Our speakers

Upen Rai, Co-Founder & MD, Fork Media

Upen has over 25 years of extensive experience in General Management, Sales & Marketing in the Broadcast Media , Digital , Mobile, commerce & information technology industry.

 

As Head of Revenue at Times Internet had successfully monetized new verticals, ~ mobile, Music ( Gaana) and sports - IPL. Upen was instrumental in Launching Zoom TV ~ Lifestyle channel for Bennett Coleman.

 

Has had vast experience in international media firms like ~ Walt Disney, ESPN, Newsweek, Pan McMillan to Zee Network & The Times of India group. Upen was key member of the Zee TV take over team of TV Asia in UK and part of due diligence team at Walt Disney for establishing India's first subscription channel ESPN. He represented MaCmillan UK to the UGC (University Grants Commission) to establish Mac College series as selected text books at under grad levels across the country.

 

Established Times Venture Partners as a start up fund for Times Internet to invest in early stage start ups and series A' funding. Upen has held various positions in these companies the last being Director & Business Head Sales at Times Internet ltd.

Upendra Namburi, Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer, Bharti AXA General Insurance

Upendra Namburi is the Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer with Bharti AXA General Insurance, managing aspects related to Digital, Communications, Customer experience & data. He has been instrumental in setting up over 20 new products and three businesses in payments, banking and financial services during his association with leading BFSI organizations including ICICI Bank, ABN AMRO Bank (RBS), SBI Cards and now Bharti AXA General Insurance in span of 21 years. His driving force is innovative yet simple solutions that help build long term relationships with customers. He has been associated with setting up and growing digital business lines and channels for several years. He is also a columnist and a bestselling author. Upendra has authored 3 books in his journey as a writer, his latest book‘8 hours’ was launched this month.

Utkarsh Bandhu, Partner, JSA Advocates & Solicitors

Utkarsh Sinha, MD, Bexley Advisors

Utsav Baijal, Senior Partner & MD, Apollo Management

Mr. Baijal is a Senior Partner and Management Director with Apollo Management’s India office. He joined Apollo the firm in its New York office in 2008 and has worked actively on private equity, mezzanine and credit investments across the US and Asian markets. In 2012, he helped Apollo establish a joint venture with ICICI Bank and helped raise one of the largest India dedicated funds, AION. Prior to Apollo, Mr. Baijal was with the private equity team at Bain Capital in Boston (from 2005 to 2008), where he worked extensively on consumer and retail opportunities.  Mr. Baijal spent five years as a consultant with McKinsey & Company across the New Delhi and Hong Kong offices and was one of the founding members of the firm’s corporate finance practice in India. During his tenure at Mckinsey, he also completed a secondment at the Indian School of Business working for the Dean’s office and assisting in several aspects of institution building. He is on the Board of several companies, including IGT Solutions and PlanetCast Media Services Limited. Mr. Baijal graduated summa cum laude from St. Stephen’s College/University of Delhi with a BA in economics. He also completed his MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, where he was an Industry Scholar. He is an Aspen Fellow and the recipient of the 2018 IIMA Young Alumni Achiever Award.

Utsav Baijal, Partner & Head of India Private Equity, Apollo Global Management

Utsav Malhotra, COO, Noise

An Magna cum laude alumnus of Durham University, UK and IITB, Utsav is also a double gold medalist from NIFT where he pursued design. With a keen eye for product and a penchant for numbers, he found himself in leadership roles across businesses that anchored around lifestyle and luxury and sought hyper growth. Prior to his current role at Noise, he has had stints with Nicobar Design, AMPM, Fashion and You, Arvind Lifestyle Brands amidst others. Utsav lends his expertise to execute Noise’s vision and accelerate its business goals in the current avatar. He was recently included in the BW40u40 list for his achievements and contributions to the industry. Work-life aside, Utsav has an affinity for travel and deep sea diving and is an avid connoisseur of Indian Art

Uttam Kumar, Head - New Technologies Innovation & Incubation - IT, Aircel

V Laxmikanth, Managing Partner, Pavestone Capital

V P Kamath, Group Chief Operating Officer, Nova Medical Centers Pvt. Ltd.

Joining as a Management Trainee and choosing to involve himself in cross-functional fields, the past two decades saw him rise swiftly in positions of increasing responsibility. He has handled various assignments in the areas of General Management, Operations, Marketing, Sales, Strategic Planning, Business Development & Healthcare Communications. He has been associated with Healthcare majors - Lakme, Johnson & Johnson, Nicholas Piramal, Mudra Communications, Apollo Hospitals and Wockhardt Hospitals. Currently is the Group Chief Operating Officer at Nova Medical Centers Pvt. Ltd., responsible for General Management of Nova’s Specialty Hospitals, Infertility Clinics, IVIOMICS Genetic Testing Lab and ART Bank businesses at over 20 locations.

Mr. Kamath apart from being a Business Manager, loves to share his knowledge with professionals and students. A sought after speaker and presenter in business forums, seminars and conferences across the world, he is also a visiting faculty member at various Management Institutes, including I.I.M.

For his outstanding and extraordinary achievements in Healthcare and Education, Mr. Kamath was recently awarded the “Bharat Excellence Award” and the “Rashtrya Jewel Award”.

Mr.Kamath holds post-graduation in Science (Microbiology), MBA in Marketing and attended the Advanced Management Program conducted by the Walter A. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, USA.