“India's next generation of leaders are so promising. We looked for the courage to dare, the confidence to disrupt, the wisdom for timely course correction. We were focussed on how the go-to-market strategy was different and sustainable, with a profit visibility and trajectory.”
RITU ARORA, Country head (India), Allianz Services
“Companies in India are currently at a financially healthy space: All indicators point to an ability to invest and grow.”
AMISH MEHTA, Managing director and CEO, Crisil
“This is the sixth or seventh business cycle I'm experiencing in India, and governance standards have certainly gone up significantly. People feel value in governance—this has been outstanding in India in the past two decades.”
SANJEEV KRISHAN, Chairperson, PwC India
“We need a lot more risk-taking in India to realise the Vikasit Bharat goals. A lot more investment in R&D and innovation is the need of the hour, and that's something we wanted to see in the awards.”
AMIT CHANDRA, Chairperson, Bain Capital India
“Going belly up is a function of the business model: If a startup can ensure that their team is focussed on delivering value to their consumers versus valuation, they will sustain—and over time, compounding will deliver the valuation to them.”
KUNAL SHROFF, Managing partner, ChrysCapital
“The qualities I looked for are conviction, focus, and the ability to get into details and execute flawlessly.”
ANISH SHAH, (jury chair), Group CEO & MD, Mahindra Group
“A lot of regional brands have been successful in the food space—they understand the consumer, have better distribution locally, are agile, and we're seeing a lot of regional brands gaining market share.”
SAUGATA GUPTA, MD & CEO, Marico
“We always hear that Indian tech startups are working at the bottom of the pyramid. But many of them are now innovating in the tech space and, more specifically, in AI. It's a bright future, and we'll see strong contenders in the global space coming from our country.”
NAMITA THAPAR, Executive director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals
“The list of turnaround companies this year is a mix of old and new-age companies. The agility, their willingness to question existing paradigms and drop the baggage are paramount in being able to truly turn around.”
KVS MANIAN, Managing director & CEO, Federal Bank
First Published: Mar 27, 2026, 12:09
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