Category: People

  • Havas Worldwide India appoints Arjun Jetly, Neharika Awal, Ajitesh Verma & Monish Gupta as executive creative directors

    Havas Worldwide India appoints Arjun Jetly, Neharika Awal, Ajitesh Verma & Monish Gupta as executive creative directors

    Mumbai: Havas Worldwide India, the creative agency of Havas India, has strengthened its creative team with the appointment of Arjun Jetly, Neharika Awal, Ajitesh Verma, and Monish Gupta as executive creative directors.

    Based out of Gurugram, all four will report to Anupama Ramaswamy, chief creative officer of Havas Worldwide India, and will be responsible for further strengthening the creative offering of the agency.

    Speaking about the appointments, Havas Worldwide India chief creative officer Anupama Ramaswamy said, “Now is the time for our work to shine. And I can’t think of a better team to lead this than Neharika, Monish, Arjun and Ajitesh. I’m delighted to welcome them into the Havas family. They are a dynamic bunch, brimming with new ideas, each having their own individual strengths, which will not just help the brands we work on but also the teams. I believe in their capabilities and mindset to take Havas Worldwide India to newer heights.”

    His second stint with Havas Worldwide India, Arjun was the brain behind some of Durex’s most-loved campaigns including Mutual Climax and Invisible. He joins the agency from Cheil India and has also worked in agencies like The Glitch. Over the course of his career, he’s worked extensively on marquee brands from across categories including Durex, Veet, Mirinda, 7Up, Monkey Shoulder, Lay’s, Kurkure, Doritos, Cadbury, 5-Star, Horlicks, Eno, Happydent, Mentos, Adobe, MG Motor, to name a few. He has also won prestigious awards for his work, including Cannes Lions, Effies and ABBYs.

    Neharika has joined Havas Worldwide India following an eight-year stint in Dentsu. Before Dentsu, she worked at Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy and DDB Mudra. Through the course of her career, she has worked with leading brands including Honda Cars, OLX, Biba, Chaayos, Tasva, Canon and Dominos, to name a few, and has prominent awards including Effies and ABBYs to her name.

    Ajitesh has worked with erstwhile Wunderman Thompson, BBDO India, McCann Worldwide and Leo Burnett before joining Havas Worldwide India. Some of his most accomplished work has been on brands from diverse sectors including Meta, The Times of India, Flipkart, PhonePe, Swiggy, Mountain Dew Global, Pepsi Foods, ITC, Britannia, Nestlé and GSK.

    Through his career, Monish has managed a wide portfolio of brands, including some of the biggest names in auto, consumer electronics, lifestyle, fashion, and hospitality including Maruti Suzuki, Honda Bikes, Citroën, LG, Samsung Phones, Myntra, and Burger King, among others. Monish who joins Havas Worldwide India from Leo Burnett has also worked at Dentsu, Lowe Lintas, erstwhile J Walter Thompson and Cheil.

  • Leo Burnett Mumbai announces new appointments to its senior leadership team

    Leo Burnett Mumbai announces new appointments to its senior leadership team

    Mumbai – Leo Burnett Mumbai, part of the Publicis Groupe India, has announced new appointments to its senior leadership team. The agency is poised to leverage its momentum and success, and the new leadership team will power the leap forward to the next phase of growth.

    The enhanced leadership structure is designed for a culture of greater empowerment, agility in decision making, and the capability to drive more of the new age solutions for clients that Leo Burnett has been making a name for itself for. The Leo Burnett Mumbai senior leadership team now comprises Abhimanyu Khedkar elevated as managing partner, Neetika Aggarwal appointed as managing partner, and Saurabh Dahiya as head of strategy.

    Khedkar (Abhi) started his journey with Leo Burnett 8.5 years ago and has now been promoted to managing partner. Abhi has worked on some of the biggest brands in the Burnett portfolio and his work has been recognised at many international and national platforms. His dedication and accomplishments over the years have been instrumental to Leo Burnett’s success and he continues to be an important force in driving the future of the agency.

    As managing partner, Aggarwal joins the Leo Burnett Mumbai team to bolster its partnerships, expertise, and capabilities. In a career spanning over two decades, Neetika has accrued enviable experience working with some of the biggest Indian and global brands including Nestle for its confectionary portfolio, PepsiCo foods, Airtel, TOI, Microsoft, Nokia, LG, IndusInd Bank. She also led some of the biggest digital interventions for Facebook including the successful Facebook Thumbstopper and Instagram Love Runs Deep properties. Her last stint before joining Leo Burnett was with VMLY&R. Prior to that she spent a few years with WPP@CP where she was the business and integration lead for Colgate Palmolive, bringing in expertise across ecommerce, CRM and FPD.

    Dahiya joined us a few months ago as executive director & head of strategy. In just a short span of time he has been indispensable to the agency in sharpening its strategic creativity capability to drive growth & transformation for clients. Saurabh brings over 18 years of experience, with a career spanning the Middle-East, South East Asia & India in brand, digital and customer experience strategy. Saurabh’s knack for harnessing truth & talent to help brands matter in culture, changing contexts and commercial landscapes will add depth and perspective for Leo Burnett’s client partners.

    Together Abhimanyu and Neetika will lead Leo Burnett Mumbai on the business front while Saurabh Dahiya will lead and drive the strategic function.

    Commenting on the leadership changes, Leo Burnett, South Asia CEO Amitesh Rao shared, “Leo Burnett Mumbai is one of the top creative agencies in the country today, having seen an incredible run of success in paving the way for new age solutions for its clients. It is also an agency with insatiable ambition and hunger, and the enhanced leadership team is at the vanguard of our future growth and glory. I am delighted to have Abhimanyu, Neetika and Saurabh – with their diverse strategic, corporate and client backgrounds – bring brilliant new perspective to our journey going forward.”

  • Sriparna Tikekar joins 4AM Worldwide as chief creative officer

    Sriparna Tikekar joins 4AM Worldwide as chief creative officer

    Mumbai: 4AM Worldwide, a digital-first, integrated brand solutions agency has announced the appointment of Sriparna Tikekar as its chief creative officer. The new appointment comes at a time when the agency is keen on strengthening its creative offerings to clients powered by innovation and technology to drive relevance and scale. In her new role,  Sriparna will be responsible for leading the creative vision for 4AM and will work closely with teams on revamping the agency’s creative offering and structure, bolstering its content marketing and creative strategy, curating content services, and building brands of scale.

    In a career spanning over 15 years in the media industry, Sriparna’s last stint was as chief content officer (CCO) and co-founder of ScoopWhoop, a leading lifestyle & entertainment content platform that created engaging content that sparked conversations and interactions with audiences in the age group of 13-35. Her innovative approach to creating compelling content made ScoopWhoop the Indian youth’s much-loved content platform.

    4AM Worldwide chief business officer Jonathan Sreekumaran said, “We are on an accelerated path of creative transformation, and we couldn’t have had a better time to bring  Sriparna on board. Her grip on pop culture, content consumption patterns, platform-centric content dissemination, and reader psychology is unparalleled. She brings a unique perspective and creative flair that will undoubtedly elevate our creative output. With Sriparna’s deep understanding of content creation for brands and customer engagement, she is uniquely positioned to drive creative excellence. We are excited to welcome her to the team.”

    On taking up her new role, Sriparna Tikekar commented, “In any industry, the first-mover advantage, the right time to pivot, and the exact moment of a shift are what keep companies ahead of the curve. At this transformational time in 4AM’s journey, I fit in like the missing piece of the puzzle. I am excited to be a part of this agency’s growth trajectory and look forward to working  closely with teams on leveraging the agency’s capabilities of creative, technology, data-driven  experience, and design.”

    Sriparna will be working closely with chief business officer Jonathan Sreekumaran and 4AM Worldwide chief client, and strategy officer Siddhartha Sahni.

  • BEI Confluence Board, Abhishek Gupta is elevated to joint managing director

    BEI Confluence Board, Abhishek Gupta is elevated to joint managing director

    Mumbai: BEI Confluence, one of the independent 360 agencies in India, has announced the elevation of Abhishek Gupta who has been leading the BEI Confluence business operations as Dy. MD for the last four years to joint managing director (JMD) with effect from April 1, 2024.  

    Under Abhishek’s leadership, the agency achieved a 15 per cent revenue growth and over 100 per cent growth in the bottom line, with many new and reputed business acquisitions like Total Energies, Mrs. Bector’s Cremica Biscuits & English Oven bread, Wai Wai Instant Noodles from CG Foods, Rajhans Nutriments the makers of Schmitten Chocolates, ECE Lifts & Elevators from the Birla Group & Kerovit Bath Fittings from the Kajaria Group and more. The existing brands too accounted for substantial revenue growth in 2023/24.

    Abhishek has been working with BEI Confluence since 2016 when he joined Ogilvy & Mather. In O&M Abhishek worked for over four years as a Client Servicing Director leading O&M’s flagship brands like Sprite and Kinley from the Coca-Cola Company as well as the Lighting Division brands of Philips.

    Abhishek comes with around 20 years of experience in Creative and Brand Management having started his career with some of the top agencies in India. His first stint was with Euro RSCG  (now known as Havas Media) where he was working on brands like Max New York Life Insurance, Makemytrip, Indiatimes.com and a few other brands. He then moved to Publicis India, leading the Nestle business on flagship brands like Maggi, A+ Milk and the entire Dairy segment along with brands like Mcvitie’s from United Biscuits.

    On this major restructuring of BEI Confluence, Tapas Gupta chairman & MD commented, “This is a generational shift in the agency. I am happy that the management of the agency is being passed on to a much younger professional who brings with him enormous modern-day skills and experience in steering & managing the agency and the large FMCG brands it handles. With Abhishek as JMD and partnered by Shahid Hussain as National Creative Director (NCD), the leadership team is now future-ready for further growth and consolidation”.  

    On his elevation, Abhishek Gupta, ‘BEI Confluence after a robust performance for the last two years since COVID is now poised to further accelerate its growth and has set an aggressive target of 20 per cent growth in the current year. We have ambitious plans for the next two years and hope to be amongst the top three fully independent advertising systems in India by 2026. To achieve this vision, I am clear on the way forward invest in the right people internally and help them bring out their best, ensure SOPs are respected, and provide solutions to brands which impact their business in a positive manner and help them grow YOY”

    As BEI Confluence continues to evolve into a large independent agency network, its focus now is to acquire and invest in the right balance of brands and professionals who will steer the agency to its next level in the next two years.  

  • Nasher Miles appoints Anil Verma as chief strategy officer

    Nasher Miles appoints Anil Verma as chief strategy officer

    Mumbai: Nasher Miles, the premium luggage brand known for its vibrant and stylish designs, is thrilled to announce the appointment of industry veteran Anil Verma as chief strategy officer, effective immediately. This strategic move strengthens Nasher Miles’ position following their recent triumph on Shark Tank India.

    Prior to joining Nasher Miles, Anil held key leadership positions in various multinational companies like Purplle.com, Samsonite, and Delsey Paris. Throughout his distinguished career, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities and a collaborative approach. His commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and excellence aligns perfectly with Nasher Miles’ vision. Having established itself as a top brand in the online marketplaces, Nasher Miles is now poised to test the waters of the offline market. Anil’s extensive experience will be instrumental in leading this expansion strategy. In his role, he will guide the brand’s foray into brick-and-mortar retail, ensuring a seamless customer experience across all touchpoints.

    In his role as chief strategy officer, Anil will oversee the company’s overall strategic direction, encompassing product development, finance, and operations. This holistic approach will ensure Nasher Miles remains agile and adaptable in the ever-evolving business landscape. By focusing on innovative product design, financial discipline, and operational excellence, Anil will contribute to Nasher Miles’ long-term growth trajectory.

    Fresh off their remarkable feat of securing an All-Shark Deal on Shark Tank India Season 3, Nasher Miles is poised for significant growth. Anil Verma’s deep understanding of global markets within the luggage sector, and the e-commerce ecosystem will be instrumental in driving this growth and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. He will play a pivotal role in shaping the company’s long-term vision and ensuring Nasher Miles remains agile and adaptable in the ever-evolving business landscape.

    Nasher Miles founder & chairman Abhishek Daga said, “We are delighted to welcome Anil Verma to the Nasher Miles leadership team. His strategic expertise and proven ability to navigate complex challenges, particularly within the luggage industry, will be invaluable as we build upon the momentum generated by our appearance on Shark Tank India. We are confident that Anil’s leadership will propel Nasher Miles to new heights.”

    Nasher Miles’ CTO Anil Verma said, “I am incredibly excited to join Nasher Miles at this pivotal moment in the brand’s journey. The company’s commitment to innovation and its impressive success on Shark Tank India demonstrate tremendous potential for growth. I am confident that my experience can help Nasher Miles capitalize on emerging opportunities and achieve its long-term vision. I look forward to collaborating with the talented Nasher Miles team to propel the brand to even greater heights.”

    Anil Verma’s passion for driving meaningful change, coupled with his strategic vision and deep industry expertise, makes him an invaluable asset to the Nasher Miles team. Nasher Miles’ journey from bootstrapping with zero external funding for six years to securing an All-Shark Deal on Shark Tank India is a testament to the brand’s resilience, vision, and commitment to excellence. This historic achievement not only validates Nasher Miles’ unique value proposition but also showcases the confidence that the esteemed Shark Tank India judges have in the brand’s potential for future success.

  • Stepathlon strengthens advisory board with renowned industry leaders

    Stepathlon strengthens advisory board with renowned industry leaders

    Mumbai: Global fan engagement and data platform Stepathlon welcomes four new esteemed advisors to its already impressive advisory board:

    . Jim Glover is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in global partnerships and client relationships. He previously served as deputy chairman at CSM Sport and Entertainment, where he played a key role in driving growth and success

    .  Ashutosh Srivastava, a renowned media and entertainment expert with extensive experience as former CEO of GroupM in APAC, who brings deep understanding of fan engagement, content creation, and brand building

    .  Nextdoor co-founder and CTO Prakash Janakiraman, who brings his expertise in leveraging data to drive business growth and unlock the power of user insights and personalize experiences.

    . Advait Pandit, a seasoned technology leader with over 20 years of experience building high-growth companies, comes in with his experience as Chief Architect at JioMart. His experience in product development, market strategies, and scaling operations will be crucial as Stepathlon expands its reach.

    Stepathlon founder and CEO Ravi Krishnan said: “We are privileged to welcome Jim, Ashutosh, Prakash and Advait to the Stepathlon Advisory Board. Their diverse expertise aligns perfectly with our vision for business growth. Their insights and guidance will be instrumental in creating innovative experiences that connect with audiences on a deeper level and to drive qualitative and quantitative benefits for our business, our clients and their stakeholders.”

    Excited to collaborate with Stepathlon, the advisors shared their perspectives.

    Jim Glover stated: “Throughout my career, I have witnessed the power of sports to unite communities and inspire individuals. Stepathlon’s innovative approach to fan engagement leverages this power to create meaningful experiences that go beyond the game. I’m thrilled to join the team and contribute my experience to help them unlock the full potential of their platform and connect with fans in even more impactful ways.”

    Ashutosh Srivastava added  “I’m passionate about the power of storytelling and community engagement, and Stepathlon’s platform has the potential to create truly transformative experiences for fans. I’m excited to contribute my expertise to deepen their audience connections and enhance engagement.”

    Prakash Janakiraman added “I see Stepathlon as a platform brimming with data potential. Its commitment to ethical collection and personalized experiences resonates deeply with my values. Leveraging my expertise in uncovering  user insights and driving data-driven growth, I’m excited to join the team and help Stepathlon realise its full potential to create positive change for fans, rightsholders, and brands alike.”

    Advait Pandit added: “The ability to scale and adapt to a growing audience is crucial for any successful platform. Stepathlon’s unique proposition lies in its flexibility and inclusivity, and I’m excited to bring my experience in building scalable technology solutions to support their expansion plans. I believe that by optimizing both the user experience and operational efficiency, we can further harness the immense potential of Stepathlon to engage and connect with even wider communities.”

  • Logic Fruit Technologies INC appoints Akshaya Sharma as CEO of US operations

    Logic Fruit Technologies INC appoints Akshaya Sharma as CEO of US operations

    Mumbai: Logic Fruit Technologies INC – one of the fastest-growing providers of IPs, embedded solutions, and product engineering services has announced the onboarding of Akshaya Sharma as the new CEO to oversee the company’s US operations.

    Akshaya possesses an extensive experience of more than two decades in engineering and business leadership. His ability to leverage big data, data science and software engineering to deliver impactful solutions will be instrumental in facilitating the overseas business expansion of Logic Fruit. As part of his new role, he will be responsible for formulating impactful go-to-market strategies and driving sales growth.

    Elated about joining Logic Fruit Technologies, Akshaya Sharma said, “I am honoured to lead the US operations of a disruptive deep-tech company that has revolutionised the market with its innovative engineering capabilities. I look forward to working with the talented team to drive innovation, deliver exceptional solutions, and contribute to the company’s continued success.”

    Being optimistic about Akshaya’s appointment, Fruit Technologies Pvt Ltd co-founder and CEO Sanjeev Kumar Logic said, “We are delighted to have Akshaya Sharma onboard. His skills and leadership will help drive the company’s international expansion and undoubtedly, his role will contribute significantly to our continued success.”

    With his directional acumen and proficiency, Akshaya demonstrates a proven track record of sales transformation and growth. Prior to joining Logic Fruit Technologies, Sharma held key positions at prestigious companies including Netflix and Uber. This helped him gain recognition for overseeing the development of data-driven applications using AI, machine learning, and computer vision.

  • Leo Burnett India onboards Rajeev Rakshit as executive director, Bangalore

    Leo Burnett India onboards Rajeev Rakshit as executive director, Bangalore

    Mumbai – Leo Burnett India, part of the Publicis Groupe India, has announced the appointment of Rajeev Rakshit as executive director, Leo Burnett, Bangalore. Rajeev will be reporting to Leo Burnett – South Asia CEO Amitesh Rao and is entrusted with taking the agency forward to the next level across client relationships, solutions, talent and growth. The appointment comes on the back of the agency’s strong partnerships with Bengaluru based clients including Ikea, RedBus, Kingfisher, Heineken, Lenovo, Acko, Flipkart to name a few.

    Speaking about the announcement, Rao said “Leo Burnett is a formidable creative force in Bengaluru with great momentum, energy and ambition, working with some incredible brands, and lucky to have some of the most talented people onboard.  Rajeev comes with a distinctive blend of a future facing orientation, maturity and deep industry knowledge, and we are delighted to have him join us in building on the foundation of our Bengaluru operation to take it to greater heights.”

    Added Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer – Publicis Groupe, South Asia and Chairman – Leo Burnett, South Asia says “The Bangalore team energy is infectious and we currently work with some of the best clients of India from there. We already have Pravin Sutar leading the creative mandate from Bangalore and together with Rajeev who comes with solid hands -on experience, and we are confident of building meaningful solutions for our client partners.”

    Speaking about his appointment, Rakshit commented, “Having had a substantive stint with Leo Burnett in the past, it feels like coming home. The agency’s inspired creativity, portfolio of iconic brands and numerous client success stories has resulted in its staggering momentum and I am excited to be a part of this journey. I have always admired Leo Burnett’s ability to reimagine and redefine industry norms and look forward to collaborating and contributing to propel the agency towards its next significant milestone.”

    Rajeev joins Leo Burnett with over two and a half decades of hands on experience in the field of Upstream Marketing, Strategic Planning, Digital Strategy, Account Management, General Management and Business Head (Country & Region). His last stint was as Group CEO and Managing Partner – Thinking Folks, an independent upstream advertising and marketing solutions organisation. Rajeev has previously worked at Publicis Groupe’s L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett and Publicis in various stints spanning his career.

    He has also worked at JWT/WPP (Global Team Ford) where he was the Managing Partner and India head for GFT an integrated agency created exclusively for Ford; and McCann Erickson India, Saregama (RPG group) and Everest brand solutions. 

  • L&K Saatchi & Saatchi appoints Ekta Relan as chief strategy officer

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi appoints Ekta Relan as chief strategy officer

    Mumbai: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, a part of Publicis Groupe India, has strengthened its strategy leadership by elevating Snehasis Bose, its chief strategy officer (CSO), to the role of group chief strategy officer. With this, Snehasis will now oversee strategy across L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis India, and Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate. Additionally, Ekta Relan takes over the reins as the new chief strategy officer (CSO) for L&K Saatchi & Saatchi. Together, Snehasis and Ekta will collaborate to enhance the agency’s strategic initiatives.

    Commenting on the appointments, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis India  CEO Paritosh Srivastava said, “Given the disproportionate growth all three agency brands have seen in client results, creative respect and revenue over the last few years, and the significant role the strategic function has played, it is the right time for us to introduce a force multiplier. Snehasis is a proven war horse who has been a great asset and the most dependable partner to the agency. It’s a natural progression for him to bring his influence and impact across the other agencies. Ekta is a rare talent, with her wealth of experience and strategic acumen, she is the perfect strategic leader and cultural fit to take L&K Saatchi & Saatchi’s spirit of ‘Our Client’s Business Is Our Business’ to the next level.”

    With over 25 years of experience, Snehasis has been associated with agencies like McCann Erickson, Publicis Ambience, IMRB International, and Contract Advertising. He joined L&K Saatchi & Saatchi in 2015 and was elevated to CSO in 2020. Over the past nine years, Snehasis has demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovative approach that have driven growth for brands like Hero MotoCorp, ITC, Renault, JioMart, Audi, Reliance Digital, Zepto, Akasa Air, Nivea, Relaxo, Dabur, Groupo Bimbo, AU Bank among others, leading to his elevation to Group CSO with additional mandate for Publicis India and Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate. He will continue reporting to Paritosh.

    Ekta boasts a career spanning 23 years. She joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi after a successful stint as chief strategy officer at Lowe Lintas, where she led the strategy team for Unilever, the agency’s biggest client, apart from driving new business acquisitions. Ekta has also worked with Mullen Lintas, Sapient Nitro Singapore and Unilever Singapore. During her illustrious career, she has played an instrumental role in crafting winning strategies for renowned brands like Glow & Lovely, Pepsodent, Close Up, Surf Excel, Vim, Lifebuoy, Tata Tea, SBI Life, Saffola, Tata Cliq, Dabur’s Real, Samsonite and Bajaj Avenger among others. She has also served on jury panels for prestigious awards like Effies and AME.

    Ekta’s dedication to developing solutions that challenge cultural norms and deliver impactful results seamlessly aligns with L&K Saatchi & Saatchi’s vision. She will collaborate closely with Paritosh and Snehasis to drive forward the agency’s strategic initiatives.

    Snehasis, added, “My journey at L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has been transformational, and this new role promises to be orbit-shifting! Both Publicis India and Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate are on accelerated growth curves, and I am grateful to be an active part of their stories. With Ekta’s rich experience, deep wisdom and hunger for the new, I look forward to creating a symbiotic partnership that will unlock new possibilities for our clients, taking the L&K Saatchi & Saatchi ownership mandate to the next level. Looking forward to more audacity, challenges and rocket-like growth!”

    Speaking on her appointment Ekta, said “L&K Saatchi & Saatchi is on a dynamic growth trajectory, redefining the role an agency can play for its clients’ business. I am thrilled to be a part of this enriching journey where commerce and culture beautifully fuel each other. I eagerly anticipate collaborating with the agency’s talented team, also learning and leveraging the power of the entire Publicis ecosystem to build solid brands that connect with their audience in unexpected and relevant ways.” 

  • YFLO appoints Dr Payal Kanodia as chairperson for Delhi chapter

    YFLO appoints Dr Payal Kanodia as chairperson for Delhi chapter

    Mumbai: The Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO), Delhi, the women’s wing of FICCI, has appointed Dr Payal Kanodia as the new chairperson for the year 2024-25. Dr Payal Kanodia is a chairperson & trustee of M3M Foundation, and a promoter in M3M Group.

    Popularly known as a ‘change-maker’ for her contribution to the society, Dr Kanodia  believes in aligning with the government vision to achieve better reach and impact towards women empowerment. On her appointment as chairperson of YFLO, she said, “I am quite delighted to be elected as the Chairperson of YFLO – Delhi chapter, for the year 2024-25 and looking forward to working with the best of minds at YFLO. Every year, the Chairperson of YFLO introduces a new theme, and this year, being Chairperson of YFLO Delhi, I have chosen the theme as – ‘Unleash Mind, Body, Soul’.  The theme would reflect on our collective journey towards self-discovery, growth and empowerment. The power and limitless possibilities that our soul, our bodies and our mind holds has always been inspiring.”

    “I have always said that India is a country that has high potential to utilize and mobilize women force to achieve the distinction of a $10 trillion economy. There are about 16 million businesses owned by women that provide employment to about 30 million people. Over 10 million working women in India have set their priorities in excelling into corporate world at leadership roles. About 15-17000 Startups out of 90,000 Startups in India are led by women. In the Indian MSME sector, women-led businesses are more than 20 per cent and contribute around about 25 per cent of the labour force. Even the IMF estimates that equal participation of women in the workforce can increase India’s GDP by about 30 per cent. Even globally, women control about $20 trillion in annual consumer spending, and that figure could climb as high as $28 trillion in the next five years. Women produce about 60 percent of the world’s goods and services and are also the largest buyers and investors. YFLO would play its role to align and develop as much women entrepreneurs from not just cities but also from rural India” Dr. Kanodia added.

    YFLO represents over 9500 women entrepreneurs and professionals and Delhi chapter alone has over 500 women entrepreneurs. With over 40 years of experience, YFLO has been promoting entrepreneurship and professional excellence among women through workshops, seminars, conferences, training and capacity building programs etc.

    Dr Payal Kanodia has been felicitated with many national and international acclamations including – “Times 40 under 40”,  “Karamveer Global Fellowship”, instituted by #iCONGO, in partnership with United Nations – “Mahatma Award” and “CSR Person of the Year Award 2022”. She has been recently recognized as the “Leader of Hope” during the Indian Brand and Leadership Conclave & Awards 2024 in Goa. She is also the Director General of India-Kosovo Trade Relations, and a listed member with Royal Asiatic Society – Great Britain, English Heritage – UK, and Royal Society of St. George – England.