Chairman (Mahindra Group), Tech Mahindra Limited
Anand Mahindra's Speech. His journey from Kutta (Coorg )to where he is now
About Anand Mahindra
Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, addressed the impact of artificial intelligence on the IT services industry during a shareholder meeting on July 20, 2026. He stated that AI will not kill the IT services industry but will make it more vital, arguing that while AI is moving to the center of business operations, making it work reliably and securely at enterprise scale is difficult. He said that companies like Tech Mahindra are needed to integrate, govern, and shape AI around each enterprise's context, comparing AI to a smartphone that becomes indispensable through the enabling layer provided by IT services. Mahindra also discussed the concept of "enterprise alpha," which he described as a company's data, workflows, judgment, and domain knowledge. He said that while building sovereign models is important, enterprises will increasingly need the ability to work across models, and that Tech Mahindra's role is to help preserve that alpha through platforms, solutions, and workflows that sit above and around the model.
Transcript (2 segments)
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Host0:00
reality. So let's give a round of applause and thank the honorable minister Shri M.B. And now ladies and gentlemen, it's our honor to welcome onto the podium one of India's most visionary and respected business leaders in fact on social media as well that I follow that he's quite endeared himself to millions of young Indians. Please welcome chairman Mahindra group Sri Anan Mahindra for his address. Put your hands together. Sri Anan Mahindra is here.
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Anand Mahindra0:45
Chief Minister, Honorable Honorable Deputy Chief Minister, Honorable Minister of Industries, Indomitable Mr. Patil, other honorable ministers, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, and of course... I'm truly delighted to be here. Firstly, of course, because it's an honor to be invited at all to speak at this summit. Thank you for that invitation, Mr. Chief Minister. But apart from that there's another very personal reason why I'm delighted to be here because the state of Karnataka is deeply entwined with memories of my childhood because my family is closely connected with Kodagu. My parents many years ago were enchanted by the beauty of Karnataka and they wanted to build a base here where their children could be close to nature. So as a result I spent a lot of time in the late 60s in the village of Kouta near Nagaro where my parents took on the challenge of developing a working coffee plantation from scratch. So let me say that eventually although they came from Punjab and then Mumbai I think at the end of their lives my parents were happiest in Kouta. So I come here today as an investor but first and foremost I'm just a Kodagu boy coming home. Now I learned the basics of growing coffee by simply observing what was going on. And in retrospect, I now realize that those years on the coffee plantation were definitive ones because watching that coffee grow taught me life lessons that have defined my life as an adult and as a business person. So I have a lot to thank Karnataka for. But there are three major lessons that I have carried over from coffee growing into my life. First of all, successful coffee growing requires the bushes to be carefully planted and very deeply rooted. And the same principle applies to business and personal relationships. They also need to be firmly and deeply rooted. Another essential element of coffee growing is that the plants need help to grow. The coffee bushes are nurtured and protected by growing them under the shelter of shade-giving trees. People and businesses too grow best when nurtured and protected by those who can provide the necessary shade and support. And thirdly, growing up at the plantation taught me the virtues of patience. Coffee doesn't give returns overnight. Takes at least 5 years for the first harvest. Five years of toil and care. But it teaches you to have faith. Faith in the future and to believe that your hard work will pay off. The returns are worth the long gestation period whether in life or in business. And in many ways the Mahindra group's relationship with Karnataka mirrors the lessons I learned on that Kodagu coffee plantation. First, our involvement with Karnataka is deeply rooted firmly intertwined. Most of our major businesses including the jewels in our corporate crown like automotive, IT, farm equipment, financial services and hospitality have operations here. Our group employs over 25,000 people directly. Second, our relationship has flourished over the years thanks to the nurturing, to the encouragement and the support provided by the Karnataka government. Policies such as the new industrial policy and the GCC policy showcase this supportive outlook and this approach to business gives us faith in our future here. We have absolutely no hesitation investing in long gestation businesses like renewable energy, aerospace, hospitality and real estate in Karnataka. And so it gives me great pleasure to state right here today that the Mahindra group is planning close to 40,000 crores of investment in Karnataka in the next few years. Let me talk specifics. Karnataka plays a vital role in our renewable energy portfolio. Mahindra Susten, which the CEO is here today, intends to invest 35,000 crores to develop over 5 gigawatts of solar and hybrid projects over the next 5 years generating 6 to 8,000 new jobs. Mahindra Holidays already operates several resorts here and is evaluating further expansion into areas like Gokarna and Hampi. We intend to invest a further 1,000 crores. I am in talks with government officials and I look forward to their support particularly regarding land aggregation. And by the way, Mr. Chief Minister, industry status for tourism and single window clearance would be very, very helpful here indeed. Mahindra Defense Services and Mahindra Aerospace are looking at strategic expansion opportunities in the state with several hundred crores planned. As a key step in our mission to electrify India's last mile industry, Karnataka is the hub for our ambitions to stay the market leader which we are today in the electric three-wheeler space with 60 patent applications, 54 trademarks and 16 design registrations earned.