​MEET THE LEADER - An AGS Initiative

​Prof. Vishal Gupta

​Leadership, ambition & the life we build around them

​Saturday, 14 November 2026 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM IST
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA)

​What does it mean to be ambitious, and how do we build a life around that ambition without losing sight of ourselves?

​Growing up in a world of unprecedented choice, visibility and pressure to perform, we are constantly navigating expectations, comparison and the desire to achieve more. But how often do we pause to ask what we truly want, what success means to us, and what kind of life we are building along the way?

​Join Ahmedabad Global Shapers for a candid, moderated conversation with Prof. Vishal Gupta, Professor in the Organisational Behaviour Area at IIM Ahmedabad. The discussion will explore three interconnected dimensions:

• ​The Self: Understanding our ambitions, navigating comparison and performance pressures, and building a sense of purpose without burning out.

• ​The Organisation: Reflecting on the leaders, teams and communities we want to build, and the role of trust, empathy and accountability in creating environments where people can thrive.

• ​Redefining Success: Looking beyond conventional markers of achievement to consider how ambition can coexist with happiness, wellbeing, personal fulfilment and meaningful impact.

​The conversation aims to go beyond conventional ideas of leadership and success, encouraging participants to reflect on how they lead themselves, influence the people around them and define a life that feels meaningful on their own terms.

​About the Speaker

​Prof. Vishal Gupta is a Professor in the Organisational Behaviour Area at IIM Ahmedabad. His teaching and research span leadership, organisational development, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, motivation, ethics, creativity and innovation. Before joining academia, he worked as a VLSI Design Engineer at STMicroelectronics and was an Assistant Professor at IIM Calcutta.

​About Meet the Leader

​Meet the Leader is an initiative by the Global Shapers Community, brought to Ahmedabad by AGS. It creates opportunities for young people to engage with influential leaders and bring youth perspectives into conversations that shape their communities and cities.