Ms. Seema Arora pioneered the creation of services on Sustainable Development within CII. Her journey with CII began with engaging Indian Industry towards the run up to the Earth Summit in 1992.

Seema Arora works with industry to build evidence & the business case for industry to invest in Sustainability and Climate Action. She works with Industry and Government to develop policy instruments and curate collaborative initiatives across sector and stakeholders. She has created and incubated innovative alliances such as India CEO Forum on Clean Air, CII Climate Action Charter, India Plastics Pact, India Business and Biodiversity Initiative, and India Business and Disability Network etc.

Seema has also successfully contributed to the mainstreaming of Gender and Inclusion within the Industry Agenda that has led to the launch of the CII Centre for Women Leadership. Her work focusses on advocating for accelerating the inclusion of women in the workforce through advocacy and capacity building of corporate members as well as through design and development of self- assessment tools that not only identify gaps but also provide the nudge for companies to move in the right direction. She is also working to build a network of grassroots women change leaders who are striving to change gender stereotypes.

Her portfolios in CII include Sustainable Development, Climate and Energy Transition, Circular Economy, Diversity, and inclusion.

Seema Arora has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Delhi University. She is a part of the Asian Impact Leaders Network co-created by AVPN & Rockefeller Foundation. She has thirty plus years of experience in the field of Sustainable Development

Mr K S Venkatagiri is the Executive Director of CII – Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (CII-Godrej GBC) in Hyderabad.

CII-Godrej GBC is CII’s Centre of Excellence on Green Practices & Businesses, offering world-class advisory services on conservation of natural resources. He is leading a team of over 130 professionals, who are offering advisory services to Indian industry in areas of energy management, green buildings, green companies, green products, renewable energy and other related sectors.

Mr. K S Venkatagiri holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. After an initial stint of six years in the cement industry, Mr Venkatagiri joined CII in 1993.

Ms Inge Huijbrechts is Chief Sustainability and Security Officer for Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) – developing the Sustainability and Safety & Security programs in the group’s 1,380+ hotels in operations & development in 95 countries around the world. She leads the group’s Net Zero transformation based on approved Science-based Targets. In 2024, she was included for the 3rd year in the global Top 100 Women in Sustainability and has been named twice as one of the 100 Most influential people in Global Hospitality.

In April 2022, Ms Inge Huijbrechts was one of the key leaders involved in the definition and launch of the Hotel Sustainability Basics. The new standard is supported by the World Travel & Tourism Council and hotels groups, destinations and associations representing over 50,000 hotels. She is a member of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance Board of Trustees. Ms Huijbrechts also serves on the board of Flanders Special Venues and is a member of the EIB’s Women Climate Leader Network.

Mr. Prabodha Acharya is the Chief Sustainability Officer at the JSW Group. In his current role, he partners with the CEOs, functional heads, senior executives and operations heads to develop and drive the implementation of sustainability and ESG strategy for the JSW Group companies of Steel, Energy, Cement, Paints, Infrastructure etc. In his current role, he has been instrumental in integrating sustainability into the business strategy and advanced JSW’s sustainability initiatives to increase long term value for the group companies.

Mr. Acharya has worked for more than three decades in the field of corporate environmental management, emissions reduction, climate change, corporate strategy on sustainability and policy development across various sectors and geographies. Beginning his career with SAIL, he has worked and managed a variety of environmental issues from mining to manufacturing in the metal (iron and steel) sector. Later, he managed the climate change, sustainability and customized Assurance Service for South Asia at Lloyd’s Register, UK and then as Sr. Vice President for Aditya Birla Group Sustainability before joining the JSW Group as the CSO during 2019.

Mr. Acharya, a prominent voice for sustainable business practices, has been awarded as one of the most impactful sustainability leaders by the world sustainability. He provides thought leaderships through his capacity as the Chairman / Vice Chair / member of Various Climate Change and Sustainability Committees of Industry bodies. He is a professional lead assessor registered with IRCA, UK and EPD Verifier as per The International EPD System.

Mr. Prabodha Acharya holds a Bachelor’s degree (BE) in Civil Engineering (Hons), IGIT, Utkal University and a Masters in Technology (MTech) in Environmental Engineering from IIT, Kharagpur.

Mr Anant Sudarshan is a faculty member, Department of Economics at the University of Warwick and a Non-Resident Visiting Scholar at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC). Before joining the University of Warwick, he was the South-Asia Director of EPIC and taught at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Mr Sudarshan received his PhD in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) and Stanford University respectively.

Mr Anant Sudarshan’s research spans several aspects of energy and environment policy including the design of environmental regulation, reducing air-pollution, climate change, energy efficiency, electricity access, and renewable energy policy.

James Abraham is the Founder of Mynzo Carbon, a platform to create and sustain a climate culture in organisations and communities.

James was a Founding Partner of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in India, leading the expansion of the firm into New Delhi. His work focused on organizational transformation, infrastructure and energy.

He later co-founded SolarArise, an IPP with utility-scale solar-power plants and was involved in the development of renewable-energy policy. SolarArise was one of the earliest to make solar power cheaper than coal power. The firm was sold to a listed Investment Trust in the UK (Thomas Lloyd Energy Impact Trust).

James is a fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and a senior moderator of Aspen’s leadership programs. He is a Trustee of the Ananta Center in India and chairs its Leadership Committee. James serves on the Boards of LTi-Mindtree, Vistaar Financial Services, and International Justice Mission.

James earned a BSc (electrical engineering) from the University of Waterloo, an MBA (Palmer Scholar) from Wharton, and an MA (International Relations) from Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Shikhar Jain has over 30 years of experience as business sustainability expert. Mr. Jain has developed, implemented & integrated various EHS best practices, enhanced compliance & risk management framework, for several top Indian & global firms. Has designed, implemented, and integrated Quality, Environmental, Health & Safety and Social programs/management systems in over 150 individual facilities and for corporate-wide operations. His responsibilities include policy dialogue & consultation with government, development agencies, think-tanks & various stakeholder groups on sustainability aspects of strategic importance to corporates.

Mr. Shikhar Jain had been a leading trainer & faculty for various accredited training courses for IRCA (UK), IEMA (UK), SAI (US), GRI (EU), QCI (India) and has conducted over 500 trainings (open & in-company), helping around 15,000 professionals for raising awareness & competence on GRI, Sustainability disclosures, Stakeholder engagement, environment, occupational health & safety, social accountability, carbon neutrality, zero-waste to landfill, regulatory compliances.

Within the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CESD), Mr. Jain’s responsibilities include training, advisory and consulting on a wide spectrum including leadership & strategy on sustainability, sustainability assurance, management systems, sustainability reporting & sustainability management framework across value chains.

Mr. Shikhar Jain represents the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in various committees and working groups of the Bureau of Indian Standards, Accountability, UK, and Global reporting Initiative and has been involved with development of international standards ISO 26000; Guidance on Social Responsibility, GRI G4 Guidelines & AA 1000 SES on Stakeholder Engagement. He has been nominated as the CII representative on the Board of Governors of NSC, Mumbai and served as Board Member for Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board. Mr Jain has extensive work experience on USAID, WORLDBANK, ADB, EU, GIZ donor agency funded projects on environment & sustainability related aspects.

Mr Ananda Bhoumik is the Managing Director and Chief Analytical Officer at India Ratings and Research. In this role, he oversees analytical functions of the firm.

Previously, Mr. Bhoumik was Senior Director and was heading the banks and financial institutions ratings team in India. Prior to joining the Fitch Group, he worked with Crisil and Larsen & Toubro. He has over two and a half decades of experience in rating agencies and has been working with India Ratings for the last 20 years in various roles.

Mr Ananda Bhoumik is an engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

Mr Manish Kumar is a Chartered Accountant and his working career spans about 30 years in the manufacturing and banking sectors. He has been with ICICI Bank Limited for the last 25 years in various roles in India and overseas. In India, as part of Structured Finance Group, the focus was on development of the loan securitisation market and related regulations. From 2003, as part of the Financial Institutions Group, he established deep relationships with other financial market participants like banks, AMCs, Insurance companies in India with the objective of raising liabilities through various instruments.

From 2006, Mr Manish Kumar has led the team to expand the bank’s loan syndication footprint. In 2009, he moved into the Risk Management Group for development of risk models for assessment of counterparty banks, FIs and sovereigns. He moved to Singapore to set up the risk management practice for businesses in Asia and the Middle East. As the Chief Risk Officer of ICICI Bank UK PLC from 2018 to 2022, he was a permanent member of several executive and Board committees. He chaired the working group on climate change to guide the UK bank’s initiatives and actions to manage climate related financial risks. In mid-2022, Mr Manish K returned to India to head the ESG and CSR activities at ICICI Bank. He represents the bank on the IBA’s Standing Committee of ESG. He facilitates capacity building through knowledge sharing at sustainability and ESG related forums and events.

Mr Vignesh Chandrasekar is a dynamic and results-oriented finance and sustainability executive with over 22 years of extensive global experience across diverse sectors. His expertise spans Food Manufacturing, Semiconductors, and Technology, where he has demonstrated a proven ability to deliver strategic initiatives, manage high-stakes projects, and foster cross-functional collaboration in multifaceted cultural and professional environments.

Currently, Mr Vignesh Chandrasekar serves as the Chief Financial Officer at Synthite Industries and its group of subsidiaries, where he also leads the ESG agenda and technology execution. His leadership is instrumental in integrating sustainability and ESG principles with core business strategies, ensuring a balanced approach to business growth, profitability, and environmental stewardship.

Previously, Mr Chandrasekar has held senior positions at McCain Foods, HP, and Philips Semiconductors, driving large-scale strategic projects and finance transformation initiatives across multiple continents. His track record highlights a commitment to advancing business performance and aligning financial strategies with broader sustainability goals. His Core competencies include Business Finance, Sustainability, Strategic Planning and Execution, Treasury, Corporate Finance, and Finance Transformation.

Mr Vignesh Chandrasekar is a Chartered Accountant, a Certified Public Accountant (USA), and an alumnus of the Indian School of Business.

Ms Anjalli Ravi Kumar is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Zomato Limited. She’s leading the company on a path to become people positive and planet positive. Her focus is on building programmes and partnerships to ensure zero waste, reduce emissions, promote diversity, reduce hunger, promote health and wellbeing and create inclusive growth.

Zomato is India’s leading online ordering and food delivery company with a history of supporting sustainability initiatives that have positive social and environmental impact including initiatives such as Feeding India, Project ZEAL for persons with disabilities, Climate Conscious and 100% Plastic Neutral Deliveries. They are also signatories to the EV 100 and have committed to transitioning our fleet to 100% electric by 2030.

Dr Ashok Menon leads the Sustainability Operations and technology Support for Global Corporate Sustainability Department in SABIC. As a Global leader with teams spread across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, support SABIC’s Technology and Innovation, Ventures and Business Units globally to enable organizations Circular Economy, Carbon Neutrality and ESG goals. This role reports to the Corporate Sustainability Officer and is responsible for Sustainability Impact Assessment, Energy Management Expertise, Life Cycle Assessment, Mature TRL abatement solutions, and Sustainability Certifications. Ashok is also the site leader of SABIC Research and Technology Centre Bangalore, India, which conducts research towards delivering differentiated and sustainable products and application solutions and sustainable cost-advantaged process innovation to meet the needs of our customers and the value chain over the near, mid and long-term horizon.

Dr Ashok Menon has held various positions in General Electric Co. and SABIC and was responsible for catalyst development, polymer processing, material characterization, and Sustainability. He is a registered external PhD guide with IIT Kharagpur and Manipal University. He is currently a member of the National Circular Economy Committee FICCI, World Economic Form Community of ESG Practitioners, and National Task Group established by Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Ashok was a part of the SABIC team that enabled Saudi Arabia to organize the G20 summit in 2020.

Dr. Ashok Menon did his Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Minnesota, the USA, and PhD from the University of Mumbai, INDIA.

Dhiraj Wadhwa (Director – Commercial & Overseas Business) works for Carrier Corporation. Having joined Carrier in 2005 he has managed increasing responsibilities over the long tenure which includes leading, growing and consolidating HVAC Businesses for the India region. A Mechanical Engineer by qualification with a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management he carries an industry experience of over 20 years in the HVAC segment. He is currently responsible for the Commercial Business in India Region and the Overseas Business and simultaneously engages with nodal agencies to create awareness and advocacy around Energy efficient and Sustainable Built environment. His passion to foster culture of energy efficiency in his area of domain knowledge encourages him to jointly work with HVAC fraternity to share the same knowledge with stakeholders from application segment at suitable Platforms for their beneficial use.

Ananda Sekar has been part of SABIC Sustainability program since its inception in 2009. In his current role as Leader, LCA and Analytics, he leads the Global Life cycle Competency for SABIC and is responsible for the Technical analytics for Sustainability linked to Life cycle assessment of SABIC products and technologies, LCA-based certifications and product declarations.

His LCA expertise spans across fertilizers, metals, plastics, petrochemical intermediates and has been involved in several strategic programs linked to circular economy and climate within the company. Externally, he has contributed being part of Technical expert groups towards development of industry guidelines and global standards linked to Sustainability and LCA.

He is a lead contributor to the PCF-Automation project currently underway which will establish SABIC capability to deliver SABIC-specific carbon footprint for several thousands of SABIC products enabled by automation tools and digitalized data. He has exposure and contributed to newer developments within SABIC in the areas of blockchain, big-data analytics amongst others.

He has an advanced degree in Chemical Engineering from Mississippi State University.

Mr. Sanjiv Puri is the Chairman & Managing Director of ITC Ltd, a conglomerate with businesses in FMCG, Hotels, Paperboards & Packaging, Agri Business and IT. He is also the Chairman of ITC Infotech India Ltd with its subsidiaries in UK and USA and Surya Nepal Private Ltd. An alumnus of IIT, Kanpur, and Wharton School of Business. Spearheading the ‘ITC Next‘ vision, Mr Puri has driven an extensive strategy reset to build a future-tech, climate positive, innovative and inclusive enterprise. Mr Puri has articulated an ambitious Sustainability 2.0 vision that will enlarge ITC’s contributions to a net-zero economy and meaningfully support national priorities. He was the Chairman of the Expert Group on agri- exports constituted by the 15th Finance Commission, a Member of the NITI Aayog Group on 'Farm to Table-driving India's agriculture sector digitally’ and also the Chairman of the ‘Action Council on ESG in Business’ under the aegis of Business 20 India. He is on the Governing and Executive Board of ISB. He is the Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT, Gandhinagar and a Member of the BRICS Business Council.

Mr. Puri was conferred with the ‘Distinguished Alumnus Award of the year 2018’ by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and was bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate by the XIM University, Bhubaneshwar. Mr Puri was recognised with the ‘Best CEO Award’ by Business Today in 2024. The Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability honoured him with the ‘Transformational Leader Award 2022-23’ He was also awarded the 'IMPACT Person of the Year, 2020' Award by Exchange4media.

Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee is the Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). CII is India’s apex industry organisation, proactively enhancing the competitiveness of Indian Industry.

Mr. Banerjee has been with the CII for over 35 years and has been serving as its Director General since 2008. In this post, he is responsible for the overall operations of CII. He is a Member of several important Government advisory bodies at the national and state levels.

As the Director General of CII, he is responsible for leading and contributing to many policy level dialogues and discussions to enhance the competitiveness of Indian industry and towards the development of India.

He holds / has held Trusteeship and Board Member posts in many institutions including Institute of Economic Growth (IEG); Global Innovation and Technology Alliance (GITA); Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST); Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM); World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council of India; Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC); Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi, etc. He is also a Governing Council Member of Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC). Mr. Banerjee is also a Director of Singapore India Partnership Foundation (SIPF).

Prior to his appointment as Director General, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee held several leadership positions in key areas including sectoral verticals of manufacturing, services, agriculture and life sciences as well as the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector. He has also led CII’s policy work relating to macroeconomic policy, financial services and corporate governance.

He was the first Executive Director of the National Foundation of Corporate Governance (NFCG), an organization set up by the Government of India, and continues to be Member of its Board of Trustees and Governing Council.

Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee was conferred with the decoration of “Knight Commander” by His Majesty the King of Spain in recognition of his meritorious achievements and exceptional contributions towards promoting relations between India and Spain. Government of Italy has bestowed CB with the award of “Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia” for collaborating and solidifying friendly relationship and cooperation between Italy and India”. Chandrajit Banerjee is a Post-Graduate (MS) in Economics with specialisation in Economics of Planning and Econometrics from the University of Calcutta. Earlier, he did his graduation from St. Xavier's College (Calcutta) in Economics (Hons).

Mr Himal Tewari is the Chief Human Resources Officer since 2019 for Tata Power Group of companies. He is also responsible for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility verticals of Tata Power Group. He is the Chairman of the Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT).

Mr. Tewari has over 29 years of diverse experience across large conglomerates as well as global consulting organizations and brings with him a wealth of expertise spanning across various HR domains. He has a rich experience across multiple industries and has been working with various leadership teams in organisation effectiveness, leadership and change.

Prior to joining as the CHRO of Tata Power Group, Mr Himal Tewari joined Tata Sons as Vice President – Human Resources in 2014 and was responsible for various facets of group human resources including leadership acquisition & assessment, board effectiveness and HR research. His initial career was in leadership consulting and executive search. Before joining the Tata Group, he was an Executive Director with Russell Reynolds Associates, the leading global firm in leadership & board advisory. He started his career with Tata Motors.

Mr. Himal Tewari completed his Master’s Program in Change Management from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France in 2019. He is an alumnus of the Advanced Management Program at IIM Ahmedabad. He holds an MBA in International Business from Delhi School of Economics. Mr Tewari also holds a bachelors and master’s degree in Physics from University of Delhi.

An officer of the 1992 batch of the Indian Forest Service allotted to Madhya Pradesh Cadre. Presently, he is posted as Member Secretary, Central Zoo Authority (CZA), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India. He is also holding additional charge of Additional Director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB). Dr. Shukla commands an extremely wide range of experience in different branches of forestry, including wildlife conservation. He also served as Field Director of Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh and Inspector General of Forests (National Afforestation & Ecodevelopment Board and Green India Mission), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Govt of India. He has also to his credit several publications relating to conservation. He is a renowned conservation photographer, with images in many national and international publications.

He has also been assigned the responsibility of One Health as nodal officer / focal point in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for establishment of National Referral Centre for Wildlife (NRC-W) and One Health collaborations with other ministries and departments. The NRC-W will co-ordinate wildlife health management and all aspects of wildlife disease control with national and international entities.

In G20 under the presidency of India, he coordinated and co-led the thematic negotiations, both physically and virtually, with the G20 countries in the capacity of Co-lead, ECSWG (Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group) of G20 on the subtheme Land Degradation and Biodiversity. He also led the formulation, conceptualization and coordination for the launch of the Gandhinagar Implementation Roadmap (GIR) and the Gandhinagar Information Portal (GIP) and the formation of the proposed GIR-GIP Alliance

Mr. Ravi Singh provides strategic direction to the conservation work of WWF-India, one of the key national organizations of the WWF International network. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Singh was a career banker but always had an abiding interest in nature conservation and working for India. He has been involved in conservation related issues since 1976.

In his position as the head of India’s largest conservation organization, Mr. Singh has participated in several national fora including the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife. He was a member of the Board of Directors of IIFM, and the wildlife boards of various states. Mr Singh is a member of the NTCA Board and its Administrative Committee. He is also a member of WWF International’s Executive Committee and one of the leads for Environment Education and the Freshwater programmes.

Ms Rinika Grover has over 26 years of experience in India and UK, in the Sustainable Development domain. She heads the global sustainability function at Apollo Tyres Ltd (an Indian multinational tyre manufacturing company with about 19,000 employees across all geographies), where she has developed a Sustainability Management Framework for the organisation. She heads global ESG, and her prime focus is on developing a Climate Change Strategy, charting a decarbonisation roadmap for the organisation. In addition, she also heads CSR for India and Europe, for Apollo Tyres Ltd.

Ms Grover brings in a diverse experience from different sectors (from Development to Manufacturing). She has completed programmes in Climate Change Policy and Public Health from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Business Sustainability Management from The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and EU Green Deal from Florence School of Regulation. She was recognised and awarded by CSR Works, Singapore as Asia’s Top Sustainability Superwomen 2020.

She contributes through articles on sustainability in ET Edge Insights and Times of India Blogs.

Mr. Deepak Arora is the President – Public Affairs of Nayara Energy, a position he has held since 2018. He grew up in New Delhi and has worked in over 10 countries across Asia and Africa. With over 25 years of diverse experience, leading a multifaceted portfolio at Nayara Energy (the fastest growing private fuel station network in India), has been his forte.

Throughout his career Mr. Deepak Arora has held key leadership roles with credible names including ANZ Grindlays Group, National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), and a decade-long stint with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). With his progressive and far-sighted vision one of Mr Arora’s notable breakthroughs has been in implementing the IFC valuation tool at International Finance Corporation (IFC). In his current stint he is driving policy advocacy, ease of doing business, aligning with government regulations, while leading a range of long-term sustainability initiatives grounded on strategic collaborations. This includes one of India’s largest water conservation programs of as much as 20mcm in Gujarat.

Mr. Deepak Arora serves on the Board of several institutions of repute, including the Centre for Responsible Business. He is known for his penchant towards being bold and creative in strategy, while sticking to simplicity in design.

Mr Roshan Lal Tamak, Executive Director & CEO of the Sugar & Ethanol Business at DCM Shriram Ltd., brings over three decades of transformative experience in the Indian Sugar Sector. His strategic leadership has driven robust growth, acquisitions, and successful greenfield expansions at prominent companies such as Balrampur, Dhampur, Mawana, and Olam International. Mr. Tamak has enhanced his proficiency through the Advanced Management Programme at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and IIM-Ahmedabad, along with leadership training at the Corporate Coach Institute, Singapore, and Tata Management Training Centre, Pune.

Mr. Tamak, with his extensive experience in growth initiatives and operations, consistently enhances financial performance while adeptly managing the entire business value chain. His dedication to implementing best management practices and advancing sustainability initiatives underscores his commitment to excellence and responsible leadership.

He brings extensive experience in spearheading technology and digitization initiatives across the comprehensive process flow. He excels in orchestrating multi-stakeholder partnerships and collaborates effectively with multilateral agencies, leading global FMCG companies, civil society organizations, and development banks. His efforts have led to significant advancements in the sector and increased income for both small and marginal farmers.

In recognition of his significant contributions to the Sugar Sector, Mr. Tamak has been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious “Best CEO in Sugar Industry – 2024” by the Sugar & Ethanol International Awards (SEIA) and “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the International Society for Sugar Research & Promotion. Mr. Tamak, a frequent speaker at both national and international seminars, holds leadership roles at ISMA, IISR, and CII, demonstrating his profound industry expertise.

Tina Sejersgård Fanø has a solid track record of delivering growth and has been instrumental in Novozymes’ transformation of the Bioenergy business. Besides being an inclusive people leader, Tina brings strong strategic acumen and a cross-industry background to the Executive Leadership Team.

Tina has been with Novo Nordisk and Novozymes since she graduated in 1993. She has held several positions in applied research, production, marketing, sales, and business development. Before becoming part of the executive management team in 2016, she was Vice President of Business Operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Tina has extensive experience in developing and managing global partnerships and has been instrumental in negotiating major business deals for Novozymes over the years.

Tina holds a Master’s degree in biochemistry from the Technical University of Denmark.

Mr Vikram Gulati, Country Head & Executive Vice President (Corporate Affairs & Governance), TKM is currently working as Country Head & Executive Vice President (Corporate Affairs & Governance) at Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Limited (TKM). He is a postgraduate in Chemistry from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University and holds a management degree from Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. Earlier while serving as a Civil Servant, he also has a rich and varied experience of over 22 years of working in the Government in various capacities.

Mr. Pranab Ghosh is a seasoned HSE & Sustainability professional with 29 + years of experience working in diversified businesses i.e. water /waste water chemicals, Oil & Gas.

Mr. Pranab Ghosh has worked with world class organizations i.e. Schlumberger, BP, Mahanagar Gas (JV GAIL+Shell), Asian Paints in a leadership role. He worked aboard with Schlumberger, instrumental in setting up excellent HSE system & practice for a massive multibillion-dollar integrated drilling operation programs of Saudi Aramco. In Asian Paints Mr. Ghosh led “3 R”; “Zero sustainability initiatives for all its manufacturing plants. In Adani Gas (Adani-TOTAL JV), he initiated a transformation drive in HSE excellence journey through implementation of behavioral improvement program across all level for the mega expansion projects, 33 Geo areas in India.

Mr. Ghosh has the expertise in ability to lead the large team, a great influencer to senior management for step change in HSE and sustainability; World class HSE management system design and implementation; Strong planning & operational skill on both HSE and Sustainability; In depth knowledge on the regularity requirements in HSE.

Mr. Pranab Ghosh is an MSC(Chemistry) IIT Kharagpur & MTech (Environmental Engineering) from IIT Mumbai and Applied Behavior analysis from University of Nevada- Reno (USA).

Mrs. Jain is MS in marketing from City University of New York, USA. She is also a Baking Technologist from American Institute of Baking, USA. She has been associated with GPL since 1996 and currently involved in operations and overall management of the company. Mrs. Jain manages business policies, strategic decisions, business development and day-to-day affairs of the Starch derivatives plant. She also has experience in market research and baking industry. She has hosted culinary series on CNBC.

Dr. Nandini Kumar has a doctorate in atmospheric chemistry and a master’s degree in environmental chemistry, and currently works at the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, where she initiated work in circular economy and resource efficiency and has led this since 2018.

At the Centre, this team works at the interface of policy, business, and science, with the aim of providing data-backed scientific evidence for business and policy decisions. 

The India Plastics Pact, a voluntary business-led platform to create a circular economy for plastic packaging, launched in 2021, is CII’s umbrella initiative on plastics and is the portfolio's most exciting, current venture.

Before joining CII, Dr Nandini Kumar was a faculty member and researcher at TERI University, New Delhi, for over a decade, and was a Fulbright scholar in 2012 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, pursuing a keen interest and belief in systems thinking and system dynamics.

Mr. Ramnath Vaidyanathan has 15+ years of experience in the environment, energy and water management, across a wide range of roles from regulatory/policy, to process engineering, operations, strategy advisory, business development, business strategy, and product development and management.

Prior to Godrej, Mr Vaidyanathan was CEO of WiSH Energy Solutions, a renewable energy subsidiary of the Enzen Group, where he was leading strategy, business development and overall P&L. He previously worked as a consultant at Enzen’s Clean Energy & Environment Practice where he was involved with energy optimisation projects for utilities based in the UK. His work experience also includes strategizing environmental management for PI Industries Ltd at their flagship manufacturing facility in Gujarat and working on water treatment technologies and developing policy and regulations for drinking water at the National Environment Agency, Singapore.

Mr Ram Vaidyanathan completed his MBA in Strategy & Marketing from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and his Masters in Environmental Science from the Singapore-Stanford Partnership, a collaboration between Stanford University, USA, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

In his spare time, he enjoys listening to and playing music and sports, quizzing, reading, travelling and cooking. He is also a trained home brewer and consults with various microbreweries in India.

A mechanical engineer with a post-graduation in Sustainability Management from IIM, Mumbai, Mr Rahul Nene has about 14 years of experience working in oil & gas, FMCG, technology and chemical sectors. He also holds additional certifications on Renewable Energy Procurement from Imperial College, London and the NEBOSH – International General Certificate.

Mr Nene spent a major part of his earlier work experience at L’Oréal India, managing their sustainability and safety programs in both research and operations. His most previous experience has been at Pidilite Industries where he was the Corporate Sustainability Head.

Currently, Mr Rahul Nene heads Sustainability at Huhtamaki India, which is a world leader in flexible packaging. Additional to this, he is also leading sustainability programs for the global flexible packaging segment since Jan 2024 – both for product and operational sustainability. The job involves strategizing and implementing ESG and Sustainability actions across the footprint of the organization as well as managing ESG disclosures and initiatives at a Corporate level.

Mr Nene also holds the Executive Leadership for operations of the Huhtamaki Foundation. As part of public advocacy, he is a part of the advisory committee of the India Plastics Pact and has contributed to working groups on Circular Economy at industry associations and state pollution control boards.

Mr. Peter Skelton has worked at WRAP for over 20 years – engaging leading retailers and brands to embed initiatives that deliver efficiencies and environmental benefits in the areas of packaging, food waste prevention, recycling and waste reduction. In 2017-18, he led on the development and launch of The UK Plastics Pact – the first Plastic Pact – that has inspired 12 more Plastics Pacts globally across every populated continent.

Mr. Skelton has been pivotal in growing WRAP’s international programme on circular plastics, engaging with strategic partners globally to initiate and support Plastics Pacts in key markets – including India, South Africa, Kenya, Chile, US, Australia, Europe and Canada. He also represents WRAP at the Global Treaty on Plastics at the INC meetings, where WRAP is an accredited NGO.

Mr. Peter Skelton has a broad background in plastics and packaging sustainability and packaging related issues having led on the development of Packaging and Recyclability Guidance, biopolymer packaging, On-Pack Recycling Label, Recycled PET (rPET) in packaging and numerous packaging optimisation and recyclability projects. His sustainability expertise is based on an initial career in consumer marketing and product development in the UK FMCG and retail sector, where he led and managed many new product launches.

Mr. Skelton has a degree in Geography from the University of Manchester, diplomas in Marketing and is a Chartered Waste Manager with the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM). He has represented WRAP extensively in the UK and globally in delivering, developing and promoting WRAP’s work.

Dr Antti Herlevi works at the Embassy in New Delhi as a trade counselor in water, forest industry and circular economy.

Dr. Herlevi has a PhD in geophysics (hydrology). After university, he has worked as a senior technology expert in TEKES (now Business Finland) in the space division, among others as a delegate in the European Space Agency. From there he moved to the World Meteorological Institute, WMO in Geneva working as a water quality expert. Since then, he has worked in the clean-tech field as an innovation director and a development director for new business in a water technology company.

Prior to this current assignment, Dr Antti Herlevi worked as a project leader at the Finnish Water Forum (FWF). His responsibility areas were China, India, and the digital solutions in the water sector. FWF represents the whole variety of expertise in the Finnish water sector through its members. In FWF, he co-founded the Indo Nordic Water Forum (INWF) in 2021. The INWF acts as a joint network and platform for the private and public sector in India and the EU.

Dr. Antti Herlevi’s current responsibility in the water area is to introduce Finnish technologies, companies, research and educational institutes to various actors on different levels in India. The following fields are his focus – Smart water, the combination of smart metering and digitalization, solutions for managed aquifer recharge, water conservation, lake rejuvenation, sewage/drain cleaning, reuse of water, distributed wastewater treatment solutions and educational activities for the Indian water sector.

Mr. Ajay Bhatt is a seasoned professional with 30 years of diverse experience, currently serving as the Head of Strategy (Corporate, Products & Sustainability) at Skoda Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd. Pune. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Business Administration and has held various roles across different organizations such as General Motors, Essar Oil Ltd., and Thermo King (Ingersoll Rand), before joining Skoda Volkswagen India in September 2013. His extensive background spans across various domains, including Product Management, Business Development, Sales, Service, Dealer Network Development, and leading a business unit with P&L responsibilities, making him a versatile leader in the automotive industry.

In his current role at Skoda Volkswagen India, Mr Bhatt is holistically combining Product Strategies and Sustainability strategies into overall Corporate Strategies to ensure a robust future for the organization with world-class products and sustainable business practices. Skoda Volkswagen’s product portfolio is and will be comprised of safe, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly products. On Sustainable business practices, having achieved Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWL) and Water Positive status at Skoda Volkswagen India, Mr Ajay Bhatt is pursuing strategies to double renewable energy usage within the next two year and also strengthen sustainable value chain activities by bringing more and more suppliers into it.

Mr Rohit Kansal is a senior civil servant from the Indian Administrative Service- IAS. He is currently the Additional Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Textiles where his responsibilities include textiles, fashion and sustainability. Mr Rohit Kansal has held challenging public policy assignments in diverse sectors- trade and international relations, clean energy, infrastructure, et al. He has also led key infrastructure departments including power and energy, public investment and roads and planning and communication. Mr Kansal has been an Emerging Leaders Fellow of the Australia-India Institute at the University of Melbourne, Australia, a fellow of the Ananta Aspen Fellowship, a Sherpa in the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), as well as an expert in the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM). He has lectured at various institutions and universities around the world. He regularly contributes to many national newspapers. Mr Rohit Kansal has been trained at the London School of Economics, the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala.

Mr. K K Sharma is a 1st rank holder and gold medalist in Chemical Technology from UDCT [now Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai] with over 35 years of experience in Agrochemicals and Pharmaceutical companies in manufacturing and EHS (Environment Health and Safety) and Sustainability. Presently, he is working as Whole Time Director-EHS at DCM Shriram Ltd. He started his career with Gharda Chemicals as a Trainee Engineer in manufacturing and worked with Ranbaxy, Jubilant and Syngenta. He was Co-Chairman of the Indian Chemical Council (ICC), North Zone Chapter and is a member of the CII’s Climate Change Council & India Business & Biodiversity Initiative (IBBI) Advisory Group and National Environment Committee.

He holds national and international certifications for safety. He has also undergone various specialized EHS trainings in India and overseas and holds certifications on ISO 14001, Hazardous wastes, Dangerous goods transportation, Incident investigation and root cause analysis, EHS Auditing, Sustainability reporting Standards etc. He is a CII certified Sustainability Assessor and recipient of Best Debut Assessor award 2021.

In his current role in the organization, he is actively driving ESG initiatives and reporting of ESG performance in the Sustainability Report as per Global Reporting Initiative Standards. He has contributed immensely to strengthening the safety systems across all the company’s sites. He has been instrumental in implementation of Integrated Management System certification, latest effluent treatment technologies and fire protection installations, best waste management practices including Extended Producer Responsibility obligations for plastic waste recycling, making the organization future ready to overcome ESG related challenges. Under his leadership, DCM Shriram received CII’s Excellence in Environment Management Award 2022, DJSI score of 92% percentile among the global chemical companies and 2nd among Diversified Category & 38th among India’s top 200 most sustainable companies during 2023 by Business World.

He had been actively involved and presented on EHS & Sustainability related topics in various programs organized by various Industrial Associations and reputed educational institutions such as IIT Roorkee, IIM Mumbai etc. He has also published papers on solid waste management and other EHS related issues.

Sandeep is a seasoned techno-commercial practitioner having varied experience in the Power, Telecom and Automobile sectors. He has over 25 years of experience across domains covering Strategic Sourcing, Project Procurement, Techno-commercial roles, Supply chain management, Risk Management, Distribution and inventory management, Operations and general management. He has received his MBA from IIM-Lucknow and is a Certified Purchasing Manager from Institute of Supply Chain Management-USA while being a Mechanical Engineer from PEC-Chandigarh.

Mr Raheja is heading the procurement function for Apraava India including Thermal, Renewables, Transmission and AMI businesses including Project and O&M procurement. He is able to lead and manage teams across geographies. He has the ability to mentor and motivate teams to perform beyond their strength areas and achieve superior organizational objectives.

Mr Sandeep Raheja is skilled in identifying the business partners who bring strong competitive advantage while keeping a focus on risk management and governance. He is sound in understanding the business and operating environment and experienced in crafting strategies in the areas like supply chain management, operations management, portfolio management and analysis, and organizational structure design.

Mr Sandeep Raheja has the ability to lead big integrated supply chain spread across geographies and cultures, managing inventories, warehousing, improving procurement processes and setting up of ERP systems.

Ms Neha Chauhan spearheads CSR and social performance initiatives at Shell, bringing a wealth of experience from her impactful roles in government, the United Nations, and bilateral development projects. Her work has consistently championed the causes of women, youth, and environmental sustainability. Ms. Chauhan has held influential global and regional positions at UN Women, IPPF, and UNAIDS, where she has been a formidable force in advocacy and international campaigns for human rights and social equity.

An esteemed alumna of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Ms. Neha Chauhan is also a published author on critical issues such as gender-based violence and reproductive rights. Her expertise and dedication have seen her actively contribute to key UN and intergovernmental committees, including BRICS, SAARC, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Neha’s leadership and unwavering commitment continue to drive significant progress in the realms of social justice and equity.