Our speakers

Vijay Chugh, , Consultant - Payment Systems

Vijay Chugh was, till recently, the Head of the Department of Payment & Settlement Systems with the Reserve Bank of India and has spearheaded India’s vision and mission towards a modern payment system. During his 33 years of service, he has contributed to certain key areas corresponding to the following statutory mandates of India’s Central Bank, viz. Payment and Settlement Systems  and Core Banking Solution (financial infrastructure), Supervision and Regulation of commercial banks  (financial stability and financial integrity), and Rural credit and development  (financial inclusion). He was a Member of the Committee for Payments & Market Infrastructure, Switzerland, SAARC Payments Council and SEACEN, Malaysia and Chairman/Member Secretary of various committees including the Bharat Bills Payment System, MSME Trade Receivables Exchange (TReDS), Mobile Banking and other committees set up to promote digital payments.

Post his retirement, Mr Chugh is engaged as Advisor to The  World Bank (F&M) Group on their G2P Direct Benefit Transfer project (India) and the Social Benefit Delivery program (Nepal). He is also an Independent Director/Consultant with a CBS Solution provider, White Label ATM operator/ATM management firm, Pre-Paid Wallet Issuers, payment gateway company and mentor to some youngsters/start ups in the payment space.

Vijay Chugh, CGM - Dept of Payment & Settlement Systems, Reserve Bank of India

Vijay Deshwal, Group CEO, Poonawalla Fincorp Limited

Mr. Vijay Deshwal, Group Chief Executive Officer of Poonawalla Fincorp Limited, is a seasoned banker with a track record of over two decades. In his last role at ICICI Bank, Mr. Deshwal was responsible for its fast-growing services sector business, including new age businesses. He was also responsible for driving the liability strategy for the corporate ecosystem and had headed the debt syndication business for the Bank for over five years. Having handled pan-India financial institutions including NBFCs for over six years, Mr. Deshwal has a vast understanding of various asset classes and the cyclicality of these businesses. He is an engineer by profession and holds PGDM degree from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Vijay Govindarajan, Coxe Distinguished Professor, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, #3 Management Thinker in the world

Vijay Govindarajan, better known as VG, has helped CEOs and senior officers in more than 100 Fortune 500 firms to deepen and integrate their thinking about Strategy and Innovation. He has authored 12 books and has published widely in academic and practitioner journals on the topic of Innovation.

He was the first Professor-in-Residence and Chief Innovation Consultant for General Electric, where he and GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt pioneered the concept of reverse innovation. In 2012, Harvard Business Review rated the concept as one of the “Great Moments in Management in the Last Century.” Recognized as one of today’s leading business strategists, he was designated No. 3 in the Thinkers50, 2011 ranking of most influential living management thinkers and winner of their Breakthrough Idea Award.

Prior to joining Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, VG was on the faculties of Harvard Business School, INSEAD (Fontainebleau) and the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad, India).

Post-Session Reading
Three Box Solution: A Strategy For Leading Innovation, HBR Press.

Vijay Jain, CEO & Director, Orra

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.

Vijay Krishna Kolli, Head of Mobile Strategy and Market Development, Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), Akamai Technologies

Vijay Krishna Kolli is Head of Mobile Strategy and Market Development, Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) at Akamai Technologies. In this role, Vijay is responsible for establishing business relationships, working closely with mobile network operators across the region and driving Akamai’s thought leadership through out the region.

Vijay has been with Akamai for over five years. Prior to this role, he built products focused on mobile experience, responsible for product management, business strategy and operations at Akamai. He has also worked at startups and established companies, including 3Com and Motorola in North America in the mobile ecosystem for the last 16 years.

Vijay earned a Masters in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago.

Vijay Kumar Arora, CMD, LT Foods Ltd.

Vijay Kumar Arora is the Chairman and Managing Director of LT Foods Ltd (formerly known as LT Overseas Ltd). He joined LT Overseas in 1978 after completing his Graduation. He has also attended the management development program conducted by the Administrative Staff College, Hyderabad. He has been the promoter director of the company since its inception. His key responsibilities include international marketing, strategic planning, finance and business development.

Mr. V.K Arora is the Vice President of the All India Rice Exporters Association. He was also the co-chairman of Agro Processing Committee constituted by Punjab Haryana Delhi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI). He is also a member of the "Task Force on Food Grain Sector" constituted by the Ministry of Food Processing.

Vijay Madhav Paradkar, Vice President & Head of Mergers and Acquisitions, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited

Vijay is the Vice- President & Head of Mergers and Acquisition at Corporate Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, where he is responsible for all M&A, JV, Disinvestments, and PE Investments activities of the Group.

At M&M, Vijay has handled various IB transactions like acquisitions of Kinetic Motors, Reva Electric Car Co., Ssyangyong Motors, Pininferina, Engines Engineering, BSA, Jawa Brand, Gippsland Aero, Aerostaff Australia, Peugeot Motocycles, Sampo Rosenlaw ( Ag Equipment),  2 Tractor Cos in Turkey, HCR (largest time sharing resort in Europe), Largest Fruit Distributor in Europe etc spanning over other countries such as in Australia, Italy, France, UK, Spain, Japan, S Kores, Finland, Netherland,  China, Brazil etc., JVs with Mitsui & Sanyo for Steel business, JV with Chinese Co for Steel Processing, Restructuring of Renault JV, Mergers / Demergers of 2 Wheeler, PV, Trucks & Buses businesses. Invited PE investments in the Sectors/ Businesses such as Aerospace, Insurance Broking, Used Cars, Steel, Agri etc.  He led the team which completed over 130 deals over past 12 years involving a commitment of funds of over $ 5 Billion 

He has 35 years of experience in the areas of Institutional & Corporate Finance, Funds Management of Proprietary Fund & Venture Fund, Investment Banking and M&A. Represented on the board of few listed & unlisted Cos. Curious Student of Stock markets. 

He is also a Visiting Faculty at Prestigious Management Institutions. 

He is a Mechanical Engineer by profession and also holds a Masters in Management Studies.  He has also undergone Executive Programs of American Institutions such as Ross Michigan School of Business, Harvard Business School & New York Institute of Finance.

Vijay Mahajan, MD, Bhartiya Samruddhi Finance Ltd

Vijay Mahajan is the Founder and Chairman of the BASIX Group. Vijay is a distinguished alumnus of both the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (1970-75) and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (1979-81) and was a mid-career fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public International Affairs, Princeton University, USA. Vijay co-founded Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) in 1983, Sa-Dhan in 1998, Andhra Pradesh Mahila Abhivrudhi Society (APMAS) in 2000 and Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN) in 2009. In 1995, Vijay conceptualised BASIX as a “new generation livelihood promotion institution” and it was set up in mid 1996.

Vijay served on the Rangarajan Committee on Financial Inclusion and the Raghuram Rajan Committee on Financial Sector Reforms. Vijay co-authored a book “The Forgotten Sector” and has written over 75 articles.

Vijay serves on the Boards of major Indian development organisations and has been a member of various committees set up by Government and Regulatory institutions.

Vijay is the Chair of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), a global microfinance forum, comprising nearly 40 bilateral, multilateral and foundations in development.

Vijay Nair, CEO, OML Entertainment Private Limited

Vijay Nair is the CEO of Only Much Louder. He embarked on his music career at an early age managing Indian acts. What started as a hobby became a business venture when he founded Only Much Louder, the first artist management company for indie bands in India. Vijay’s career started at the age of 15 when he started consulting Procter & Gamble on their Indian youth portal Masti.com. Subsequently, he worked with the Indian indie music zine Gigpad.com and got initiated into the music business. He dropped out from college at the age of 18 and started managing leading acts in the Indian independent scene, including Pentagram, Zero, PDV and AFS. Over the next few years, OML evolved from an artist management company and co-founded an indie music label, a production house and a live events division. In 2009, Vijay was the first Indian to win the prestigious British Council International Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year award. He has been identified by many publications including India Today, CNN and the National Knowledge Commission as one of the young Indian entrepreneurs to watch out for in the media and entertainment space.