Jury Chair

B Thiagarajan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Madurai University. He has also completed the Senior Executive Programme from London Business School. He has more than four decades of experience, having worked for reputed companies such as Larsen & Toubro Ltd, BPL Systems Ltd and Voltas Ltd, prior to joining Blue Star in 1998.
Mr Thiagarajan has handled various assignments in Service Business, Corporate Communications & Marketing and Corporate Affairs & Planning before he was promoted to President of AC&R Products Group in 2009. He was elevated to the Board in 2013 and was appointed as Joint Managing Director in 2016 before taking charge as Managing Director with effect from April 2019. He currently oversees the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration business operations in India, including Sales & Marketing, Manufacturing, R&D, Supply Chain and Customer Service. He also oversees Corporate Communications and Public Relations functions.
Mr Thiagarajan plays an active role in various industry forums and is the Past President of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Manufacturers Association (RAMA) and the Past Chairman of CII Western Region as well as CII Maharashtra State.
He is currently a member of the CII National Council, and chairs the CII National Committee on CSR and the CII Trade Fairs Council. He is also the National Chairman of the Indian Green Building Council and Chairman of the CII Green Cooling Council.

Harkaran Singh Sahni is a results-driven healthcare leader with a Master's in Hospital Administration and an Executive Master's degree in progress from the Indian School of Business. With a proven ability to inspire collaboration and enhance performance, he currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Apollo Hospital Jubilee Hills Hyderabad.
With nearly 2 decades of experience in Healthcare and Telecom, Harkaran has demonstrated expertise in Customer Service, Patient Experience, Operations, Sales, Marketing, . He has made significant contributions to renowned brands such as Medanta - The Medicity, Fortis Healthcare, Vodafone India, and Bharti Airtel.
Specializing in Problem solving, Process optimization, Cost management, P&L, Digitization, CRM, and Voice of Customer initiatives, Harkaran is recognized for his dedication to excellence and innovative service delivery.

Nirupam is the CEO of Hindware, leading the Bathware, Tiles and Consumer Appliances businesses. Nirupam has a career spanning over 31 years in Sales, Marketing, Operations and General Management/P&L Management, with earlier stints in Dixon Technologies, Philips Lighting, GE Capital, Whirlpool and Asian Paints.
Nirupam brings with him a deep understanding of diverse Indian, Asian and Global markets and consumers. He has been on the Board of Directors of GE Money India, two Joint Ventures of Philips Lighting in China, Rexxam Dixon Electronics and Hintastica Private Limited (a JV between Hindware and General Atlantic).
Nirupam graduated in Economics Honours from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, completed his MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai, and completed an Advanced Management Program at The Wharton School.
His interests include quizzing, music and reading.

Rajesh Jain is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lacoste India, a position he has held since October 2009. Under his leadership, Lacoste has transformed into a renowned lifestyle brand across India, offering a diverse range of products including clothing for men, women, and children, footwear, leather goods, watches, and more. With a keen vision and unwavering commitment, Rajesh has successfully propagated Lacoste's unique brand identity, establishing its presence in major cities and metros throughout the country. He is guided by his own philosophy: “Top Line, Bottom Line, Growth, Customer Delight, and Human Resource Development – Everything else is merely incidental.” This approach has shaped the brand into a dynamic and customer-centric brand in India.
Rajesh's journey from a strong financial background to the retail industry exemplifies his adaptability and forward-thinking mindset. With a sharp analytical approach, he has thrived in an industry defined by ever-changing consumer preferences and evolving market trends. Known for his ethical leadership and process-oriented approach, Rajesh is a risk-taker who embraces innovation while ensuring that decisions are always well-calculated. His broad expertise and deep understanding of the retail sector have been honed through years of experience in leading organizations across different domains.
Before becoming the CEO, Rajesh served as the CFO of Lacoste India for three years. In this role, he played a pivotal part in the company’s financial management, overseeing risk assessment, and implementing robust systems and processes across functions such as Supply Chain, IT, Sourcing, and Legal. His leadership was instrumental in the company’s growth and strategic direction. Rajesh has embedded the core values of authenticity, performance, and elegance - attributes that are synonymous with the brand, into every aspect of the business. A dynamic leader and a highly respected figure, Rajesh has led the brand to impressive sales growth and spearheaded successful marketing campaigns, alongside pioneering media and financial strategies.
Rajesh holds a Master of Commerce degree from the University of Delhi and is a Chartered Accountant (CA) from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He is also a qualified Company Secretary, having obtained his degree from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Born and raised in Delhi, Rajesh embodies an ethical and aesthetically driven approach to both his personal and professional life.

Ranjeet Oak was appointed as the Managing Director – South Asiain February 2024. In this role, he leads Kohler’s business strategy and operations across the South Asia region, drawing on nearly three decades of leadership experience across multiple sectors, geographies, and product categories. His expertise in building and scaling organizations is reflected in his holistic approach to market growth, sales excellence, and operational transformation.

Ranjeet brings a breadth of cross-functional leadership in Sales, Marketing, and General Management, having held key roles both in India and abroad. Prior to joining Kohler Co., he served as a Member of the Board and Chief Commercial Officer at Pernod Ricard India, where he led national Sales and Marketing functions. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Unilodgers Inc., MakeMyTrip, and Procter & Gamble, where he was instrumental in building scalable operations and driving strategic growth.He is known for his ability to identify critical business drivers, establish robust processes, and inspire high-performing teams toward sustained top- and bottom-line success.

Ranjeet holds a mechanical engineering degree from Pune University and a postgraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.

Outside the boardroom, Ranjeet resides in Gurugram with his wife, Navneet. Their daughter, Malika, is working with Uber in San Francisco after graduating from the Princeton University class of 2020 and, their son, Prithvi, is looking forward to working with NextDoor in San Francisco after graduating this year from Brown University.A sports and music enthusiast, Ranjeet enjoys exploring both in his leisure time.

Coming Soon...

Coming Soon...

Vineet is a well-educated and did Chartered Accountant from ICAI, Company Secretary Inter from ICSI & Cost Work Accountant from ICWAI. Also an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and did Advanced Management Program from Insead, France.
Vineet is a seasoned & versatile management professional with 25+ years of diversified rich experience mainly in heading Hypermarket, Supermarket and Fashion Business.
During his work tenure he has worked in manufacturing, capital & Finance market as well. He has conceptualised and co-creator of many brands like Big Bazaar, Vishal Mega Mart, etc.
He is responsible for driving company’s mission and strategy. under his current role he is in multi-disciplinary roles and bringing V-Mart to scale through strategy & actions. He is Involved in the entire spectrum of Retail including adding new Footprints/ Geography , Acquisition, operations, sales, Marketing, Building FMCG Business & Partner Brand Business .
He is with Retail industry since inception of Modern Retail trade in India. Empowering a team to be able to do the above is his idea of gratification. Vineet has both depth and breadth of leadership and operational experience in the value retailing format, and a customer-centric approach.
Vineet speak English, Hindi & many regional languages.
Vineet has been widely recognized for his contributions to the retail industry. He has recently been honored with The Times Business Leader – 2025 by The Economic Times. Earlier, he received the Retail Leader of the Year 2024 award at the Great India Retail Awards and was named the Top COO, Retail Icon of the Year 2023 by CX Leader, a prestigious accolade from the retail fraternities. He was also included in the list of the 100 CX Leaders in India 2023 at the Trescon World CX Summit and recognized as the Retail Icon of the Year 2023 by the UBS Forum. In 2022, Vineet was awarded the Most Admired Retailer of the Year at the Images Retail Awards. His forward-thinking approach was further acknowledged at the Future of Retail & E-commerce Summit & Awards 2023. Additionally, he holds the Jain Ratan:
Community Service Award 2023, a rare honor conferred on only 500 Jains across India for exceptional service.