GPACTS summit to focus on AI & compliance in Hyderabad
Wed, 26th Aug 2026 (Today)
GPACTS will hold its flagship Global Pharma AI, Compliance & Technology Summit in Hyderabad, where it expects to bring together 350 to 400 senior pharmaceutical executives.
The meeting focuses on the use of artificial intelligence, digital systems and compliance in regulated drug manufacturing. The programme will examine where technology strategy intersects with manufacturing, quality, data protection and cybersecurity requirements.
The event comes as pharmaceutical companies increase spending on artificial intelligence, connected manufacturing and data-led operations while facing closer scrutiny over validation, data integrity and security. The Hyderabad agenda is set to cover AI governance in validated environments, digital batch processes, manufacturing execution systems, laboratory software, connected quality systems and digital twins.
Unlike broader technology gatherings, the summit is designed around regulated pharmaceutical operations. That approach is intended to bring business and technology leaders into direct discussion with the manufacturing, quality and compliance teams responsible for implementation.
Honeywell is backing the Hyderabad edition, with support from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Rockwell Automation and Nividous Software. Those groups are involved in topics including connected operations, automation, manufacturing intelligence, laboratory systems and quality systems.
Confirmed speakers include Dr Ajaz Hussain, former FDA Director; Ramanarayana Parhi, Vice President and CIO, Alkem Labouratories; Rajesh T, Digital Transformation Head, Dr. Reddy's Labouratories; AVPS Chakravarty, Chairman, FOPE; Dr Sridhar Reddy, Honorary Secretary, IPA; Sarvesh Singh, CEO, Telangana Life Sciences; Dr Deepa Pangaonkar, Vice President - Quality IT, Wockhardt; Karthick Raja, CIO, Granules India; and Praveen Kumar Baheti, Vice President - IT, Biological E.
The organisers are positioning Hyderabad as the largest edition of the summit so far. Earlier editions in Mumbai and Ahmedabad this year drew 228 delegates and 32 speakers, with more than 80 per cent of attendees coming from pharmaceutical end-user organisations.
They added that 40 to 50 per cent of participants at those earlier meetings were from C-suite or senior leadership roles. That attendance profile suggests growing interest in digital and compliance issues among decision-makers, not just operational teams.
Implementation focus
The Ahmedabad edition included a live ransomware tabletop simulation based on a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. That exercise combined technology, security and operational concerns in a single scenario and reflected the summit's emphasis on practical implementation.
That format is due to continue in Hyderabad through practitioner-led sessions and cross-functional discussion. The target audience includes senior professionals in pharmaceutical manufacturing, IT, digital transformation, quality, compliance, data, automation and cybersecurity, as well as selected technology and advisory groups working with regulated life sciences businesses.
Shipra Singh outlined the thinking behind the event. "Pharma's AI and digital-transformation agenda can no longer be separated from manufacturing, quality and compliance. GPACTS is being built as the platform where the leaders responsible for these decisions can confront the operational and regulatory realities together-and move the conversation from ambition to accountable implementation," said Shipra Singh, Director, GPACTS.
That message is gaining traction as drugmakers weigh the commercial promise of automation and AI against strict regulatory expectations. In practice, any push to modernise production or quality systems must also satisfy established controls around validation, record-keeping and system integrity.
The tension has become more visible as companies adopt software across factory operations, laboratory workflows and quality management. Cybersecurity has also moved higher up the agenda, especially where manufacturing systems and enterprise networks are more closely linked.
Ravindra Warang said previous editions showed the market wanted detailed operational discussion rather than broad themes alone. "The response in Mumbai and Ahmedabad confirmed that pharma leaders want more than broad transformation narratives. They want implementation insight, peer experience and honest discussion of risk. Hyderabad takes that model to its flagship scale by bringing AI, compliance, cybersecurity and manufacturing systems into one decision-making forum," said Warang.