Dehradun, 6 November 2025: Today, Aspire Circle convened its invitation-only Aspire Retreat & Conclave (ARC 2025) at UPES Dehradun, bringing together Aspire Circle Fellows, Scholars, Community Leaders, Members and Speakers.
ARC (Aspire Retreat & Convocation) is the flagship biennial event of Aspire Circle, India’s leading platform for purpose-driven leadership and social impact. In collaboration with UPES University, ARC ’25 will convene over 100 fellows, changemakers, and thought leaders for three days of immersive dialogues, reflective readings, leadership panels, and cultural performances — all aimed at advancing the spirit of ‘enlightened social leadership.’ The retreat will also mark the Convocation of Aspire Fellows, celebrating their year-long journey of Socratic learning and impact-oriented collaboration.
Day one centred on quiet reflection and purposeful exchange. An Opening Plenary with micro keynotes introduced the seeker’s dilemma—when to wait and when to act—followed by a panel discussion that explored patience and urgency in leadership, enterprise, and social impact.
“Hosting ARC 2025 at UPES has been a privilege. It resonates deeply with our academic mission and the realities of nation-building. Over these three days, we have seen how reflective scholarship and rigorous debate can coexist with decisive action. As a university, we are committed to nurturing leaders who know when to pause, listen and learn—and when to step forward with courage and clarity,” says Dr Ram Sharma, Vice Chancellor, UPES.
Tailored for Fellows, Scholars and Community Leaders who translate ideas into action, the event will foreground disciplined decision-making under uncertainty. Micro keynotes, panel discussions and debates will bring insights for leaders across enterprise, policy and civil society.
For more information, please visit: www.upes.ac.in.
About UPES:
Established through the UPES Act, 2003, of the State Legislature of Uttarakhand, UPES is a top-ranked, UGC-recognised, private university. As per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, UPES has been ranked 45 among universities, with a rank of 18 in Law, 36 in Management, and a rank of 43 in Engineering. As per the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, UPES now stands in the 501-600 band globally and 5th in India, improving from 7th in 2025. Notably, in Research Quality, UPES climbed 57 positions in just one year to be ranked 299 globally. In addition to this, the university has been ranked the No.1 private university in academic reputation in India by the QS World University Rankings 2025. It is among the top 2% of universities in the world.
UPES has also been accredited by NAAC with a grade ‘A’ and has received 5 stars on Employability (placements) by globally acclaimed QS Rating. The university has had 100% placements over the last five years. 50+ faculty members from UPES feature among the world’s top 2% researchers as per Stanford University list.
UPES offers graduate and postgraduate programs through its seven schools: School of Advanced Engineering, School of Computer Science, School of Design, School of Law, School of Business, School of Health Sciences & Technology, and School of Liberal Studies and Media. The UPES family includes 19100+ students, 1,500+ faculty and staff members and a thriving community of 38000+ alumni.
About Aspire Circle:
Founded in 2007, Aspire Circle has become one of India’s foremost institutions for building social impact leadership. Through its Aspire Fellowships, Scholarships, and Impact Future Project, Aspire Circle has nurtured over 300 impact and non-profit leaders across 13 cohorts, catalyzing India’s ESG and sustainability movement. Website: www.aspirecircle.org
