Category: Leaders

With a strong belief that technology can revolutionize the business world, Sabyasachi Saha is putting together the best resources to offer tailor-made solutions to clients across the world. But this success story did not start with a good graph in the beginning. Sabyasachi invested a lot in turning his dreams into reality.

THE SETTING UP OF DREAMS

Sabyasachi’s real tryst with technology started in West Bengal. He prepared for JEE and finally got admission to Kalyani Govt. Engineering College to pursue B.Tech. The course further gave wings to his dreams of establishing a career in technology. It was in 2011 that he co-founded Techno Exponent with his business partner co-founder Avoy Debnath.

What started small is now one of the leading web and mobile app development companies with global clientele. Over the years, Sabyasachi kept experimenting with the trends and creating solutions that catered to the market’s dynamic needs. His tireless efforts and determination encourage the team to build innovative solutions to bridge the gaps between businesses and technologies.

OFFERING ONLY THE BEST

Ever since the inception of Techno Exponent, Sabyasachi has been adopting new technologies so that businesses can reap the benefits. Today, his company is helping big names in achieving their goals. Under his leadership, the company has also expanded its service portfolio. While earlier it only dealt with PHP, Codeigniter, WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Techno Exponent is now also working with Blockchain, AI, Node.js, React.js, React Native, Flutter, JAVA, Kotlin, and many more. All this has been possible because of Sabyasachi’s excellent leadership skills. He has been successfully streamlining the operations to improve customer service.

As for taking the company to a global level, Sabyasachi’s proven track record of establishing strategic partnerships rightly deserve the credit for successful results. Today, the company has offices in 6 countries where it has served more than 1000 clients. The long list of his company’s clientele includes leading companies like Disney, Amazon, NASA, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, among others.

MORE THAN AN ENTREPRENEUR

Being a businessperson is just one part of Sabyasachi’s personality. He is much more than that. To be precise, he is also a charismatic leader, supportive teammate, and an icon in the world of technology and innovation. Recently, he also started another venture – Euphoria GenX. A technical training institute, Euphoria GenX is the gateway through which Sabyasachi is helping engineering students get hands on training that can help them get jobs. It offers training courses for Git, AWS, and Deployment apart from various other courses. In fact, Sabyasachi also collaborated with educators to teach students how to utilize technology and become skilled professionals. The institute offers guidance and training on the latest technologies like Angular, AI, ML, Java, Android, IoT, AutoCAD, etc. So far, the institute has placed thousands of students in reputable companies. Recently, 3000 students completed their summer training program.

He vehemently believes that the secret to success is choosing the business that is right for you. No wonder through Euphoria GenX he is guiding young minds to make the right career choices.

Pankaj is a technologist by education and an entrepreneur by passion. He holds a BE degree from Nagpur University and a Diploma in Advanced Computing from CDAC-Pune. In addition, he is a Pega systems Certified Lead System Architect (CLSA), Certified Methodology Black Belt (CMBB), and Certified CPM (Customer Process Management) Architect. With this stellar educational background and over20 years of experience working with global companies and helping them maximize value from their IT investments, Pankaj started Aaseya in 2017 with a vision to implement rapid digital transformation for customers.

AN EXEMPLARY LEADER

As a forward-thinking leader, Pankaj believes in leading by example. He co-founded Aaseya with the ambition of becoming the industry’s leading value-centric Low Code No Code services provider. And, within a very short time, was able to guide the company to become an undisputed leader in the low-code space. His unwavering efforts have ensured that Aaseya is today counted among the fastest-growing Pega partners worldwide. Within five years of its inception, he has led Aaseya to become a 500+ people organisation, providing cutting-edge solutions to its customers on the Pega and OutSystems platforms. Over the next four years, he aspires to grow the company to a 2000+ person enterprise. At Aaseya, Pankaj has formed a team of like minded people who work together to provide unparalleled customer service. Pankaj leads the company’s executive leadership team, ensuring that Aaseya can meet complex demands in different geographies. Not one to watch from the side, Pankaj has personally led large implementation teams at Aaseya, putting his experience in the BFSI, Telecom, Retail, and Manufacturing domains to guide the teams. Under his leadership, the team has supported over 80 production go-lives and continues delivering transformational results for their customers. He believes continuous innovation is essential for growing and sustaining an organisation. As a tech savvy leader passionate about leveraging technology, Pankaj has always aspired to help Aaseya customers stay ahead of the curve and maintain a competitive edge. He believes that while LCNC and Automation are still in their infancy, their potential for exploration and advancement is massive. As a result, he is constantly exploring and utilising the power of Pega and OutSystems technologies to analyze and innovate on how Aaseya can better serve its customers.

DRIVEN BY TEAM SPIRIT

According to Pankaj, team spiritis an essential element that creates an organization’s DNA. As a values-driven leader, he is guided by honesty, consistency, and humility. Many of his colleagues praise how he supports and encourages his team to accomplish their tasks with dedication and enthusiasm. And while his role as the company’s figurehead entails enormous responsibilities toward customers, Pankaj prioritizes the happiness and welfare of Aaseya employees. No surprise then that you will often find him ideating and spending time identifying improvement opportunities for both Aaseya customers and employees. Pankaj believes in and aims to foster an open culture at Aaseya that respects and values individual contributions and empowers employees to ideate, innovate, and execute. Design thinking workshops, creativity sessions, and other creative endeavours are actively encouraged by him to inspire employees to be innovative. According to him, the Aaseya leadership team and its parent organisation, YASH Technologies, have provided him with excellent guidance in his leadership role. He explains, “Aaseya and Yash’s business strategy have inspired me to invest in qualitative and quantitative research solutions to build internal processes, deliverables, and client services. Consequently, we have developed several assets, solutions, and accelerators to continuously improve our services and products and drive innovation for our customers, thus helping them gain a competitive edge.” Under his direction, the company has also invested in creating centres of excellence in Digital Process Automation, Business Process Management, and CRM.

GEARED TOWARDS GROWTH

Pankaj thrives on growth and is driven by his desire to succeed. His leadership and organisation skills make him stand out from the crowd. His relentless efforts led to the company expanding into more than ten countries in a short time. He was once referred to as ”Superman” by a client at a significant event in the US for effortlessly reversing an adverse situation affecting many Aaseya clients and customers in multiple countries and delivering large, complex, and government-regulated systems on time.

HALL OF FAME

Pankaj was awarded the CEO of the Year Award by Indian Achievers for his inspiring leadership in 2020. Under his leadership, Aaseya received Pega’s Client Innovation Award for Social Responsibility for his steadfast efforts.

It was also named a significant contender in Pega Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2021 by Everest Group. Last but not least, it was featured in the Top 10 Pega Service Providers Report by HFS Research. Not one to take the credit, Pankaj attributes his accomplishments to his team members, who bring laurels to the company.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Pankaj believes in fostering a culture of social responsibility and creating a business that benefits society. To that effect, Aaseya’s CSR policies focus on four key areas: education, environment, inclusive economic development, and health & nutrition. Furthermore, Pankaj encourages his team to proactively participate in social activities and impact the world positively. His team and the YASH Social Welfare Foundation (the CSR wing of YASH Technologies) regularly collaborate on initiatives such as introducing interactive learning tools in schools, planting trees, offering weekend schools, donation drives, and much more.

DECADES OF TRUST

Over four decades ago, an entrepreneurship venture named Sankalp was established in Ahmedabad. Then, in 1980, the Group’s first restaurant Sankalp was started. This humble beginning turned into a business empire as months and years passed.

The credit for this interesting story of growth goes to Dr. Goenka and his team. The Chairman and Managing Director of Sankalp Group, Dr. Goenka has a global outlook. Years of experience in the industry have endowed him with a business acumen that helps him see the bigger picture of the business world. Using this talent and his company’s competitive advantage, he is doing his best to make India a true world leader in several industries.

THE STORY OF SANKALP

When Sankalp’s first restaurant was established, the ease of doing business was not the same as it is today. But hard work and innovation pushed the story of Sankalp forward. Soon after its establishment, Sankalp transformed from just a single-specialty restaurant in Ahmedabad to a chain of restaurants in major cities of India.

As the market trends started to change in the late 1990s, Sankalp adapted to these changes. The Group introduced ‘Sam’s Pizza’ in 1999 and ‘Saffron’ in 2001. Both these brands soon became household names.

A true entrepreneur, Dr. Goenka kept adapting to new trends and innovating in his business ventures. The Sankalp Group launched Hotel Ramada in 2010 in Ahmedabad with a grand opening. This journey of success continued as the Group launched Ramada Encore at the Statue of Unity in 2019.

Recently, the organisation also partnered with Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) and brought the brand Taj to Ahmedabad. Within a few months of its launch, Taj Skyline became known as a perfect addition to the vibrant culture of Ahmedabad.

CREATING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

After establishing the Sankalp Group in the hospitality sector, Dr. Goenka decided to diversify to other industries. Thanks to his innate business acumen, he succeeded there as well. The brand has launched many innovative and delicious products in the packaged foods industry. The long-term aim of Sankalp Packaged Foods is to provide quality Indian food products to the country and the world.

Under the leadership of Dr. Goenka, the brand did not stop at the food industry. It expanded further to the construction sector. Today, the organisation is actively involved in various residential and commercial real estate projects in the city. The successful journey so far has made the business visionary and inspiring leader one of the most well-known industrialists of Gujarat.

RECOGNITION OF QUALITY

The sheer number of top-quality products and services delivered by Dr. Goenka’s companies under the Sankalp Group makes him an admirable figure. Quality significantly creates trust between consumers and the brand which ultimately translates to business success.

Thanks to Dr. Goenka’s work ethics and dynamism, the Sankalp Group has made its way to the Guinness Book of World Records twice. Gujarat Tourism’s official brochure describes the brand as the ‘Most Authentic Indian Restaurant.’ The Group has achieved many milestones and bagged several awards. It has received the Times Food Award eight times. The company has expanded its network outside India to Australia, Canada, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the US, UK and UAE.

Every leader has some life mantra that they swear by. Ms. Raitani’s passion is building the future of the nation. For years, she has been working hard towards the all-round development of her students. She believes that education is not just about learning bookish knowledge but building a strong character through physical, mental, spiritual, social, and cultural awareness. As the Founder and Manager of Guru Kripa Divine Grace Public School, she is realising this dream by providing high-quality education and care.

STORY OF TRUE DEDICATION

The beginning of Ms. Raitani’s dream was as humble as one can imagine. In 2004, she started a school under a tree at Nepal Border in the district of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. The vision was simple — she wanted to uplift the level of education in the area. Within a few years, she was able to introduce various programs such as the Graded Examination for Spoken English (GESE) through Trinity College, London, Scientific Assessment Program ASSET (Ei), Design For Change, Joy of Giving, and many more for the all-round development of the children.

One major milestone came in 2008 when she shifted the school to its campus, at Ranjitpur, Bahraich. As the years went by, Ms. Raitani kept working towards the betterment of her school. In 2012, the school got an affiliation from the CBSE and added ‘secondary school’ to its name.

Five years later, she led her school to national tournaments and even won two Life Empowerment Awards in New Delhi. Her vision is still the same but her dedication has become even stronger.

HUMANITARIAN AT HEART

Imparting education is just one part of Ms. Raitani’s visions. Her humanitarian nature does not stop here. Instead, she makes sure that through her school, she is able to partake in as many CSR activities as possible.

Over the years, she has actively participated and organised initiatives such as education for the underprivileged students, distribution of relief material, tree plantation drives, and other health and fitness programmes. Ms. Raitani is also an active part of national programmes such as Swachh Bharat as she is dedicated towards the nation and its citizens.

Ms. Raitani is also sensitive towards women’s issues. She has allowed women teachers to bring their babies to school where they are looked after well. Once the child gets older, they get school education free of cost. Ms. Raitani also lent the helping hands to hundreds of people during the pandemic. She arranged school vehicles and also contributed to food distribution drives for migrant workers so that they can return to their native villages safely.

FELICITATIONS AND AWARDS

The humanistic and dynamic leadership style of Ms. Raitani has not gone unnoticed. She has been awarded several accolades and honours in the past few years. She was felicitated with the Women’s Achiever Award by Uttar Pradesh’s Governor Smt. Anandiben Patel. Some other awards that decorate her office are Atulya Vidya Ratan Samman, Best Educationist of the Year, and Samagra Shiksha Empowering India Awards.

Her school has also received awards for its outstanding performance and top-notch education. All this has happened due to Ms. Raitani’s unwavering faith and determination. She ensures that her students become torchbearers in the society when they go into the real world. Such accolades and awards are proof that she is on the right path.

A CONSUMER-CENTRIC APPROACH

Mr. Bijjala is one of the prominent leaders in the pharmaceutical industry and possesses excellent business acumen. With 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical sector, he guides a passionate team of experts who discover, develop and cost-effectively distribute the products.

He is determined to provide affordable and accessible medicinal help to disadvantaged groups. He firmly believes that only happy and satisfied customers can help a firm grow; hence he works relentlessly to provide the best services to the consumers. He is the man of the people working tirelessly for customers’ benefit.

A STOREHOUSE OF KNOWLEDGE

A postgraduate in microbiology, Mr. Bijjala was always interested in introducing such medicines in the market that would benefit the country’s people. Before commencing his entrepreneurial journey in 2015, he worked as a medical representative. He later became the General Manager of a pharmaceutical company.

Both roles enhanced his experience and paved the way for him to establish his own organisation, Converge Biotech. With robust planning and meticulous execution, he has transformed the company to one of the fastest growing organisation.

ADHERING TO BUSINESS ETHICS

Mr. Bijjala is undoubtedly a nobleman. He was well aware that despite the pharmaceutical companies making a variety of life-saving medicines, many people die because of the lack of availability or the high cost of medicines. Therefore, he wanted to break these barriers and make medicines readily available at nominal prices without compromising the quality of the products.

All the products by Converge Biotech are manufactured in a WHO-GMP-approved manufacturing plant. Mr. Bijjala’s dedicated efforts have enabled the firm to grow exceptionally in the short span of five years.

RISKS LEAD TO GREATNESS

Mr. Bijjala takes Mr. Ratan Tata as his inspiration; just like him, he believes in taking risks for the company’s growth. He doesn’t rely on hasty decisions and always scans the market before making any decision. His journey to success was full of impediments, and he had to face many challenges before turning into an employer from an employee. Nevertheless, he risked all his savings to start this new venture. He launched various market trials and made huge investments in sales and marketing to turn his small company into one of the leading organisations in the healthcare sector. Instead of making random decisions, he went to customers and understood their feedbacks and noted their pain points. This practical exposure helped him in introducing new products that addressed the requirements of customers.

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

Mr. Bijjala believes that teamwork is an asset for the company and gives credit to his hardworking team of professionals for all the notable achievements of his firm. He has been recently felicitated with Excellence in Product Innovation by FTCCI, Telangana. It was a moment of celebration for him when in 2017, Converge Biotech became an ISO 9001:2008 certified organisation. He was also recognised as the Emerging Entrepreneur by PIPRA in association with the Government of Telangana. He has not refrained from burning the midnight oil to spread his business like wildfire. Resultantly, his company was recognised as the Fastest Growing Company in the country. Starting his firm with just 25 employees in 2015 and operating out of only two states, today, he works throughout India with more than 200 employees.

Rajesh, an Economics & Statistics graduate of Mumbai University, is also an alumnus of S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, having completed his Master’s in Marketing in 1986. He was awarded with the British Chevening Scholarship to study at the Manchester Business School, UK and later attended the Advanced Management Program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

AN EXEMPLARY LEADER

After his illustrious stints with Voltas, FCB Ulka and Marico, he joined Mahindra in 2000 as Vice President – Marketing of the Automotive Sector and went on to hold senior positions, including Managing Director of Mahindra Renault, before becoming the Chief Executive of the Automotive Division and Member of the Group Executive Board in 2010. He briefly worked as President of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. and served as the Chairperson of the Executive Committee and Chairman of MediaPro (Distribution JV between Zee & Star Networks) during his tenure there.

He re-joined Mahindra in 2013 as the Chief Executive of Farm Equipment Sector (FES), and in April 2014, his role extended to include the Mahindra Two-Wheeler Business. He became the President of the Farm Equipment Sector in 2015. Under his able guidance, M&M’s tractor business witnessed a never-before demand. Rajesh as his team at Mahindra went beyond just sales. For them FES wasn’t just a company selling tractors and farm machines, but rather a solution provider who wants to help their customers achieve their outcomes, enabling them to rise.

They wanted to enrich the livelihood of the small land holding farmers by democratizing technology to deliver a more productive, profitable, and sustainable agricultural approach. Today, Mahindra has an ecosystem of services with their Farming as a Service “KrishE” which is a path-breaking business model to advance the Indian farmer and Indian agriculture with the benefits of superior agronomy, access to advanced farm equipment rentals and new-age precision farming solutions. He has led Mahindra’s two brands – Mahindra & Swaraj, to become the leading players in the Indian tractor market.

Rajesh today serves as a Director on the Board of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., several other Mahindra Group companies in India as well as overseas and is as an Independent Director on the global Board of Aliaxis Group SA, Belgium.

GOING BEYOND THE NORM

Rajesh’s taking over the baton as Executive Director coincided with the pandemic and lockdown in India. But that’s when he outlined his famous “Walk – Run – Fly” phased approach of managing today, while investing for the future. The framework delivered strong financial returns in FY21 and also helped turnaround of global subsidiaries in FES along with a robust automotive demand momentum.

Now his bold new focused strategy for Automotive is setting the ground to accelerate to fly, where Mahindra will concentrate on its true DNA, i.e. “Authentic SUVs”. It’s a déjà vu situation, as two decades ago, he, in a similar environment, had repositioned the entire brand for a completely new customer. The transformation had led to the birth of category-creating SUVs, the Scorpio and the XUV500, that leapfrogged the brand into a new era of products.

The All New Thar launched last year, was a hint of the Authentic Core SUV strategy, and it is no surprise that it has won 20+ awards already. The XUV700 slated for launch this year, is an all new, authentic, global SUV set to redefine benchmarks in the SUV segment.

Today under his leadership, the Automotive and Farm Equipment businesses have a clear set of purpose and commitments along with a robust financial position. The Auto Sector is committed to leveraging global design and product development capabilities to bring to customers authentic SUVs, EVs and CVs, while the Farm Sector is focusing on growing its core domestic and global businesses, along with new tech opportunities and farm machineries. All of this sets Mahindra up for a bold and aggressive growth trajectory.

Recently M&M was ranked No.2 in “India’s Best Companies to Work for 2021” by the Great Place to Work Institute®. It is a strong testament of how its culture and value system inspire trust amongst the employees, instill pride in them, create an environment that promote camaraderie and fairness, and deliver a great workplace experience for all the employees.

SPINNING A GLORIOUS SUCCESS SAGA

Rajesh’s talent has been recognized and rewarded many times by the industry. He has won the Award for the Launch of the Scorpio at the India Leadership Summit in 2002. He was also conferred an award for Marketing Excellence by the Indian Express & Indira Group of Industries in 2003 and was featured in the book titled ‘India’s Most Powerful Brand Builders’ released at Asia Brand Congress 2008. He was also a part of the cover story on ‘Young Leaders’ in Outlook Business in 2009.

In 2009 and 2010, he was part of the Campaign India A-List which features 500 top professionals in advertising, media, and marketing. In 2013, he made it to a list of 50 Young Leaders of India, compiled by the British High Commission, India. He also held an honorary position on the Enactus India National Advisory Board. He currently serves on the Governing Council of S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Automotive and Autonomous Mobility Governors community.

He is also a Member of the Executive Committee of The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and has represented the Tractor Manufacturers Association (TMA) in India as its President on the National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in 2016 & 2017. Beyond work, his interests include teaching, reading and fitness. He has been managing the pandemic with an optimistic attitude. He likes indulging in yoga and spending meaningful time connecting with friends and family.

Vaibhav spent a majority of his lockdown days discovering a new passion with the first online course he took from Harvard Business School’s online programme catalogue. This course was on Sustainable Business Strategy which was a self-paced course. This he says,”was an ideal way of learning, sitting at the comfort of my home and studying at my own time”. The course motivated him to take upon more such, in fields of Global Trends in Business& Society from Wharton’s online course catalogue. Again, a wonderful experience, he states.

He took two courses on Global Diplomacy, one on the functioning of the United Nations and another one on Diplomacy in the modern world, which is a subset of international relations. However, his second favourite endeavour was the course from Cornell Law School on Business Law, and it was a coursewhere he learnt more about his favourite topic, other than business, which has been law, owing to the maternal side of his familywhich has three generations of lawyers.

Self-improvement is a key aspect of life and what better than to learn new skills. Online courses and learning have defined the new era way of learning, especially in a Covid struck world. He found time, made the most of it, and even now, wants to continue learning as and when time permits from his commitments to work.

Vaibhav has studied business all his life and has been motivated to delve deeper in topics related to his career. However, with time, and through a process of self-discovery, has been able to proudly say that he does have aptitude for other fields and topics. Aside from being a businessman, when asked, Vaibhav said,”he would love to be in a leadership position for his country to make a difference in the lives of many. It is an honour to serve the nation for anyone, and people don’t get this opportunity easily. Politics and governance are two different things. Governance is hard work and a serious commitment.”

Vaibhav has served in his family business, Enso, for over a decade and a half, and today finds it fitting to lead to lead as the managing director. He has been on the boards of a few companies like Asian Oilfields, served in Tour de India organising body, ID Sports for a year, and has a rich and varied experience in many fields as he leads a diversified group.

Vaibhav has an astute sense of what goes on in the world and stays with times through online news and social media, even when travels. He also reads a lot of books and listens to audio books. Technology, he states,”has defined the modern way of living and learning. Those that stay with times will prosper in the future and laggards will have to catch up.”

When asked about his ways of increasing productivity, he stated,”I wake up early, exercise and give myself time out whenever required to refresh my mind.” Work requires commitment and you won’t find Vaibhav out partying on a Saturday night. Staying in, watching movies and listening to music are his hobbies. He, once in a while, would catch up with friends out somewhere or head out to the nearest Starbucks to get a coffee, a love he holds dear to.

Vaibhav is a typical Mumbaikar, and loves dining out once in a while or order. According to him, everything requires conditioning and commitment and there are rarely any who will fail if time and effort is invested by them in their careers and in away that has an important quotient of integrity in it. Rest, don’t take unnecessary risks, leave aside gambles. Education makes you risk averse and is an insurance to life, to this end, Vaibhav ended the conversation by saying,”education builds character and aptitude and hones your skills. Do not undermine it.”

A MULTITASKER

Over the course of his career, Mr. Dhingra has led multiple important roles. A veteran in the logistics industry for over 27 years, he founded Smartr Logistics aiming to fulfil the gaping logistical demands and requirements of new-age customers. Before conceptualizing Smartr Logistics, he held the designation of CFO at Blue Dart Express Limited. His extensive knowledge and expertise transcended beyond his role as a CFO, promoting him to other major roles of COO and CSO, respectively. The proactive leader’s role in establishing Blue Dart Aviation Ltd. during its acquisition by DHL was crucial. In addition to operations, service quality, security, and information technology, he played a vital role in finance, strategy, and investor relations. He was also instrumental in starting the Ground Express and Ecommerce business at Blue Dart. His responsibilities at Blue Dart included various accounting, costing, risk management, tax, legal, secretarial, compliance, and governance duties. Additionally, he held the key role of an Independent Director on the Ecom Express Pvt. Ltd. board for about two years. The visionary leader founded Smartr Logistics in the year 2021 with a mission to provide customers and small business owners of India with best-in-class logistics services tailored to their needs. The company has quickly emerged as a one-stop logistics destination. With over 1700 loyal customers, Smartr Logistics has become a leader in the logistics industry due to his sterling leadership. Several BFSI companies, manufacturing and auto manufacturers, small and medium enterprises, and B2B companies use its services. D2C (Direct to Consumer) brands, electronics OEMs, automakers, pharmaceutical companies, and diagnostic labs are also among its clientele. The company has a presence in 80+ cities across India, with more than 115 service centres covering over 2,400 pin codes. It is Smartr’s mission to provide large as well as smaller companies with strong connectivity and network to facilitate business in India.

RESPONSIBLE DECISION MAKER

Mr. Dhingra is a practical leader who makes decisions pragmatically. Under his leadership, Blue Dart was able to build a solid and automated infrastructure as well as optimised routes. He also devised a Go Green strategy for the company through smart trucks and weight measurement devices. A strong e-tail and e-commerce strategy, a strengthened delivery system, and optimised COD operations have contributed substantially to his success. Additionally, his tech-savvy approach to the business gives him a head start on applications of next-gen technologies. He emphasises value-added activities drive differentiation and development to keep the business competitive. He explores new market opportunities to enhance revenue and speed up growth.

HALL OF FAME

His unique leadership skills & business strategies have earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the BW Business World Best CFO Awards 2016-17; the CFO of the Year by Thought Leader Awards 2014; Asia’s Best CFO Award at the 4th CMO Asia Awards for Branding & Marketing; ‘Best CFO of an MNC (Mid-sized companies)’ at 4th Business Today – Yes Bank CFO award 2013, The Greatest Corporate Leader of India Award 2013; and Responsible Business Leader Award 2013. He has also been honoured with the ‘CFO of the Year & one of the Most Influential CFOs of India’ award by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA); and the ‘League of Excellence’ award by CFO India. He has received the CFO100 Roll of Honour thrice. In 2021, he was inducted into the CFO India Hall of Fame. He was also invited as a guest lecturer at Harvard University.

Dr. J. C. Chaudhry is a pioneer who has set benchmarks in the spheres of entrepreneurship and leadership. His work is immensely inspiring and gives everyone a lesson in perseverance, dedication, and patience. Dr. Chaudhry is the man behind one of India’s largest and most successful test preparatory institute –Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL). After taking it to an absolute pinnacle of success, he sold it to Byju’s last year and is now the Chairman of the entity. He is also a numerologist with an experience of almost 4 decades. Numerology has been a long standing passion for him and in 2018, he decided to start yet another journey. Dr. Chaudhry established Chaudhry Nummero Pvt. Ltd. (CNPL) to give his passion a very meaningful turn. He truly believes that numbers rule our life and favorable numbers attract good luck and success. He set up CNPL to spread this awareness amongst the people and help people achieve the best in their life with the wisdom of Numerology. He has been following his passion for Numerology for a long time but with CNPL he made sure that he shares that skill with others and alleviates people’s problems. He is one of the most famous Numerologists in India.

JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME

Today, Aakash is a name synonymous with the most premium and successful coaching institute in India. It is a brand known for delivering focused and quality coaching and is a leader in the whole paradigm shift that happened in India when it comes to competitive exam coaching. It is all down to Dr. Chaudhry’s persistent hard work and vision that he had for Aakash. Born in 1949 in a small town of Haryana called Hathin, Dr. Chaudhry always dreamt big. His humble beginnings only strengthened his desire to do something grand in life. He focused hard on his studies and completed his Master’s degree in Science (Botany) from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science(BITS), Pilani, Rajasthan in 1972.Soon after completing his studies, he started his professional journey as a teacher at Vaish College, in Bhiwani, Haryana. He taught at the college from 1972-73 and then he moved to New Delhi where he taught at the Hansraj Model School. He then moved to Delhi Administration schools where he became the Principal through the UPSC in 1993. It was during his journey as a teacher that he realized that there was a huge gap in the coaching segment in the country. At the time, coaching centres were not at all known in India and it was an extremely unorganized sector. Dr. Chaudhry saw it as an opportunity to carve his niche and started Aakash in his house with just 12students. In his first batch only, 7 out of 12 students cleared the tests and word spread quickly about his small setup. Rest as they say is history.

THE NEXT BIG LEAP

Dr. Chaudhry has always been known for his commitment to teaching and being a strong pillar of strength for students all across the country. His endeavors all through his life have been to support students who have dreams in their eyes. With more than 33 years of operational experience, he sets an excellent example of how nothing is impossible if you keep working sincerely for it. A motivational speaker, philanthropist, educationist, and powerful orator; he dons many hats and each with equal panache. Next to teaching, he has always had another passion too. He has been interested in Numerology for quite a lot of years. He is intrigued by how numbers and human life are enigmatically interconnected and has always been learning more about it. A few years back he decided that he wants to take it up to a bigger level and spread this knowledge and awareness. For most establishing a giant like Aakash and keeping it consistently on the top for decades is the dream run. But for him, the journey started again when he started CNPL and it took the same trajectory of persistence, success, and reaching the highest pinnacle. This is evident in the fact that Dr. Chaudhry won the 1st-ever Guinness World Record in Numerology and the first world record of 2022. Dr. Chaudhry also has been associated with the fields of Vastu Shastra, Gems and Stones, Nature, and Mudras. He is a well-renowned orator as well as writer. He has authored 2 books on numerology – “Advanced Numerology” & “Prractical Numerology” and 2 books on Vastu – “Fundamentals of Vastu” and “ABC of Vastu Shastra”. His other publications include ‘You and Your Gems’, ‘Meditation’, ‘Chakras’, ‘iThink’, ‘Success A few steps away’, ‘Rungs of the Ladder’, ‘Nature-The Best Cure’ and ‘Mudra-Healthy Life at your Fingertips’. He is a passionate leader who works not only for himself but for everyone associated with him. He aims to take everyone along the path to success. He is a firm believer of Karma and that hard work will bear fruits sooner or later. “I believe in taking quick, instinctive decisions. It is better to cut the cord in life than to endure pain,” Dr. Chaudhry says.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Dr. Chaudhry’s entrepreneurial prowess and business acumen have been recognized far and wide. He has been presented with many awards to honor his diligent work and efforts. He was awarded the most prestigious ‘Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Memorial National Teachers’ Award in 2002 for the services rendered to schools and the community. Some other notable awards include the ‘Person of the Year Award 2015-16’ by AsiaOne at Abu Dhabi; ‘Person of the Year Award and Life Time Achievement’ at India-UAE Business and Social Forum IN 2017; key Note Speaker on ‘Role of Numerology in business growth and personal life’ at the Indo- European Investors Meet 2018 at St. James Court, Taj Hotel, London; ‘Global Education Leaders Award’ for Shaping the Dreams of Millions of Medical & Engineering Aspirants at India UAE Partnership Summit (IUPS) 2018 held at Atlantis, the Palm, Dubai; ‘Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award’ by Deshabhimani Charitable Society in October 2019 for his outstanding contribution in the field of Education, Healthcare, Motivational Speech & Writing. His Guinness World Record in Numerology which had the most viewers on his first YouTube Live Session was the first such Guinness World Record. The lessons that can be learned from Dr. Chaudhry range from perseverance to staying relevant through different phases. He ensured that his first venture Aakash stayed relevant throughout the entire time he was at the helm. His second innings as an entrepreneur through CNPL has also been true to this trait. Finding his growth as a renowned Numerologist in a country like India where there is no dearth of astrologers, numerologists and the likes is no easy feat. Dr. Chaudhry is a truly passionate man who knows how to make dreams a reality. “My dream is to put Numerology on the global map.”To realize this dream, Dr. Chaudhry has established the International Numerology Forum (INF) a platform to connect numerologists worldwide. He is also now planning to open an institute –the Indian Institute of Numerology (IIN), which will be an institute of international standards and will produce the world’s finest numerologists. His venture ‘Chaudhry Nummero’ is also undergoing massive global expansion. They have opened the first branch in Dubai and several branches are in the pipeline including NewYork, London, and Australia. Dr. Chaudhry is truly a visionary who has worked tirelessly to transform the world around him. He has taken it upon himself to share the valuable lessons that he has learned all through his life as an academician, entrepreneur, and numerologist to guide the younger generation towards success and empowerment.

Additti’s trendy clothing line offers endless options, including florals, polka dots, tropical prints, checks, plus size dresses, shirts, and blouses. The style diva strives to keep one step ahead of the competition to make her clothing brand a huge success in the fashion industry. She believes that getting ahead is all about getting started. To that end, she works day and night to make her brand a huge success and the pinnacle for women’s clothing.

A BOLD BEGINNING

Additti, a graduate of the Pearl Academy (New Delhi, India), was inspired by the Japanese bestseller book “IKIGAI” to launch her clothing line with indo-western flair. The book’s title, which means ‘finding your life’s purpose,’ pushed her to pursue her passion and transform the lives of many women by helping them find their persona through their clothing. “IKI CHIC” is the name she chose to honor the book that inspired her to start her career in the fashion industry.

With her online clothing brand, the seasoned entrepreneur is bringing high street fashion to every woman for an affordable price, and she has been garnering glory and popularity in the process. Within a short time, the brand has captured the hearts of its customers with its unique designs.

BEATING ALL THE ODDS

Despite the success of the fashion brand, the path to success was not all roses and sunshine for Additti, given the unexpected pandemic that shrouded the brand in uncertainty. For Additti, manufacturing the clothes and doing photo shoots were the biggest challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a large category on the website, party wear, was not in high demand, which posed a significant challenge for the brand.

Nevertheless, Additti was amazed by the enthusiasm with which the Indian women welcomed Iki Chic despite the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown. Her collections have gotten a lot of positive feedback. Additionally, her brand has been praised for its loungewear and activewear, which were in high demand due to tight lockdown restrictions that confined people at home. The continuous appreciation which her brand receives from its customers motivates Additti to strive to achieve greater success.

FOLLOWS A CLIENT-CENTRIC APPROACH

Client loyalty is Additti’s number one goal. Her strong fashion sense inspires her to help style-conscious people adopt a more streamlined style statement through her clothing brand. The strategic entrepreneur focuses her business on women who are looking for international fashion at an affordable price in the Indian market. She ensures that Iki Chic’s pieces are handpicked for their exclusive details and best textures in keeping with the latest fashion trends.

A fashion-forward entrepreneur, Additti believes that her brand stands above all others primarily because it caters to all age groups and also offers clothes in plus sizes at rock bottom prices. The jaw dropping attires shown on the website are exclusively designed to appeal to the tastes of fashion freaks, something any woman who is fashion-conscious would enjoy wearing. She has also established partnerships with renowned e-commerce platforms, such as Myntra, Amazon Prime, Flipkart, Ajio and Nykaa Fashion to offer outstanding customer care and broaden her customer reach.