MAM
Mohanraj J takes over as Duroflex CEO
Mumbai: Duroflex Group has announced the elevation of Mohanraj J as CEO of its omnichannel consumer brand – Duroflex. He takes over from Mathew Chandy who will now be serving as CMD of the group.
Mohanraj has been with the company for more than six years in various leadership roles and will now spearhead Duroflex’s growth and expansion in the coming years. In this new role, his responsibilities will span the thriving retail, e-commerce and D2C business of Duroflex, said the company in a statement.
Duroflex Group also houses Sleepyhead, its young & independent D2C brand and a growing B2B and export vertical. Each of these has a separate focus and leadership. Mohanraj will be leading as CEO for the Duroflex consumer brand.
“Duroflex Group has experienced tremendous growth in the past two years. Despite the pandemic-related chaos and market volatility, we are still on track to join the 1000cr club,” said Mathew Chandy. “Mohan’s influential and decisive contribution has helped Duroflex stay resilient and accomplish that goal. He’s been instrumental in building our leadership team and culture.”
Mohanraj has enabled Duroflex to achieve major milestones and led the company through a successful national expansion. He also shaped the company’s D2C foray and exponentially elevated the retail experience through company-owned and company-operated stores, said the company.
“Over the years, we have built a strong and loyal consumer base and to ensure that we continue to deliver on our commitments, I plan to leverage our customer-focused strategy, our sustainable operational excellence and company culture with the goal of taking Duroflex to new levels of success,” said Mohanraj J. “We will further expand on improving our customer experience with technology at the core and continue to build a culture that believes in people first.”
MAM
India’s employability gap persists despite strong hiring intent
Only 1 in 5 institutions achieve 76 to 100 per cent placements within six months of graduation.
MUMBAI: India’s young workforce is ready in numbers, but the real question is whether they are ready for work and senior leaders from industry, academia and policy gathered in Delhi to find practical answers. A closed-door roundtable hosted by Vaishali Nigam Sinha, co-founder of Renew, brought together key voices to discuss actionable solutions for bridging the persistent employability gap. The session highlighted that while job opportunities are expanding, the alignment between education and industry needs remains a critical challenge.
According to Teamlease EdTech’s Career Outlook Report HY1 2026, 73 per cent of employers plan to hire freshers in the first half of 2026, signalling steady recovery in entry-level hiring. However, employers are shifting focus from mere qualifications to demonstrable capability, placing greater value on internships, live projects and proof-of-work.
Teamlease Edtech, founder and CEO Shantanu Rooj emphasised the need for better alignment, “India’s employability challenge is no longer about access alone, but about alignment between education and work. Employers are increasingly relying on demonstrable capability such as internships, projects, and applied learning as indicators of readiness.”
Vaishali Nigam Sinha stressed the importance of execution over intent, “India has both the talent and the opportunity. What is needed now is alignment. We have to move from intent to execution by embedding employability into the system itself.”
Other prominent speakers included Dr Chenraj Roychand, Chancellor of Jain (Deemed-to-be) University, who called for universities to evolve from degree providers to ecosystem enablers, Prof M. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIM Calcutta, who highlighted the need for flexibility and multidisciplinary learning, and Dr T.N. Singh, Director of IIT Patna, who advocated deeper industry engagement through research and experiential learning.
The discussion also drew insights from the book Accelerating Impact. Enabling Dreams – Making India Employable by Shantanu Rooj and co-authors, which features contributions from leaders like Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Dr Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan and Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
During the event, Teamlease Edtech Foundation launched Project SEED, a national initiative aimed at bridging the education-employability gap for underserved youth. The project focuses on early intervention at the school level to guide students towards informed career choices and work-integrated pathways.
With only 16.67 per cent (1 in 5) of institutions achieving 76–100 per cent placements within six months of graduation, the conversation made one thing clear, India’s demographic dividend will deliver real value only when education and employability walk hand in hand. The gathering served as a timely reminder that the future of India’s workforce depends not just on creating more jobs, but on preparing young people far better to seize them.
