ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants with over 200,000 fully-qualified members and 500,000 students worldwide - and they're among the world's best-qualified and most highly sought-after accountants. Our mission is to be a global leader in the profession by: - Providing opportunity and open access to people of ability wherever they are in the world - Supporting and promoting the highest ethical, governance and professional standards - Advancing the public interest Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. Through our public interest remit, we promote appropriate regulation of accounting, and conduct relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

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Bharat Forge Limited (BFL), the Pune based Indian multinational is a technology driven global leader in metal forming having transcontinental presence across eight manufacturing locations, serving several sectors including automotive, power, oil and gas, construction & mining, locomotive, marine and aerospace.

Part of Kalyani Group with 10000 plus global work forces; BFL today has the largest repository of metallurgical knowledge in the region and offer full service supply capability to its geographically dispersed marquee customers from concept to product design, engineering, manufacturing, testing and validation.

The world’s largest forging company with manufacturing facilities spread across India, Germany and Sweden, Bharat Forge manufactures a wide range of high performance, critical and safety components for the automotive and non-automotive sector. It is India’s largest manufacturer and exporter of automotive components and leading chassis component manufacturer in the world. BFL’s customer base includes virtually every global automotive OEM and Tier 1 supplier.

As we expand our expertise across sectors our vision is clear- We’re building India’s Economic backbone, strengthening national capabilities and ensuring a bigger global imprint- for ourselves and our country.

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IHCL- A Tata Enterprise, Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, comprising over 100 independently operating companies. The group operates in more than six continents with a mission to improve the quality of life of the communities it serves globally. Through long-term stakeholder value creation based on ‘Leadership with Trust', the Tata brand stands as a lasting promise behind its businesses, many of which are industry leaders. IHCL is honoured to be one of the first of those timeless and tireless initiatives.

IHCL is reimagining itself by leveraging its strong brand equity to multiply its portfolio while aligning to high-growth segments. This includes manoeuvering excellence and reinvigorating the portfolio across all brands.

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MANIPUR is a scenic state in North Eastern side of India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. The state has a population of almost 3 million, belonging to different communities which includes Meitei, Naga, Kuki, Meitei Pangal and other colourful communities. Manipuri is the local common language used in the state. The major part of the state is the hilly area as compared to valley area. The valley area is surrounded by hill and one of the most beautiful State in North Eastern side. It is a unique place where you can find different ethnic groups who stayed in this small state. Manipur is an example of blended society living in perfect harmony and coexistence rich in culture and heritage, folklore, myths & legends, dances, indigenous games and martial arts, exotic handlooms & handicrafts infested with the mystique of nature. Manipur’s population is largely rural, Imphal being the only city of any size.

The Jewel city of India, surrounded by lush green hills, exotic landscapes, is one of the most beautiful places of India where Mother Nature has been kind. The capital city Imphal is an oval shaped valley surround by nine hills, a natural made Jewel giving birth to its name “A Jewelled land”. The golden ray of sunset upon the natural fresh water Loktak Lake resembles a Golden carpet also called “the Land of the Golden Carpet”.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisted for the first time the INA flag in Moirang, Manipur.

It is the birthplace of the Sport Polo, and also the birthplace of Ras Lila, a classical dance form.

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Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company limited, a wholly owned corporate entity under the Maharashtra Government, was incorporated under the Companies Act, in June, 2005 after restructuring the erstwhile Maharashtra State Electricity Board to transmit electricity from its point of Generation to its point of Distribution.

It owns and operates most of Maharashtra's Electric Power Transmission System. MSETCL operates a transmission network of 46217.90 Circuit KM of transmission lines and 660 EHV Substations with 123846.5 MVA transformation capacity. This infrastructure constitutes most of the inter regional as well as intra-regional electric power transmission system in the State. Today, MSETCL is the largest state transmission utility in the country

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Munitions India Limited [MIL] is a Defence Public Sector Enterprise [CPSE] under the ministry of Defence, Government of India.

MIL is the India’s biggest manufacturer and market leader is engaged in Production, Testing Research & Development and Marketing of comprehensive range of ammunition & explosives for Army, Navy, Air force & Para-Military Forces.

With Corporate Office at Pune (India), MIL in its 12 state-of-the-art manufacturing units located across the country employs skilled workforce of around 25,000. These factories have proven integrated base for production of Small, Medium & High calibre ammunition, Mortars, Rockets, Hand Grenades etc. with in-house manufacturing of Initiatory Compositions, Propellants and High Explosives for over 150 years. Our primary objective is to provide competitive edge to the Armed Forces by equipping them with modern and quality battlefield ammunition.

MIL's foreign customers include countries located in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The patronage we receive from our customers both in India and abroad reflects their faith in quality of our products and services. MIL is the force behind the Armed Forces.

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Tata Group Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising 30 companies across ten verticals.

The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission 'To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust’.

Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation and art and culture.

In 2020-21, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $103 billion (INR 7.8 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 800,000 people.

Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly-listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of $314 billion (INR 23.4 trillion) as on December 31, 2021.

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CIDCO is an acronym of the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO). Completely owned by the State Government incorporated as a company on 17th march 1970 it is a public sector undertaking of the Government. CIDCO is notified by the State Government as the New Town Development Authority (NTDA). The Government later widened the scope of CIDCO’s activities delegating the responsibility as the Special Development Authority (SPA). Today CIDCO has earned a reputation as the premier town planning and development agency in the country.

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Advanced Weapons & Equipment India Ltd. (AW&EIL;) is one of the seven (7) new Defence PSUs formed by converting the Ordnance Factory Board into fully Government owned Enterprises. AW&EIL; has been incorporated under the Companies Act 2013 on 14th August, 2021 however, its commencement of business took place on 1st October 2021 notified by DDP. It comprises of the following production and non- production units:

Rifle Factory Ishapore, Small Arms Factory, Kanpur, Gun & Shell Factory, Cossipore, Ordnance Factory Tiruchirapalli, Ordnance Factory, Kanpur, Field Gun Factory, Kanpur, Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur, and Ordnance Factory Project Korwa and non- production units at Ordnance Factories Institute of Learning Ishapore and Regional Controllerate of Safety, Kanpur.

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Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board,is the highest body to advise the Government on all matters relating to tourism in the State. The statutory board is chaired by the Tourism Minister Govt. of Uttarakhand and Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand is its vice chairman. The Principal Secretary/ Secretary tourism acts as Chief Executive Officer. It also has five non-official members from the private sector and experts in tourism related matters.

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Apollo Micro Systems (AMS), estd in 1985 is pioneer in Design, Development and assembly of Custom Built Electronics and Electro-mechanical solutions. AMS offer solutions based on state of the art technologies for Aerospace, Defense & Space as primary customers and also caters solutions for Railways, Automotive and Home Land Security markets. Our wide spectrum of technological solutions and end to end design, assembly & testing capabilities gives us an edge over the competition.

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Rajasthan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, for both domestic and international tourists. Rajasthan attracts tourists for its historical forts, palaces, art and culture with its slogan "Padharo mhare desh', now its changed . Every third foreign tourist visiting India travels to Rajasthan as it is part of the Golden Triangle for tourists visiting India.

The palaces of Jaipur, lakes of Udaipur, and desert forts of Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer are among the most preferred destinations of many tourists, Indian and foreign. Tourism accounts for eight percent of the state's domestic product.[citation needed] Many old and neglected palaces and forts have been converted into heritage hotels.It is the most beautiful place in India with heritage of old buildings build up years ago by Maharaja's of different castes.

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BAE Systems we help our customers to stay a step ahead when protecting people and national security, critical infrastructure and vital information. This is a long-term commitment involving significant investments in skills. We also work closely with local partners to support economic development through the transfer of knowledge, skills and technology.

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Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) was established in the year 1973 under Ministry of Defence as Government of India Enterprise. The production unit of MIDHANI, located at Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad, was commissioned in the year 1982. MIDHANI has been set up with a view to achieve self-reliance in production and supply of various super alloys, special steels, materials to Defence, other Strategic Sectors for Nuclear, aeronautical and Space applications. The guiding factors for setting up of MIDHANI were the demand for Defence oriented technologies, which come under the national priorities.

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India Optel Limited a fully owned Government of India, Enterprise, under Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence has been incorporated to achieve self-reliance in the field of Optoelectronics solutions for Armed Forces, and para military forces of Ministry of Home Affairs along with other customers.

This new Entity has been entrusted with a responsibility to give renewed thrust to expand Electro-Optical solutions for “Aatma Nirbhar” Bharat in line with Government of India’s vision. In other words “To become Eye of the Soldier”.

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The genesis of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) dates back to 1884 when it started its journey as a small workshop to repair vessels of River Steam Navigation Company. In 1934, the Company was registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1913 and started its new journey as Garden Reach Workshops (GRW) Limited. The Company was acquired by the Government of India in the year 1960 and there was no looking back since then. The 1st warship of Independent India, INS Ajay was delivered to the Indian Navy in 1961, within one year of being taken over by the Ministry of Defence. GRSE, a Mini Ratna Category 1 Company has delivered 107 warships to Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Mauritius Coast Guard and Seychelles Coast Guard since 1960 & is the only Indian Shipyard to achieve this Centennial Mark. The shipyard has received ISO 9001, 14001, 18001 and 50001 certification. The 1st warship for export by India was delivered by GRSE to Mauritius in 2014, Offshore Patrol Vessel, CGS Barracuda. The Shipyard has built a wide array of vessels, from world class Frigates to Fast Attack Crafts. GRSE is the only Defence Shipyard to have diversified into engineering business with a product profile of pre-fabricated steel bridges, various deck machinery items & assembly / testing/ overhauling of marine diesel engines.

GRSE has established the Virtual Reality Lab for achieving better ergonomics and in depth understanding of the details of the Ship in the Design Stage itself. Post modernization and revitalization, the shipyard has the capacity to build 20 ships (08 large & 12 small) concurrently.

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Vanakkam from Tamil Nadu, the land- where stories never end.

The story of Tamil Nadu is a story of enchanting destinations across ancient temples, magnificent palaces, pristine forests, exotic wildlife, rejuvenating nature trails, breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, serene plantations, reinvigorating water sports, thrilling adventures, graceful dances, rhythmic folk arts, amazing handicrafts, vibrant fairs and festivals, lip-smacking cuisines and exciting MICE destinations. Each of them has a story to tell, a story that never ends. Come to Tamil Nadu and script your own story.

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Mr. Ashok Lavasa is the Vice President for Private Sector Operations and Public Private Partnerships (VPPP) with the Asian Development Bank.

Prior to joining ADB in September 2020, Mr. Lavasa was an Election Commissioner in India from January 2018 to August 2020, a constitutional position appointed by the President of India.

Mr. Lavasa served for nearly four decades with various government agencies in India including as Union Finance Secretary, Secretary Environment & Climate Change and Secretary Civil Aviation. He also served as Additional Secretary and Special Secretary for Power. As a senior member of the Indian Administrative Service, Mr. Lavasa was associated with a broad array of public policy and program implementation initiatives covering the finance, power, environment and climate change, civil aviation, infrastructure, and tourism sectors. He led the official Indian delegation for climate change negotiations for the Paris Agreement at COP21.

He is the author of a book ‘An Ordinary Life: Portrait of an Indian Generation’ published in July 2021 by Harper Collins. Earlier, he has authored a book titled An Uncivil Servant (Rupa: 2006) and has written several book chapters and academic papers covering climate change, economic policy, and energy. He completed M. Phil. from Madras University (India), MBA from Southern Cross University (Australia) and MA (English) from Delhi University (India).

Mr. Praveen Kumar, IAS assumed the charge of Director General and CEO of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs in December 2021. He is a 1987 batch retired IAS Officer of Tamil Nadu cadre and has headed various responsibilities in Government of Tamil Nadu and Government of India in multiple Departments such as Finance, Industries, Education, Corporate Affairs, New & Renewable Energy, Elections, etc. He has also headed a number of State and Central Public Enterprises including TANMAG (as MD), TNPFC (as CMD), SECI (as Chairperson) and IREDA (as CMD), apart from acting as Nominee Director in numerous PSUs, and public private partnership companies. He has also held Board Memberships in BOG of various educational institutions such as IIMs, IIT and IISERs. He retired from Government of India as Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

Mr. Amitabh Kant, IAS is presently CEO of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog). He is a member of the Indian Administrative Service, IAS (Kerala Cadre: 1980 batch). He is the author of Branding India-An Incredible Story and has edited “The Path Ahead- Transformative Ideas for India”. Mr. Kant has been a key driver of the “Make in India”, Startup India, “Incredible India” and God’s Own Country” initiatives that positioned India and Kerala State as leading manufacturing and tourism destinations. These campaigns have won several international awards and embraced a host of activities – infrastructure development, product enhancement, private-public partnership and positioning and branding based on extensive market research.

Mr. Kant has been the Chairman & CEO of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC). In his capacity as Secretary (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) Govt. of India, he vigorously drove the Ease of Doing Business initiative and ranking of States on outcome parameters. These initiatives have led to India making a quantum jump in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Index and enabled Indian States to compete in the spirit of competitive federalism. He is the Chairman of the Committee to implement Digital Payment in India.

Mr. Kant has been the recipient of Economic Times Policy Change Agent of the Year Award, the Bloomberg TV Personality of the year Award, the NDTV Administrator of the year Award and the Distinguished Fellowship of the Institute of Directors. He is also the recipient of Golden Peacock Award for Leadership in Economic Transformation-2017.

Mr. Kant did his schooling from Modern School, Delhi, graduation in Economics (Hons) from St. Stephens, Delhi University and M.A from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is a Chevening Scholar. He has also undertaken a mid-term course with John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmadabad.

Ms. Carrie Sabin is Stantec’s VP of Corporate Sustainability. She has 30 years of experience as a sustainability leader, operations manager, and community liaison with a consistent focus on active engagement and creation of practical business solutions. Ms. Sabin is fluent in English and Spanish and has been effective at driving change management with international teams including managing projects and staff in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, China, India, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Qatar, UAE, UK, and US. She is committed to positive environmental, social, and governance performance with a focus on climate action, social justice, business value, effective change management, stakeholder adoption, and attention to cultural norms.

Mr. Kamran Khan is Deutsche Bank’s Head of ESG for Asia Pacific. In this newly established client-facing role, he is responsible for defining and executing the bank’s ESG strategy across all business divisions in Asia. He is a member of the Global Sustainability Council of Deutsche Bank.

Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Khan established Infra-Tech Capital, an impact fund investing in companies utilizing technology to provide infrastructure services and achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals. He was also appointed by the Obama White House to serve as the head of global investments and operations at the US Millennium Challenge Corporation, where he managed a USD 10bn portfolio and led a USD 1.5-2bn annual investment program globally.

Previously, Mr. Khan held senior executive roles at the World Bank and helped establish the World Bank Group regional hub in Singapore, comprising the World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Insurance & Guarantee Agency (MIGA). He also served as a US Foreign Service Officer with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), where he led operations for the project finance and guarantees facility.

He is a frequent speaker at events such as World Economic Forum, ASEAN Summit, APEC Summit, and in major international media.

Mr. Khan holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at University of Chicago, and an MS in Applied Economics and Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his BS in Economics from George Mason University.

Mr. Dinesh Waghmare is a senior IAS officer of 1994 batch. He is currently holding the post of Principal Secretary (Energy), Government of Maharashtra and the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director of Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd. (MSETCL). In the capacity of PS (Energy) he is also acting as Managing Director, MSEB Holding Company Limited. Prior to joining of MSETCL, Mr. Waghmare was posted as Principal Secretary, Social Justice and Special Assistance Department, Government of Maharashtra.

Mr. Waghmare is B.E. (Electronics) from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, (VNIT) Nagpur and M. Tech from IIT Kharagpur in Computer Science. He has done his M.Sc. in Development & Project Planning from Bradford University, England, UK. He possesses more than 26 years of experience in responsible roles in spheres of Management and Administration. He brings in rich expertise in team, project leadership, administration and management.

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE, DL is the founder of Cobra Beer, Chairman of the Cobra Beer Partnership Limited, a Joint Venture with Molson Coors, and Chairman of Molson Coors Cobra India. In the Monde Selection, one of the most prestigious quality awards in the world for beer, the Cobra range have collectively been awarded a total of 128 Gold and Grand Gold medals since 2001, making it one of the most awarded beers in the world.

He is the Founding Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, a former Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now the University of West London); he was the youngest University Chancellor in the UK when appointed. He was a former Senior Non-Executive Director of the Booker Group now TESCO PLC (2007-2016); he is one of the first two visiting entrepreneurs at the University of Cambridge; he is a founding member of the Prime Minister of India’s Global Advisory Council. In 2006, he was appointed the Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, making him the first ever Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the House of Lords. In 2008 he was awarded the Pravasi Bharti Samman by the President of India. He is an Honorary Fellow of Sidney Sussex College Cambridge and was Chair of the Advisory Board of the Judge Business School, Cambridge University from 2015-2020 and subsequently appointed as an Honorary Ambassador. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and graduated in law from the University of Cambridge. He is also an alumnus through executive education of the Cranfield School of Management, the London Business School and the Harvard Business School. In July 2014, he was installed as the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, making him the first Indian-born Chancellor of a Russell Group University in Great Britain, and he is the President of the UK Council for International Students Affairs (UKCISA). Since 2017, Lord Bilimoria has been a Bynum Tudor Fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford. Lord Bilimoria is an Honorary Group Captain in 601 Squadron Royal Air Force. In June 2020, he was appointed President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). In September 2020, he was appointed as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford based at the Centre for Corporate Reputation. He has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from University of East Anglia, University of Birmingham, Brunel University, Cranfield University, University of Exeter, Heriot-Watt University, London Metropolitan University, Staffordshire University, York St John University, University of West London (previously Thames Valley University), and University of Westminster. He is also President of The UK Council on International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Students.

Ms. Helen Brand is chief executive of ACCA, the global body for professional accountants, a post she has held since 2008.

Helen has built her career within professional bodies and has considerable experience and knowledge of the 178 markets in which ACCA currently operates. She is a founding member of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and now serves as a co-Vice-Chair of the Value Reporting Foundation which was created through the merger of the IIRC and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) in June 2021.

Helen is a member of the UK government’s Professional and Business Services Council, and she was appointed to the UK DIT’s Trade Advisory Group on Professional Advisory Services in August 2020.

One of the few women to lead a global professional body, Helen is a regular media commentator on the role ethics and the delivery of public value play in business and society. In 2011, ACCA became the first international professional body to publish an integrated report on its performance and Helen remains a strong advocate for the power of wider corporate reporting. She has also driven ACCA’s pioneering work in supporting the development of the profession across Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas is Director-General, IOD India, UK and Europe Operations and President of the Institute of Management Services. He has helped directors in over 40 countries to improve director, board and corporate performance and is the author over 60 books and reports. He has also held local, regional and national public sector board appointments and a variety of other board, professorial and leadership appointments. He received a CSR Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 CSR Leadership Summit and is the first Honoured Fellow of the Institute of Responsible Leadership. Honorary Professor, Aston University; Visiting Professor, Lincoln International Business School; and a Distinguished Professor at Sri SIIM where he is also President of the Council of International Advisers.

Mr. Ravi Nirgudkar is Managing Director for BAE Systems in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. BAE Systems is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, aerospace and security solutions.

Mr. Nirgudka is instrumental in establishing BAE Systems as a trusted partner of Indian Armed Forces and Government of India. He is a strong advocate of Atma Nirbhar Bharat and has developed a strategy to form business partnerships with Indian suppliers for strategic business initiatives as well as global supply chain opportunities.

He has 27 years of proven skills in international business development, capture management, foreign government policy, and program management in defense, space, aerospace and international markets, including 21 years with Raytheon.

Previously as the Raytheon Country President for India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, he led an enterprise-wide team for annual new business creation of ~$1B to deliver substantial revenue sales in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. He built a persona of trust, respect, collaboration, and commitment with Indian Defense and Civil Aviation community.

He served as Program Director on Protected Satellite Communications Systems responsible for strategy development and evaluation of new growth areas. Earlier, as International Business Executive, he was responsible for effective strategic growth and foreign government policy in India, UAE, KSA, Australia, UK, and Canada in the areas of Satellite Communications, Unmanned Systems, Environmental Solutions, and ISR Systems. As Program Manager on NASA, NOAA, USN, and DHS programs, he successfully grew the programs, improved cost performance, and received commendations from various customers. He pioneered the policy and concept of Common Ground Control Station for all US DoD Unmanned Systems and secured contracts with NAVAIR and OSD.

Mr. Nirgudka has earned MBA from George Washington University and MS in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University. In addition, Ravi is PMP certified and Six Sigma black belt.

Mr. Amit Sinha is President, Group Strategy and Sustainability, Mahindra and Mahindra. Mr. Sinha is leading the Group Strategy Office and works with Group’s overall portfolio of businesses for growth over the short, medium and long-term. He also champions the international council and helps coordinate international synergies across Americas, Asia Pacific and Africa. His portfolio also includes the Risk and Economist functions.

He is part of the Group Corporate Office Leadership Team Prior to joining Mahindra and Mahindra, he was a Senior Partner and Director with Bain & Company. Over 18 years at Bain, he managed large-scale, multi-country strategy, organization, digital and performance improvement projects. He also led numerous commercial due diligences and full potential portfolio strategy projects (post buyout) for leading Private equity funds across U.S., and India. Mr. Sinha started his career with Tata Motors and worked with IGate Patni (now Capgemini) in technology leadership roles in India, Singapore and US.

He holds dual MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, specializing in Finance and Strategy, where he was a Palmer scholar and received Siebel Scholarship. He holds a bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronics) from the Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi. Amit is also an Ananta Aspen Fellow as part of their India leadership fellowship program.

Mr. Sanjay Jaju, IAS comes from Indian Administrative Service and is presently working on Central Deputation as Additional Secretary in the Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence in the Government of India and looks after the policies for bringing in investments and growth in Defence and Aerospace sectors to advance the “Make in India” resolve. He has also been instrumental in setting up Defence Innovation Organisation for creating a collaborative platform for Startups to meet Defence requirements. He played a huge role in successful corporatization of Ordnance Factory Board, a long pending reform needed to improve the functioning of these factories established over 200 years back.

Mr. Jaju is a Post Graduate Mechanical Engineer and a Cost & Management Accountant by background and has completed MBA in Finance. He has worked in diverse areas like Urban, Infrastructure, Civil Supplies, Education & Tribal Welfare.

He has been the founding Director of the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) in the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, GoI to fast pace infrastructure creation on the borders and strategic areas.

He had earlier worked as Secretary to Government of Andhra Pradesh in Information Technology & Communications Department.

He has been an ardent advocate of Information Technology for Development and Governance, he successfully led various projects - ‘MeeSeva’ a comprehensive flagship initiative for delivering host of G2C services in AP (2011), INAMPRO, INFRACON in NHIDCL (2017), DEFEXIM (2021). Many of these have been awarded National e-Governance Awards by Government of India.

He has also worked as Municipal Commissioners in Hyderabad & Visakhapatnam.

Mr. Rajiv Anand, with an illustrious career spanning more than 30 years has focused on various facets of the financial services industry. Having held key management positions at leading global financial institutions, he is widely recognized for his strengths in capital markets and for successfully building new businesses to scale.

Mr. Anand joined Axis AMC in 2009 and was the founding Managing Director & CEO of Axis Asset Management Co. Ltd. He was appointed as the President (Retail Banking) of Axis Bank in May 2013, to spearhead the business with his sharp acumen which led to the achievement of several key milestones. Subsequently, he was inducted onto the Board of the Bank in May 2016. He took over as the Head – Wholesale Banking in 2018 to steer the business ahead, ensuring both growth and sustainability. He is currently the Deputy Managing Director of the Bank, leading some of the most critical functions, including Wholesale Banking and Digital Banking, along with support functions like Marketing and Corporate Communications.

He is a Member of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and the Committee of Whole Time Directors of the Bank. He is the Co-Chair of the Banking Taskforce at CII - Western region, a member of the National Committee on Banking at CII and holds several key positions in other committees and industry bodies. Mr. Anand is a Commerce graduate and a Chartered Accountant by qualification.

Mr. Atanu Chakraborty, served the Government of India, for a period of thirty-five (35) years, as a member of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in Gujarat cadre. He has mainly worked in areas of Finance & Economic Policy, Infrastructure, Petroleum & Natural Gas. In the Union Government, he held various posts such as Secretary to Government of India in the Ministry of Finance (Dept. of Economic Affairs) during 2019-20. As Secretary (DEA), he co-ordinated economic policy making for all ministries/departments and managed entire process of formulation of Budget making for Union of India, including its passage in Parliament. He was responsible for fiscal management policies, policies for public debt management and development & management of financial markets. Mr. Chakraborty also handled financial stability and currency, domestic & foreign related issues as well. He managed flow of funds with multilateral and bilateral financial institutions and had multiple interfaces with them.

Mr. Chakraborty has also served on the Board of World Bank as alternate Governor as well as on the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India. He was also the Chairman of National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF) as also on the Board of many listed companies. Mr. Chakraborty was also the CEO/MD of the GSPC group of companies as well as Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd. Mr. Chakraborty had published articles in reputed journals in the areas of public finance, risk sharing in Infrastructure projects and gas infrastructure.

Mr. Chakraborty graduated as a Bachelor in Engineering (Electronics & Communication) from NIT Kurukshetra. He holds a Diploma in Business Finance (ICFAI, Hyderabad) and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Hull, UK.

Mr. Ravi Kant, IOFS is a Mechanical Engineer with post graduate qualification in Production Engineering. He has experience in Defence Production industry for over 33 yrs. He joined Indian Ordnance Factories as Assistant Works Manager in the year 1987. During his period in OFB, he had worked in the production and planning of Ammunition (both explosives & hardware) & Armament for almost 2 decades. He has served as Secretary, Ordnance Factory Board for 5 uears and remained a single point contact for MOD, Services (Army, Navy, Air Force) regarding all matters relating to OFB. HE is well-versed with the DPP and DPM and has actively participated in the formulation of the same. Mr. Kant has been actively involved in Transfer of Technology of various weapon systems and ammunition to OFB.

He also has worked as Joint Secretary in Ministry of Defence in New Delhi. During this period he was responsible for Ex Servicemen Welfare and capital acquisition of Naval systems, Electronic Warfare System for Tri Services.

He worked as General Manager of Ordnance Factory Khamaria, Jabalpur from Aug 2019 to Sept 2021. This factory is the largest factory in India engaged in production of various types of ammunition for Army, Navy and Air Force.

He took over as first CMD of newly created Defence Public Sector Enterprise, Munitions India Limited (MIL) Pune on 1st Oct 2021. The company comprising of 12 Ordnance Factories, is engaged in production of various types of ammunition to all Defence Forces.

Mr. Rajinder Singh Bhatia is an Army Veteran and a prominent Defence Industry leader in India with over 40 years of experience. He is the President and CEO of Defence and Aerospace business at Bharat Forge. He is also the Chairman of Board for Analogic Control Systems, KRAS (A joint venture between Rafael and KSSL), BFPEL and Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited. He is the executive director on the board of BF ELBIT Advanced Systems. Under him, Kalyani Group has forged partnerships and collaborated with major Defence and Aerospace OEMs of the world and is today in the forefront of Defence & Aerospace Landscape in the country. He is a key member of the Strategic Policy initiatives and directions as part of government sponsored bodies for Defence & Aerospace. Mr. Bhatia is also the Chairman of CII WR Sub Committee of Defence and also the Chairman of the CII Sub Committee on Land Systems.

Mr. Banmali Agrawala, is the President, Infrastructure and Defence & Aerospace at Tata Sons Private Limited from October, 2017, in his second tenure with the Indian conglomerate. In his earlier role, he was President and CEO of GE, South Asia, where he was responsible for all of the American multinational corporation’s operations in the South Asia region. Prior to GE, he was Executive Director (BD & Strategy) and a member of the Board of Tata Power.

A veteran in the Energy domain, Mr. Agrawala has over 30 years of global experience. He started his career with the Wartsila Group, a Finnish manufacturing and services company, where he spent over 20 years, both in India and in Finland. At the time of leaving the Wartsila Group, he was the Managing Director of Wartsila India Ltd, the Global head of the Bio Power Industries and a member of the Global Power Plant Management Board.

In the Tata Group, he is the Chairman of companies like Tata Projects, Tata Housing Development Company, Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd., Air Asia (India) Ltd. and is on the Board of Tata Power and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Tata Electronics Private Limited and Tata Medical and Diagnostics Limited. He also heads Global Corporate Affairs at Tata Sons including its international offices in ASEAN, MENA, North America, China and the Public Affairs Office, Delhi.

An active member of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), he has held several official positions within CII such as Chairman of the Western Regional Council, and currently is also a Member of CII’s National Council. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the US – India Business Council (USIBC) and Pratham Education Foundation.

Mr. Agrawala is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from Mangalore University and an alumnus of the Advanced Management Programme of Harvard Business School.

Ms. Helle Bank Jorgensen, is an internationally recognized expert on sustainable business practices, with a 30-year record of turning environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks into innovative and profitable business opportunities. She works with many global Fortune 500 board members and executives, as well as smaller companies and investors.

Ms. Jorgensen is the founder and chief executive of Competent Boards, which offers online climate and ESG programs that draw on the experience of over 150 renowned board members, executives, and investors. Hundreds of directors and senior executives have enrolled in these programs to mitigate the risks and seize the opportunities presented by ESG and climate change.

Ms. Jorgensen serves at Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence’s Sustainability & ESG Insights Council; World Economic Forum (WEF) Expert Network for Corporate Governance, Leadership, and Emerging Multinationals; His Royal Highness Prince of Wales A4S (Accounting for Sustainability) Global Expert Panel; The Non-financial Digitisation Working Group of the Impact Management Project (IMP); The Reuters Panel of Expert Judges for the Responsible Business Awards; Canadian Climate Governance Experts - a Commonwealth Climate & Law Initiative.

In 2020, she was awarded the Global Impact Award and named one of "5 people in ESG to look out for". Ms. Bank Jorgensen is the author of the newly published book "Stewards of The Future: A Guide for Competent Boards."

Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, a 1996 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre belongs from Nagpur. He secured his (Bachelor’s degree in Surgery) MBBS from Nagpur’s Government Medical College, Short-term course on Public Finance from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Chartered Financial Analyst in Finance from Institute of Chartered Financial Analyst of India and Degree of Public Administration and Finance from Toronto University. Before appointment at CIDCO, Dr. Mukherjee worked as Additional Commissioner (Projects), Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Commissioner at Maharashtra State Excise Department, Joint Managing Director at Maharashtra Airport Development Company, Commissioner at Jalgaon Municipal Corporation and Additional Commissioner at Nagpur Municipal Corporation.

He joined City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited as Vice Chairman and Managing Director in August, 2020. After joining CIDCO, he spearheaded the mega projects of the Corporation like Navi Mumbai International Airport, Navi Mumbai Metro, NAINA, Palghar Head Quarters Project etc. While giving possession of tenements to the applicants of 2018 housing scheme, he also bought a special housing scheme for COVID Warriors and Uniformed Personnel, as a tribute to their dedication towards nation.

Mr. Puneet Chhatwal joined The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in November, 2017. He is a global professional with close to four decades of leadership experience at highly acclaimed hotel groups in Europe and North America.

Under his leadership, IHCL has embarked on a journey of re-imagination to achieve sustainable profitable growth. Prior to this, Mr. Chhatwal was the Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Executive Board of Steigenberger Hotels AG – Deutsche Hospitality. He was also the Chief Development Officer of The Rezidor Hotel Group – Carlson Hotels Worldwide. Mr. Chhatwal is a graduate of both, Delhi University and Institute of Hotel Management, Delhi. He has completed an MBA in Hospitality from ESSEC, Paris and an Advanced Management Program from INSEAD.

Mr. Chhatwal has won awards including the prestigious Carlson Fellowship and was rated as one of Europe’s 20 extraordinary minds in Sales, Marketing and Technology - HSMAI European Awards 2014. He was also the First Alumni included in the ESSEC-IMHI Hall of Honor 2014.

Mr. William L. Blair is a Vice President in Lockheed Martin and joined Lockheed Martin India Private Ltd as Chief Executive in October 2019. He is responsible for leading and developing Lockheed Martin Corporation’s strategy for India and serves as the executive representative for all Lockheed Martin programs, products and services in the country. This is his third appointment in India with a multinational aerospace and defense company.

Previously, Mr. Blair served in a variety of senior leadership roles with defense and aerospace companies including the Raytheon (8 years) and GE Aviation (25 years). He was the Raytheon India Country Executive from 2010-2013 and GE Aviation India Country Executive from 2005-2008.

Mr. Blair graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is married and based in New Delhi, India.

Dr. Pradeep Kumar Jha is a 2006 IAS office from Manipur cadre. Currently is he is holding the post of Secretary, Tourism in Govt. of Manipur. Prior to that, he was Managing Director, Bihar Medical Services and infrastructure Corporation Ltd. in Govt. of Bihar. He was Additional Secretary (Finance & rural Development), SMD- NRLM in Manipur between 2014-16. Prior to that he was Mission Director (National Rural Health Mission) & Project Director (AIDS Control) in Manipur from 2009-11.

Dr. Jha has done is BA (Hons) in Political Science from Hindu College, University of Delhi, and MA in Political Science from Hindi College, University of Delhi. He is M. Phil in Political Science from University of Delhi.

Dr. Jha was awarded Junior Research Fellowship by UGC. He is avid traveler and reader.

Rear Adm. R.K. Shrawat, AVSM (Retd.) graduated in Electronics & Communication engineering from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), Roorkee. He did his post-graduation in Radar & Communication engineering from IIT Delhi. As an Electrical officer he served the Indian Navy for 36 years and served on several frontline warships. As Flag officer, he served as the Project Director of a strategic project of the Indian Navy.

He also served as Chief Staff Officer Technical (CSO Tech) at Western Naval Command, Mumbai. Later he rose to become Admiral Superintendent Dockyard (ASD) of Naval Dockyard, Mumbai . He thereafter moved back to New Delhi as Director General WESEE, a premier organisation of the Indian Navy, dealing with real-time software, weapon system integration & cyber security.

In 2012, he joined Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) as Chairman and Managing Director.

The P75 program which involved construction of 6 Scorpene submarines was executed during his tenure and the 1st submarine – INS Klavari was successfully launched. Four capital ships were commissioned and destroyers were launched under his tenancy. This shipyard saw a complete transformation in work culture, HR practices and modernised infrastructure.

In 2017, he joined Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation as Managing Director and had the opportunity to work with the Noble Peace Laureate – Shri Kailash Satyarthi.

He joined Naval Group in India as Chairman and Managing Director in January 2018. The main purpose of Naval Group India is to support the Indigenisation through ‘Make in India’ activities for Scorpene submarine equipment, to develop the Indian defence eco-system, as well as to develop design & maintenance services in India.

Mr. Rajesh Choudhary, IOFS ndc took over as first Chairman & Managing Director of Advance Weapons & Equipment India Limited, a newly formed Defence Public Sector Unit carved out of erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board on 01st October 2021. He has Post-Graduation in Design Engineering. He joined Indian Ordnance Factories Services in 1988 at Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur. During his stint of 33 years in Indian Ordnance Factories Services, he worked in areas of planning, production (weapons & ammunition), material management and administration. He worked as General Manager of Ordnance Factory Bolangir and Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur.

He took over as first Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Advance Weapon and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) on 01st October 2021. AWEIL is one of the seven new Defence PSUs. It is engaged in the manufacturing of Small, Medium and Large Caliber weapons and equipments, Medium and Large caliber (ready to fill) Ammunition Hardware and having pan India presence with 8 factories and Corporate Office at Kanpur. Its major customers include Indian Defence forces, paramilitary forces and civilians.

H.E. Mr. Alex Ellis, has been appointed as the British High Commissioner to the Republic of India. Previously, Alex worked as Deputy National Security Adviser for the Integrated Review on foreign and security policy. He was also Director General in the Department for Exiting the EU for three years.

Prior to that, he was Director of Strategy in the Foreign Office responsible for developing new tools for improving FCO and government policy.

H.E. Ellis has worked in the British Embassy in Madrid and started his civil service career as part of the team supporting the transition to multi-party democracy in South Africa, following the release of Nelson Mandela.

Prior to this he was a teacher, including in India. He sings in a choir and loves music, theatre and most sports, especially cricket.

Mr. Krishna Sai, is the Whole-time Director (Operations) of Apollo Microsystems Ltd. He is an Engineering Graduate in Electronics and Communication with 22 Years of varied experience in marketing, finance & operations. He joined Apollo Micro Systems in 2003 at entry level and gradually grew himself along with the company and with exemplary performance became one of the Board of Directors.

He is a charismatic personality with rich technical and sales experience. As Director (Operations) he handles new vertical development in emerging markets, Joint Ventures, M&A, Investor relations. His immense passion towards technology is a driving force for several product and engineering innovations in the company with able team.

He has established good corporate governance in the company and with his comprehensive technical and financial knowledge he plays a key role in the top management under the guidance and leadership of Managing Director of the company.

Col. Ashvini Pundir is a serving Colonel from Indian Army on deputation to Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) as Additional Chief Executive Officer (ACEO), Adventure. He has 26 years of Service and vast experience in handling of logistics in Indian / Foreign missions.

He is heading the newly created Adventure wing of Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board since last one year. The officer due to his vast procurement experience is also presently heading the procurement wing of UTDB.

Dr. Rajesh Kumar, is a IAS batch of 1988. He is currently the Chief Secretary of Manipur. Prior to this he was holding the charge of additional CS. During his tenure as, additional CS, Dr. Kumar was holding the charge of IT/Planning/Finance) and OSD to chief minister also. Dr. Kumar had earlier hold the post of Principal Commissioner Delhi Development Authority Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government. He also servedas Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development.

During his tenure as principal secretary IT, Government of Manipur, Dr. Kumar became the key force behind IIIT-Manipur, Manipur IT Policy-2015 and IT-SEZ, Manipur.

He got his MBBS degree from the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), Banaras Hindu University, in 1985. After finishing his internship at IMS he joined as MD in the institute.

It is learned that during his tenure as principal commissioner, Delhi Development Authority, he initiated the implementation of e-office in four and a half days of his joining.

Mr. Nambam Deben,A computer Science Engineer, Joined Department of Science & Technology, Government of Manipur in 1994. Moved to Information Technology Department in 2010 when IT Department was newly created. Has been involved with e-Governance in Manipur and the IT Industry since the implementation of NeGP.

Mr. Arvind Singh is an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of 1988 batch of Maharashtra cadre. Currently he is serving as Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.

Mr. Singh has also served as additional chief secretary (Energy) in government of Maharashtra. He has also worked as chairman and managing director of Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Ltd. and the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company.

Mr. Singh, joined the administrative services after acquiring Bachelor’s and Master’ degrees in economics from St Stephen’s College, Delhi and the Delhi School of Economics, Delhi. His initial assignments were as assistant collector at Aurangabad and as chief executive officer of Aurangabad and Nagpur Zilla Parishads. After a stint in the chief secretary’s office at Mumbai, he moved to Kolhapur as district collector.