Keynotes

Dr. Vivek Lall is an internationally recognized aerospace and security executive whose work spans unmanned aircraft, advanced sensing, fusion energy, high temperature materials, directed energy, and electromagnetic systems. He is CEO of General Atomics Global Corporation, supporting United States and allied partners on five continents. He has held senior leadership roles at Boeing and Lockheed Martin and has advised the United States government on global aviation policy and strategic technology. Dr. Lall is frequently called on by allied governments, industry, and financial institutions for guidance on defense, energy, and national security. He serves on multiple international advisory boards, and is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution as well as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge. He holds an MS in Aerospace Engineering from Embry Riddle, an MBA, and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University.

Ajit Prabhu is the co-founder and CEO of Quest Global, one of the world's fastest-growing engineering services firms whose purpose is to be the most trusted partner for the world's hardest engineering problems. It is a company recognized for building long-term sustainable partnerships and providing innovative end-to-end solutions for customers in the aerospace and defense, automotive, energy, hi-tech, medical devices, rail and semiconductor industries.

Ajit is a mission-centric entrepreneur dedicated to the premise that culture is as impactful as business strategy, a belief that has driven him to build an organization that will be a force for positive change as a centenary company. He is also a visionary leader firmly rooted in the principles of aspiration, humility, and hunger on which he founded Quest Global, principles that are at the heart of its success and growth from a two-person operation in 1997 to a global market leader employing over 23,000 extraordinary engineers in 20 countries across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

As a lifelong learner, he believes education has the infinite capacity to shape future for the better, so he contributes generously to his alma mater, which has earned him a place of distinction as a member of the Livingston W. Houston Society of Patrons; provides ongoing financial support to adopted government schools in Bangalore and Hubli, India; and has given his personal pledge for the college tuition expenses of 1,000 underprivileged students by 2035.

Over the years, Ajit has been honoured and humbled by the recognition he has received from an assortment of meritorious industry bodies and universities for his achievements. Ajit holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering; an MS in Mechanical Engineering; and an MS in Biomedical Engineering. When he is not engaged in business enterprises or community service activities, Ajit enjoys the serenity of under-water life as an advanced scuba diver and life on land at his home in Singapore.