THE C OVER STORY WORLD EXCLUSIVE FEATURE
THE NEXT 100 INNOVATORS REDEFINING GLOBAL TECH

In a world obsessed with AI giants and Silicon Valley hype, Yugandhara Lad, the Asian Powerleader award winner and founder of Virtualyyst, is building a different future—one defined not by technological dominance, but by human-centric empowerment. Her journey from solopreneur to international tech CEO is a masterclass in resilient, compassionate leadership.

If the defining narrative of the last decade in tech was one of disruption—of breaking systems and moving fast—the next chapter is being written by architects. These are the builders who provide the foundations, the tools, and the blueprints for others to create. They are less concerned with building a single, dazzling skyscraper and more with designing the city around it, ensuring it is accessible, sustainable, and alive with possibility.

Yugandhara Lad Virtualyyst

Yugandhara Lad, the Founder and CEO of Virtualyyst and recent recipient of the prestigious Asian Powerleader Award in AI, is precisely this kind of architect. From her remote-first headquarters, which is less a place and more a dynamic network of talent spanning India and the Gulf, Lad is operationalizing a radical vision: to make immersive technology—the bedrock of the metaverse and Web3—profoundly human and universally accessible.

“Our vision has always been clear—to make tech more human and accessible across industries and borders,” Lad states, her strategic clarity cutting through the industry’s buzzword-laden fog. This isn’t a vague mission statement. It’s the operational blueprint for Virtualyyst, a company that began as a solopreneur’s venture and has grown into a thriving enterprise with over 100 client partnerships and consistent revenue growth, now poised to launch an AI Virtual Try-On platform and expand into the UAE, US, and Australian markets.

But Lad’s story, and her leadership, defy the typical tech-founder arc. This is not a tale of gargantuan venture capital funding or a relentless “growth-at-all-costs” mentality. It is a story of grit, adaptability, and a deeply held belief that the true power of technology lies in its ability to uplift, include, and solve real human problems.

The Resilient Pivot: Leadership in Uncertainty

The past 24 months have been a litmus test for tech leaders worldwide, and Lad’s mettle was tested in the crucible of market uncertainty. “During a period of client budget cuts and market uncertainty, we had to rework our product strategies and shift toward more modular, scalable solutions,” she recounts. Where others might have battened down the hatches, Lad leaned into adaptability.

Her leadership enabled a masterful pivot: streamlining operations, expanding global outreach, and strategically engaging new markets in the Gulf. The result wasn’t a miraculous overnight success, but something more sustainable: steady growth fueled by diversified project pipelines and a relentless focus on “tech offerings that solve real-world business needs.” This resilience, executed without fanfare but with immense strategic precision, is a hallmark of her quiet yet potent influence.

Innovation as an Ethos, Not a Patent

Ask Lad about patents and proprietary technology, and she will tell you that for Virtualyyst, innovation is a cultural ethos, not a legal portfolio. “We may not have patents, but innovation is at the heart of how we operate,” she says. This manifests in the development of cutting-edge tools like their AI-powered Virtual Try-On system, but more importantly, in a company culture of “shared ownership.”

At Virtualyyst, innovation is democratized. Interns and junior team members are encouraged to contribute ideas and lead mini-projects. Lad has built an environment where the next groundbreaking idea can come from anywhere, fostering a mindset where looking forward is everyone’s responsibility. This flattens hierarchy and accelerates creativity, making the company itself a prototype of the accessible future it aims to build.

Bridging Worlds: The Cross-Cultural Compass

A key to Lad’s success, and a core reason for her Asian Powerleader recognition, is her exceptional cross-cultural competence. Virtualyyst operates at the nexus of India’s tech dynamism and the Gulf’s ambitious digital transformation agendas. Lad understands that this requires more than just translating a product; it requires cultural translation.

“Operating between India and the Gulf requires more than product adaptation—it demands cultural sensitivity and clear communication,” she notes. Her leadership model prioritizes localized content, flexible engagement models, and a profound respect for regional norms—from adjusting project pacing during Ramadan to tailoring user experience for Arabic-speaking audiences. Her team, hailing from diverse backgrounds, is a living embodiment of this strategy, ensuring that the company’s output reflects thoughtful integration rather than a tone-deaf, one-size-fits-all approach.

The Sustainable, Empathetic Core

In an industry just beginning to grapple with its social and environmental responsibilities, Lad’s leadership is already deeply aligned with ESG principles. For her, sustainability is holistic. Virtualyyst’s fully remote model is a strategic choice that reduces its carbon footprint while championing a revolutionary form of social equity.

It enables a “diverse talent pool, including working mothers, second-career professionals, and students,” Lad explains. This is not a peripheral HR policy; it is central to her business model and moral compass. The company’s “AI for Good” initiatives, like a pro-bono prototype for American Sign Language learning developed with a nonprofit, further cement a legacy of tech empathy over tech exploitation.

Cultivating Legacy: The Leader Who Lifts Others

Perhaps the most powerful dimension of Yugandhara Lad’s story is her origin and her intent. She is a single mother who started her company with “determination and grit” and no financial backing. This personal history directly informs her leadership philosophy and her vision for her legacy.

“My hope is that my journey shows others—especially women—that you don’t need a perfect start to build something meaningful,” she says. At Virtualyyst, this translates into an empowering framework for talent: open access to upskilling, transparent feedback, and a focus on personal growth that has seen interns evolve into project leads and employees supported through personal breaks.

Her brand equity, boasting client retention rates over 85%, is built on this very foundation of “consistency, clarity, and care.” In a world of transactional business, Lad deals in trust.

Yugandhara Lad is not just building a company; she is cultivating an ecosystem. She is an architect who provides the tools for others to build, a leader who measures success by the opportunities she creates, and a visionary who sees technology not as an end in itself, but as a means to a more inclusive, accessible, and human future. Her appearance on this cover is a testament to a new model of power in the tech world—one that is quiet, resilient, empathetic, and undoubtedly powerful.

The seven-year extended partnership will modernize Virgin Atlantic’s core systems with AI-driven intelligence to power personalized, connected, sustainable experiences for the skies

(L-R) Amit Kapur, Country Head – UK & Ireland, TCS; Shai Weiss, CEO – Virgin Atlantic Signing the Partnership Document

Leverage Gen AI and agentic AI to deliver new fan experiences including enhanced and personalized match analysis and creative content

Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, in partnership with the French Tennis Federation (FFT) today announced a powerful line-up of AI-first fan experiences for Roland-Garros 2025. Entering its seventh year as the official AI and Digital Innovation Partner, Infosys is leveraging its AI-first suite of offerings, Infosys Topaz, to apply agentic AI and generative AI to deliver immersive and interactive fan experiences that push the boundaries in sports technology.

The innovations for 2025 include:

• AI Commentary: This feature allows fans to truly experience the various highs and lows of the matches. By capturing every thrilling twist and turn, it delivers commentary that brings alive each moment. With player-specific point-of-views, point-by-point or game-level highlights, AI Commentary ensures a viewing experience that is both personal and engaging. The feature leverages out-of-the-box large language models (LLMs) to combine real-time analytics with agentic AI built on multi-agent orchestration.
• AI Stadium: Using advanced text-to-image generation to expand on the virtual reality fan zone concept, AI Stadium empowers fans to imagine their own 3D tennis arenas. With voice prompting, fans can create a range of environments from futuristic to nature-inspired in seconds, enabling rapid image generation optimised for VR spatial immersion. This gamified feature brings fans one step closer to their personalized tennis universe, redefining how the sport is experienced.
• Generative AI Poster Challenge: New for this year, video generation elevates an experience to a new creative dimension. Using prompts like iconic French landmarks, art styles, and tennis motifs, fans can now generate short, AI-created videos. At the Infosys Fanzone in RG this year, fans can take it a step further by stepping into an immersive LED cube to experience their personalised posters come to life. Developed with responsible AI principles, this feature ensures safe, ethical exploration of generative AI possibilities and rewards winners with tickets and vouchers for Roland-Garros.

The AI innovations at Roland-Garros build on a journey of AI advancements by Infosys, incorporating machine learning and applied AI into properties like Match Centre, AI Videos & AI-Assisted Journalism. These continue to evolve with expanded feature sets to enhance player performance, fan engagement and tournament experiences.

Beyond tech innovations, Infosys is also collaborating with Fête le Mur (FLM), a charity partner of FFT, to support tech-enabled learning initiatives for underprivileged youth in Paris. As part of this, FLM will help develop tennis-related learning modules on Infosys Springboard, a digital learning platform which enables upskilling for digital inclusion and social impact. Courses will range from leadership and training to safeguarding for tennis camps and additional sports. A group of 60 students will be offered the chance to visit Roland-Garros and take part in AI and technology workshops led by Infosys experts. Additionally, the winner of a competition to identify the biggest Rafa fan will receive an exclusive two-day experience at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain.

Sumit Virmani, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Infosys said, “Sports has been witnessing a tech-fuelled transformation and at Infosys we are excited to be leading the charge for tennis! Every year we create unique experiences for the Roland-Garros community on the back of our deep tech expertise. As enterprise AI reshapes industries globally, we are thrilled to deploy its power at the tournament. With AI-powered insights, and personalized and engaging commentary, fans gain instant access to rich information and in-depth analysis, while the Gen AI Poster Challenge unlocks limitless creative expression. This is a truly exciting time for tennis fans as they experience the thrill of the sports with action on court and beyond.”

Stephane Morel, CEO, FFT, said: “Our partnership with Infosys is transforming the fan experience at Roland-Garros through AI. With the tech innovations for this year, Infosys has once again demonstrated how AI can help to push the boundaries of fan engagement. From exploring match insights in innovative ways using generative AI to celebrating our heritage with the Poster Challenge, we’re creating deeper connections with our fans at every touchpoint, both onsite and worldwide.”

The Roland-Garros 2025 tournament will take place from 25th May to 8th June. For more information on the partnership, visit https://www.infosys.com/roland-garros.html.

About Roland-Garros

Roland-Garros is a must-see event for sports lovers and the general public alike. In 2024, Roland-Garros opened its doors to 675,080 spectators and was broadcast in 220 territories around the world, making it a major global sporting event. Organized by the French Tennis Federation, Roland-Garros is the only Grand Slam tournament to be played on clay, one of the oldest and noblest surfaces in the history of tennis.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Over 300,000 of our people work to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses and communities. We enable clients in more than 56 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer clients, as they navigate their digital transformation powered by cloud and AI. We enable them with an AI-first core, empower the business with agile digital at scale and drive continuous improvement with always-on learning through the transfer of digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. We are deeply committed to being a well-governed, environmentally sustainable organization where diverse talent thrives in an inclusive workplace.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, or our future financial or operating performance, are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the ‘safe harbor’ under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding the execution of our business strategy, increased competition for talent, our ability to attract and retain personnel, increase in wages, investments to reskill our employees, our ability to effectively implement a hybrid work model, economic uncertainties and geo-political situations, technological disruptions and innovations such as Generative AI, the complex and evolving regulatory landscape including immigration regulation changes, our ESG vision, our capital allocation policy and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, liquidity, capital resources, our corporate actions including acquisitions, and cybersecurity matters. Important factors that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in more detail in our US Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.