DharmaCon 2026
Three panels, two keynotes, and an afternoon of mentor roundtables. Here's who's in the room so far.
9:00 - 9:45 AM
Setting the tone for the day: an opening address, then two keynotes - one academic leader, one corporate leader.
Order of Canada
Dr. V.I. Lakshmanan (OC)
Opening Speaker · Scientist and President, SVBF
Dr. V. I. Lakshmanan is an internationally recognized scientist, entrepreneur, and CEO of Process Research ORTECH with over four decades of leadership in sustainable technology. Honoured with the Order of Canada, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, he serves as President of the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation and is Past Chair of the Canada India Foundation.
Keynote: Academic Leader
Announcing soon
Keynote: Corporate Leader
Announcing soon
9:45 - 10:45 AM
Getting into the room is one thing. Being heard once you're there is another. This panel brings together Hindu Canadians who've made it into boardrooms, newsrooms, and executive teams to talk honestly about how they got there, and what they do with the seat now that they have it.
Top 40 Under 40
Reetu Gupta
CEO and Ambassadress, The Gupta Group
Reetu Gupta is the CEO and Ambassadress of The Gupta Group and Easton's Group of Hotels, one of Canada's leading hospitality and real estate organizations, with more than $1 billion in assets under management and over 5 million square feet of mixed-use development. Since stepping into leadership in 2018, she has helped shape Toronto's evolving skyline. She is an investor and owner in Toronto Tempo, Canada's first WNBA franchise, sits on the Board of Directors for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, and serves on the Philanthropy Committee for the Toronto International Film Festival. Twice named one of Canada's Most Powerful Women by WXN and recognized on Canada's Top 40 Under 40, she is also the author of Auspicious (2023) and Whispers of the Soul (2025).
IT Manager of the Year
Kalyan Chakravarthy
VP, ESAFE Product Approval Services · CIO, Electrical Safety Authority
Kalyan "KC" Chakravarthy is a technology executive, entrepreneur, and board leader with more than two decades of experience across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. He currently serves as Vice President of ESAFE Product Approval Services and Chief Information Officer of the Electrical Safety Authority. He was previously Chief Information Officer for the Regional Municipality of Durham and Director of IT at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he was named IT Manager of the Year at the 2011 ComputerWorld IT Leadership Awards. Alongside his corporate career, he has built and invested in several businesses. Kalyan serves on the Board of Governors at Durham College and previously sat on the boards of Grandview Kids and the Literacy Council of York & Simcoe. He believes leadership is defined not by title but by the ability to take calculated risks, learn from setbacks, and create opportunities for others, and is passionate about mentoring the next generation.
More speakers
Announcing soon
10:45 - 11:45 AM
Politics is not a spectator sport, and our community has spent too long watching. Elected officials, staffers, and organizers break down how political power actually gets built in Canada, from riding associations to Parliament Hill, and what it takes for young Hindu Canadians to stop being a demographic and start being a constituency.
Twice-elected MP
Shuvaloy Majumdar
MP, Calgary Heritage · Shadow Minister for Canada–US Relations
Shuvaloy Majumdar is the Member of Parliament for Calgary Heritage and Shadow Minister for Canada–US Relations. He serves on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on International Human Rights. He previously served as foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Foreign Minister John Baird, and from 2006 to 2010 led operations supporting democratic reformers across Iraq and Afghanistan with the International Republican Institute. He was founding Foreign Policy Director and Munk Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. A recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Platinum Jubilee Medals, Shuv is a Patron of Hong Kong Watch and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Twice elected to the House of Commons, he now serves the community he grew up in.
Managing Director, CJPAC
Emile Scheffel
Managing Director, CJPAC
Emile Scheffel is the Managing Director of the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) and brings extensive political experience at all levels of government across Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta. He previously served as executive director of the BC Liberal Party, where he oversaw strategy for a leadership race, two by-elections, and a provincial referendum. Before that, he held communications and issues management roles in the BC Premier's Office and Ministry of Health. In the private sector, Emile has managed provincial community affairs for CN Rail and led communications for a fast-growing Canadian fintech company.
More speakers
Announcing soon
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim leaders sit down for an honest conversation about what our communities share and where we genuinely differ. At a moment when religious identity and freedom feel more contested than they have in years, this panel looks at what real allyship requires, and how to stand with another community while staying rooted in your own.
Hindu Leader
Announcing soon
Jewish Leader
Announcing soon
Muslim Leader
Announcing soon
2:00 - 4:00 PM
Two hours of networking roundtables organized in zones by industry, each hosted by mentors from that field. The 2026 mentor roster is being finalized.
Tables are grouped by industry - find the one that matches where you're headed.
Each zone is hosted by professionals from that field. Ask the questions you can't ask on LinkedIn.
Rotate, meet more people, and walk out with names, not just notes.
Mentor Roster
Announcing soon
Want to host a table?
“कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥”“You have a right to perform your duty, but never to the fruits of your actions. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.”
- Bhagavad Gita
