Vrushali Parab is a seasoned marketing & strategy professional with over 13 years of rich experience in strategic brand management and business growth across various industries like Media & Entertainment,
F& B Retail, Real Estate and Wellness. Her strategic approach towards marketing, deep rooted in consumer insights and understanding of new-age as well as traditional media come from managing varied international as we all home-grown brands, catering to a diverse set of consumer cohorts.

Devrishee currently leads Brand and Marketing at abcoffee. A marketing major from MICA, Ahmedabad, he brings experience from working with several leading D2C and retail brands during his tenure at CleverTap.
In his current role, he serves as the chief brand guardian for abcoffee — driving product and brand marketing initiatives while strengthening the brand’s position as India’s leading Grab & Go coffee company.

Labhesh is a dynamic young professional deeply rooted in his family business, bringing a fresh, future-forward perspective to traditional commerce.
A postgraduate from EDII College, Ahmedabad, Labhesh merges foundational business acumen with a keen interest in technological innovation, particularly the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various sectors.
Currently, he is actively developing a project focused on payment gateway solutions, aiming to enhance efficiency and security in transactions. Labhesh views the Indian market as a landscape of unparalleled potential for growth and believes in actively pursuing cross-domain collaborations to leverage new opportunities.
With a personality driven by enthusiasm, curiosity, and an entrepreneurial spirit, Labhesh is focused on identifying and implementing tech-driven solutions to drive business evolution in one of the world’s biggest and most promising markets.

For over 30 years, Chef Swamy has brought food to life through storytelling—bridging the gap between culinary artistry and impactful media. As a chef, food stylist, photographer, and author, he helps brands, hospitality businesses, and educational institutions communicate their food vision with creativity, authenticity, and cultural depth.
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, London, he has conceptualised and produced award-winning cookbooks, high-impact food shows, and visual campaigns for global brands. His work solves a key challenge for the industry: translating flavours, heritage, and brand identity into compelling imagery and narratives that resonate with audiences worldwide.

Chef Amol Rawool is a distinguished academician and hospitality professional with over 14 years of dedicated experience in the field of hospitality education. Holding a Ph.D. in Home Science, a Master’s in Tourism, and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality & Catering, he combines a strong academic foundation with rich industry experience.

Chef Amol began his professional journey as a Management Executive Trainee at the prestigious JW Marriott, Juhu, and later contributed to Ramada Plaza Palm Grove, gaining valuable insights into luxury hospitality operations. Currently, he serves as the Head of the Hospitality Department at Chikitsak Samuha’s Patkar Varde College, Mumbai and Sindhudurga, where he has played a pivotal role in shaping future hospitality leaders.

He holds a place in the Asia and India Book of Records for preparing 181 varieties of pasta in 220 minutes without a break, showcasing his culinary innovation and stamina. His passion for culinary arts also led to two patents — one for Watermelon Rind Spaghetti and another (under review) for an Immunity Booster Pasta.

Chef Amol’s commitment to national service stands out. On Kargil Vijay Diwas, he, along with six of his students, served food to 800 soldiers during the Bada Khana at Kargil, an initiative that earned him a felicitation by the Governor of Maharashtra. He has also had the honor of serving at the Raj Bhavan on Republic Day (26th January).

In the media space, he is a known face, having appeared on popular cookery shows across ETV Marathi, Zee Marathi, Colors Marathi, and is currently a part of the regional show “Ruchira” on Doordarshan National TV. He also contributes regularly as a recipe blogger for Maharashtra Times, promoting innovative and traditional cuisines alike.

Awards & Recognition:

• Best Culinary Educator by Food Critics & Bloggers Association of India
• Chef of the Year by Gujarat Home Chefs Association
• Excellence in Hospitality Education by Better Kitchen Magazine
• Top Most Hospitality Icon Chef by Asia Food Congress & Awards

A passionate promoter of Malvani cuisine, Chef Amol Rawool organizes food pop-ups and experiential events in collaboration with his students, bringing regional flavors to a wider audience while preserving traditional culinary heritage.

A dynamic professional, a TEDx speaker, and a horse – riding enthusiast are some of the traits that describe the ambivert

Mr. Arvind Kumar Sharma. An alumnus of NIT Warangal, ISB Hyderabad & Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, he has had extensive experience in the FMCG space like biscuits, wafers, chocolates, confectionery, snacks, namkeens, chips, pickles, sauces & condiments etc. His undying passion for excellence and growth- oriented mindset has seen him grow through the ranks and assume a leadership role within a short span of 8 years. Mentoring & nurturing talent has always been close to his heart and has always been fostering an environment that is centered on the basic tenets of “trust” and “innovation”.

Mahesh Chaware

General Manager –Patel’s R Mart

With over 27 years of experience in retail leadership, Mahesh Chaware serves as the General Manager at Patel’s R Mart, one of the most prominent and fast-growing supermarket chains in Western India. His career reflects a strong command over retail operations, merchandising, supply chain efficiency, and consumer engagement, driving consistent growth and operational excellence across the organization.Under his leadership, Patel’s R Mart has strengthened its Omnichannel retail model, blending in-store, quickcommerce, and e-commerce operations to meet evolving customer needs. Mahesh has been instrumental in enhancing private label portfolios, optimizing category performance, and implementing technology-driven solutions for inventory and customer management.

His people-centric approach and focus on developing strong, execution-driven teams have helped the company achieve improved productivity and service benchmarks. Known for his strategic foresight, disciplined execution, and customer-first mind set, Mahesh continues to steer Patel’s R Mart toward greater scalability, profitability, and regional market leadership.

Dheeraj Jain is the Director of Pagariya Food Products Pvt. Ltd., a fast-growing Indian FMCG company behind the Kwality brand — one of the most trusted names in breakfast cereals, masalas, and instant mixes.

Under his leadership, Kwality has built a strong national footprint, with products now available in over 50,000 retail outlets across India, exporting to over 42 countries, and also emerging as the second-largest exporter of breakfast cereals from South East Asia.

A passionate believer in innovation and quality, Dheeraj has driven the company’s transformation from a regional brand into a global player — launching pioneering categories.

With a forward-looking vision and deep understanding of both domestic and international markets, he continues to steer Pagariya Foods toward its mission of bringing “Goodness Inside” to every kitchen across the world.

Dr. Nitin Shankar Nagrale is a globally recognized leader in hospitality procurement and supply chain management, with over 30 years of distinguished experiencein the hospitality, aviation, and service sectors. He currently serves as the CEO –India and Emerging Markets at Quality New Zealandsince its inception in 2013, a unique venture backed by New Zealand cricket legends Sir Richard Hadlee, Stephen Fleming, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, and Geoff Allott.A visionary professional, Dr.

Nagrale is the Founder & General Secretary of the Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum (HPMF), the first-of-its-kind platform that today represents 7,000+ members across India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and the Middle East. He has been instrumental in elevating procurement as a strategic functionin the hospitality industry and is widely respected as one of the most influential voices in global hospitality procurement.

Aleesha Desai is a seasoned professional with over 15+ years of rich experience across various verticals. She currently heads the Marketing function at Baskin Robbins India prior to which she has worked with renowned organizations such as Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages and Raw Pressery. Through her professional journey, she has worked in various capacities including leadership roles.
Aleesha is known for her strategic vision, creative prowess and drive for results. Beyond her professional achievements, she is a certified deep-sea diver, reflecting her adventurous spirit. She is instrumental in driving innovative and impactful marketing strategies at Baskin Robbins India, making her a key contributor to the overall business as well as to the industry.

Hari is an experienced entrepreneur, angel investor, mentor, and advisor with a passion for lifelong learning. He actively invests in innovative startups and promotes lean startup principles, global thinking, local action, and fostering an organisational culture suitable for innovation.

He has led numerous deals, predominantly in the Indian Angel Network and some in LetsVenture, facilitating exits and fundraising support for investors and portfolio companies. He has been a lead investor in several food tech companies and QSR brands and has been supporting entrepreneurs in the F & B , D2C , AI and Deep Tech space.

He is a member of the Advisory Board of Ivy Cap Ventures ( VC fund with over Rs. 5000 cr of AUM) , serves as a member of the Investment Committee at IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) , NSRCEL – IIM-Bengaluru , IIT Hyderabad (ITIC) and Venture Park (BIA) – Patna , IIEST , Shibpur.

Hari is one of the founding member of TiE Kolkata , has served as President and is a Lifetime Charter Member of TiE Kolkata.

As an entrepreneur since 1987, Hari has been involved in multiple ventures, including the early adoption of the internet with his portal Calcutta Online, which was acquired by a NASDAQ-listed company in 1998. He co-founded Ontrack Systems Limited in 1988 and held key positions in trade bodies, trusts, and non-profit organizations, such as TiE-Kolkata, COMPASS, CIITA and FAIITA and others.

Rohit Kapoor is the CEO of the Food Marketplace at Swiggy Ltd, where he is responsible for driving the food delivery business and developing growth strategies. With over 20 years of industry experience, he has held various leadership positions in sales and finance roles in companies such as Max India and McKinsey & Co. Prior to joining Swiggy, he worked at OYO as the CEO for India and Southeast Asia operations and later as the global CMO.
Rohit is an alumnus of Indian School of Business and a Certified Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA Institute, USA). With his extensive experience and expertise, he leads the Food Marketplace and Dineout businesses at Swiggy, fostering innovation and driving growth.