Brands
Engineered to Impress as Liebherr Privé Redraws India’s Luxury Blueprint
MUMBAI: Luxury in India has finally traded the glitter for the gears and Liebherr Privé made sure everyone noticed. In an evening where design met discipline and innovation met intention, Liebherr Appliances India and Network18 unveiled an invite-only showcase that signalled a bold shift, luxury that thinks before it shines. The night opened on a note as rich as its theme Purbayan Chatterjee’s sitar weaving a meditative calm through a room filled with global leaders, architects, innovators, and cultural tastemakers. It set the stage for a celebration not of excess, but of intelligence, engineering, and human-centred design.
Network18’s anchor welcomed guests before Liebherr Appliances India MD of sales Kapil Agarwal framed the agenda: a commitment to precision engineering, sustainability-led design and products built for the way India lives, evolves, and aspires. “Innovation is not about complexity; it’s about purpose,” Kapil said, emphasising how design aligned with real human needs can elevate daily life rather than merely ornament it.
At the heart of the evening was the Liebherr Foundational Fireside, a sharply insightful exchange featuring Steffen Nagel and Roman Schäfer in conversation with CNBC-TV18’s Manisha Gupta. Together, they unpacked Liebherr’s legacy of uncompromising build quality, intelligent technology, and long-term commitment to India, a market they described as “growing at a speed no other market can match.”
Steffen set the tone: “Innovation for us is embedded in our DNA… whether it is quality, functionality or sustainability, we see it as our responsibility to create products that add value while ensuring the next generation inherits a better world.” Roman echoed the sentiment, noting, “We don’t copy-paste Europe for India; it is with India, for India, and now from India to the world. The future of luxury is not loud, it is seamless.”
The conversation seamlessly expanded into real estate and lifestyle, with a special fireside conversation featuring HoAL chairman Abhinandan Lodha. Under the theme “From Square Feet to Smart Living,” Lodha explored how engineering-led innovation is reshaping luxury homes. “India’s luxury consumer is younger, sharper and demanding real quality,” he said, highlighting HoAL’s data-driven approach powered by 1,45,000 verified insights. “Sustainability costs more, but it’s our duty to the next generation.”
The showcase then moved into a high-energy panel on the future of evolving homes, gathering voices from architecture, interiors, arts, and design including Rajiv Mishra, Sumisha Gilotra, Brinda Miller, Nisha JamVwal and Neelam Sonavane. The discussion painted a vivid picture of how culture, functionality, and emotional resonance are redefining Indian homes.
But the evening’s most anticipated moment belonged to the powerhouse duo Sussanne Khan and Farah Khan Ali. Their conversation, “Designing Modern Luxury Where innovation meets personal expression,” blended vulnerability, vision, and wit. Sussanne said, “Modern luxury is a marriage of technology and emotion: a home with a heart and a brain.” From artisanal craft to smart automation, from eco-materials to soulful storytelling, she outlined a design philosophy deeply rooted in warmth, creativity and intuition.
As India steps confidently into an era of intelligent, future-ready living, Liebherr Privé stood as more than a curated evening, it became a manifesto. A reminder that the next chapter of luxury will be engineered, intentional and quietly extraordinary. A world where timeless craftsmanship meets intelligent technology, and where design doesn’t just decorate life, it deepens it.
Brands
Safex Group appoints Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer
Former Standard Chartered executive to steer finance
NEW DELHI: Safex Chemicals has appointed Richa Malhotra as group chief financial officer, strengthening its leadership team as the company prepares for the next phase of expansion in specialty chemicals and global agrochemicals.
In her new role, Malhotra will lead the group’s financial strategy, capital architecture and governance framework as Safex scales operations across multiple verticals including branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing.
A chartered accountant and graduate of Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, Malhotra brings more than two decades of experience in business finance, strategic planning, corporate banking and client management.
Before joining Safex, she served as executive director, financial markets at Standard Chartered, where she led teams across India and Sri Lanka and worked closely with large corporates, global subsidiaries and commercial banking clients. Her expertise includes capital structuring, treasury operations, risk management and financial markets led financing solutions.
Safex Group promoter director and joint managing director Piyush Jindal, said the appointment comes at a pivotal time for the company. “Safex stands at an inflection point as we build an integrated platform across branded formulations, specialty chemicals and contract manufacturing. Richa’s experience across global financial institutions will strengthen our financial discipline and help unlock value across the group,” he said.
Malhotra said she was looking forward to contributing to the company’s next chapter of growth. “Safex has built a strong reputation over 35 years with its focus on integrity, innovation and agricultural insight. I am excited to be part of the organisation as it expands its footprint in India and global markets,” she said.
The appointment comes as Safex continues to strengthen its financial foundations and scale operations internationally, positioning itself for future growth milestones.
