CII and NUS-ISS Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance AI Governance and Digital Leadership in India

 The collaboration aims to strengthen digital leadership and responsible AI capabilities among Indian enterprises.

NEW DELHI and SINGAPORE, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Confederation of Indian Industry and NUS-ISS of the National University of Singapore (NUS) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly advance digital leadership and governance capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) among Indian enterprises through an exclusive executive certification programme. The MOU was exchanged at the CII Annual Business Summit in the presence of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N Chandra Babu Naidu; HE Mr Simon Wong, High Commissioner of Singapore to India; Mr Rajiv Memani, President, CII and Dr Suchitra Ella, Vice-President, CII.

The partnership aims to strengthen India's digital transformation ecosystem by equipping enterprises with strategic understanding and practical insights into AI, digital governance, cybersecurity, innovation leadership, and emerging technologies.

As part of this collaboration, CII and NUS-ISS will jointly deliver the "Leadership Programme on Artificial Intelligence and Governance", an exclusive capacity-building certification programme designed for board members, CXOs (Chief Executive Officers), industry leaders, and senior decision-makers navigating the evolving global technology landscape.

The programme builds on the success of three pilot editions conducted at NUS-ISS in Singapore in November 2024, May 2025, and November 2025. Under the new agreement, both organisations will formalise and expand the initiative with half-yearly programme runs planned for 2026, 2027, and 2028. To date more than 65 Indian industry executives have been trained under this initiative. 

Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director-General, CII, said:

"India's growth journey will increasingly be shaped by how effectively industry leaders embrace digital transformation and AI-led innovation. CII's collaboration with NUS-ISS is an important step towards building leadership capacity in emerging technologies and governance frameworks. More than 65 Indian industry executives have been trained through this initiative. Our aim is to train more than 100 industry executives by the end of 2026. This initiative also complements the 'Digitalisation' and 'Skilling' pillars under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Singapore." 

Mr Khoong Chan Meng, CEO, NUS-ISS, added: "This partnership with CII reflects our shared commitment to building future-ready leadership capabilities for the industry. As AI rapidly reshapes businesses and economies, leaders must understand both the opportunities and governance implications of AI adoption. Through the Leadership Programme on Artificial Intelligence and Governance, NUS-ISS looks forward to supporting Indian enterprises in developing strategic digital leadership competencies and fostering responsible innovation."

The Global Leadership Centre of CII, based in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, will anchor joint programmes on leadership and digitalisation with NUS-ISS under the MoU.

The partnership will also explore broader areas of collaboration in digital upskilling, including executive education programmes, specialised training for industry professionals, and enhanced knowledge exchange initiatives between India and Singapore.

About Confederation of Indian Industry

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation, representing over 9,700 direct members from the private and public sectors, including SMEs and multinational corporations, and an indirect membership of over 365,000 enterprises through sectoral industry bodies.

About National University of Singapore (NUS)

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore's flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 15 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established more than 20 NUS Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs around the world.

Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.

For more information on NUS, please visit nus.edu.sg.

About NUS-ISS

Established in 1981, NUS-ISS nurtures digital talent for the industry through graduate education, executive education programmes, consultancy, applied research, and career services. NUS-ISS guides individuals and organisations to bridge future opportunities through a unique portfolio of multiple learning pathways such as blended learning and stackable programmes, leading the way in shaping the next curve of digital excellence. It offers a wide spectrum of programmes in critical industry disciplines, such as digital leadership, software development, data science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, product management, smart health and digital innovation.

To date, over 210,000 digital leaders and professionals from across 9,422 corporate client organisations, and 8,854 graduate programmes alumni have benefitted from NUS-ISS' suite of services. Its programmes are delivered by NUS-ISS staff with an average of more than 20 years of industry experience and supported by a strong network of partners. NUS-ISS also works with industry partners and associations locally and globally to co-create a digital learning ecosystem that inspires and shapes solutions for the digital economy.

For more information on NUS-ISS, please visit www.iss.nus.edu.sg

SOURCE NUS-ISS