ET Business Icons- West 2020 celebrates visionary leaders who powered their businesses to scale new heights of success

Sachin Kumbhar, Anchor

There’s no business bigger than the one that can sustain the tides of the market and emerge successful when the times are turbulent. Last year’s global economic slowdown tested many enterprises and businesses but there were some that scaled the success ladder with continuous effort and innovation. To pay an ode to these visionary businesses, Optimal Media Solutions— a Times group company — held ET Business Icons- West 2020 at The St. Regis Mumbai. Aimed at providing encouragement to several businesses that have reached new heights, the event identified the efforts of enterprises and businesses that have brought a landmark change in the society in various fields. The evening of January 23 was a star-studded awards night that saw dignitaries from the space of politics and glamour alike. Present at the awards was Honourable State Cabinet Minister for Textiles, Fisheries & Port Development, Aslam Shaikh, along with noted film personalities including Dia Mirza, Riteish Deshmukh, Malaika Arora, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Gulshan Grover and singer Roop Kumar Rathod. The event was partnered by Palladium Mall, Mumbai- a premium, luxury shopping destination.

The finalists were chosen based upon a survey conducted by Project Management Review Magazine. Some of the survey parameters included track record, range of products and services, adaptability to changing business climate and policies, product and project innovations, ability to play in a competitive environment, customer delight and disruptive marketing. Together, the results led to finding the first amongst equals.

With a body of work that spans over 2 decades, designer duo Reshma and Riyaz Gangji of Libas have created a benchmark of sorts. They are the only Indian designer label to be listed on the National Stock Exchange. They are the only Indian designers to have a fashion label, a jewelery line, assembly lines for corporate uniforms, eponymous bags and shoes and products in the food and beverage categories. They have dressed many celebrities, politicians and industrialists alike and have been a regular at fashion shows. Under their aegis, Libas has expanded to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Dubai and has aggressive plans for the next five years.

The brain child of Raghav Gupta, Fanatic Sports is Asia’s leading sports ticketing & experiential travel company. It has been the official ticketing & hospitality partner for world’s premier sporting events like Olympics, ICC Cricket World Cups, UEFA Euro & Wimbledon to name a few. It not only specialises in ticketing for major sporting events, but also has ventured into talent representation, official merchandising, VIP hospitality services and MICE travel. The company has spread its wings with offices across India, Dubai, Singapore and North America.

With mega blockbuster franchises like Masti, Housefull and Dhamaal; Riteish Deshmukh has owned the genre of comedy like none other. On the flip side, this versatile actor has vowed everyone with his villainous avatar in Ek Villain and Marjawaan. He has single handedly taken Marathi cinema beyond the state boundaries with movies like Lai Bhaari and Balak Palak.

Cocoon Fertility Pvt Ltd is an eminent name in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) services. For over a decade now, Cocoon Fertility provides a complete range of services to couples with reproductive disorders seeking child birth. It is an investor-backed chain of IVF centres with 7 Centres that provide state-of-art facilities, run by an outstanding team of doctors.

Celebrity designer Narendra Kumar has been a leading name in Indian fashion for the past two decades. Known for his perfect fit, contemporary themes and modern story-telling through his eponymous label, he has recently launched many versions of a socially relevant label-collection - FKNS. He has also followed his passion in movie making and received acclaim across India and Australia. Apart from dressing up various celebrities and showcasing at domestic and international fashion weeks, Narendra Kumar is the Creative Director for Amazon India and was the official fashion choice of Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon Worldwide, during his recent visit to India.

Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds Ltd is India's first luxury brand offering the most exquisite ab- grown CVD diamond jewellery. CVD Diamonds are real diamonds grown by exactly replicating he diamond creation process that occurs below the surface of the earth, the only change-maker being that these diamonds are grown in the lab and not found in mines. This makes them conflict-free and sustainable to the earth, saving valuable water and eliminating land extraction. Headquartered in Mumbai and backed by one of the world's largest laboratories based in Surat, the Company envisions to bring India and the indigenous technology into the "limelight."

A perfect example of how a homegrown set up can lead to a movement, Doggie Dabbas is India's leading provider of natural dog and cat treats and food. With products like frozen meal plans, healthy treats & freeze-dried food, the website has much to offer for man’s best friend! Founded by Rashee Kuchroo in 2011, the brand has played an integral role in changing the dog food market in India. It has led to an all-round shift to better food for pets by combining the benefits of home-cooked food with the convenience of store bought packaged dog food.

Manish Chhabra not only leads the company with over 2300 employees but has pioneered a unique success story of HRIPL in the Indian hair care industry. Under his vision, HRIPL’s Streax and Vasmol have grown into iconic brands, the company has achieved strategic global alliances and has grown manifolds. He envisions India to be on the map of the global hair care industry.

Vardhman Jewellers, established in 1981, is a Government approved Jewellery valuer evaluating and certifying Gold Diamond and Platinum jewellery more precisely than any other competitors in the market. All their valuations are done on- the-spot and the typed valuation report include full detailed descriptions containing the weights, measurements and assessments of gemstones and precious metals. Their valuation reports are accepted worldwide in all embasies for people migrating and going for further studies.

Kale Logistics Solutions is a global leader in Logistics Technology. It’s innovative Digital Cargo Community solutions has won several global awards including recognition at the United Nations, CII, Kellogg’s Business school. It’s technology is transforming logistics industry across the globe and ushering a new era in ease of doing business for trading across the borders.

Established as an independent family business by Jamal Rajan in 1998, Time Avenue, Mumbai is one of the most revered watch havens in the city. This famed Luxury Watch Retailer opened its doors at Bandra West and houses some of the most coveted timepieces from Rolex, Franck Muller, Breguet, Bell & Ross, Chopard, Tag Heur to name a few. Viraal Rajan has now been in the business since the past 20 years and has a loyal set of customers who swear by his friendly down-to-earth attitude and an unmatched knowledge of luxury timepieces.

Dr Tvacha clinic was set up by Dr Amit Karkhanis in 2005. A medical cosmetologist and tech genius, Dr Karkhanis specializes in various ultra-modern medical skills like Cosmetology, Trichology, Body contouring and Anti-ageing treatments. Dr Tvacha has grown to 10 clinics across Mumbai & Pune.

One of the most respected entrepreneurs, Aneel Kashi Murarka of Mirachem Industries is a man on a mission. Known to be extremely passionate about students’ welfare and education, he is the man who offers solutions to knotty problems. A man who always goes the extra mile for things he believes in, Aneel is indeed the wind beneath the wings. He has always believed in giving back to the society. He is very closely associated with the NGOs and has been constantly providing help, assistance and giving guidance in totality.

The Kute Group, a name of repute and trust is serving society from last 65+ years through its various businesses with 40+ companies ranging from edible oils, hair oils, refineries, automobile engineering, co-operative banking, oil cake, ginning & pressing, garments, dairy and information technology with mission to improve lives of the people globally. It aims to spread happiness through its value for money products maintaining high level of quality and customer satisfaction.

An industry name to reckon with since 1997, Savio John Pereira has been training with skilled artisans across India and around the world. Over a decade ago, he single-handedly opened his first hair salon – Savio John Pereira - in the heart of Mumbai and has ever since, worked towards transforming the salon experience. His academy is one of the highly preferred training grounds since 2011 in Mumbai where Savio has been sharing his art with numerous young artisans from the industry. Recently, Savio opened yet another salon in BKC, Mumbai; which is amongst the many exciting new ventures he has lined up.

Starting from home kitchen by Purvi & Rohit Mohan Pugalia, their brand munchilicious Granola is now manufactured in strict quality- controlled factory is available in 200+ stores across 7 cities and 2 countries. What was once a conscious snacking by Purvi for her husband is now a brand promising to be All good, always.

Anand Khanse runs and owns TheWindowsClub.com which attracts
over 10 million page-views per month and is India's no 1 blog in terms of web traffic. He has also been awarded the prestigious Windows MVP award for over 12 years in a row by Microsoft.

Dr Sujeet Singh is a key part of Padamavati Builders & Infra. With an
eye for detail, he has constantly exceeded all goals in his professional career as a CMD. He has also been awarded and recognized by several mediums. Padamavati Builders and infrastructures are known for their unique designs in contemporary living. They have
a reputation for building premium structures that stems from their
principle of prioritizing quality at every stratum of their operations. A firm belief in innovation and zeal from improvisation has been pivotal in consistently delivering value to their customers. They leave
no stone unturned in giving the best to their customers.

Dr Lal Tanwani is founder of Padma Institute of Knowledge, pioneers of modern education who have created leading chartered accountants and professionals working around the world. He is an innovator and disciplined entrepreneur with the social conscience, who is working tirelessly to help under privileged in the society.

Strategic brandmaker and social entrepreneur, the MD of Naarad, one of India' s most revered brandmakers, Anusha Srinivasan Iyer a woman of many facets. She is a TEDx speaker, an eminent journalist, an international award-winning writer- director, an animal, gender and animal activist, she is now planting over five lakh trees in Maharashtra through her organisation Make Earth Green Again MEGA Foundation with Nimal Raghavan and Ajay Harinath Singh.


Disclaimer: This article was produced on behalf of OMS by Times Internet’s Spotlight team