IMPACT 2025 by ISH Explores Empathy, Culture, and the Future of Leadership

November 4^th, 2025: The Indian School of Hospitality (ISH) hosted the third edition of its annual business conclave, IMPACT 2025, bringing together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and academics to explore how empathy and culture influence leadership, performance, and learning in a fast-changing world.

Built around the theme Culture 360°, the conclave examined how trust, identity, and human connection shape decision-making, motivation, and collaboration across workplaces.

“Culture is empathy in action,” said Kunal Vasudeva, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ISH. “It is invisible but lives in every interaction. When empathy fades, culture weakens. True culture begins at the top and must be nurtured across every layer of an organization.”

Two flagship panel discussions anchored the day’s dialogue.

Culture as Currency: Redefining Organizational Values for a Changing Workforce featured Sanjay Bose, Executive Vice President and Head of HR at ITC Hotels, and Satish Kumar, Senior Director – People and Culture at Accor India and South Asia.

The Future Workplace: Culture in the Age of AI, Hybrid Work, and Gen Z featured Yuvaraj Srivastava, Group CHRO at MakeMyTrip, and Amaresh Singh, Head HR – APAC at GE Vernova Power Transmission, with Kunal Vasudeva as moderator.

Beyond discussion, IMPACT 2025 reinforces ISH’s purpose of building a living bridge between academia and industry. Insights shared on stage evolve into primary research, faculty studies, and classroom projects that influence how hospitality and service education adapt to new realities. The loop continues when findings return to industry as frameworks, case studies, and leadership practices.

The conclave also showcased ISH’s creative energy through its four signature experiences:

Frames of Culture: student-produced short films and documentaries on cultural narratives.

HRmageddon: a strategy challenge celebrating people leadership.

The Cultural Palette: an art-meets-identity showcase through design and expression.

The Impact Edit: a runway presentation merging tradition and modern identity.

The day closed with pride and reflection as Semester 7 students marked the completion of their final project journey, signifying the spirit of empathy, collaboration, and purpose that IMPACT represents.

IMPACT 2025 reaffirmed ISH’s belief that empathy builds culture and culture sustains leadership. A cycle that keeps learning, research, and industry in motion together.

About Indian School of Hospitality (ISH)

Indian School of Hospitality (ISH) stands as the reference point for the business of hospitality and culinary education in India. Built by the industry for the industry, ISH integrates the discipline of liberal hospitality with an interdisciplinary approach that prepares students for leadership across hospitality, culinary arts, and the wider service economy.

Based in Gurugram (Delhi NCR), ISH is part of Sommet Education’s global network, with 18 campuses across eight countries. Its hospitality management programs are offered in alliance with Les Roches, one of the world’s top hospitality schools. Its culinary programs are offered through École Ducasse India, the official India campus of the globally renowned École Ducasse network.

ISH represents a way of life anchored in excellence, respect, shared ambition, and a global approach to higher education. Every experience is designed to shape a generation of conscious professionals who live with empathy, learn with curiosity, and lead with intent.

For more information, please visit our website at https://www.ish.edu.in/