Forttuna Global Excellence Awards - 2025 India edition: Spotlight on visionary leaders transforming business and society

The Forttuna Global Excellence Awards 2025 India edition, held on May 9-10 at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu, celebrated leadership, innovation, and achievement. Led by Aditii Handa and Raul Handa, the awards gala brought together 150+ visionaries from across India, honoring excellence in business, health, and wellness

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Published: May 15, 2025 11:05:04 AM IST

Mumbai, India, 10th May, 2025:

The Forttuna Global Excellence Awards - 2025 India Edition, set against the vibrant backdrop of Mumbai, held on May 9th and 10th at the JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu, celebrated a powerful new wave of leaders across sectors from human resources and law to AI, architecture, and finance. This year’s honorees showcase the rise of next-gen thinkers and strategic disruptors who are not only excelling in their industries but are also paving inclusive pathways for innovation, empowerment, and growth. Here, we spotlight six outstanding awardees whose journeys reflect a commitment to excellence and impact.

Tanvi Shah: Young Business Leader of the Year (Architecture/Construction/Engineering)

Tanvi Shah, Co-founder & Principal Designer of Taru Atelier, is redefining the built environment with a seamless integration of architecture & interior design. With a Master’s in Collective Housing from Universidad Politécnica of Madrid & ETH Zurich, she has led projects ranging from luxury residences and corporate headquarters to large-scale infrastructure in the railway and aviation industries. As a UN Local Pathways Fellow (2022-2023), she conducted in-depth research on Vadodara’s housing and slum crisis, advocating for sustainable solutions and inclusive urban planning. At Taru Atelier, she continues to shape the future of design, creating human-centric spaces that inspire & endure.

Heena Agarwal: Young Business Leader of the Year (Technology)

Heena Agarwal, the dynamic leader at OpZen, is revolutionizing AI solutions with over 11 years of expertise in healthcare and finance. Her innovative contributions have earned her widespread recognition for driving meaningful change across sectors. Beyond her professional success, Heena is a passionate advocate for social responsibility. She actively volunteers with the Isha Foundation and mentors underprivileged youth, demonstrating her commitment to making a positive impact on society. Her leadership, characterized by vision, empowerment, and ethical integrity, is driving transformative change and setting new benchmarks in the industry.

Harshita Kumar: Emerging Business Leader of the Year (Legal)

Harshita Kumar is a first-generation lawyer who runs a successful law firm by the name Atlantic Law Associates in New Delhi in partnership with her colleague. Harshita is making her mark with a thriving practice in Mergers & Acquisitions, insolvency, IPRs, and arbitration. With 14 years of experience in the legal industry, her impact goes beyond courtrooms as she has served on the Internal Complaints Committee at INDIA TODAY GROUP and worked with the Azim Premji Trust to combat domestic violence in remote areas of Haryana. Her journey is a testament to resilience, purpose, and pioneering legal leadership.

Dr. Shalin Maheshwari: Business Leader of the Year (Human Resources)

Founded in 2019 by Dr. Shalin Maheshwari and Lalit Singh, Meraqui is redefining workforce management through its AI-powered Workforce as a Service (WaaS) platform. Focused on end-to-end lifecycle fulfillment of frontline talent, Meraqui operates across 26 Indian states and 30 industry verticals, bridging formats from Gig, Contractual, or Permanent roles. Despite being entirely bootstrapped, the company has demonstrated resilient, profitable growth through global disruptions like COVID-19. Now expanding into the USA, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, Meraqui’s vision is bold: to position 500 million young Indian talents on the global map, making India the skill capital of the world.

Prasad Routray: Visionary Strategic Leader of the Year (Human Resources)

Prasad Routray, Co-founder of ZYVKA, is building an HRtech-Edtech Interconnect startup after 25+ years of corporate career. Human Capital supply is witnessing massive changes through new demands of skill needs, fractional talent, freelancing, and multi-domain knowledge expertise. The intersection of Deep-tech (both in HR & Skill) coupled with human intelligence is where ZYVKA marketplace steps in to provide democratised talent with speed and quality. With its popular products Hiring Box, Skill Box, Interview Box, StartupBox, and over 400+ clients and partnerships, the marketplace is a Global platform to experience new AI HRtech-EDtech.

Abhilash P V: Young Business Leader of the Year (Finance and Insurance)

Abhilash is the Founder and CEO of Vakya, a new-age skill development organization dedicated to creating career pathways for students. Vakya offers work-integrated learning programs, AI-powered career guidance, internships, leadership activation, and personality development workshops. He is also the VP of Finance and Strategy at NG-Next Tech Private Limited, an AI-driven EdTech firm, focusing on growth, partnerships, and fundraising. Previously, he worked in financial advisory at PwC and investment banking at Axis Capital. A Chartered Accountant and IIM Bangalore MBA graduate, Abhilash is passionate about bridging the gap between education and employability for India’s youth.

A Glimpse into the Future

These six honorees exemplify what the Forttuna Global Excellence Awards stand for: integrity, innovation, and global relevance. Whether in courtrooms, coding labs, boardrooms, or classrooms, their work uplifts industries and inspires the next generation of trailblazers. Together, they are forging new frontiers, and the world is watching.

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