Building Palates for

Vikrant Batra is the Co-Founder of Café Delhi Heights and a seasoned entrepreneur who has spent more than three decades in the hospitality and food-service industry. He comes from the Batra family’s established catering and banqueting business, where he gained hands-on experience in food, operations, people management and large-scale hospitality.
A graduate of Hindu College, University of Delhi, Batra also completed a Restaurant Management course from the University of California and an MBA from FORE School of Management. He began his entrepreneurial journey with Delhi Heights in 2009 before launching Café Delhi Heights in 2011 with his brother Sharad Batra.
Batra’s vision was to create an all-day, three-generational café where families and friends could enjoy diverse cuisines in a relaxed, informal environment. This differentiated positioning helped Café Delhi Heights establish a strong presence in India’s casual-dining landscape. From its first outlet at Cross Point Mall, Gurugram, the brand has grown into a pan-India chain with 50+ outlets across 17 cities, according to Batra’s recent updates.
Beyond Café Delhi Heights, Batra has been involved in concepts including Dhansoo Café, Juicy Lucy Burgers and Bakehouse Comfort, reflecting his focus on creating differentiated formats within the food-service sector.
Known for his hands-on approach and emphasis on consistency, Batra continues to focus on scaling Café Delhi Heights while retaining its core proposition of comfort food, warmth, accessibility and a sense of belonging.

Dr. Rupali Ambegaonkar is the Founder & CEO of Tea Culture of the World (TCW), a premium tea brand established in 2010 with a vision to bring exquisite, globally sourced teas and innovative blends to Indian consumers. A qualified medical professional and certified tea sommelier, she transformed her passion for tea into an entrepreneurial venture that has built a distinctive position in India’s premium tea market.
Her journey into tea began after discovering Chinese oolong tea, which sparked a deeper interest in the art, science and culture of tea. She subsequently trained as a tea sommelier and spent time at tea estates in China, studying tea cultivation, brewing and blending techniques. Her experience led her to develop a portfolio of herbal, flavoured and speciality teas sourced from different parts of the world.
Under her leadership, TCW expanded beyond retail to serve hotels, airlines, corporates and individual consumers, while building a presence across India. Her entrepreneurial focus has centred on premiumisation, product innovation, tea education and creating a more immersive tea experience for consumers.
Ambegaonkar has also been recognised for her contribution to India’s evolving tea culture and continues to bring together her medical background, tea expertise and entrepreneurial perspective to build differentiated beverage experiences.

Sameer Singh is the Head of Strategic Expansion at Bharti Overseas. In his role, he leads portfolio expansion, new market entry, brand scale-up and strategic partnerships for the group’s restaurant businesses. He is focused on building a structured expansion pipeline, strengthening market intelligence and site selection, and supporting the growth of the group’s premium and casual dining formats across India.
Sameer brings over 26 years of experience across food service, retail, hospitality, real estate and expansion strategy. Prior to joining Bharti Overseas, he served as Vice President – Strategic Expansion (Indian Sub-Continent) at Jubilant FoodWorks, where he led network growth across Domino’s, Popeyes, Dunkin’ and Hong’s Kitchen. During his tenure, he helped accelerate store expansion, supported the India launch of Popeyes, and strengthened the company’s site-selection and predictive analytics capabilities.
Earlier in his career, Sameer held senior roles with CP Group India, Metro Cash & Carry India, Aditya Birla Retail and Bharti Holdings’ retail partnership with Walmart. His experience spans market-entry strategy, real estate and portfolio development, franchise expansion, asset monetisation and the rollout of multi-city consumer businesses.
Sameer began his career in hospitality with The Oberoi Group and has also worked with Barista Coffee, Reliance Industries, Arvind Brands and Claridges Hotels & Resorts. Sameer holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from IMS, Ghaziabad, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Delhi. He is also enrolled as an Independent Director with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Archita Bandyopadhyay is an architect and Design Manager at MBH Architects, India, where she engages with contemporary retail environments and evolving urban experiences across India and internationally. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Mumbai University and a Master’s degree in History, Theory, and Criticism from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. Her early professional experience shaped her understanding of process-driven design thinking and critical inquiry. She later co-founded and served as Design Principal at Studio Liminal Play, a transdisciplinary design practice based in Bangalore.

Alongside practice, Archita has taught design at R.V. College of Architecture, Bangalore, with a focus on culture and the built environment, and has been invited as a design juror at several architecture schools across India. These experiences continue to inform her interest in how design operates across disciplines, scales and contexts. At MBH, her work focuses on developing design thinking and processes within a practice working across global retail environments. Her interests lie in the relationship between design process, context and experience, and in questioning how architecture can respond to the cultural, social and material conditions of a place. Beyond professional practice, she draws inspiration from fiction and textiles, exploring their intersections with spatial narratives, materiality and design.

Rahul Khandelwal is a seasoned consumer goods professional with extensive experience across business operations, strategy, marketing, supply chain and business development. As Chief Operating Officer at WeiKFiELD Foods, he brings a strong cross-functional perspective to driving business growth, operational excellence and organisational performance.
Over the course of his career, Khandelwal has developed expertise in business planning, marketing management, supply chain operations, FMCG and consumer products, along with experience in managing distributed teams and driving execution across diverse business functions. His ability to connect strategic priorities with operational outcomes has been central to his leadership approach.
Khandelwal was recognised as an Economic Times Young Leader in 2016, acknowledging his leadership potential and contribution to the business landscape. In 2021, he was also certified as a “Great People Manager” by the Great Manager Institute, reflecting his focus on people leadership and team development.
At WeiKFiELD Foods, Khandelwal continues to leverage his broad industry experience to strengthen operations, build scalable business processes and contribute to the company’s growth in the evolving consumer foods sector.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, a city known as the “door to the world” for its port and history of international trade, Daniel pursued higher education in Australia, earning a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne.
He began his professional journey with Infor, the third-largest ERP cloud software company under KOCH Industries, one of the largest privately held firms in the U.S., employing over 120,000 people globally. As Chief of Staff, Daniel gained valuable insights from Charles Koch’s Market Based Management philosophy.
A key learning that shapes his leadership today is a strong belief in people—a shift from top-down management to empowering individuals through bottom-up solutions, fostering inclusivity and unlocking potential.
At the core of Daniel’s journey is a commitment to helping people realise their potential, build strong teams, grow businesses, and pursue their aspirations.

Suprio Bose is the Founder of The Nomad Foodie, a food-focused platform through which he has built a reputation as a food writer, curator, traveller and culinary explorer. Often described as a globetrotting food explorer, Bose has spent years documenting food cultures, discovering culinary experiences and engaging with the evolving food and hospitality ecosystem in India.
Beyond The Nomad Foodie, Bose is recognised for his work across the food, travel and hospitality space. He has participated in industry platforms and culinary forums as a moderator, curator and food commentator, including sessions at the India Food Forum focused on emerging food trends and the evolving HoReCa landscape.
Bose has also explored the intersection of food, travel and entrepreneurship, and has been associated with culinary experiences and food-led initiatives. His profile combines food discovery with storytelling, photography and travel, making him a distinctive voice within India’s growing food and lifestyle ecosystem. He has also appeared as a guest jury on MasterChef India and on Fox Life’s Grilled.

Ajay Macaden is a senior market research and consumer insights professional with over two decades of experience spanning market research, media, consulting and business intelligence. He is currently associated with NielsenIQ (NIQ), where he leads the FMCG vertical within the Strategic Analytics & Insights (SA&I) practice in India. Public NIQ material identifies him as FMCG & Retail Vertical Leader, while more recent NIQ event material lists him as Commercial Director, FMCG.
Macaden has worked extensively with brands and businesses across FMCG and retail, bringing expertise in consumer behaviour, market measurement, retail trends, strategic analytics and growth opportunities. His earlier work at Nielsen included leadership across retail and other sectors, and he has been a regular industry voice on India’s evolving retail landscape, including modern trade, e-commerce and omnichannel consumption.
He has also participated in prominent retail and FMCG forums, including MAPIC India, where he has presented perspectives on the evolving retail and FMCG ecosystem. In 2026, he was welcomed to the MRSI Managing Committee, further reflecting his standing in India’s market research community

Murtuza Kutianawala is a senior food and beverage professional associated with Outlet Mall of India in Mumbai. In his role as Director & Head of F&B, he oversees the food and beverage business, with a focus on developing compelling dining experiences and strengthening the F&B proposition within the mall environment.
His role brings together F&B strategy, outlet operations, tenant and brand partnerships, customer experience and commercial performance. With the growing importance of food, dining and leisure in shopping-centre ecosystems, his work involves creating F&B destinations that complement retail and encourage longer customer engagement.

Gulshan Kriplani is a veteran retail entrepreneur and the Founder of Namaste Ventures Pvt. Ltd., the company behind GBAZAR, a supermarket chain based in Akola, Maharashtra. With around 28 years of experience in retail, Kriplani has built GBAZAR into a growing regional supermarket business, with the chain’s third store – a 28,000 sq. ft. outlet – opening in Akola in October 2025.
Beyond operating GBAZAR, Kriplani has developed extensive expertise in helping traditional retailers transition to modern supermarket formats. He says he has worked with 2,000+ retailers across India and guided more than 500 supermarket launches, sharing practical insights on store operations, SOPs, merchandising, inventory, pricing and customer behaviour.
His retail philosophy is built around the belief that successful supermarkets are driven not simply by location, but by systems, disciplined execution, data-led decision-making and customer-focused merchandising. This approach has also led him to establish Namaste Business Advisory, through which he works with retailers on improving store performance and scaling their businesses.
Kriplani is also associated with industry and community initiatives, including the Akolawala Food Processing Association and other organisations. His experience at the ground level gives him a distinctive perspective on the evolution of India’s regional grocery sector and the challenges local retailers face amid the rise of modern trade, e-commerce and quick commerce.

Manish Marwaha is a global expert in biofuels, sustainable energy, and commodity supply chains, with over two decades of experience across Asia, Europe, Americas. He is the Founder & CEO of Byufuel, a climate-tech venture building India’s largest traceable used cooking oil (UCO) supply chain — a vital feedstock for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and biodiesel.
Byufuel is helping unlock India’s untapped UCO ecosystem to serve global biofuel markets, with a target of 100,000+ tons annually by 2029, while ensuring full traceability, safety, and compliance.
Previously a Partner at Global Strategy Consulting firm, Manish led global work in energy, commodities, and infrastructure. He advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, and multilaterals on $20B+ in investments, with direct impact on food & resource security, energy transition, and resilient supply chains.
A widely followed voice on LinkedIn and international forums, Manish brings deep insight into the intersection of waste, energy, and trade.

Sadashiv Nayak is a seasoned business leader with more than three decades of experience spanning retail, FMCG, sales, marketing and business transformation. He was appointed CEO of Future Retail Ltd. in August 2021, following an eight-year stint as CEO of Big Bazaar, where he played a key role in shaping the growth and evolution of the flagship retail business.
Nayak joined the Future Group in 2004 as Head of Operations for the Western Zone, overseeing operations and expansion across formats including Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, Pantaloons and Central. Before joining the group, he held sales and marketing roles at Asian Paints and Hindustan Unilever, including brand management and regional sales responsibilities.
An alumnus of NIT Karnataka, Surathkal, where he earned a degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering, Nayak also holds a postgraduate management qualification from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
His leadership experience spans business turnarounds, brand building, category development, omnichannel retail and enterprise transformation. In January 2024, he joined K-12 Lighthouse Learning Group as CEO, where he leads its K-12 school portfolio.

As Assistant Commissioner and Designated Officer with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra State, Anupama brings nine years of strategic regulatory leadership dedicated to safeguarding public health, ensuring statutory compliance, and elevating food safety standards across India. Combining a solid scientific foundation with executive management acumen – holding an MSc in Microbiology from Shivaji University and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) she bridges the gap between technical science, legal enforcement, and business governance.
Core Pillars of Expertise & Impact that Anuppama brings to the system is Enforcement & Strategic Operations, leading high-stakes regulatory enforcement and statewide public safety drives across Maharashtra. Notable achievements include directing the landmark seizure of Rs. 25 Crore in non-compliant food imports and leading statewide festival surveillance campaigns that enforce market accountability and protect consumer health.
National Training & Capacity Building: Served as a master trainer for national capacity-building programs, directly training more than 900 Food Safety Officers across 26 States, Indian Railways, and Central Food Safety Officers (CFSOs). Her key instructional domains include:
Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018; Food Safety and Standards (Labeling and Display) Regulations, 2020; Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 & ASCI Code
Anupama has contributed to Thought Leadership & Institutional Collaboration where she is frequently invited as an expert faculty member, panelist, and jury evaluator by leading national bodies and academic institutions—including FSSAI, ITCFSAN, ICT Mumbai, AFST(I), FICCI, and the Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Core topics include nutraceutical compliance, supply chain quality control for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), digital forensics in food fraud, and packaging regulations. Additionally, her Community & Inclusive Governance include Championing public health and sustainability through community-focused frameworks, including leading Eat Right Campus certifications and pioneering all-women-led food safety programs to build resilient, community-driven food ecosystems.

Amrut Mehta is the Managing Director of Little Italy, carrying forward the legacy of the restaurant brand with a history spanning more than 35 years. With a strong focus on building consumer brands in India, he is driving the next phase of growth for the business while exploring opportunities across the evolving food and gourmet retail landscape.
Under his leadership, the group is also developing Acasa by Little Italy, a gourmet grocery brand and India’s first specialty pasta brand, expanding the company’s presence beyond restaurants and into the growing packaged food and gourmet consumption space.
Amrut is passionate about building brands that can grow with India’s rapidly evolving consumer market. He believes the future is being shaped by entrepreneurs who can combine strong legacy businesses with innovation and new-age consumer opportunities. Through his work, he aims to contribute to India’s growth story as the country moves towards becoming one of the world’s largest economies and consumer markets.

Siddhant Kamath is the Director of Kamaths Ourtimes Icecreams Pvt. Ltd., the company behind Naturals Ice Cream, one of India’s best-known homegrown ice-cream brands. He represents the next generation of the Kamath family and is involved in taking forward the legacy established by the late Raghunandan Kamath, whose philosophy of using fresh fruits and natural ingredients became the foundation of the Naturals brand.
A hospitality professional by training, Siddhant studied at École Hôtelière Lavasa and has built his career within the family’s ice-cream business. He has been associated with Kamaths Ourtimes Icecreams since 2013 and has held the position of Director since 2018. His experience combines hospitality training with hands-on exposure to retail, operations and the evolving consumer landscape.
At Naturals, Siddhant is part of the leadership team driving the brand’s next phase of growth while preserving its core proposition of fresh ingredients, distinctive fruit-based flavours and a strong connection with nature. Naturals, founded in Mumbai in 1984, has grown from a single outlet into a widely recognised ice-cream chain with a national presence.
Siddhant has also been involved in strengthening the brand’s contemporary communication and sustainability initiatives. Recent initiatives include Project Natural Forest, aimed at restoring 25 acres of degraded land, reflecting the brand’s long-standing connection between trees, fruit and ice cream. He also co-directed Naturals’ Tree to Treat campaign, which celebrates Raghunandan Kamath’s philosophy and legacy.
Today, Siddhant is focused on balancing legacy with innovation, helping Naturals expand its footprint while remaining true to the principles that have made the brand synonymous with authentic, fruit-led ice cream.

Ankit Patel is the Managing Director & CEO of The Belgian Waffle Co., where he has been instrumental in scaling the brand into one of India’s prominent homegrown QSR chains. He brings more than two decades of cross-functional experience spanning consumer businesses, technology and financial services, with expertise in business strategy, business development, strategic alliances and financial management.
Patel joined The Belgian Waffle Co. in 2018 and has focused on building sustainable growth through disciplined expansion, strong unit economics, product consistency and operational excellence. The brand, founded in 2015 and operated by Bloombay Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., has expanded to more than 700 stores across 200+ cities.
Before joining The Belgian Waffle Co., Patel held leadership and investment roles including Head – Corporate Development at Housing.com, Investment Advisor at Asia Growth Capital Advisors, Investment Professional at Peepul Capital and VP – Corporate Finance at Prime Securities. He is an alumnus of the Indian School of Business and has also earned CA and CFA qualifications.
His leadership philosophy centres on long-term brand building, disciplined growth and maintaining consistency across product, process and customer experience.

Ajay Gupta is the founder of Capital Foods, the food company behind iconic Indian brands Ching’s Secret and Smith & Jones. An entrepreneur with a strong background in marketing and brand building, Gupta identified an emerging opportunity in the Indian market in the mid-1990s and founded Capital Foods in 1995–96. He went on to build Ching’s Secret around the concept of “Desi Chinese”, creating a distinct category of Indianised Chinese sauces, noodles, masalas, soups and chutneys.
Under Gupta’s leadership, Capital Foods evolved from a small portfolio of sauces into a sizable packaged-food business with a strong presence across India and international markets. His approach combined consumer insight, product innovation and distinctive marketing, helping Ching’s Secret become one of India’s best-known Desi Chinese brands. Gupta also developed Smith & Jones as a platform for international food products and ingredients.
In 2024, Tata Consumer Products acquired 75% of Capital Foods, with the remaining 25% to be acquired over the following three years. At the time of the transaction, Gupta was the company’s Founder, Chairman and Managing Director.
His LinkedIn profile describes his philosophy around “innovision” — combining foresight with disruptive ideas, reflecting the entrepreneurial approach behind Capital Foods’ growth.

As a boy in shorts, Rajesh Dubey always found his way into the kitchen that would amuse grown-ups watching a tiny boy potter in an apron playing around with utensils instead of chasing dogs. Little did we all know that he would turn out to be India’s most wanted Chinese chefs. Today, he leads the team of experienced chefs as the Group Chef. Chef Rajesh Dubey graduated from IHM Kolkata carrying with him an array of expertise in cookery and is known as one of the finest exponents of Chinese cuisine in the country. Having trained with the best and notorious after a Hotel Management degree in 1988, he joined the Taj Group of Hotels and was an integral part of it for over 12 years where he had the privilege of being the Executive Chef of Chinoiserie at the Taj Bengal from its inception for 7 years.

Later, he also had a stint with Shangri La Group of Restaurants in Bangkok before joining Mainland China mapping a bold and exhaustive adventure for the brand’s cuisine. The secret behind Chef Dubey’s skills is the extensive training that he underwent in the guidance of several Chefs from Hong Kong and China including Chef Kok Sui Lam and primarily Chef Brando, who is the legendary Chef of Sichuan Cuisine. Chef Dubey joined the team of Speciality restaurants in 2000 as Group Executive Chef and is now the Culinary Director and has been an integral part of their success since then. Every dish he touches is a principle of Taoism – simple, elegant and balanced in flavours and when asked about his experience in the Chinese cuisine, he answers with a small bow, “Why, 2000 years or thereabouts.

Mansoor Ali is Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Hamdard Foods India. He has led businesses across categories in the consumer goods space, with organisations such as P&G, Reckitt, Amway, Sony and Olam. In his leadership role, he focuses on strengthening brand presence, expanding distribution and building sustainable growth across markets. His expertise spans strategic planning, channel development, consumer engagement and revenue growth, with a strong understanding of India’s evolving food and consumer landscape.

Driving transformation, while formulating and executing mid-to-long term strategy has been key to his roles. People have always been pivotal to every success, with an unwavering belief that a business breathes only through the energies that its people bring in.

Tarak Bhattacharya is a seasoned F&B and QSR professional with three decades of experience across food service, restaurant operations and retail. He currently serves as Executive Director & CEO of Mad Over Donuts (MOD), where he has played a key role in scaling the brand from its early operations to 150+ stores across India.

Tarak joined Mad Over Donuts in 2011 as COO and was elevated to Executive Director & CEO in 2019. Under his leadership, MOD has expanded its footprint while broadening its product portfolio and strengthening its operating model.

Before MOD, Tarak headed Operations at Barista Coffee Company, where he spent nearly a decade, and subsequently served as COO of MGH Restaurants, overseeing the Nando’s and Barista businesses across Bangladesh and Nepal. His cross-market experience has given him strong expertise in operations, business planning, people management and adapting F&B concepts to local consumer preferences.

A graduate with a Diploma in Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Tarak continues to be an active voice in India’s evolving food and restaurant ecosystem, participating in industry discussions on retail, brand building, growth and the future of food businesses.

Chirag Chhajer is the Co-Founder of Burma Burma Restaurant & Tea Room, which he started with his childhood friend Ankit Gupta in 2014. The brand began with its first outlet in Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda and has since grown into one of India’s leading specialty Burmese restaurant chains.
A food enthusiast and avid traveller, Chhajer came into the venture with a background in business and family entrepreneurship. He holds a degree in International Business from Swinburne University, Melbourne, and completed the Family Managed Business Programme at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research. Before entering the food and hospitality sector, he worked in his family’s textile trading business, Chhajer Synthetics, gaining hands-on experience in business management.
Chhajer joined Gupta in transforming the latter’s idea of bringing authentic Burmese cuisine to India into a scalable restaurant concept. Together, they built Burma Burma around Burmese food, culture and storytelling, creating an experience that extends beyond cuisine to interiors, art and hospitality.
Under Chhajer’s leadership, Burma Burma has expanded across multiple Indian cities while retaining its distinctive positioning. He was also recognised in Forbes India’s 30 Under 30 list in 2018 and has spoken at platforms including TEDx Youth Summit.

Saibal Chandra Banerjee is a seasoned retail and FMCG professional with over 26 years of experience spanning sales, distribution, merchandising, retail operations, category management and business leadership. He currently serves as Business Head – Trade Sales at CookieMan (Australian Foods India Private Limited), where he is focused on strengthening the brand’s trade presence and driving its transition from an experience-led retail business towards a broader FMCG growth opportunity.
Before joining CookieMan in 2026, Saibal served as Chief Executive Officer at MagSon Retail & Distribution Ltd, where he led the company’s business and growth initiatives. His earlier leadership experience includes senior roles at Spencer’s Retail, Foodhall (Future Retail), Wellness Forever Medicare, Watanmal Group, Dabur India, Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting, Balsara Home Products and Reckitt Benckiser.
With deep expertise in sales and distribution, merchandising and retail strategy, Saibal brings a strong understanding of both organised retail and FMCG execution. At CookieMan, his mandate comes at a pivotal stage as the brand expands its presence across modern trade, gourmet retail and other organised channels.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science and a postgraduate degree in Business Management with a specialisation in Marketing from the University of Calcutta.

As Chief Marketing Officer, Foods at Hindustan Unilever, Pavanjit Singh Bedi is helping shape the future of some of India’s most iconic brands, from Horlicks to Kissan. Over two decades of innovation and marketing experience at Unilever, he has led brand building across categories, countries and cultures, always with a focus on turning changing consumer behaviour into business growth. His enduring fascination is simple: how do brands stay iconic when everything else keeps changing?
Outside work, he’s a music lover, a voracious reader and recently an enthusiastic student of fitness. The core belief – whether it’s brands or people, staying relevant takes constant reinvention.

Dhanjibhai Patel is the Chairman and Managing Director of Patel Retail Ltd., the company behind Patel’s R Mart, a prominent value-focused supermarket chain in Maharashtra. He has been instrumental in building the business from a single neighbourhood grocery outlet established in 1990 into a sizeable regional supermarket network.
Under Patel’s leadership, the company has followed a cluster-led expansion strategy, developing a strong presence across Maharashtra while focusing on value pricing, customer convenience and efficient supply-chain operations. Patel Retail has grown to around 43 stores, reflecting its steady expansion over more than three decades.
Patel’s approach to retail has centred on understanding local consumer needs and building a scalable neighbourhood supermarket model rather than pursuing expansion purely for scale. The business has developed a strong regional identity and is now looking to leverage its operating platform for the next phase of growth.
As the company moves into a new phase of its journey, Patel has overseen its transition from a family-led regional retailer towards a more structured corporate enterprise. Patel Retail’s public-market journey and IPO plans represent an important milestone for the business, with the proposed capital intended to support expansion, strengthen working capital and reduce leverage.
With more than three decades of experience in food and grocery retail, Dhanjibhai Patel represents a generation of Indian entrepreneurs who have built regional retail businesses by combining local market knowledge, value-led merchandising and disciplined expansion.

Vijay Vashisht is a senior logistics and supply chain professional with extensive experience spanning business strategy, marketing, transportation, distribution and supply chain solutions. He currently serves as Vice President – Business & Marketing Strategy at Safexpress, where he works on strengthening the company’s business proposition, market engagement and strategic growth initiatives.
Vashisht has been associated with Safexpress for several decades and has held multiple leadership responsibilities across business and marketing. His earlier roles include Head of FSM and AVP – Business & Marketing, as well as CEO of Safexpress B2C.
With deep knowledge of India’s logistics ecosystem, Vashisht’s expertise covers supply chain transformation, last-mile and urban logistics, distribution networks, technology-led logistics solutions and evolving customer requirements. He has also been a prominent industry voice on areas such as digital transformation, route optimisation, sustainability and the future of automotive, retail and e-commerce logistics.
His academic background includes qualifications in business management, marketing, HR, CRM, public relations and psychology.

Saurabh K. is a senior business leader with experience spanning retail, FMCG, cargo and logistics, and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer – Retail & FMCG at Kaleesuwari Refinery Private Limited. His role involves driving the company’s retail and FMCG businesses, with a focus on growth, distribution and market expansion. Industry event references identify him as a speaker on the evolving intersection of retail, FMCG, logistics and supply-chain strategy.
Saurabh has also been associated with industry discussions around technology-led business transformation, innovation and operational strategy. He has participated in leadership forums examining how businesses can integrate technology with commercial objectives and build more connected, responsive operations.
His cross-sector exposure across consumer businesses, retail and logistics gives him a broad perspective on changing consumer demand, distribution networks and the operational challenges of scaling FMCG businesses.

Santosh Kumar is a seasoned business and growth leader with over 20 years of experience across business strategy, P&L management, sales and marketing, brand building, distribution, digital transformation and new business development. As Chief Business Officer at FreshToHome, he is responsible for driving the organisation’s topline and bottomline growth, while shaping strategies across distribution, sales and marketing, new category expansion, franchise management, strategic alliances and omnichannel business.
A strategic and commercially driven leader, Santosh brings a strong understanding of how brands can translate consumer insights, technology and innovation into sustainable business growth. His experience spans creating new revenue streams, developing differentiated propositions, strengthening brand equity and building scalable go-to-market strategies across diverse industries including financial services, technology, consumer durables and communications.
In his current role, he drives business strategy with a sharp focus on P&L ownership, revenue growth, profitability and customer experience. His responsibilities encompass developing distribution strategies, expanding into new categories, strengthening channel performance and leveraging technology to create seamless omnichannel experiences. He also brings expertise in franchise management and strategic alliances, enabling businesses to unlock new markets and growth opportunities.
Over the course of his career, Santosh has successfully operated across the intersection of business, marketing and technology. He has led brand management, advertising, internal communications, digital, events and creative teams, while developing and executing integrated ATL and BTL campaigns across offline and digital channels.
He has consistently focused on accountable marketing and measurable ROI, delivering business outcomes through brand marketing, content marketing, events, email and direct marketing, SEO, SEM, PPC and social media. His approach combines brand thought leadership with data-driven decision-making and digital storytelling to create meaningful consumer engagement.
An out-of-the-box thinker, Santosh is passionate about using consumer insights and emerging technologies to create powerful value propositions and new revenue opportunities. His interest in cognitive neuroscience, creative stimuli and evolving consumer behaviour further informs his approach to customer engagement and brand building.
His core strengths include business strategy, P&L management, sales and marketing, distribution strategy, brand strategy and communication, product propositions, digital marketing, omnichannel strategy, customer experience, media planning, content and social media, SEO/SEM, strategic alliances, franchise management, event management and creative development.
A collaborative leader with a strategic perspective and a practical approach, Santosh is driven by a simple philosophy: “Make a difference.”

Gaurave Naarang is the Founder of Coffee Culture, a café lounge brand that he conceptualised in the early 2000s with the vision of creating a distinctive café experience rooted in food, community and local culture. Starting with its first outlet in Surat, Naarang developed Coffee Culture around a differentiated format that combines coffee and beverages with an extensive food offering, lively ambience and locally inspired experiences.
Under his leadership, Coffee Culture expanded through a franchise-led model, establishing a presence across multiple Indian cities. Naarang has focused on creating cafés that function as lifestyle and community spaces, with each outlet designed to reflect elements of its local environment rather than follow a standardised format.
Beyond Coffee Culture, Naarang has also been associated with restaurant consulting and other food and beverage ventures, bringing expertise in business strategy, franchising, restaurant operations and brand development. His entrepreneurial approach has centred on identifying evolving consumer preferences and creating differentiated F&B concepts for the Indian market.

Kabir is a seasoned FMCG leader with over two decades of experience driving commercial excellence, customer development, and business transformation across India’s evolving landscape.As Vice President and Head of Sales at Mondelez India, he leads the company’s sales strategy and customer development agenda across channels and customers.
Prior to Mondelez, he spent nearly two decades at Hindustan Unilever, building extensive experience across sales and customer leadership.Over the years, Kabir has developed deep expertise in forging strategic customer partnerships across Modern Retail and E-Commerce and key channel partners in Traditional Trade.
He has worked closely to navigate evolving business models, unlock category growth, and create value through omnichannel collaboration and shopper-centric innovation across Distributor RTM and E Commerce.

Keshav Dutta is a seasoned retail professional with over 19 years of experience across buying, merchandising, category management and retail strategy in India. He currently leads Buying & Merchandising for Omni and FMCG Foods at More Retail Private Limited, where he focuses on strengthening product assortments, category performance and consumer-led merchandising across retail channels.
Over the course of his career with More Retail, Keshav has held several category leadership roles, including Category Head – FMCG, National Category Manager for Home Care and Personal Care, and Circle Category Head for the East region. His experience also includes roles with Future Group and Walmart, where he worked across fresh, membership, marketing and departmental retail functions. Earlier in his career, he worked with Club Mahindra Holidays in sales and marketing.
Keshav brings a strong understanding of consumer behaviour, product positioning, assortment planning and price-pack architecture. His approach to merchandising combines consumer insight with commercial discipline, with a focus on creating relevant assortments and improving the overall shopping experience.
He has also been associated with several retailer-brand partnerships and category initiatives, reflecting his expertise in building strong supplier relationships and driving retail growth through effective merchandising.

Anmol Badsra is a seasoned business leader with over 20 years of experience spanning FMCG, management consulting, and entrepreneurship, he builds businesses that don’t exist yet and unlocks potential in those that are ready to scale. He has taken new ventures from zero to scale, led organization-wide transformations, and modernized distribution for one of India’s largest consumer goods companies. At DS Group, he currently leads strategy for a large and complex distribution ecosystem, driving initiatives that combine strategic clarity with disciplined execution.
Badsra’s experience includes deploying Salesforce Automation across the field force, redesigning Order-to-Cash processes to unlock double-digit revenue growth, and launching a bootstrapped e-commerce venture well before “D2C” became a buzzword. He thrives on solving problems without a playbook and building systems that scale and outlast individual initiatives. A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and ISB alumnus, he is always looking for the next zero-to-scale problem worth solving.

Ranjeet Kumar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Salescode.ai, the world’s first Intelligent RTM platform for CPG sales, powering 65+ global brands across 18+ countries with 3M+ users and 1B+ transactions. His sales career spans over two decades, including leadership roles at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, where he served as Associate Vice President.

Since founding Salescode.ai in 2014, he has combined deep CPG sales expertise with AI-first innovation, including the world’s first AI Sales Agent, bringing intelligent automation to frontline sales execution across emerging and global markets.

His mission is to reimagine route-to-market with Salescode SCAI, an AI-native sales tech platform built to be the single system brands need for everything in sales and RTM.

Robinder Singh is a seasoned business leader with strong expertise across operations, strategy, marketing, and P&L management. As CEO of Costa Coffee India, he brings a comprehensive approach to driving business growth, operational excellence, and long-term profitability.
His expertise spans operations management, with a focus on optimizing processes, resources, and overall efficiency and strategic planning, where he aligns long-term business objectives with operational priorities to build sustainable growth. A strong people leader, Singh is experienced in team management, mentoring, and creating high-performance cultures.
He also brings a consumer-focused approach to marketing, leveraging consumer insights, promotional initiatives, customer acquisition strategies, and brand development. His well-rounded P&L approach encompasses cost management, revenue generation, financial analysis, and profitability optimization.
Robinder Singh is equally adept at process improvement, cross-functional collaboration, and problem-solving, working closely with teams across marketing, finance, HR, and supply chain to identify opportunities, address challenges, and deliver measurable business outcomes.

K. Devendra Kumar is a seasoned retail and consumer-business leader with over 29 years of experience across India and the GCC, spanning retail operations, P&L management, business transformation, growth strategy and consumer businesses. He currently serves as Head – Retail at Kaleesuwari Refinery Private Limited, where he brings his extensive experience in building and scaling retail businesses.
Earlier, Devendra Kumar served as CEO of Fresh2day, a Chennai-based food and grocery retailer, where he played a key role in driving the company’s expansion, strengthening operational processes, enhancing fresh-produce quality and developing its omnichannel retail proposition. Under his leadership, Fresh2day pursued an ambitious expansion strategy and adopted technology-led approaches to demand forecasting, customer engagement and operational efficiency.
His international retail experience includes serving as Head of Retail at SPAR Oman, where he was involved in the retailer’s growth and transformation across supermarket and convenience formats. His career reflects strong expertise in retail strategy, store operations, consumer insights, P&L management, business transformation, omnichannel retail and team leadership. He has also pursued executive education at IIM Ahmedabad, Cornell and XLRI.

Vishal Mahajan is the Founder & Managing Director of Epic Angles Retail & Entertainment, a business focused on developing differentiated concepts across retail, food and hospitality. Under his leadership, the company is associated with concepts including Necessity Supermarket Cafe and Ltd Edition Hotels, reflecting an approach that brings together retail, foodservice, hospitality and experiential consumption.
As an entrepreneur, Mahajan is focused on creating distinctive consumer-facing formats that go beyond conventional retail and hospitality models. His work spans concept development, business strategy, brand building and the creation of customer-centric experiences across multiple consumption occasions.
Through Epic Angles Retail & Entertainment, Mahajan is building a portfolio of businesses that sits at the intersection of retail, food and beverage, entertainment and hospitality, with an emphasis on differentiated formats and experiential propositions. His entrepreneurial approach reflects the growing convergence of retail and hospitality, where consumers increasingly seek convenience, discovery and experiences within the same physical environment.

Sumit Govind Sharma is the Founder and Director of Monarch Liberty Hospitality (MLH), the company behind some of Mumbai’s standout hospitality brands – EVE, Que Sera Sera, TAT, and the latest venture known as Sorena.
Before entering hospitality, Sumit built a successful career in branding and business, servicing global names such as Mercedes-Benz, Diageo, and other leading brands. As a serial entrepreneur, he has spent over two decades building sustainable businesses with a sharp understanding of growth, consumer behaviour, and customer experience. Yet, despite the success of his ventures, he felt something was missing, the human connection that comes from creating spaces where people come together.
That search led him to hospitality, an industry that brought together his entrepreneurial mindset and his passion for crafting memorable experiences. What fascinated him most was hospitality’s ability to create moments that make people pause, connect, celebrate, and remember. His first hospitality venture, Eve Powai, was born from this belief, not from trends, but from a desire to build experiences that people genuinely want to return to.
What sets his entrepreneurial journey apart is his ability to identify emotional gaps in the market and transform them into meaningful, human-centric brands. Today, he leads Monarch Liberty Hospitality, focusing on creating unique culinary experiences and diverse dining concepts with the same emotion and care. Sumit’s strong background in marketing, coupled with his hands-on approach to hospitality, has enabled him to build a portfolio that perfectly balances distinct brand identity with discerning guest experience.
EVE, with locations in Powai, Worli and Santacruz, offers all-day dining with global flavours and a relaxed, laid-back charm. Que Sera Sera in Andheri brings European comfort classics to a warm, community-style space. TAT, in the heart of Vikhroli, celebrates authentic regional Indian cuisine with a focus on depth, craft and tradition. Sorena in Bandra, the latest addition to the Monarch Liberty Hospitality portfolio, is set to bring a bold and immersive dining and nightlife experience, blending high energy hospitality with strong design, cocktails, music, and atmosphere.

Each concept under Monarch Liberty Hospitality reflects Sumit’s belief that good hospitality is all about being thoughtful and real. He aims to offer great quality food and an even greater dining experience to guests. Known for working closely with his teams and guests, Sumit continues to shape experiences that feel personal, relevant, and rooted in trust. He ensures that every space goes beyond serving food to build that real human connection.

Bhavin Rambhia is a retail industry professional and Director at Rambhias Super Store Limited, a Mumbai-based retail company established in 1997. The company operates in the non-specialised retail segment, with its business classified under retail sale in non-specialised stores.
Bhavin Rambhia has been associated with Rambhias Super Store Limited as a Director since September 2011 and is listed among the company’s current directors. He is also associated with Madam Agro-Food Industries Pvt. Ltd. as a director.
Through his leadership role at Rambhias Super Store, Bhavin brings experience in the organised retail and food retail ecosystem, with an understanding of retail operations and the evolving consumer landscape. He has also been featured as a Retail and Food Service industry professional by India Food Forum.

Amir is from Jordan and came to India in March 2020 to start Tru Falafel. After riding out the pandemic in the years 2020 and 2021, he was finally able to open his first outlet and central kitchen in October ’21 in Marol, Andheri East. By focusing on the authenticity of the recipes he grew up with, maintaining the quality and consistency with every order, he has managed to grow Tru Falafel into Mumbai’s best selling Lebanese QSR. Since inception, Tru Falafel has now become a household name for everything Middle Eastern, from Falafels, Shawarmas, various Hummus and Mezzes strategically spread across their 8 outlets across the city.
Majali co-founded the business with his wife, Sandra Pommier, who serves as COO. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the UK and brings an international perspective to building a modern Indian food-service business around authentic Middle Eastern cuisine.
Today, Majali is focused on scaling TruFalafel while retaining the authenticity and accessibility that have been central to the brand since its inception. Karak Enterprises was incorporated in 2020 and remains an active private company.

Bhavesh Solanki is the Founder and CEO of iFreightBox Technologies, a technology company focused on building intelligent digital solutions for the logistics and supply chain industry. With extensive experience across supply chain technology, transportation management, warehouse management and logistics operations, he has been instrumental in developing technology platforms that help businesses simplify complex processes and improve operational efficiency.
Solanki brings deep hands-on expertise in implementing technology-led supply chain solutions across diverse industries. His experience includes designing and implementing Warehouse Management Systems, Transportation Management Systems, freight-forwarding solutions, shipment tracking platforms and integrated logistics applications. His project portfolio includes implementations for organisations such as Sanofi, Godrej Consumer Products, Johnson & Johnson, Hitachi and BDP India, covering areas including warehouse automation, barcoding, inventory management, shipment documentation and supply chain visibility.
At iFreightBox, Solanki is focused on using automation, data and digital technologies to make logistics operations more connected, scalable and efficient. He is particularly passionate about digital transformation, logistics automation, WMS, TMS, e-commerce fulfillment and building technology around the real-world needs of supply chain operators.

Sonu Shah leads the Retail Customer Success business for FMCG and Tech & Durables at NielsenIQ India. With over 25 years of experience in retail analytics and measurement, she partners with leading brick-and-mortar retailers and e-commerce players to drive growth through shopper-centric insights and data-driven strategies. Sonu helps retailers and manufacturers better understand changing consumer behavior, identify growth opportunities, optimize category performance, and create winning retail strategies in an increasingly competitive marketplace. She has also played a key role in launching pioneering retail measurement solutions, including ScanTrack and the eCom Index in India.

Dhairyashil Patil is a seasoned distribution professional with over three decades of experience spanning the FMCG and consumer electronics sectors. His career has been built around strengthening distribution networks, driving market reach and championing the interests of India’s distributor community.
He began his career with PepsiCo in 1991, managing distribution in Kolhapur, before moving to Hindustan Lever in 1994, where he handled FMCG distribution. He subsequently managed local distribution for Amul and expanded his expertise into consumer electronics as a super stockist for brands including BPL, Onida and Philips across seven districts.
As the Founder and Director of Vitrak Extended Reach, Patil is focused on strengthening India’s distribution ecosystem and creating solutions that enable distributors to operate more efficiently and sustainably. He is currently also involved in managing distribution for Nirmal Soaps and Healthy Life Jaggery across South Maharashtra.
Patil has held several prominent leadership positions in trade associations, including National President of AICPDF, National Executive Body Member of CAIT, and leadership roles with MCPDA Maharashtra, MCCAI and KCCAI. He has also played an active role in GST advocacy and spearheaded GST Task Force initiatives in Maharashtra.
A strong advocate for traditional trade, Patil has led industry movements addressing predatory pricing, quick-commerce disruption, declining distributor returns and unfair trade practices. His current initiatives include developing a distributor-to-retail channel finance model and advancing GST coordination committees across states.
He is also the concept creator of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for FMCG, aimed at incentivising retailers while enabling brands to gain first-party market insights.

Avinash Tripathi is the Senior Vice President & Business Head – Freshpik & Fresh Signature at Reliance Retail, where he is driving the evolution of premium and experiential food retail in India. He has been closely associated with the development of Reliance Retail’s premium grocery formats, including Freshpik, which was launched in 2021 as an experiential gourmet food destination.
Under his leadership, Freshpik has evolved through a focus on curated gourmet assortments, immersive customer experiences, innovation and trend-led retail concepts. The brand has expanded its experiential format, including the launch of Freshpik 3.0 in Powai, Mumbai, featuring interactive experiences, personalised service and curated product selections.
Avinash has also championed collaborations and new concepts around emerging consumer trends, including Korean cuisine and accessible nutrition offerings. His work has helped Freshpik earn industry recognition, including the Experiential Retailer of the Year and Speciality Gourmet Retailer of the Year awards in 2025.

Seshu Kumar Tirumala is the Chief Operating Officer of bigbasket, where he leads operations and plays a key role in driving execution as the company scales its quick-commerce business. He has been associated with bigbasket since 2014, making him one of the company’s longest-serving senior leaders.
He began his journey with bigbasket as National Head – Buying & Merchandising and later became Chief Buying & Merchandising Officer. Over the years, he has been instrumental in building the company’s merchandising, sourcing and category-management capabilities. Under his leadership, bigbasket’s private-label business grew to account for nearly 40% of its sales, while he also spearheaded the company’s direct farmer-sourcing network, strengthening its farm-to-customer ecosystem.
In his expanded role as COO, Tirumala is focused on strengthening operational systems, improving execution across the supply and agri ecosystem, and enabling a seamless and dependable customer experience as bigbasket continues to scale. His deep understanding of sourcing, merchandising, supply-chain operations and customer needs positions him to play a significant role in the company’s next phase of growth.

Prashant Peres is a seasoned consumer goods leader with over two decades of experience across FMCG, food and snacking, with a strong track record of driving business growth, category transformation and organisational leadership. He currently serves as General Manager, India – Mars Snacking, where he leads the combined Mars and Kellanova businesses in India. In this role, he is focused on integrating the businesses, accelerating category growth and creating enduring value for consumers, customers and partners.
Prior to joining Mars, Prashant was Managing Director, South Asia at Kellanova, having previously served as Managing Director, South Asia at Kellogg Company. His career also includes significant leadership roles at Mondelēz International, including President & Managing Director, Indonesia, and Senior Director – Growth for Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa. Earlier, he held leadership positions at Unilever, including Regional Vice President – Foods for South Asia.
Prashant brings deep expertise in business strategy, brand building, category development, commercial leadership, innovation and market expansion. He holds an MBA in Marketing and Strategy from IIM Calcutta and a Bachelor of Engineering from K J Somaiya College of Engineering, Mumbai University.

Vikas Chopra, Managing Director of RetailWhizz Solutions Pvt. Ltd., is a retail technology and business leader with over 35 years of experience spanning IT, software, retail, ERP, database management, systems, process optimisation and management consulting. As the Founder and Managing Director of RetailWhizz, he has been instrumental in building technology solutions that help retailers automate operations, improve efficiency and make data-driven business decisions.
Under his leadership, RetailWhizz has evolved into a comprehensive retail ERP platform, with its solutions implemented across more than 1,600 retail stores and 15,000+ terminals in India and international markets. The platform covers key functions including POS, CRM, B2B and wholesale, merchandise management, purchasing, inventory, warehouse management, accounting, e-commerce and omnichannel retail.
With a B.E. in Computer Science from Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology, Navi Mumbai, Chopra combines deep technology expertise with an understanding of the operational challenges faced by retailers. His focus remains on helping businesses, particularly supermarkets and independent retailers, leverage technology to strengthen processes, improve visibility and achieve sustainable growth.

Keerti Khandelwal is the Founder of The Softy Co., a Hyderabad-based soft-serve and dessert brand focused on creating a modern, scalable soft-serve experience across retail and institutional spaces. She describes herself as the founder and CEO of the company on her professional profile.
A former pharma scientist, Keerti brings a combination of scientific expertise, corporate experience and entrepreneurial leadership to the food and hospitality sector. Before starting The Softy Co., she held leadership roles with Reliance Life Sciences and Sun Pharma, gaining experience in corporate management and business operations.
Under her leadership, The Softy Co. has expanded its presence across prominent malls and other high-footfall locations. The company’s profile highlights its focus on soft-serve ice creams, loaded sundaes, shakes and other dessert offerings. The brand has also expanded into corporate workplaces, including a partnership to serve its products at Deloitte in Hyderabad.
Keerti has been recognised for her entrepreneurial journey, including the Emerging Dessert Parlor of the Year Award (2024). She also manages other business interests, including The Flavours, a multi-cuisine restaurant in Kolkata, and Krishi Fresh, a poultry and feed-mill business.
With her experience spanning pharma, entrepreneurship, food service and retail, Keerti brings a distinctive perspective on building consumer-facing food brands, scaling experiential formats and creating new opportunities in India’s evolving dessert and QSR ecosystem.

Sahib Singh is the Chief Executive Officer of SLN Coffee Private Limited, the company behind Levista Coffee, one of India's fastest-growing coffee brands. He leads the company's integrated coffee business spanning plantations, global coffee exports, instant coffee manufacturing, and consumer brands, with a strong focus on premiumization, innovation, and sustainable growth. Before joining SLN Coffee, Sahib spent several years with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), where he worked across sales and business leadership roles, gaining extensive experience in building brands, driving commercial excellence, and leading high-performance teams.

He holds an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi, one of India's premier business schools, and brings over 15 years of leadership experience across strategy, operations, and business transformation. A passionate advocate for Indian coffee, Sahib is committed to showcasing the rich coffee heritage of Coorg to consumers in India and around the world.

He believes that exceptional coffee is the result of combining agricultural heritage, world-class manufacturing, and meaningful consumer experiences. Through Levista, he is leading the mission to build a globally respected coffee brand rooted in authenticity, quality, and innovation.

Chetan Damji Sangoi is the Chief Executive Officer of Sarvodaya Supermarket, a Mumbai-based grocery retail business with roots dating back to 1972. He played a key role in transforming the family’s traditional kirana operation into a modern supermarket format in 2003, following extensive research into evolving retail models and consumer needs.
With more than two decades of experience in organised grocery retail, Sangoi has developed deep expertise in store operations, merchandising, inventory and stock control, FMCG pricing and margins, vendor negotiations, retail analytics and customer behaviour. He has also been associated with retail consulting and has shared his expertise through lectures at management institutions, including VAMNICOM.
His experience extends beyond Sarvodaya: he has served as a director at OSIA Hyper Retail Ltd., which operates a network of hypermarkets, and has worked as a retail consultant for businesses in India and overseas.
Sangoi is a regular participant in industry forums and has been featured as a speaker and panellist at the India Food Forum and Phygital Retail Convention, where he brings the perspective of an independent supermarket operator to discussions on grocery retail, consumer trends, innovation and competition.

Ramakrishnan Lakshmanan is a second-generation entrepreneur and management professional with experience spanning food, consumer products, manufacturing and business operations. He is a Director at Mambalam Iyers, the traditional South Indian food brand that is part of the wider Clarion Group, where he is involved in strengthening the business and building its next phase of growth.
Under his leadership, Mambalam Iyers has been focused on strengthening manufacturing processes, quality systems and operational capabilities while expanding the reach of traditional South Indian foods. The brand, along with Clarion’s food portfolio, is increasingly positioned to serve both Indian consumers and global markets seeking authentic regional food products.
Lakshmanan also has experience across other businesses within the group and is associated with companies spanning packaging, cosmetics and food. He serves as a designated partner of Clarion Health Food LLP and has held directorships across several group companies.
He holds a B.Com from Loyola College and a PGDM from Welingkar Institute of Management, and has also pursued CA Final and Company Secretary studies.

Melwin Reuben brings over a decade of experience in hospitality, food retail, product management, and lifestyle luxury appliances. A seasoned chef by training, he combines culinary expertise with strategic sales and marketing leadership. Having previously helped shape Weber’s presence in India, Melwin helps Bhawar Sales Corp to drive growth, expand market reach, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. His passion for outdoor cooking and deep industry knowledge make him a key asset in strengthening Weber’s brand across the South Asian countries.

Shantanu is a seasoned sales and marketing professional with around 17 years of experience across FMCG, sales strategy, route-to-market, trade marketing, key accounts and channel development. He holds an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi and began his career with IBM before moving into sales and marketing roles at Vodafone and subsequently Britannia Industries.
At Britannia, Shantanu has held several leadership roles spanning urban markets, state operations, regional sales, sales strategy, route-to-market and trade marketing. He currently leads the company’s Organised Trade business, covering channels including e-commerce, modern trade and alternate channels.
His experience gives him a strong understanding of India’s evolving FMCG distribution landscape, including channel development, retail execution, shopper behaviour and route-to-market strategies. Earlier, as National Sales Development Manager, he also shared industry perspectives on FMCG route-to-market, outlet characteristics, product visibility and availability.
More recently, Shantanu has been speaking about the changing dynamics of quick commerce, consumer behaviour and the future of marketing. At a recent FMS leadership session, he discussed how brands need to rethink visibility, trial and conversion as consumers increasingly make purchase decisions on quick-commerce platforms. He also highlighted premiumisation, continuous innovation and the growing role of AI in content creation and digital marketing.
Shantanu Gupta’s combination of organised trade leadership, FMCG sales expertise and understanding of emerging commerce channels makes him a relevant voice on the transformation of India’s retail and consumer ecosystem.

Rahul Nayak is the Chief Operating Officer of SPAR India (Max Hypermarket India Pvt. Ltd.), bringing more than two decades of experience across retail, supply chain, merchandising and business operations. He has held senior leadership positions with leading retail organisations including Spencer’s Retail, Trent Hypermarket (Star Bazaar), Tesco Sourcing and Trent Ltd.
Before joining SPAR India in 2024, Nayak served as Executive Director and Board Member at Spencer’s Retail, following his tenure as Director of Operations at Trent Hypermarket, where he was associated with the Star Bazaar business. Earlier, he held leadership responsibilities across supply chain, distribution, sourcing and non-food merchandising at Tesco and Trent.
At SPAR India, Nayak is responsible for driving operational performance and supporting the retailer’s growth in India’s competitive hypermarket sector. His experience spans retail operations, commercial strategy, supply chain, merchandising and business transformation, giving him a broad perspective on the evolving needs of modern Indian consumers.
Nayak has also been vocal about the changing role of hypermarkets, highlighting the need for retailers to move beyond legacy approaches and respond faster to changing consumer behaviour. He has emphasised that relevance, rather than simply location, is becoming increasingly important as consumers shop across multiple channels.
An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Nayak is recognised as a seasoned retail business leader with extensive commercial and operational expertise.

Rakesh Kumar Gupta is a business leader and Chairman of Sun Organic Industries Pvt Ltd, a Delhi-based company operating in the food and organic products sector. He has been associated with the company’s leadership and governance for several years and is currently a member of its board.
Established in 1985, Sun Organic Industries has built a presence in the food and consumer products space, with its portfolio including dry fruits, nuts and other food products. The company has continued to operate as an active private enterprise, with Rakesh Kumar Gupta among its current directors.
Beyond Sun Organic Industries, Gupta is associated with several businesses across food, agriculture and related sectors, including Wonderland Foods, Wonderland Farms and Sawaraj Agricultures Traders. His experience reflects a broad entrepreneurial and business leadership perspective spanning food products, agriculture and allied enterprises.
At Sun Organic Industries, Gupta’s leadership is focused on strengthening the company’s growth and positioning in India’s evolving food and organic products market.

Ankur Modi is a retail professional and second-generation business leader associated with Dhiraj Sons The Mega Store, one of Surat’s established supermarket and retail chains. He serves as a Director of Dhiraj Sons Megastore Private Limited and has been involved in steering the family-owned retail business and its evolution in Surat.
Based in Surat, Modi has been associated with Dhiraj Sons for several years and is part of the next-generation leadership driving the retailer’s operations and consumer-focused approach. Dhiraj Sons has built its presence in Surat through large-format stores offering a broad assortment across grocery, food and consumer merchandise. The business has historically been recognised for adapting the self-service supermarket format to the city’s evolving consumer aspirations.
Modi has also participated in industry forums including the India Food Forum, where he has contributed to discussions on food retail, supermarket innovation and collaboration between retailers and emerging brands.
His experience offers a valuable perspective on modern grocery retail, changing consumer expectations, supermarket operations and the evolution of regional retail chains in India.

Vipin Kumar Kataria is a seasoned FMCG leader and currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer – Sales & Replenishment at Britannia Industries Ltd., where he leads the company’s sales and replenishment operations across markets, channels and categories. His mandate spans sales and distribution as well as the end-to-end replenishment ecosystem, including demand forecasting, material planning, production planning, logistics, warehousing and process automation.
Kataria joined Britannia in 2005 and has held a series of leadership roles across sales, category and channel development. His experience includes leading the Croissant, Wafers, Cake and Rusk portfolios, heading the Breads business, serving as National Head for Organized and Alternate Channels, and working as a Regional Sales Manager. Before taking on his current role, he was Vice President – Adjacency Business.
With more than two decades of professional experience, Kataria has played a significant role in strengthening Britannia’s channel capabilities and expanding its distribution ecosystem. His career combines expertise in sales, marketing, category management, alternate channels and supply-chain-linked commercial operations, giving him a broad perspective on India’s evolving FMCG landscape.
Kataria holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Delhi Institute of Technology, University of Delhi, and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade. He has also completed a Digital Transformation certification from ISB.
His profile reflects a strong combination of commercial leadership, distribution expertise and digital transformation—making him a prominent voice on the future of FMCG sales, omnichannel distribution and consumer-led growth in India.

Dharmendra R. S. is the Chief Operating Officer of Icon Hotels, Bhagini Hospitality, where he leads operations, business expansion and organisational growth as the group scales its hospitality portfolio across India. He brings nearly three decades of experience spanning hospitality, F&B, retail, entertainment and multi-format operations.
Prior to joining Icon Hotels, Dharmendra served as Senior Vice President – Hospitality, Health & Tourism at Sona Valliappa Group and held leadership positions at Gillys Chain of Restobars, where he oversaw multi-outlet operations, pre-openings, marketing and revenue growth. He also spent over 17 years with HM Group, managing Bangalore operations, P&L, expansion and multi-brand businesses across entertainment, gaming, retail and F&B.
In his current role, he is focused on operational excellence and supporting Bhagini Hospitality’s plans to expand its hotel portfolio to 100+ properties. He also contributes to the growth of the group’s F&B brands and upcoming hospitality concepts.

Anil Thontepu is the Co-Founder of SuperK, a tech-enabled grocery retail company focused on transforming modern retail in India’s Tier-2, Tier-3, Tier-4 and Tier-5 towns. Founded in 2019 with Neeraj Menta, SuperK combines physical supermarkets, technology and a franchise-led model to bring greater convenience, value and assortment to small-town consumers.
A product and growth specialist, Anil has built his career at the intersection of technology, consumer behaviour and business growth. Before co-founding SuperK, he headed product at Kaodim in Malaysia and held product and growth roles at Hike, BYJU’S and PhonePe. His experience spans product management, growth strategy, analytics and technology-led consumer businesses.
At SuperK, Anil has been instrumental in developing a technology-led retail model designed around the realities of Bharat. The company has built its own retail technology stack, including POS systems, a consumer app and partner tools, while its membership programme has become a significant driver of sales. In 2025, SuperK announced plans to expand into 300 additional towns across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
An alumnus of BITS Pilani, Anil brings a strong product mindset to retail, with a focus on using technology, local entrepreneurship and operational discipline to build scalable retail businesses beyond India’s major metros.

Vivek Sharma is a seasoned business and marketing professional with 16 years of experience across sales, product management, brand management, activations and digital marketing. Currently serving as B2C Business Head at Jayanti Herbs & Spices, he brings a strong track record of building businesses, launching new products and scaling brands across diverse categories.
Known for his entrepreneurial and problem-solving approach, Vivek thrives on taking complex challenges head-on and turning them into opportunities for growth. His cross-functional experience has enabled him to develop a comprehensive understanding of consumer behaviour, brand building, go-to-market strategy, channel expansion and business development.
Over the course of his career, he has been instrumental in conceptualising and executing successful product launches, marketing campaigns and channel expansion initiatives. His ability to combine market understanding with strong execution has helped deliver successful product lines across the organisations he has worked with.
Vivek’s expertise spans consumer marketing, business strategy, product development, brand management, sales, digital marketing and new business creation. He is particularly passionate about creating scalable businesses, improving what works and continuously learning to solve complex market challenges.

Rajat Mohan is a seasoned business leader at Wipro, currently heading the Modern Trade and E-Commerce business in India. With over 20 years of experience across Sales and Marketing, he brings deep expertise in business strategy, customer management, market development, and revenue growth.

His diverse experience across commercial and brand-building functions gives him a well-rounded business perspective. Rajat is focused on accelerating sustainable growth, strengthening strategic customer partnerships, and building competitive brands in an evolving marketplace.

Manish Dawar is the Whole-time Director, President & Group CEO of Devyani International Limited (DIL), part of the RJ Corp Group. He assumed the role of President & Group CEO effective April 1, 2026. Prior to this elevation, Dawar served as Whole-time Director and Chief Financial Officer of DIL.
A Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary, Dawar holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He brings extensive experience across multiple industries and geographies, with a career spanning finance, transformation, business integration and corporate leadership.
Before joining Devyani International, Dawar held senior leadership positions across prominent organisations including Vodafone India, DEN Networks, Vedanta, Reckitt Benckiser and Reebok India. His experience includes financial leadership, business transformation, restructuring, integration and strategic management.
Dawar joined Devyani International in 2021 and has been a member of its Board since February 17, 2021. As Group CEO, he now leads the company’s overall business and growth agenda across its portfolio of quick-service restaurant and food-service businesses.

Anand Baldawa brings a practical, well-rounded perspective to business, strategy and leadership with 28 years of experience across global finance and entrepreneurship. His career has allowed him to view businesses from several vantage points – as an auditor, financial adviser, investment banker, entrepreneur and operator. His experience spans mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, capital markets and IPOs, family-business transformation, manufacturing, exports, distribution, retail and digital commerce.

Anand spent the first 15 years of his career in auditing, transaction advisory and investment banking. He worked with Arthur Andersen, Ernst & Young, Lehman Brothers and Robert W. Baird across the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. A rank-holder Chartered Accountant with an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, he developed a strong grounding in finance and an understanding of how businesses are evaluated, financed, acquired, restructured and prepared for their next stage of growth.

After returning to India, Anand joined the family business and has spent the past 13 years helping it evolve across manufacturing, exports, brand distribution and retail. As CEO of thinKitchen®, he has helped build a curated platform for premium kitchenware and home brands, serving customers through online marketplaces, modern trade, general trade, hospitality projects and direct-to-consumer channels, while also leading the group’s OEM, white-label and international brand partnerships.

Anand Rathi is a second-generation business leader and Director at Empire Spices & Foods Ltd., a Nashik-based food manufacturing company known for its popular brands Ram Bandhu and Temptin.
An alumnus of Elphinstone College, Mumbai, Anand holds an MBA from the Management Development Institute of Singapore and has also completed a growth strategy programme at IIM Ahmedabad. He has been associated with Empire Spices & Foods for more than 15 years, having worked across multiple functions before taking on his current leadership role.
At Empire Spices & Foods, Anand focuses on business strategy, market expansion, brand development, innovation and route-to-market execution. His experience spans the evolving packaged food and culinary products landscape, with a particular understanding of consumer preferences, distribution and regional market dynamics.
Beyond the business, Anand is associated with platforms including Young Indians, ASCENT and Nashik Round Table 107, reflecting his interest in entrepreneurship, community development and nation-building.

Kuunal Maiti is a seasoned business and hospitality leader with extensive experience across the QSR and casual-dining industry. As CEO & Director of TGI Fridays India, he is spearheading the brand’s renewed growth and expansion strategy in the Indian market, with a focus on premium locations, experiential dining, operational excellence and a scalable franchise-led model.
Under Maiti’s leadership, TGI Fridays has accelerated its India expansion, strengthening its presence across key markets including Kolkata, Hyderabad, Gurugram, Lucknow and Delhi NCR. In 2026, the brand doubled its restaurant footprint from three to six outlets within 12 months, while also introducing differentiated formats such as the world’s first TGI Fridays microbrewery at Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.
Maiti’s approach combines data-led decision-making with a strong emphasis on brand experience, menu engineering, site selection, community engagement and disciplined capital deployment. He has described the India business as being built with a “portfolio mindset,” balancing growth with long-term brand relevance and sustainable economics.
With a background in business leadership and management education from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, Maiti continues to play a key role in repositioning TGI Fridays for India’s evolving premium casual-dining consumer.

Harsh Jain is the Director of Pocket Stores & Shopping Malls, an emerging, fast-growing neighborhood value supermarket chain heavily concentrated within Surat, Gujarat. Since its founding in 2022, the brand has scaled to 4 large-format neighborhood supermarkets strategically distributed across growing residential and commercial corridors in and around the Surat metropolitan area, with branches in Kamrej, Amroli, Varachha, and Kim.
Under his leadership, Pocket Stores operates as a multi-category value supermarket and departmental chain, pioneering a “hyper-local value anchor” model. The chain focuses heavily on delivering value, variety, and everyday affordability to families, leveraging high-volume sourcing and flat price markdowns below corporate MRP to capture routine budget shopping runs.

Tim Schneider is Director of Sales Engineering & Partnerships at Buynomics, where he drives the success of the commercial department while cultivating strong partnerships with global leaders in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and Cosmetics. Drawing on his background in consulting and revenue growth management at Boston Consulting Group and earlier roles at Buynomics, he works hands-on with commercial teams to put AI and simulation into practice, turning RGM strategy into real pricing, promotion, and portfolio decisions.
In September 2026, Schneider contributed to Buynomics’ Future of RGM Report 2027, discussing investment priorities and capability challenges facing revenue growth management teams. His current work reflects the growing intersection of AI, shopper simulation, commercial strategy and revenue optimisation in the global CPG industry.

Prasoon Gupta is a serial entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO of Sattviko, a food and wellness brand built around the principles of traditional Indian nutrition and yogic living. An alumnus of IIT Roorkee and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Gupta began his entrepreneurial journey while still a student, co-founding TechBuddy Consulting, an education-focused technology venture that he successfully exited in 2013.
Gupta entered the food and hospitality sector in 2013–14 with Sattviko, initially developing a restaurant concept centred on sattvic and vegetarian cuisine. The brand subsequently evolved into a packaged-food business, enabling it to reach consumers beyond physical restaurant locations. Gupta has described this transition as a pivotal step in building a more scalable food business.
A long-time practitioner of yoga, Gupta’s entrepreneurial philosophy is deeply influenced by the connection between food, nutrition and holistic wellness. His work at Sattviko led to the development of FoodYoga, a platform focused on creating plant-based nutrition products inspired by yogic nutrition science.
Recognised for his entrepreneurial achievements, Gupta has received honours including the National Entrepreneurship Award, TiE Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and BusinessWorld 40 Under 40. He continues to focus on building Indian food and wellness brands with global potential.

Prateek Mishra is a food and grocery industry professional serving as Export & Modern Trade Head at Rajesh Masala Udyog Pvt. Ltd. He focuses on driving the company’s modern trade, e-commerce and export initiatives, with a strong emphasis on identifying new market opportunities and building strategic business partnerships.
Mishra has played a key role in developing Rajesh Masala Udyog’s modern trade and e-commerce operations while contributing to the company’s expansion into international markets. One of his notable professional achievements has been leading the launch of modern trade and e-commerce operations and supporting the organisation’s export-market expansion through strategic planning and cross-functional collaboration.
His approach to business is strongly informed by data and market intelligence. He actively uses primary and secondary research to understand consumer behaviour, identify emerging opportunities and shape business strategies. He also places considerable importance on building lasting relationships with customers, prospects and business partners.
With expertise spanning exports, modern trade, e-commerce, business development, consumer engagement and market expansion, Mishra brings a practical perspective on the evolving food and grocery retail landscape in India and international markets.

Alina Alam is an Indian social entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Mitti Café, a social enterprise built around the belief that disability inclusion should create employment, dignity and economic independence—not charity. She founded Mitti Café in 2017 while pursuing her master’s degree in Development Studies at Azim Premji University, after volunteering with organisations working with persons with disabilities and recognising the lack of meaningful employment opportunities available to them.
Under her leadership, Mitti Café has developed an inclusive hospitality model in which adults with physical, intellectual and psychiatric disabilities are trained and employed across café operations. The organisation has expanded from its first outlet in Hubballi to locations across India, including institutional and high-footfall spaces such as the Supreme Court of India and major airports.
Alam’s work has earned recognition including Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, the NITI Aayog Women Transforming India Award, the United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award, the NCPEDP Mindtree Helen Keller Award and the Commonwealth Youth Award, among others.
Through Mitti Café, Alam continues to demonstrate how hospitality can become a platform for inclusive employment, entrepreneurship and social change, while challenging conventional perceptions of disability and workplace capability.

Dr. Sudhir Tamne is a senior food technology, quality and innovation professional with more than two decades of experience in corporate quality, food safety, product development and technical operations. He is associated with Burger King India, where he has played a key role in building and strengthening the brand’s quality, food safety and product innovation framework. His LinkedIn profile notes more than 24 years of experience in corporate quality and food safety across several countries.
A founding member of Burger King India, Dr. Tamne has been instrumental in establishing high standards for food quality and safety while contributing to the development of products tailored to Indian consumer preferences. His expertise in flavours, ingredients, processes and the vendor ecosystem played an important role in the development of Burger King India’s early menu, including its Crispy Veg and Crispy Chicken burgers.
He holds a PhD from UDCT (University Department of Chemical Technology) and has built a strong reputation in food quality, regulatory systems and product development. Over the years, he has also contributed to Burger King India’s clean-label initiatives and supplier quality management, working closely with food and packaging suppliers to maintain international quality standards.
His responsibilities and expertise span quality assurance, food safety, regulatory compliance, technical operations, product innovation, supplier management and new product development. In 2025, he was identified by Washington State University as Senior Vice President for Quality and Innovation at Burger King India, reflecting his leadership across these functions.
Dr. Tamne brings a distinctive combination of scientific expertise, QSR industry experience and hands-on knowledge of food innovation, making him a strong voice on the future of food safety, product development and quality-led growth in India’s foodservice sector.

Harpreet Singh Tibb is a Promoter, Director and Board Member of Tibb’s Frankie, where he has played a key role in driving the evolution and growth of the family-owned QSR brand. With a focus on innovation, technology and changing consumer preferences, he has helped steer the brand’s digital and omnichannel strategy.
Under his leadership, Tibb’s Frankie has expanded its product portfolio with innovations such as ProtiRoti, a 100% plant-protein-based roll positioned as a first-of-its-kind offering in the Indian QSR space. He has also championed the use of data analytics and digital channels to strengthen customer engagement and business performance.
Harpreet has been instrumental in building on the legacy of Tibb’s Frankie while adapting the brand to contemporary retail and food-service trends. His contributions have helped the brand gain industry recognition, including the IMAGES Most Admired Marketing Campaign of the Year for the ProtiRoti launch.
Beyond his work at Tibb’s Frankie, Harpreet has an educational background spanning BITS Pilani, IIM Calcutta and Cambridge, combining academic depth with entrepreneurial and business leadership experience.

Neeraj Menta is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of SuperK, a tech-enabled grocery retail company focused on bringing modern retail to India’s Tier-2, Tier-3 and smaller towns. Founded in 2019 with Anil Thontepu, SuperK combines technology, procurement, supply-chain capabilities and a franchise-led model to empower local entrepreneurs to operate modern supermarkets.
A second-time entrepreneur, Neeraj brings a strong technology and product background to the business. Before SuperK, he co-founded HungerBox, a technology platform for corporate food services, and worked in software and product roles at Flipkart and Zeta (Directi). He is also an alumnus of BITS Pilani, where he studied Computer Science and met co-founder Anil Thontepu.
At SuperK, Neeraj has been closely involved in building a scalable retail model for Bharat, using data and technology to address the structural challenges of traditional grocery retail. The company works with local entrepreneurs and kirana operators, providing procurement, technology, intelligence and marketing support to create a consistent modern-store experience.
Under Neeraj’s leadership, SuperK has grown from its first store in Anantapur into a rapidly expanding supermarket network across smaller towns. His experience across technology, product management and entrepreneurship continues to shape SuperK’s approach to building a scalable, asset-light retail ecosystem for the next generation of Indian consumers.

Swathi Varun is an entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Yellow Spoon, a Bengaluru-based clean-label food brand focused on preservative-free, nutritious foods made with simple, natural ingredients. Yellow Spoon’s portfolio includes dry-fruit powders, millet-based spreads, roasted nuts, snacks and jaggery-sweetened products.
Her entrepreneurial journey began with a personal mission to provide wholesome food for her family. What started as homemade food prepared for her children evolved into Yellow Spoon, which she has since developed into a growing consumer food brand. Her approach is rooted in purity, mindful nutrition and transparent ingredients, with the brand serving health-conscious families as well as corporate and gifting customers.

Rajdeep Singh Kukreja started Boojee Cafe in 2019 with around ₹10 lakh from his personal savings, opening its first outlet in a tiny 100 sq. ft. space in Bandra, Mumbai. The café began with just 15 seats, no washroom and, importantly, no external funding.
Rather than building the business around investor capital, Rajdeep focused on getting the fundamentals right — strong unit economics, a curated menu, artisanal coffee and a distinctive neighbourhood experience. The approach helped Boojee build a loyal customer base and establish a recognisable presence across Mumbai.
Over the years, the brand has expanded to multiple locations and attracted a clientele that includes celebrities and influencers. Boojee has reportedly crossed ₹10 crore in monthly revenue, translating to an annualised run rate of more than ₹100 crore.
Rajdeep’s journey offers a compelling counterpoint to the funding-led startup narrative. It demonstrates how disciplined execution, healthy cash flows, customer loyalty and a strong product proposition can provide the foundation for scaling a consumer business without relying heavily on external capital.

Anurag Katriar is a veteran restaurateur and the Founder & Managing Director of Indigo Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., with more than three decades of experience in India’s food and hospitality industry. He is the entrepreneur behind a portfolio of established F&B brands including Indigo Delicatessen, Indigo Café, Indigo Burger Project and Neel.
Katriar began his hospitality career in the late 1990s and has held leadership roles across the restaurant industry. Before establishing Indigo Hospitality, he was associated with deGustibus Hospitality, where he served as Executive Director & CEO and played a key role in building and expanding brands such as Indigo, Indigo Deli, Neel, D:OH!, Tote on the Turf and Moveable Feast.
A prominent voice in India’s restaurant ecosystem, Katriar has also played an active role in industry advocacy through the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). He served as NRAI President from 2019 to 2021 and continues to be associated with the organisation as a Trustee.
Over the years, Katriar has been recognised for his contribution to India’s evolving dining culture and for his views on restaurant entrepreneurship, consumer behaviour, profitability and the changing food-service landscape. He continues to be closely involved in the growth and evolution of Indigo Hospitality and the wider Indian F&B sector.

Varun is a first-generation entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Pro Nature Organic Foods, one of India’s established organic food brands. With over 30 years of professional experience, including more than 20 years in the organic food industry, Varun has built Pro Nature from the ground up into a widely distributed and steadily growing brand in India. Founded in 2006, Pro Nature Organic Foods was built as a bootstrapped venture with a focus on delivering consistent quality, reliable service, and strong distribution. Under Varun’s leadership, the company has grown from its roots in Bengaluru to a presence across major cities in India, with its products reaching consumers through leading modern retail, e-commerce and general trade channels. Its customers include Reliance, Metro Cash & Carry, Amazon, More, Walmart and Spar, alongside a wide network of distributors and retailers.

Varun’s entrepreneurial approach combines long-term business thinking with a strong focus on operational excellence. He has developed systems and processes aimed at achieving high standards in quality, service, sales and distribution, while maintaining disciplined inventory management, cash-flow efficiency and sustainable business growth. His approach balances financial performance with social and environmental considerations.

Before founding Pro Nature, Varun gained experience across diverse sectors and leading organisations, including Johnson & Johnson, Tata International, The Global Green Company (Thapar Group) and EKA Software Solutions. During his tenure at The Global Green Company, he was involved in exports of spices and pioneered certified organic exports for the company. Varun holds a master’s degree in international business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics & Power from Nagpur University. At the heart of his journey is a commitment to building a sustainable, consumer- focused business in the evolving organic food sector. His areas of interest include lean business management, investing, human behaviour and motivation, sustainability, teaching and long-term business strategy.

R Shankaran is an accomplished food-industry professional with over three decades of experience in food processing, cold-chain management, post-harvest technology, sustainable agriculture and international market development. He currently serves as the Managing Director of Frigoscan Post Harvest Technologies and has worked closely with organisations such as MoFPI, APEDA, NHM, NHB and ASSOCHAM.

His experience also includes developing global markets for processed foods, snack products and agricultural commodities across Asia-Pacific, Japan, the Gulf, Australia, Europe and North America.

Rohit Varma is a seasoned retail professional serving as Director – Buying & Merchandising at Q-Mart, where he plays a key role in shaping the retailer’s product assortment, category strategy and merchandising initiatives. With a strong understanding of consumer preferences and retail dynamics, he is involved in driving buying decisions that balance customer needs with commercial objectives.
In his role, Varma oversees critical aspects of category management, product selection, sourcing, vendor relationships and merchandise planning, helping Q-Mart build a relevant and competitive assortment across categories. His work sits at the intersection of consumer trends, brand partnerships and retail performance, with a focus on identifying products and categories that can strengthen customer engagement and business growth.
His experience in buying and merchandising gives him valuable insights into how changing consumer behaviour, premiumisation, emerging brands and evolving retail formats are reshaping the modern retail landscape.

Indian retail is being rewritten in real time – and Amitabbh Singh has been closely involved in that transformation. A senior FMCG and retail leader, Amitabh brings extensive experience in driving business growth, customer development and channel expansion across organised retail and digital commerce in India.
At Patanjali, he works across Modern Trade, e-commerce, quick commerce and strategic customer partnerships, helping strengthen the way a large and diverse FMCG portfolio is distributed, presented and executed across both physical and digital retail environments.
His core areas of expertise include key account management and strategic retail partnerships, Modern Trade, e-commerce and quick commerce, assortment strategy and business development, channel growth and retail execution, along with cross-functional collaboration across sales, marketing, supply chain and commercial teams.
As Indian retail has evolved from traditional organised formats to e-commerce, quick commerce and increasingly omnichannel consumer journeys, Amitabh has remained focused on what ultimately drives sustainable FMCG growth: understanding the consumer, building long-term customer partnerships and ensuring disciplined execution at every point of purchase.
His perspective is grounded in practical execution and a deep understanding of how FMCG businesses must continuously adapt to changing channels, consumer expectations and retail models. For those working across FMCG, Modern Trade, e-commerce, quick commerce and omnichannel retail in India, Amitabh brings a valuable combination of strategic perspective and on-ground business experience.

Zorawar Kalra is a prominent Indian restaurateur and the Founder & Managing Director of Massive Restaurants Pvt Ltd, which he launched in December 2012 with the vision of creating contemporary restaurant brands that could take Indian cuisine to a global audience.
Coming from a family deeply rooted in the culinary world, Kalra is the son of legendary food personality Jiggs Kalra. Building on this legacy while developing his own entrepreneurial identity, he has played a significant role in introducing innovative dining concepts that combine Indian flavours with modern culinary techniques, contemporary design and experiential dining.
Under his leadership, Massive Restaurants has developed a diverse portfolio of brands, including Farzi Café, Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, Made in Punjab, Pa Pa Ya, BO-TAI, KODE, MasalaBar and other food and hospitality concepts. Farzi Café, in particular, became known for its modern interpretation of Indian cuisine, incorporating elements of molecular gastronomy, culinary theatrics and contemporary presentation.
Kalra has also focused on expanding Indian restaurant concepts beyond the domestic market, while exploring new formats such as delivery-led and cloud-kitchen businesses. His approach combines brand building, culinary innovation, international expansion and an emphasis on evolving consumer experiences.
Beyond his entrepreneurial role, Kalra has also been a familiar face on Indian television, having hosted the fifth season of MasterChef India. His career reflects a sustained focus on modernising Indian dining and creating restaurant brands with international aspirations.

Dhiren Kanwar is an accomplished F&B industry leader, entrepreneur, angel investor and business advisor with more than three decades of experience across food, hospitality, ingredients and consumer businesses. He is the Founder of Zaad Ventures, an advisory and growth platform that works with early-stage and growth companies on strategy, go-to-market, innovation, people, technology, branding and fundraising.
Kanwar began his career as a chef with ITC Hotels and later the Taj Group before moving into entrepreneurship. He founded and successfully exited Gourmet Street/Sweet Talk, a venture spanning commissary operations, cafés and events. He subsequently held senior leadership roles at Future Capital/Kshitij and Puratos, where he led the establishment and expansion of the company’s India and South Asia operations.

Sudeep Goenka is a business leader and Director at Goldiee Group, where he has been instrumental in modernising the organisation and driving its growth across domestic and international markets. With more than 16 years of leadership experience spanning business administration, manufacturing, marketing, engineering and strategic management, he has played a key role in strengthening Goldiee’s position as a diversified FMCG and food business.
Goenka holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, and has also pursued studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Before joining the family business in 2006, he gained international corporate experience with The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, where he worked as a CSD Business Analyst.
At Goldiee, he has spearheaded initiatives across distribution expansion, technology adoption, manufacturing and product innovation. He was instrumental in strengthening the company’s distributor and retailer network, implementing ERP systems, developing state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities and expanding the Ready-to-Eat and value-added food businesses. He has also driven growth across modern trade, institutional sales, HoReCa and export channels.
Known for his analytical and entrepreneurial approach, Goenka focuses on innovation, operational excellence, brand building and sustainable business growth. He continues to contribute to the evolution of Goldiee Group as it expands its product portfolio and international footprint.

Ruman R. Pathan is a seasoned Marketing & Business leader with 20+ years of experience spanning FMCG, Telecom, Media, and Service industries, Ruman has successfully led roles across P&L management, Digital-Brand Marketing, Sales, Key Accounts, and Strategic Planning.
Currently, Business Head – Alternate Channels at Parle Agro, heading a wide portfolio: Retail, eCommerce, Inst -HoReCa, and Travel Business.

Prior to his current role, he was the Premium and Modern Trade Strategy Head at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), where he also built the eCommerce business from scratch. The eCommerce business recorded triple-digit growth and achieved the highest 9-point market share, shaping the NARTD category on QC platform.

Earlier in his career, he led Digital Sales at Mahindra Holidays & Resorts and served as Brand Head at Tata Docomo, demonstrating his versatility and strength in driving both digital innovation and brand performance.

K.S. Narayanan is a seasoned Food Industry expert with over 35 years of experience across the Food & Beverage value chain, spanning “farm to fork”. His extensive career encompasses India and Europe, with deep expertise across both B2B and B2C businesses, covering FMCG, foodservice, hospitality, retail, impulse and food solutions.
Over the course of his career, K.S. Narayanan has held senior leadership positions with leading organisations including Hindustan Unilever, McCain Foods, VKL Seasonings, and Blue Foods, where he has been involved in building and managing businesses across diverse food categories and formats. His experience spans beverages, edible oils, dairy, ice creams, frozen foods, culinary products, seasonings and flavours, as well as restaurants, cafés and parlours.
Having headed businesses such as McCain India, VKL Seasonings and Blue Foods, he brings a comprehensive understanding of business strategy, customer and business development, sales and marketing, operations, retail and foodservice. His cross-functional and cross-category experience gives him a distinctive perspective on consumer trends, channel evolution, go-to-market strategies and building scalable food businesses.
A regular contributor to industry and business publications, Narayanan shares his perspectives on developments and emerging opportunities within the Food & Beverage sector.
Currently, K.S. Narayanan serves as an advisor to several F&B startups and companies, supporting them in capability building, business strategy and scaling operations. His advisory work spans B2C categories including gourmet snacks, mithai, ice cream parlours, plant protein, frozen foods and cold-chain solutions, as well as B2B Horeca businesses.
With more than three decades of experience across categories, channels and geographies, K.S. Narayanan brings a practical and holistic perspective to the evolving Food & Beverage ecosystem, helping businesses identify growth opportunities, strengthen capabilities and build sustainable, scalable operations.

Abhinav Mathur is the Managing Director & CEO of Kaapi Machines and the Founder of Something’s Brewing, with over two decades of experience spanning business leadership, consumer products, retail and the coffee industry. An MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, he has held leadership roles across organisations including Wipro, Philips, Stanley Black & Decker and Stovekraft before building his career in the coffee ecosystem.
Since joining Kaapi Machines, Abhinav has helped transform the company from a coffee equipment supplier into a comprehensive coffee solutions and consulting platform, combining technology, training, technical support and community building. He has also driven strategic partnerships and introduced innovative global coffee technologies to the Indian market.
Through Something’s Brewing, he is focused on nurturing India’s growing home-brewing culture through coffee equipment, accessories, education and community. His broader vision is centred on strengthening India’s coffee ecosystem and building a vibrant community around quality coffee experiences.

Anshumman V Pandita is the Senior Vice President – Sales at Unibic Foods India, where he leads the company’s sales strategy and market expansion across channels. With more than two decades of experience spanning FMCG, consumer healthcare, e-commerce and modern trade, he brings extensive expertise in sales, distribution, channel development and customer management.
Pandita joined Unibic in 2018 and has held several leadership roles across modern trade, sales, e-commerce, international business and new-generation channels. Prior to his current role, he served as Vice President – E-commerce, International Business & New GT Channels and Associate Vice President – E-commerce & Customer Development. He has also held sales and distribution roles at Flipkart, Sun Pharma, Abbott, Wipro Consumer Care and Hindustan Unilever.
At Unibic, Pandita has been closely involved in strengthening the brand’s presence across general trade, modern trade, e-commerce and quick commerce. He has also played a role in expanding the company’s portfolio beyond its core cookies business into categories such as bakery biscuits, wafers and cakes, while maintaining a focus on premium urban consumers.
An alumnus of IIM Calcutta and the Indian School of Business Management & Administration, Pandita combines strong sales leadership with a deep understanding of evolving consumer and channel dynamics. His experience positions him to contribute significantly to Unibic’s next phase of growth, distribution expansion and category development.

Kalyani Katlaparti is the Founder and Managing Director of Goodflux Foods Private Limited, a Hyderabad-based food company behind the Crave Better Foods brand. Goodflux Foods was incorporated in February 2026, with Kalyani Katlaparti listed among its promoters and directors.
Through Crave Better Foods, the company is focused on creating better-for-you food products built around the proposition that healthier eating need not compromise on taste. The brand currently markets products including chocolate squares made with ingredients such as ragi, oats, peanuts and jaggery.
Kalyani brings substantial experience in business and corporate management. Public corporate records show that she has been associated with multiple ventures, including Traya Associates LLP, where she serves as a Designated Partner, and IE 5 Foods Private Limited, where she is a director.
Her current focus with Goodflux Foods is on building a differentiated food business around accessible, ingredient-conscious products and scaling its consumer-facing portfolio.

C. S. Nitin — Director, Cothas Coffee Co.
C. S. Nitin is the Director of Cothas Coffee Co., the Bengaluru coffee house that has been part of Indian homes since 1949. Choosing to return to the family business, he has taken on the task of carrying a trusted legacy forward — protecting the taste and standards built over generations while readying the company for a new era of consumers.
Under his leadership, Cothas has grown well beyond its heritage roots. The portfolio today spans filter coffee powder, decoction, instant coffee, cold beverages and specialty coffee beans, reaching consumers across modern retail, e-commerce, quick commerce, vending and international markets. Closer to home, the brand runs 75+ company-owned, company-operated stores across South India, bringing the Cothas experience directly to customers.
His guiding belief is a simple one: honour the legacy, embrace change, and take Cothas into its future.

Aakash Kandoi is the fourth-generation Managing Director & CEO of Jagdish Farshan Pvt Ltd (JFPL), a Gujarat-based premium Indian snacks, namkeen, sweets, and frozen foods company founded by his great-grandfather in 1938. Since joining the family business in 2014, Aakash has led its transformation from a regional legacy brand into a modern, professionally-run FMCG and retail company — growing the store network from 2 to 27+ outlets across central Gujarat, adding international operations, and expanding the product range to 500+ items.
His focus areas include building data-driven operations, strengthening D2C and quick commerce channels, and premiumising the brand while staying true to its heritage. He has also led JFPL’s international expansion efforts into markets including the US and Canada, driven by a mission to take the taste of Gujarat to the world.

Prashant Issar is the Founder of Ishaara and Managing Director of Bellona Hospitality, the FnB arm of Phoenix Mills Ltd. Prashant began his career with The Indian Hotels Company, training at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, where he spent five years and rose to manage the Apollo Bar and Rendezvous. He then spent over 11 years in London, working on restaurant openings across Soho, Piccadilly and Chelsea. His experience includes managing the Michelin-starred Amaya in Knightsbridge for over five years, as well as managing Chutney Mary and Veeraswamy and launching the first Masala Zone in Soho. He later earned an MBA from Henley Business School on a scholarship, specialising in entrepreneurship. On returning to India, Prashant worked with leading hospitality brands including Hakkasan and Yauatcha before pioneering an inclusive hospitality model through Mirchi & Mime and Madeira & Mime.

He subsequently founded Ishaara in 2019 on the belief that inclusion should create sustainable careers, not simply employment. The brand integrates people with Speech and Hearing Impairment (SHI) into mainstream hospitality roles, enabling them to build long-term careers across operations, training, supervision and management. Ishaara has since grown into a nine-outlet, multi-city restaurant brand across Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Ahmedabad, demonstrating that social inclusion and commercial performance can coexist at scale. As Managing Director of Bellona Hospitality, Prashant has conceptualised, created and led the expansion of distinctive dining concepts including Dobaara, Eight, Allora Milano, Cha Hong Kong Eating House and Legume.

Sandeep Varaganti is the Chief Executive Officer of JioMart at Reliance Retail, where he leads the growth and evolution of one of India’s prominent digital commerce and omnichannel platforms. He is focused on building JioMart as a trusted, large-scale marketplace that connects consumers with an extensive network of brands, sellers and small and medium businesses.
An experienced business leader with a background in e-commerce, technology and marketplace businesses, Varaganti has previously worked with organisations including Cognizant, Amazon and Prione. His experience spans business scaling, cross-functional leadership, digital commerce and enabling SMBs to participate in the rapidly expanding e-commerce ecosystem.
At JioMart, he has been closely associated with the platform’s transition from a primarily grocery-focused destination into a broader e-commerce marketplace, while advancing its omnichannel capabilities and digital-first customer proposition. He has also championed initiatives such as JioMart on WhatsApp, aimed at making digital commerce more accessible to consumers and businesses across India.
Varaganti holds an MBA from INSEAD and a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad.

Rajneet Kohli is a seasoned business leader with more than 28 years of experience across the FMCG, food, beverage and retail sectors. He currently serves as Executive Director – Foods at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), where he leads the company’s Foods business and is part of its Management Committee. He assumed the role in April 2025.
Prior to joining HUL, Rajneet was CEO & Executive Director of Britannia Industries, where he played a key role in strengthening the company’s food and bakery portfolio through product innovation, brand building and digital capabilities. Before Britannia, he was President & Chief Business Officer at Jubilant FoodWorks, where he led the Domino’s India business and drove significant transformation through data, technology and digitalisation.
Earlier in his career, Rajneet spent around 14 years with The Coca-Cola Company in senior leadership positions spanning sales, marketing, commercial operations and plant operations, with responsibility for large businesses and P&Ls. His experience also includes a stint with Asian Paints.
An MBA from the University of Wales, UK, Rajneet has also completed executive leadership programmes at Columbia Business School and the Indian School of Business. His career has been marked by a strong focus on business transformation, consumer-led innovation, digitalisation and building high-performance organisations.

Anil Chugh leads the company’s expansion in the food and emerging-category businesses and has been heading the Food Business since 2022 at Wipro.
A veteran of the consumer goods industry, Chugh joined Wipro Consumer Care in 1990 and has spent more than three decades across sales, marketing and business leadership roles. He rose through the organisation from a Management Trainee to leadership positions including head of the India Personal Care business and later President – Consumer Care, India & SAARC.
Under his leadership, Wipro has built its food portfolio through acquisitions including Nirapara and Brahmins, strengthening its presence in spices, breakfast and ready-to-cook categories. He has also overseen the establishment of a Foods Research & Innovation Centre in Bengaluru.
In 2025, Wipro said its food business had delivered double-digit growth in FY25, with the company focusing on expanding Nirapara and Brahmins across modern trade, e-commerce and quick commerce while remaining open to further acquisitions.
More recently, Chugh has been instrumental in Wipro’s move into pet nutrition, with the launch of Snuggles in August 2026—the company’s first new category move since entering foods in 2022.
Chugh holds an MBA from SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai, and an engineering degree

Nishtha Modi is a business development professional associated with Dhirajsons The Mega Store, a prominent retail destination known for its diverse portfolio of fashion, lifestyle and consumer offerings. In her role as Business Development Head, she is responsible for driving strategic growth initiatives, identifying new business opportunities and strengthening relationships with brands, partners and other stakeholders.
With a strong focus on business expansion and retail development, Nishtha works at the intersection of commercial strategy, partnerships and customer-oriented growth. Her role involves evaluating emerging opportunities, developing collaborations and supporting initiatives that enhance the store’s market presence and overall business performance.
At Dhirajsons The Mega Store, Nishtha contributes to the evolving retail ecosystem by engaging with brands and business partners while helping create opportunities that align with changing consumer preferences and market dynamics. Her understanding of business development and retail partnerships enables her to contribute to the organisation’s growth across an increasingly competitive retail landscape.
Her experience makes her a relevant industry voice on topics including retail business development, brand partnerships, evolving consumer expectations, retail expansion and strategies for building sustainable growth in the modern retail environment.

Avik Chatterjee is the Chief Executive Officer and Whole-Time Director of Speciality Restaurants Limited, the company behind brands including Mainland China, Asia Kitchen by Mainland China, Gong and Episode. A graduate of Kingston University, London, he joined Speciality Restaurants in 2015 as Head of Innovation and New Formats and was inducted onto the Board in 2020.
Over the years, Chatterjee has played a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s brand portfolio and driving innovation across formats. He has spearheaded the launch of new concepts including Gong, Episode One, Siciliana, Walters and Powder Room, while also leading the rebranding and evolution of flagship brands such as Mainland China and Asia Kitchen by Mainland China.
Appointed CEO with effect from June 1, 2026, Chatterjee is now focused on accelerating Speciality Restaurants’ growth, strengthening its brand equity and expanding its presence across key markets. His expertise spans new-format development, consumer trends, food and beverage innovation, brand transformation and market expansion.

Smerth Khanna is a senior business and sales leader at Dabur India Limited, currently serving as Business Head – South Region and Organised Trade. In this role, he oversees Dabur’s business across South India while driving growth through organised retail, modern trade and e-commerce channels. His experience spans sales, e-commerce, modern trade, international business, business development and strategic partnerships.
Khanna has been associated with Dabur since 2018 and has held several leadership positions across the organisation. Before taking charge of South India and Organised Trade, he served as Business Head – Organised Trade, covering e-commerce and modern trade, as well as Head of Innovations. Earlier, he led Dabur’s e-commerce business across India and SAARC and was involved in establishing the company’s global e-commerce business.
Prior to Dabur, Khanna worked with Dabur International, Snapdeal, Microsoft and HCL Infosystems, gaining experience across international e-commerce, brand partnerships, strategic initiatives and business development. He holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis – Olin Business School and a BCA.
A recognised voice in the evolving retail and e-commerce ecosystem, Khanna brings strong expertise in omnichannel growth, organised trade, digital commerce, consumer engagement and business transformation.

Preeta has over 20 years of experience in consumer research industry across different geographies like Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe & India. She has extensive market research experience across multiple categories like FMCG, Finance and Banking, Consumer Durables, Ecommerce, Edtech, Fintech, etc. 

During her career journey she has held several leadership roles across organizations like Nielsen, GfK, Novus among others. She has successfully set up and led consumer insight teams in research start-ups. 

Apart from work, Preeta has collaborated with online arm of MIT Pune (RISE WIP) to create an online market research course for working professionals which is live with one batch already underway. She is also a published author and her book “Magic Within Me”, a composition of her poems, is available online. She loves writing, reading, music, meditating, gardening & dancing in her spare time. She also does pro-bono life coaching in her spare time.

Manoj Nag Choudhury is an experienced sales and commercial leader at Blue Star Ltd., with expertise in B2B, B2G and national account development across the commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning ecosystem. His role involves managing key institutional and business relationships, driving sales growth and developing strategic partnerships across diverse customer segments.
Choudhury has been associated with Blue Star’s Commercial Refrigeration business, where he has held responsibility for national and key accounts. He has previously been identified as Head – National Accounts & Key Accounts, Commercial Refrigeration, reflecting his experience in managing large-format customers and institutional business.
His professional focus lies at the intersection of commercial refrigeration, food retail, organised retail and institutional sales. This gives him a strong understanding of the infrastructure requirements of modern food and retail businesses, including refrigeration solutions, cold-chain environments and temperature-sensitive operations.
Choudhury has also been a speaker at the India Food Forum, where he has shared industry perspectives in sessions focused on food retail and the evolving premium food-retail landscape.
With his experience spanning national accounts, B2B and institutional sales, Choudhury brings a strong understanding of how refrigeration and cooling solutions can support the rapidly evolving requirements of India’s foodservice, grocery and retail ecosystem.

Samir Kuckreja is the Founder and CEO of Tasanaya Hospitality, a boutique consulting firm focused on restaurants, hotels, hospitality technology, FMCG and retail. With over three decades of experience in the food service and hospitality industry, he has worked across business development, operations, expansion, strategy and brand building.
Samir began his career with Four Seasons in the US before joining Yum Restaurants, where he was involved in expanding Pizza Hut and KFC across the Indian subcontinent. He later served as Joint Managing Director at Mars Hotels & Restaurants and as CEO & Managing Director of Nirula’s, where he helped expand the brand from 35 outlets in two cities to 85 outlets across eight cities.
He founded Tasanaya Hospitality in 2012, advising businesses on market entry, concept creation, operational optimisation, growth strategy, franchising, fundraising and investment advisory. Samir is also a past President and Trustee of the National Restaurant Association of India.

Anand Bharadwaj is the Co-Founder of Sweet Karam Coffee, the Chennai-based food brand built around authentic South Indian recipes and the culinary traditions of Anand’s grandmother, Janaki Paati. Founded in 2015, the brand aims to take the “taste and tales” of South India to consumers across India and global markets.
An operator at heart, Anand brings more than a decade of experience at Unilever, where he worked across supply chain, demand planning and availability management in South India. This experience has shaped his execution-focused approach, combining operational discipline, systems thinking and a strong understanding of retail. At Sweet Karam Coffee, Anand has played a key role in building a consumer-first business spanning traditional snacks, sweets, pickles, coffee, masalas and other South Indian staples
Anand is an alumnus of the College of Engineering, Guindy and holds a Master’s degree in Retail Management. His leadership combines FMCG experience, entrepreneurial ambition and a deep commitment to taking authentic South Indian food to a global audience.

Hemant Malik is Executive Director and Whole-time Director of ITC Limited, and serves as the Divisional Chief Executive of ITC’s Foods Business. He also oversees the company’s Personal Care Products Business. He joined ITC in June 1989 after completing a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics from the University of Delhi and an MBA from IIM Calcutta, and has built more than 36 years of experience across ITC’s Tobacco, Foods, Lifestyle Retailing and Trade Marketing & Distribution businesses.
Malik took charge as Divisional Chief Executive of ITC Foods in October 2016, following leadership roles in Trade Marketing & Distribution and ITC’s Tobacco business. Earlier, as Head of Marketing for ITC Foods from 2002, he played a key role in building and developing several of the company’s flagship brands, including Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Bingo!, YiPPee! and Kitchens of India. He subsequently helped establish ITC’s FMCG Trade Marketing & Distribution vertical and served in senior leadership roles spanning sales, supply chain and business operations.
He currently serves as Chairman of FICCI’s Food Processing Committee and is also a Member of the Board of Governors of the Advertising Standards Council of India.