Mr Akshay Bector is the Chairman & Managing Director of Cremica Food Industries Limited. Under the “Cremica” brand the company has become #1 in Mayonnaise and #3 in Tomato Ketchup in India. The company leads the industry with Focus on Quality and Innovation. Under Mr. Akshay Bector’s leadership the company has been able to maintain one of the highest growth rates in the industry.

After completing B.E. in Industrial & Production Engineering, Mr Akshay Bector started his carrier in 1987. Establishment of a modern Bread plant followed by a world class Biscuit plant was his initial endeavors. He kept on expanding the business and soon joined hands with Mc Donald’s to become one of their biggest suppliers in India. He was also instrumental with key initiatives with Mc Donald’s and the Mc Donald’s Bun Business to the company was set up under his leadership. His focus on Quality and Innovation were the key factors for Exponential Business growth. His efforts led to the JV with two companies. One with Quaker Oats Company (USA) for manufacturing of Ketchup, Mayonnaise  and other Liquid Condiments and the other with EBI Foods (UK) for manufacturing of Battering and Breading pre-mixtures. This brought in new Competences within the Group and Strengthened the Brand.

His Leadership qualities and Business acumen are well recognized in the Industry. He has served as the Chairman of CII Punjab. He is the founder of YPO Punjab Chapter. Currently he is Chairman of CII NR Agriculture Council and Member of various Punjab Government Committees.

In the “3rd National Convention on Entrepreneurship 2013”, he was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” and in “Mc Donald’s APMEA 2013 Supplier Business Forum” the Company got “ Mc Donald’s Asia Pacific Award for Innovation”.

Alok Nanda is the Founder and CEO of Alok Nanda & Company-India’s only Brand and Communications Consultancy focused on the lifestyle and luxury space. Alok started his career with the legendary creative agency-Trikaya Advertising, where he rose to become National Creative Director and then member of the Grey Asia-Pacific Creative Board. He set up ANC in 1999 to bring together for the first timed the worlds of advertising, design, experience design and branding - under one roof. This multidisciplinary approach has helped build brands like Taj Hotels, Arrow, Wrangler, Sula wines, Lodha, Barista, Ambuja and Marico, to name a few.

ANC under Alok’s leadership has forayed into specialist areas such as envisioning ‘purpose’ for corporates, leveraging art to sell brands through Brand Canvas - a JV company, Hyphen - a brand engagement company, and Filter - a design lab. A multi-award winner, Alok is known for his exacting standards and attention to detail - both which he considers not negotiable in the premium consumer space. Alok is an avid collector of wine and antiquarian books.

ANC (Alok Nanda & Company) under Alok’s visionary leadership has won esteemed awards in India and abroad.One such award won by Alok is the prestigious ''The Leading Hotels of the World - Chairman's Award”  for two consecutive years ( 2006 and 2007), for the print campaign for the Taj Luxury collection. ANC being the only company in the world to have won this award twice in a row.

Asif Merchant is the Managing Director of Catwalk Worldwide since inception. With focus on product design and development he anchors retail & strategic planning for the business. With 30 years of experience in Indian footwear industry he governs designing, developing & implementing of all strategic plans for the organisation.

 Deepak I. Shahdadpuri is the Founder and Managing Director of DSG Consumer Partner and Beacon India Private Equity Fund. Deepak has over 15 years of private equity and venture capital experience and is an active angel investor focusing on consumer businesses with a strong emphasis on food and beverage value chain. Before this, Deepak held senior roles at Gem India, Reuters VC, Bain & Company and Ernst & Young. Deepak is on the board of Baker's Circle, Impresario, Eazy Diner, Exito Gourmet, India Lends, Indostar Capital, Indian Home Gourmet, Mswipe, Saffronart, Saraf Foods, Sula Wines and Veeba Food. Deepak’s investment experience also includes RBL Bank, OYO Rooms, Cleartrip, Redmart, F&B Asia and Furtado’s School of Music.

Deepak serves on the board of Magic Bus, a non-profit organization helping develop underprivileged children through sports, and on the advisory board of Dawn Capital, a UK focused Venture Capital Fund. He has an MBA (Distinction) from INSEAD where he graduated on the Dean’s list, a LLB (Hons) from King's College London and a FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales.

@dishahdadpuri

Dhanpal Jhaveri is Managing Partner - Private Equity at Everstone, an India and Southeast Asia focused Private Equity and Real Estate investor with approximately $2 billion of assets under management. Dhanpal’s expertise lies in hand-on leadership supported by over 23 years of experience in Investments, Strategy, M&A and Investment Banking.

Previously, Dhanpal has held senior leadership positions with Future Capital Holdings and Vedanta Resources, Head of Investment Banking at ICICI Securities, and as a Partner at KPMG.

Dhanpal holds a degree in Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Mumbai and an MBA from Babson College, Graduate School of Business, United States.

After a three-year course in Hotel Management and an MBA in Finance from Symbiosis, Dheeraj Gupta set out to try his hand at business.

He set out to do something most unique and innovative - brand the vada pav. At Jumboking, the retail QSR chain he founded in Aug 2001, he standardized the vada pav, made it a scalable model, and took it to markets outside of Mumbai, giving it a national presence.

Recognized as one of the youngest thought-leaders in the franchising industry, Dheeraj has won several awards in this field such as the  Award for New Concept Franchising and Award as Innovative Franchisee model in 2007. A member of the jury of the ET retail awards in 2010, he also chairs the Certification Committee for Franchising Association of India. In March 2014, he authored a knowledge paper on Franchising, which was applauded and well received by the industry.
 
Dheeraj's approach has been pioneering, with an unrelenting focus on innovation and operational excellence.

Thanks to his methodical and meticulous approach, whether product or service, everything is standardized, operations are simplified, and all of this is put in manuals for easy and smooth execution. He firmly believes in the power of innovation. This trait is thus encouraged in his team and by his extended family of franchisees too.

It's not just about grey matter for this pioneer. Dheeraj recently completed the 42 km run at the Standard CharteredMarathon and running is a daily morning habit. Sprinting past different neighbourhoods, he observes the flow of people at work, no matter which part of the globe he's trotting. An avid reader of business biographies, the ace businessman is also interested in books that focus on personal growth, mastery and innovation.

Dinesh Dayal joined the L’Oreìal Group in 1984 in France where he began his career as a Management Trainee and held numerous roles in finance, marketing and operations. Subsequently, he was put in charge of expanding the L’Oreìal business in South Asia. In 1990, he came to India as Marketing Director to set up the India business for L’Oreìal in association with an Indian partner.

In 1994, he played a key role in establishing L’Oreìal India as a 100% subsidiary of the L’Oreìal Group and in 2000 he was appointed as Chief Operating Officer. He was also Director of L’Oréal’s Luxury Products Division during its start-up phase. He has launched brands such as Lancôme, Kiehl’s, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren and Diesel in India. He is also a member of the Company’s Board of Directors in India. He has had a stint as GM - Finance and Operations at L’Oréal Thailand.

Dinesh is a Physics graduate from St. Stephens College (New Delhi) and has an MBA degree from INSEAD, France. A trained Scuba Diver; he is married and has two children.

Nappa Dori was born in 2010 in a quaint village nestled in the heart of Delhi. Deep within the dusty and damp alleys was a creative studio owned by Gautam Sinha, a NIFT graduate in Fashion Design, who had an epiphany that compelled him to discard conventional fashion design and explore the world of Indian leather and artisanal craftsmanship.

Voted in 2011 as one of the five most creative talents in the Indian scene by the British Council, Gautam has brought a unique creative flair, complemented by an energetic entrepreneurial zest that has propelled Nappa Dori into the mainstream Indian design industry.

Today, Nappa Dori’s success story is applauded by many as it has disrupted conventional design mandates and created its own unique creative ideology. The creative essence is about simplicity in thought and action. Effective, usable design that compliments people’s lifestyles without being ostentatious, predictable or clichéd, while adding a touch of effortless flair to the modern day lifestyles of those young at heart.

Gaurav is a Principal in A.T Kearney’s Consumer Industries & Retail Practice. He has over 10 years of experience, working primarily with leading companies in retail and consumer goods sector.

Gaurav has a keen interest in the lifestyle & specialty retail space and has deep and practical content knowledge across various functional areas within this sector. Within lifestyle and specialty retail, he has worked with clients on various topics ranging from retail launch, growth strategy, category management and operations transformation.

Gaurav is a co-lead for A.T. Kearney’s apparel and specialty retail sector in Asia Pacific region. He is based out of the A.T. Kearney Gurgaon office.

Hemendra Mathur work as Managing Director for SEAF India Investment Advisors. Hemendra has about 19 years of experience in private equity, management consulting and investment banking.

For last five years, Hemendra is an active investor in the food and agribusiness sector. He has invested in eight companies so far from the existing fund in sectors such as food ingredients, animal feed, fertilisers, seeds, organic foods, spices, wheat milling and restaurants. Hemendra is also associated with many mentoring and incubator networks advising start-ups across a range of sectors.

Prior to that, he has worked extensively in providing strategic investment advice to Indian companies, international enterprises and government and multilateral organizations in the sectors pertaining to food, agribusiness, consumer goods and retail. He has extensive experience working in India, USA, Europe and South Asia.

Prior to working for SEAF, Hemendra has worked with Yes Bank, Rabo India Finance, KSA Technopak, and ORG MARG (now Nielsen).

Hemendra has studied management at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Rajasthan Agricultural University, India.

Kannan Sitaram is Operating Partner at India Equity Partners, a New York based Private Equity firm, with over $ 2 Billion of group assets under management. At IEP he leads the development of their consumer sector portfolio. For the prior four years, from 2006, he was Chief Operating Officer of the Rs. 2,500 crores Consumer Care Division of Dabur India. At Dabur, Mr. Sitaram led the transformation of one of India’s most highly rated consumer products businesses through organic growth and highly successful acquisitions.

From 2002 till 2005, Mr. Sitaram was Vice President Strategy at Unilever’s Global Headquarters in London, where he was responsible for bringing consumer, customer and industry perspectives to shape Unilever’s corporate strategy. Prior to that, Mr. Sitaram had a highly successful 9 year tenure at Hindustan Unilever (HUL), including as Head of Marketing for the Beverages division and National Head of Sales for Detergents and Personal Products. Mr. Sitaram had moved to HUL from Pond’s India Limited, part of Chesebrough Pond’s Inc where he spent the first 12 years of his career.

Mr. Sitaram holds a Bachelors degree in Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and earned his Management degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In addition, Mr. Sitaram has attended an Executive Program at the Carnegie Mellon School of Business and an Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Business.

Karan, a Computer Engineer by degree, completed his education from RGIT (Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology) in 2007.

Working since he was 18, his career began with a hospitality company catering to BPO’S and MNC’S in Mumbai and Pune.He then moved on to set up India’s first water jet cutting plant in Umargaonpost which he went on to manage Kenwood marketing for food distribution.

Karan’s motivation to start LocalBanya stemmed from the network of food distribution he was a part of. That, coupled with the rapid growth of e-commerce in India, excited him to enter the e-grocery space.

His title at LocalBanyais the co-founder & Chief Executive Officer but his role changes constantly. Currently, his focus lies on the Logistics & Operations side of the business and the aim is to scale up operations and reach more households, more cities, and maybe even beyond.

Nauzad has always been a thorough Bombayite and has been actively involved in his family businesses since the age of 16, dividing time between work and his education. He was always driven by passion accompanying it with a keen eye for technology.

At 18, he was made Partner in his family’s privately owned textile spinning, twisting and doubling facility at Currey Road, Mumbai. At 25, he joined his other family run textile manufacturing unit at Kurla, Mumbai. A year later he started his own proprietorship firm in parallel to his existing job to cater to the IT needs of his clientele giving them round the clock service.

Seven years later, at the age of 32, working 16-18 hours a day, with two businesses to attend to, Nauzad quit his family business and moved fully into the IT segment which was his true passion at the time. Moving ahead three years of tireless working with IT, he co-founded Love Sugar & Dough as an investing partner, again along with his current IT business.

His business partner, Tarannum Merchant then handled the entire operation alone from production to finance. But as the business grew to a sizeable proportion, Nauzad had to finally decide which direction to go ahead with - Computer IT or Confectionery - and he chose the latter - though he still consults his old clients over the phone!

Three years with Love Sugar & Dough and seven stores in place, the two partners, Tarannum and Nauzad sold 51% stake of Love Sugar & Dough Pvt. Ltd to Specialty Restaurants Ltd. (owners of the Mainland China brand). Now, with the business expansions scaling up to another level, Nauzad is already preparing for new adventures ahead in life!

Nikhil Vora is the Founder and CEO of Sixth Sense Ventures; India’s first domestic consumer centric venture fund. Nikhil was earlier the Managing Director and Head of Research at IDFC Securities, and has been regarded as one of the strongest analytical minds in the country. The core of Sixth Sense lies in the belief that the next big wave of dysfunctional growth will be led by players who are going to be driven by completely different skill sets / capabilities and not necessarily capital. Sixth Sense has invested in ETHOS (India’s largest luxury retail watch chain) and CROSSROADS (India’s largest Road Side Assistance Company).  Sixth Sense philosophy lies in investing in the Consumer of Tomorrow…Today!!!

Nikhil has been invited by the “Nestle Global Consumer Board” and the “Regional CFO forum” to give a presentation on the potential roadmap for Nestle India. He has also evolved a strategic road-map for Hindustan Unilever, Aditya Birla Group, Marico, Godrej etc. His research has been accredited by some of the largest global funds like Capital, Fidelity, Alliance Bernstein, Putnam, Schroder’s etc. Nikhil has been rated by Asia Money / Institutional Investors consistently for being amongst the best analytical minds in the country. In the Asia Money polls 2012, Nikhil was voted as India’s No.1 analyst. He also has the rare distinction of being voted Asia’s Best Analyst by the Wall Street Journal in the same year.  Along with advising clients, he also has been a venture capital investor and on the board of a few of his investee companies. Some of the earlier Venture Investments made by Nikhil Vora in his personal capacity includes - Bewakoof India, BVG India, Cloudseed Legal (www.Rainmaker.co.in), Parag Milk (Go Cheese), Infinite Analytics, Intellisys Technologies, Kangaroo Kids, One97 (PayTm), Mannash Lifestyle (www.purplle.com), Reznext Solutions, Rooms Tonight, Technology Frontiers, Tarnea Technologies and Vini Cosmetics (Fogg Deo). A post-graduate in Management, Mr. Vora was a member participant at the Future Leaders Program at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, London. He was also bestowed with the ‘Thought Leadership’ award by IDFC Ltd.

Pau Abello is the Managing Director of Roca Bathroom Products Pvt. Ltd, 100% subsidiary of Spanish worldwide sanitaryware leader Roca Group.  He is widely credited in India in making a dynamic organization with new product portfolios, innovative marketing approach, greater focus on consumer preferences and broader B2B channels.  For all the Roca Group brands in India, mainly Parryware.

Pau has been associated with Roca Group for the last 17 years. Out of these, he spent 13 years in the corporate financial department of the company and about 3.5 years as Corporate IT Director. Since September 2013, he has helmed the company’s growth and has been engineering diverse strategic changes across businesses and divisions.

Under his leadership, the company has undertaken several significant initiatives like centralizing of warehouses, instituting fresh commercial policies, reinforcing quality standards in existing departments, setting up new technical offices and making requisite investments for the expansion of installed capacities in vitreous china and faucets.

Pau has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies and an MBA from Europe’s top management institute, Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ESADE) in Barcelona. He is an enthusiastic philatelist and is also an ardent outdoor adventure lover who regularly participates in mountain biking expeditions in Europe.

Mr Prashar is the principal architect of the company’s current growth strategy.He is having Management degree in International business & carries more than 7 years experience in sales & marketing in various sectors.

Prashar governs all the strategic level development, product design & implementations for the organization. He has an eye of detailing & always passionate about to build, lead & grow dynamically.

Mr Rahul Deans is an MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad with over 20 years of corporate experience. He spent 10 years of his career with Hindustan Lever in India and abroad.

After that, Rahul worked in Russia and the UK, in FMCG & Retail and then joined Aditya Birla Retail, where he handled different roles over a 4 year period. A stint in Go Airlines then followed, where he headed Commercial operations.

Rahul has been the CEO of Cocoberry for the last 2 years. Cocoberry is an Indian brand and is India's first and leading frozen yogurt chain. The company has been able to turn around its operations and move from a promoter run to a successful professionally run company.

Rahul is passionate about creating a world class brand out of India.

Rajesh Jain is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for Lacoste India. He has been constantly nurturing the brand to its elegance since October 2009. With his persistent efforts and focused vision, he has built and propagated Lacoste in India as a complete „Lifestyle? brand, offering unique and original universe for 7 verticals including clothing for women, men and children, shoes, perfume, leather goods, watches etc. His strong belief in his own quote, “Top Line, Bottom Line, Growth, Customer Delight and Human Resource Development - Everything else is merely incidental” has cultivated the brand with firm establishments reaching out to every major city/ metro of the country today.

From a financial background analyzing and evaluating company strategies to details, Rajesh?s inclination for retail industry was not a mere milestone but an opportunity to adapt to an industry which is characterized by ever changing demands and varied preferences. A persona of high esteemed spirit, Rajesh embraced the retail industry justifying his position as an ethical and process oriented leader always open to experimentation and taking calculated risks. He possesses wide ranging knowledge and unique perspective on the retail industry having worked for leading organizations across the spectrum.

Prior to his position as CEO, Rajesh has served Lacoste India as CFO for three years wherein with his steep prophecy he has directed and motivated the company to achieve desired results. Managing responsibilities that included supervising the financial risks of the corporation, designing and implementing systems and processes across the board and empowering people to execute them, Supply Chain, IT, Sourcing and Legal functions, Rajesh has imbibed the essential values of authenticity, performance and elegance from the brand. As a gregarious socialite, team cohesive professional, process oriented entrepreneur, he has fostered the brand with remarkably positive sales growth, strategically implemented marketing campaigns and pioneering media and financial planning.

Rajesh is a Master of Commerce from the University of Delhi and a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He obtained his Company Secretary degree from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Born and brought up in Delhi, Rajesh follows an ethical and aesthetic attitude towards life.

Rakesh Sony joined MOPE in October 2008 and actively involved in fund deployment and portfolio monitoring. With over 12 years of experience in capital market, he has expertise in enabling closely held businesses evolve into professionally run corporate organization through pragmatic resolution of family ownership, succession planning, corporate governance and the delegation of management responsibilities. He has entrepreneurial experience as co-founder and Managing Director of Microsec Capital- the largest investment bank in Eastern India

At MOPE, Rakesh is responsible for deal sourcing ,investing, portfolio company monitoring and effectuating exit the portfolio companies. He represents the Fund on the board of Parag Milk Foods, Effort BPO, Powermech, Mrs Bector Foods and Minda Industries

Rakesh is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and is  a graduate of the prestigious St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata

Sanjay started his career 2 decades ago with Ambassador Sky Chef (Flight Catering). Post this he moved to make his mark with the QSR Industry. Dominos Pizza, Baskin Robbins as COO, Barista Lavazza as CEO (South Asia and Middle East) and Om Pizzas and Eats (Master Franchisees for Papa John’s, Great Kebab Factory and Chili’s). He rejoined the Graviss Group as CEO for the QSR Division (Baskin Robbins, 6th Street Yogurt and Meats & More).

Sanjay is a Hotel Management graduate and an MBA in Marketing from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. He is passionate about F&B Retail and has led the group’s strategic initiatives in distribution expansion and new product and format development.

Mr. Saurav Banerjee is a Chartered Accountant by profession and is presently the Chief Financial Officer of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri Ltd., one of India’s most trusted jewellery companies, which is presently celebrating its 150th year. It is one of the few companies that can trace back its lineage that far and one of the very few retail companies within this industry group to have this distinction.

Mr. Banerjee joined TBZ Ltd.in February, 2014. Prior to joining TBZ, he was the CFO of Rosy Blue (India) Pvt Ltd, a leading name in the Diamond industry. He has, in his career spanning 25 years, represented industry leaders like GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, The Times of India Group (as Senior Vice President, Finance) and Gati Limited (as CFO).

Shomik joined Actis in 2007 to advise on new investments strategy in the Consumer and Retail sector. He came from McKinsey & Co. in London where he advised companies on strategic and operational matters and prior to that, worked as a consultant with Accenture and with Unilever in India.

Whether it’s doing the deals no one else can or transforming a family-run regional business into a leading international player, the thrill of developing potential never dies away, nor does Shomik’s desire to use capital to change people’s lives – the lives of the country’s emerging middle class and those of his partners, management teams and investors.

Shomik holds an MBAfrom London Business School.

Mr. Siddhartha Pahwa joined Meru Cabs Pvt Ltd as Chief Executive Officer in 2011. He is a Chartered Accountant from ICAI and ranked 42 in the country in1996. He is also a Cost Accountant from CWAI and has done an MBA from IIM Ahemdabad.

Siddhartha started his career as a Management Trainee with Hindustan Lever Limited in 1996. He brings with him 18 years of experience in Business management, Supply Chain, Operations and Finance Management across geographical regions of Asia, Africa & Middle East. Siddhartha won the ‘Best SCM Logistics Professional Award’ for Asia Pacific region across industries held in Singapore in December 2008.

Before he joined Meru family as CEO in 2011, Siddhartha was the President -Supply Chain & Generics at Abbott Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. His expertise includes improving business performance, supply chain efficiencies and effectiveness through process implementation. Prior to this he worked as a Finance Director - Brand Development with Unilever (Bangkok) & Supply Chain Manager with Hindustan Unilever Limited.

Under his able leadership as Chief Executive Officer of Meru Cabs Pvt Ltd, a complete transformation has been done of the business by improving utilization, enhancing consumer experience and better relationship with the chauffeurs. In the near future, a vast expansion is planned in the Meru fleet size. With his innovative thinking Siddhartha has successfully launched new brands like Genie Cabs & Meru Plus for inter and intra city travel with advanced GPS/GPRS technology in different cities. He has commited to increase Meru cabs to 100,000 in next few years across India.

Siddhartha is passionate about running, football and driving.

Sreedhar has a professional experience in Consulting - Strategy & Operations/Process advisory and Information technology with experience in serving national and multinational clients representing diverse industry segments.

Specialties: Key areas of expertise include Strategy build, Operations advisory, Mid-market promoter advisory, Cost Management, Organization design, Business Process Re-engineering/ Improvement, Outsourcing Advisory, Risk Management, Business Continuity Planning.

Possesses extensive knowledge and understanding of the business in the Ecommerce & Consumer Internet, Financial Services - NBFC, FMCG and hospitality domains.

Current responsibilities include Business Development, Practice Management & Solution building. Currently focusing on advising Indian Promoters and medium sizes companies in scaling up as well as new organization design.

Sumant Kasliwal is Founder & CEO of 20Dresses.com, an online fashion personalisation and styling destination for women. Sumant is a Chartered Account and started his career with Arthur Andersen. For most of his 15 yrs of professional career, he has worked in Private Equity & Venture Capital space with ICICI Venture focussing in investments in Technology, Media and Retail businesses. Sumant also headed the online business of STAR TV and Business Strategy at Microsoft before moving to entrepreneurship.

Coming from an agricultural family, Udayakumar constantly reflected traits of an entrepreneur. A business enthusiast right from childhood, he has always had the urge to become a successful entrepreneur, or more so, it was in his blood.

He successfully completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree in Chennai while simultaneously working part time jobs. On completion of his education, he commenced work in the hospitality industry in the year 1980 displaying a candid adaptability and a total of commitment in the field.  

First major engagement was with Radhakrishna Hospitality Services one of the largest Hospitality Companies in India. Owing to an unmitigated sense of commitment and unrestrained initiative, progressed within the Group to the post of Group Financial Controller. In this capacity, operated across Europe, Africa, Middle East and South East Asia covering varied segments viz.  remote sites including UN projects in war torn Rwanda , Kenya, Egypt Oil field, Power Projects, Expatriate Housing Colonies, Manufacturing hubs, Healthcare, Educational Institutions, Corporate Offices.

With this experience under the belt, co-founded Epicurean Enterprises Pvt Ltd a Hospitality/ Facility Management Company.  This entrepreneurial venture brought into play excellent Man Management skills and articulated ambitions to spread across the country in a structured and professional manner.  Over the years in the same industry, gained a thorough knowledge of competitors landscape

As of April 2009 the Company was acquired by the world’s # 1 Food Service Company - Compass Group PLC.  Thereupon he assumed the role of Country Managing Director of Compass India, overseeing company’s activities through a Leadership Team.  Through organic growth and the process of acquisitions, the Company’s turnover has grown to 230 crores in a short span.

The key attributes of this position include wide international exposure, specialized training programmes in Accounting and Op1erating Values, adoption of global best practices, monitoring 250+ sites across the country, handling staff strength of 5000+ without IR issues.

Past experience and a continuous zest for learning has brought to the fore the comprehensive knowledge of taxation and statutory compliances

In 2013, He has moved out and acquired chain of restaurants brand called Nalaas which was 11 in India & 3 in Overseas (London, Paris & Abudhabi)

Mr Vijay Jain is Founder Director of ORRA, India’s premier jewellery brand with a diversified retail chain of 35 boutiques across 25 cities.

Before being at the helm of ORRA, Mr Jain had a decade of exposure in areas such as Advisory, M&A and investment banking across diverse industries. His repertoire of work spans several leading investment banks that include Kotak Mahindra, Peregrine, SSKI and Rabo Bank. In the retail sector he has advised several companies such as Café Coffee Day, Barista, Crossword, etc.

He has been responsible for the conceptualisation and successful launch of ORRA. It is his vision, cross functional experience and most importantly his love and passion for retail that has seen ORRA evolve into a brand to reckon with in the retail space. ORRA has won accolades along its journey with being awarded the Best Jewellery Chain, Most Innovative Jeweller amongst others, and most importantly the confidence of consumers. It has been ranked amongst the Most Trusted Jewellery Brand for 3 years in a row according to the Brand Trust Report.

Mr. Jain has earned a master’s degree in management from S.P. Jain Institute of Management, completed his bachelors from Sri Ram College, Delhi and his schooling from St. Pauls, Darjeeling.

Joined Marico as a Management Trainee in 1995 and contributed to fuelling the company’s growth over 8 years before moving to Coca-Cola and then with the objective of exploring the global market relocated to Dubai in 2004 and got into a totally diverse field of Real Estate. After witnessing the boom & the bust, returned to India in 2010 and joined Aircel Telecom as Circle CEO. The day IVFA/VKL bought KEYA FOODS, I was roped in to set-up the company’s operations and put in on the growth path.

I call myself a "Foundation Expert". Highly solution oriented, efficient planner and Out-of-The-Box thinker having the analytical & organizational capabilities in “creating from scratch” - including building the organisation, establishing sales & distribution infrastructure, automating and integrating business processes, spearheading high worth BPR initiatives, setting up supply chain network, designing & executing marketing strategy through effective people management and optimum utilization of resources towards achievement of set targets and overall P&L management.

Within one year, KEYA is now available in top 100 cities across the country through 1500 Modern Trade stores and 15000 General Trade stores as well as other channels like Airlines, Hotels & all major E-tailers like Amazon, Big Basket, Local Banya etc.

I am fond of reading & writing. I write blogs and have published a fiction e-book. I play squash, am a gadget freak and love traveling (25 countries by last count).

Vikram joined IVFA in 2014 and in based in Mumbai. He is closely involved in supporting and building IVFA companies across different sectors including food services, construction materials and manufacturing.

He has a Bachelor in Industrial Engineering degree with Gold Medal from Thapar University - Patiala, Masters in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and an MBA from Harvard University.

Prior to joining IVFA, Vikram had 15 years of experience, having been the CEO of BP Ergo Ltd and HUSCO Hydraulics India Ltd, with established track record in building a business from scratch as well as leading a turnaround. Before that he worked with McKinsey and Company in the United States and Asea Brown Boveri in India.

Mr. Vishaal R. Vira, Director at Sarjena Foods, is recognized for his in-depth knowledge of almost everything on earth and his ever inquisitiveness to learn. Even though he hails from a family of businessmen, Vishaal chose not to inherit the family business, rather earn it by hard work and sweat, the two elements that paid off rich dividends as the future unfolded.

He has to his credit of leading his impeccable expertise to many leading FMCG companies like SM Foods, Frito, Amul, Pravin Chitale, Poorna Foods, etc.

'Baker Street' - was formed under the aegis of Sarjena Foods Pvt. Ltd. and was acquired from Max Foods, manufacturers of Bakery products including Khari, Cookies, Toast, Nankhatai, Cake Rusk, in 2011.  Then its products were available only in 100 modern and 10 to 15 general trade stores in Mumbai.  As a result of the system oriented efforts to manufacture best quality products, Baker street has won the trust of customers and uttermost belief in the brand which is now exported in more than 20 countries. It is now present in domestic channel of modern retail outlets like Big Bazar, Food Bazar, Reliance Fresh, Hypercity, Spencer, MORE, TESCO, Apna Bazaar, Sahakari Bhandar, Haiko, Max Hyper, Magnet, Food Right, etc.