Jury Chair

Rohit Jawa
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE).

Rohit Jawa
CEO and Managing Director, Hindustan Unilever Limited & President, Unilever South Asia & Member, Unilever Leadership Executive


Mr Rohit Jawa (56) is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). He is also a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE).
Rohit started his career with HUL as a management trainee in 1988. He has a proven track record of sustained business results across India, Southeast Asia, and North Asia. As EVP North Asia and Chairman Unilever China, Rohit helped transform the business into Unilever’s third largest globally. He developed a distinct strategic agenda for China, championed digitalisation and premiumisation, and steered the business very capably through the Covid crisis.
As the Chairman of Unilever Philippines, he led the business to become one of the top 10 markets for Unilever globally. He is deeply passionate about integrating the strength of traditional markets with digital technologies and future-fit business models.
Rohit has a bachelor’s degree from St Stephen’s College and an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, both at the University of Delhi, India. He is an alumnus of IMD Business School, Lausanne, Switzerland, where he completed the Breakthrough Program for Senior Executives in 2018. Rohit also completed the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School in 2022.
Rohit served as the founding Secretary for the Food Industry Asia, Singapore, in 2010 and Co-Chair of the 'Grow Asia Philippines' along with the Secretary of Agriculture, Philippines in 2015-16, a World Economic Forum initiative for inclusive business models in agriculture. In addition, he served on the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) China board, a global, CEO-led collaboration for positive change. Since July, 2023 he is an Executive Committee Member of Vikaasa, a coalition that collaborates to accelerate India's progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He is also a Trustee of Breach Candy Hospital.
In his free time, Rohit enjoys music, learning about different cultures, engaging with stories and travelling.

Jury

Kedar Lele
Managing Director

Kedar Lele
Managing Director, Castrol India


Kedar Lele, Managing Director of Castrol India, is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience. Before joining Castrol, Kedar spent two transformative decades at Unilever, where he held various leadership roles, the latest being Executive Director of Hindustan Unilever Ltd, responsible for Sales & Customer Development, South Asia. His time at Unilever was marked by strategic contributions that fuelled consistent & competitive growth, including spearheading the company's e- commerce initiatives in India and leading Unilever Bangladesh as Chairman & Managing Director.
Kedar's career spans Advertising, Digital Innovation, and Sales, with expertise in Marketing, Customer Development and General Management. He is known for his compassionate leadership, his ability to navigate complex business landscapes, and strong relationship-building skills.
Recognized by the Economic Times as one of the “40 under 40" business leaders in 2014, Kedar holds an MBA in Strategic Marketing & Operations from the Indian School of Business (ISB) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Communications from Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA). Beyond corporate success, he has also contributed to the business community, serving as Vice President of the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Bangladesh