Industry Leaders Come Together To Discuss The Future of Publishing At CEO Speak Forum

New Delhi :  13th edition CEOSpeak, the flagship business-to-business (B2B) forum organised on the sidelines of the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) 2026, was held on January 11, 2026 at Hotel Ashok, New Delhi, bringing together leading voices from the Indian and global publishing ecosystem to deliberate on ‘Decoding the Future of Publishing. Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, CEOSpeak continues to serve as a high-level platform for dialogue, collaboration and strategic thinking within the publishing industry. The inaugural session began with an address by Prof. Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman, NBT,  who emphasised CEOSpeak’s role as a policy-focused platform distinct from commercial activities. Highlighting India’s publishing sector, which employs over 1.2 million people and includes more than 9,000 publishers and 21,000 retailers, he discussed the transformative impact of AI, augmented reality, and machine learning on editorial workflows, production, and content dissemination. 
Shri Anandrao V. Patil, IAS, Additional Secretary, PMPY & Digital Education Bureau, Ministry of Education stressed structured dialogue between policymakers and publishers amid rapid technological and market changes. Digital initiatives like the National Digital Library of India, DIKSHA, and e-Pathshala expand access, while technology, including AI, audiobooks, and text-to-speech, supports accessibility without replacing creativity, he said. The event also saw representation from NDWBF’s Guest of Honour Country Qatar and Focus Country Spain. Ms María Gil Burman, Director, Instituto Cervantes, New Delhi, outlined efforts to promote literature internationally, foster cooperation with Indian publishers, and showcase cultural institutions through poetry readings, multilingual panels, Galician literature presentations, and children’s storytelling sessions. 
Ms Asma Al-Kuwari, Director, Nabja Publishing House, Qatar, described Qatar’s publishing sector’s evolution from cultural patronage to a knowledge-driven industry. She highlighted growth in children’s literature, specialised publishers, and challenges such as international distribution, production costs, and limited editorial expertise. Mr José Manuel Anta, Managing Director, Federation of Publishers’ Guild of Spain, presented Spain’s publishing ecosystem, noting 3,000 publishers, 100 distributors, and 4,300 points of sale under a regulated framework. Nearly 60,000 print and 27,000 digital titles are published annually, with growing export and rights sales. Collaboration, reliable data, and balanced regulation were highlighted as essential for resilient publishing ecosystems, offering lessons for India and global stakeholders.
Jesús González, Deputy Director General for the Promotion of Books, Reading and Spanish Letters explained Spain’s public subsidy framework promoting translation into foreign languages, supporting foreign publishers financially while ensuring transparency, cultural value, and professional standards. The inaugural session was conducted by NBT Chief Editor and Joint Director, Shri Kumar Vikram.
Summing up the forum’s discussions, Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT highlighted India’s USD 12 billion publishing industry, with 68% education-led and 45% regional-language focus. With initiatives like the Pune Book Festival, Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, mandatory school reading hours, translation grants, and the “Three Ts” programme (Translate, Transform, Transfer) promoting format diversity, he reinforced India’s publishing as a civilisational act advancing equity, leadership and global knowledge exchange.
In the second session, a panel of industry experts discussed The Future of Publishing in a focused manner. Moderated by Mr Pranav Gupta, Managing Director, Prints Publications Pvt. Ltd., the panel included Mr Takashi Omura, Global Strategic Manager, Poplar Publishing Co. Ltd., Japan, Ms Sigalit Gelfand, CEO, Israeli Institute for Literature, Mr Sukanta Das, Managing Director, Oxford University Press, Mr José Manuel Anta, Managing Director, Federation of Publishers’ Guild of Spain, Ms Geòrgia Picanyol-Bulló, Ms Asma Al-Kuwari, Director, Nabja Publishing, Qatar, Mr Kumar Vikram, Chief Editor & Joint Director, National Book Trust, India. 
The discussion focused on digital transformation, AI integration, evolving readership, translation, and sustainability. The panel discussed growth of digital and subscription-based reading, especially for children and illustrated content, responsible AI adoption respecting copyright and fair remuneration, importance of translation for smaller and regional markets, print-on-demand, reskilling, and cost-efficient workflows for sustainability and strengthened regulatory mechanisms to address digital risks Together, CEOSpeak and NDWBF underscore the vital contribution of the publishing industry to cultural expression, education and economic growth. By facilitating knowledge-sharing, collaboration and forward-looking discussions, CEOSpeak 2026 reaffirmed the central role of publishing in navigating change and shaping the future of reading and learning worldwide.