA, a certified Yoga instructor, and an Executive Coach and Leadership Facilitator. His range of experiences and expertise come together to deliver a unique, unmatched perspective to what drives health and world-beating performance within any organization or team or business leader. Major Deepak has been a keynote speaker across dozens of marquee organizations that include names such as Tata Steel, ISRO, IIM-Bangalore, ITC, IBM, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IDBI and Dr Reddy's. He has consistently been rated an Outstanding Speaker because of his ability to fire up enthusiasm, inspire visionary thinking and create drive for performance.

Colonel Rakesh, a seasoned Army veteran with 31 years of distinguished service, specializes in Human Resources, Career Development, Leadership, Training, and Mentoring. Transitioning from a robust military background, his fusion of expertise and Stoic philosophy distinguishes him as an exceptional coach. His leadership roles have seen him positively impact over 1200 mid and senior-level Army Officers. Rakesh's coaching prowess stems from his passion for Stoicism and navigating VUCA environments, offering effective Leadership and Career Coaching services honed by real-world experiences. His unique blend of military proficiency and philosophical insight empowers individuals to excel in today's dynamic business landscape.

An Indian Army veteran with a PhD, motivating lakhs of students across India. An educator with India's biggest online learning platform. Five times TEDx Speaker, often invited to universities and colleges across India. Ability to mentor and coach corporations on Team Building, Ethics and moral values, Leadership challenges, and Cooperation & collaboration. Real-life examples from the battlefield to the boardroom. YouTube channel with the following across the country. Fitness enthusiast and life skills coach with experience from the army life of almost four decades. Follows current issues as they impact the region and world at large—alumni of major think tanks in India and abroad. 

A leader with a vision to bring great difference and excellence to the organization thereby multiplying business/value to achieve greater heights. 22 years of experience in the IT industry through which I bring in strong management background and versatile experience in Agile Coaching. Software Project Management, Support, Operations management, customer management, process management, people management, and vendor/partner management. He is the first professional to have completed the SPCT program and was certified by Scaled Agile in Asia. SPCT, SPC 4.0, SA, PMI-ACP, CSP, CSM, and PSM-I certified Agile Coach He has conducted SAFe Agilist certification training globally for more than 1200 professionals in the last 15 months with a pass rate of 99%. Received the AGILE PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2015 IN IT PRODUCTS” category organized by UNICOM. Currently working as an Enterprise Agile Coach and transforming Philips Inc into SAFe

Leadership management specialised in hierarchical leadership. Dealing with peer-subordinate-senior behavioral aspects. Coaching young professionals and aspirants towards understanding their impulses and reaction during stressful situations at work and in social encounters. Expert on the mechanisms of the personality and the thoughts, feelings, and emotions involved in encounters in social and professional environments. Understanding of bringing out the best potential through seamless self-discipline and meticulous awareness towards one's original desires and goals. Goal-oriented approach in teaching the unconscious patterns of behavior and how to consciously reform the focus and attention towards one reality thereby bringing out the most refined performance in life.

Nimrata Kapoor, is a dynamic HR Leader with extensive leadership experience across industries - banking, IT, manufacturing, refinery, in diverse APAC locations. She brings a sharp focus on strategy and business, and partners with business owners to transform their people and business outcomes, define processes and improve capabilities for scaling up, build and embed strong performance and innovation cultures and hire for strategic positions.

Captain Akhilesh Saxena, a Kargil war veteran, led three crucial and offensive attacks; Tololing, Hump and Three Pimples in Kargil war. He is now Vice President with Tata Communications. As a motivational speaker, he has delivered keynote sessions on leadership and inspired various top multinational companies like CII, SAP India, Tata Motors, Kirloskar, Indian oil, L&T, SKF, JP Morgan, Mahindra Finance and many others. He is a regular speaker on media channels like Times Now, Zee, NDTV, Rajya Sabha, India TV, National DD. He was recognised during Republic Day Parade on Rajpath.

General Management Professional with rich experience of creation, development and growth of businesses while helping external & internal customers gain greater value through solutions and effective performance driven implementation. MBA from FMS, Delhi and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering; both Tier 1 Institutions in India.

Lieutenant General Deependra Singh Hooda (Retd) is a highly respected former Indian Army officer with a distinguished forty-year career. He served as the Northern Army Commander and played a pivotal role during key military operations, including the Chumar and Demchok standoff with China in 2014 and the surgical strikes against Pakistan in 2016. Throughout his tenure, he commanded critical formations along India’s borders with China and Pakistan, including in Jammu and Kashmir. Renowned for his strategic acumen and calm leadership under pressure, General Hooda now shares his experience as a keynote speaker. He speaks widely on resilience, leadership, teamwork, and operational excellence—drawing powerful parallels between military and organizational challenges. His insights inspire audiences to stay mission-focused, lead with clarity, and foster unity in high-stakes environments.

I am an advocate. I am a practicing lawyer and legal consultant with a national and international network. I am good at civil, criminal, corporate, and other fields of law.

The expert is a senior management professional at Reliance Global Corporate Security. He is responsible for strategic research and analysis on geopolitics, de-risking, cyber security, intelligence, and surveillance as well as bespoke research on emerging issues/personalities/businesses/events, etc. He is also involved in social media engagement, learning and development, talent management, big data analytics projects, and change management. He also leads projects related to crowd-sourcing, social outreach, and predictive intelligence. He has a strong track record of building high-energy teams and possesses over 14 years of total professional experience, including 10+ years as a fighter pilot, involved in security strategy, operations, research, training, and leadership development. Aside from professional aptitude, he possesses appropriate academic exposure, having earned top grades in the MA (International Relations) program at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, excelling in Macroeconomics, International Finance, International Business, and Economic Law, and International Trade.

Commissioned in the 7th Light Cavalry, Lt Gen Shivane retired as DG Mechanized Forces. He was thereafter engaged as Consultant with MoD/OFB and authored two books on national security. He is a TEDx speaker and holds COAS Chair of Excellence 2021-2022 at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. Gen Shivane has been General Officer Commanding of an elite Strike Corps and commanded 50 Armoured regiment during Operation Vijay and Operation Parakram, an independent armoured brigade and the elite Armoured Division. He has also served in counter insurgency operations in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir and has been on a UN assignment.Specialist in leadership, motivation talks, geostrategy, geo politics, national security, terrorism, space, military technology, and defense procurement. He is a renowned speaker on leadership, counter-terrorism, motivational talks, geostrategy, geopolitics, national security, space capability building, defence capability building and 'Make in India', military technology and international relations.

Lt. Cdr. Sadhana Giri is a veteran Air Traffic Control Officer with 17 years of distinguished service, specializing in combat aviation dynamics. She has led cross-functional teams, championed learning initiatives, and is adept at strategic planning and integrating advanced training technologies. A certified leadership and life coach, Sadhana is widely recognized for her ability to inspire transformation across individual and organizational levels. Beyond her military career, she is a respected social influencer, Fit India Ambassador, and winner of multiple Mrs. India titles. She has broken societal norms and earned prestigious honors, including the Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Rashtriya Shiksha Ratan Samman 2021 and Star India's Super Woman Award 2021 for her contributions to coaching. Through impactful corporate training sessions, she focuses on team building, change management, and diversity and inclusion, consistently driving personal effectiveness, synergy, and growth in dynamic environments.

Major Madhan Kumar is a versatile professional with a rich background in defense, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship. A native of Tamil Nadu, he began his career in the Indian Army after clearing the CDS and SSB in his first attempt, graduating from the Officers Training Academy, Chennai. From 2003 to 2009, he served with distinction before pursuing management studies at XLRI Jamshedpur.

Post-military, he led supply chain operations for top FMCG multinationals, gaining deep expertise in operational excellence, leadership, and strategic execution. In 2018, he transitioned into entrepreneurship and thought leadership.

Today, Major Madhan is a respected motivational speaker, life coach, geopolitical analyst, and volunteer for social causes. He brings a rare blend of battlefield discipline, business acumen, and human insight to his engagements—empowering individuals and organizations to navigate change with clarity, courage, and purpose.

Major General (Dr.) Bipin Bakshi, AVSM, VSM (Retd) is a decorated Indian Army veteran and leading authority on cyberwarfare, information operations, and national security. A scholar-warrior, he earned the Sword of Honour at the Indian Military Academy and completed his PhD on Information Warfare and its Impact on National Security. He commanded key formations on the Northern and Western borders and led the Information Warfare division at Northern Command, J&K, where he played a critical role in countering hybrid threats and influence operations.

As Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Defence’s think tank MP-IDSA, he contributed to strategic policy on cyber and information warfare. Currently a Distinguished Fellow at CLAWS and a PhD guide at MAHE, he regularly speaks at premier defence institutions and TEDx platforms on cyber defence, psychological operations, and leadership in digital conflict.

General Ved Prakash Malik, the 19th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, is a decorated military leader honored with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Param Vishisht Seva Medal. He notably led the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil War (Operation Vijay), successfully repelling Pakistani intrusions in the Kargil-Siachen sector. As Army Chief, he commanded over a million troops and advised the Indian government on key security matters, including counter-terror operations in Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast, and border management with China and Pakistan. Post-retirement, he served on the National Security Advisory Board and was appointed by Hewitt Associates and Fortune Magazine to a panel ranking Asia Pacific’s top leadership companies. A respected author, he has written Kargil: From Surprise to Victory and India’s Military Conflicts and Diplomacy, offering deep insights into India’s defense and strategic affairs.

Dr. Aseem Sharma is a retired officer of the Indian Air Force, a columnist for the New Delhi Times, and a blogger for Casual Writers and Travelista. He is also the brains behind Nomadic Gastronomy, a multi-platform social media handle, which pertains to travel, food, and photography. In his 'spare' time, he is a full-time dermatologist, an assistant professor of dermatology at a government medical college, and runs a limited practice in Mumbai. He travels the globe to fulfill his speaking commitments and is a prolific writer.

A seasoned professional - Strategic design and application of Corporate Security, Business Continuity Management Systems, Supply Chain Security, Brand Protection programs for large MNC's. Developing & embedding resilience culture across the organization through focused & effective Communication, engaging Stakeholders, Standards, SOPs & Training. Managing high-stake intelligence & investigations programs in compliance with global/ local laws. Demonstrated strength in management and mitigation of IR issues impacting large-scale operations.

Major General (Retd) Sunil Kumar was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery in June 1981 and retired in April 2017 after a distinguished career spanning 36 years in the Army. In a highly diverse and variegated profile during his service career, he has seen operational action in trouble-torn Kashmir Valley during the years 1993-1995 when insurgency was at its peak. He successfully commanded a BOFORS Artillery Regiment as a Commanding Officer during OP VIJAY at Kargil in 1999 culminating in the famous victories at Tiger Hill and Tololing.

Col. Vineet Dev is a seasoned professional with 39 years of experience, including over 27 years in the Indian Army. Currently, he specializes in HR, focusing on Domestic and International Operations and transforming HR into a strategic partner. His expertise spans Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), stakeholder relations, and motivational speaking. He also mentors individuals transitioning from military to corporate roles.

Recognized with the Sena Medal for valor in Siachen and Srinagar and a Commendation Certificate for exemplary service at Army Headquarters, Col. Vineet has further honed his expertise through senior leadership programs at IIM.

At Newgen, he spearheaded initiatives that expanded the workforce from 700 to 3,500 employees, achieved significant revenue growth, and introduced innovative talent management practices. A strategic planner with strong business acumen, he is passionate about fostering collaboration, driving employee development, and enhancing organizational value for sustainable growth.