About the IAPP

Varun Kharbanda is the Global Director and APAC Leader for Responsible AI at HCL Technologies, with more than 24 years of international experience spanning Responsible AI, Risk and Compliance, Business Transformation, Service Improvement, and Operational Excellence. Over the course of his career, he has guided global organizations in building ethical, transparent, and accountable AI ecosystems, helping them balance innovation with governance and security.

At HCL Tech, Varun leads the Responsible AI charter for the Asia–Pacific region, where he partners with clients to design and implement AI governance models, establish ethical guardrails for Generative AI adoption, and integrate Responsible AI principles into enterprise operations. His work bridges technology, compliance, and human oversight, ensuring that AI systems are deployed safely and deliver measurable business value.

Before taking on this role, Varun held senior leadership positions at Nokia, IBM Global Services, Huawei Telecommunications among other companies, leading complex transformation programs and operational-risk initiatives across diverse markets. He has developed deep expertise in aligning AI ethics and data governance with corporate strategy and regulatory expectations.

Varun is a PMP and ITIL V3 Expert, a Six Sigma Black Belt, and holds Program Management certification from The George Washington University. He is also a Google Cloud Digital Leader, an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, and has completed IEEE training in AI Ethics.

Widely recognized for his pragmatic approach to Responsible AI, Varun contributes to thought leadership on AI governance, risk-based oversight, and regulatory preparedness, working to ensure that organizations adopt AI responsibly, sustainably, and with public trust at the center.