Awards
BT Mindrush 2025 honours top CEOs and business icons in Mumbai
MUMBAI: India’s top executives and business pioneers gathered at BT Mindrush 2025 on 22 March in Mumbai, where Business Today unveiled its prestigious India’s Best CEOs Awards 2025. The event honoured remarkable figures shaping the corporate landscape while offering insights into strategies for navigating global economic shifts.
Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, was named Business Icon of the Year, while minister of external affairs S. Jaishankar, received the Impact Icon of the Year award. The Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Marico Ltd. chairman Harsh Mariwala and Thermax former chairperson Anu Aga for their enduring contributions.
Among the other honourees, Narayana health chairman Devi Prasad Shetty was recognised as the Most Trusted Leader, while Eternal founder & CEO Deepinder Goyal received the Resilient CEO award. Tata Power CEO & MD Praveer Sinha was honoured as the Green Growth Visionary, and Physics Wallah founder & CEO Alakh Pandey earned the Startup of the Year title. Sun Pharma CMD Dilip Shanghvi was acknowledged for Services Vanguard, whereas TVS Motor MD Sudarshan Venu won for Manufacturing & Retail Excellence. MOFSL group MD & CEO Motilal Oswal was named among The Wealth Makers, while Mankind Pharma chairman Ramesh Juneja was recognised as The Deal Maker. Interglobe Aviation CEO Pieter Elbers was awarded the Glocal CEO title, and Jindal Stainless MD Abhyuday Jindal was honoured as an Urban Visionary. Solar Industries MD & CEO Manish Satyanarayan Nuwal was named among the Pillars of Progress, while KPIT Technologies’ Kishor Patil and Persistent Systems’ Sandeep Kalra received Tech Titans awards. Additionally, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders former CMD Sanjeev Singhal was recognised as the Bharat PSU Icon.
The theme, Vucanomics 2025: Thriving in Turmoil – Turning Global Disruptions into Growth, steered discussions on leveraging technology and capital to transform uncertainties into opportunities.
Birla, said, “Each overseas acquisition must be driven by clear strategic rationale securing raw materials, strengthening value chain resilience, or accessing higher-margin markets with lower volatility.” He added, “India is firmly on course to achieve developed-country status by 2047.”
Union minister Nitin Gadkari, the event’s chief guest, announced that a national tolling policy would be introduced before 1 April, ensuring “reasonable concessions to commuters” and unveiling 36 new green express highways. Jaishankar, awarded Impact Icon of the Year, highlighted India’s balanced approach in global diplomacy, remarking, “From Russia and Ukraine to Israel and Iran and from the BRICS to the QUAD India engages across divides with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.’”
Financial markets and policy stability were also key discussion points. Motilal Oswal urged cautious optimism in equities, while SEBI chair Tuhin Kanta Pandey assured, “Taxation has been rationalised; let’s not unsettle that certainty.” NSE MD Ashish Chauhan noted a shift in market dynamics, saying, “Domestic investors are increasingly becoming a stabilising force even as foreign flows ebb and flow.”
The event culminated in the unveiling of Business Today’s special annual issue, honouring India’s finest executives. The issue was launched by Union ministers Gadkari and Jaishankar, Birla, and India Today group chairman Aroon Purie.
With 18 eminent speakers across 13 sessions, BT Mindrush 2025 hosted over 200 CXOs from corporate India. The event was supported by Pwc (Presenting Partner), Diageo (Celebration Partner), Polymatech (Semiconductor Partner), Becquer Solar Studio (New Energy Partner), Logitech (Collaboration Partner), GAIL (Energy Partner), Sofitel Mumbai BKC (Hospitality Partner), and Laqshya Media Group and Omark Media Around Life (Outdoor Partners).
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
