Presenting the jury for The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence

Noel Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts

Noel Naval Tata serves as Chairman, Tata Trusts and in that capacity chairs all the Trusts that comprise the Tata Trusts. Prior to this appointment, he was a Trustee on the Boards of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust. Noel N. Tata has been associated with the Tata group for over 40 years and currently serves on the Board of various Tata Group Companies, including as the Chairman of Trent Limited, Tata International Limited, Voltas Limited & Tata Investment Corporation Limited and as the Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Company Limited.

His last executive assignment was as the Managing Director of Tata International Limited, the trading and distribution arm of the Tata Group, between August 2010 and November 2021, where he grew the company from a turnover of USD 500 million to over USD 3 billion. Prior to Tata International, Noel N. Tata served as the Managing Director of Trent Limited for more than 11 years, where he oversaw the growth of Trent across formats, from a one-store operation in 1998 to over 800 stores across formats today.


Dr. Devi Shetty, Founder, Narayana Health

Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty is a visionary who has reshaped healthcare in India and transformed cardiac surgery. As Founder, Chairman, and Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Narayana Health, he has made affordable, high-quality healthcare a reality.

His career reflects dedication, compassion, innovation, and accessibility in heart care. His holistic approach integrates hospitals, clinics, labs, diagnostics, pharmacies, and insurance, setting new standards for integrated healthcare.

Priya Nair, CEO & MD, Hindustan Unilever

Priya Nair is the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever Limited, responsible for leading India, one of Unilever’s largest and most diverse markets, reaching nine out of ten households.

Previously, Priya was President of Beauty & Wellbeing at Unilever, overseeing a €13 billion business across four pillars: Hair Care, Skin Care, Prestige Beauty, and Health and Wellbeing brands in over 20 markets. She also served as Global Chief Marketing Officer for Beauty & Wellbeing, responsible for global revenue growth, brand equity management, innovation delivery, and digital marketing transformation.

Before her global role, Priya headed Hindustan Unilever’s Beauty & Personal Care and Homecare businesses. As Head of Homecare, she led a successful turnaround through sustainability innovations, portfolio premiumisation, and brand rejuvenation.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & Chairman, Bharti Enterprises

Sunil Bharti Mittal is the Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s foremost first-generation corporations, with interests in telecom, space communications, digital solutions, real estate, and hospitality.

He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours, awarded to individuals for distinguished service of a high order. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council and the Global Board of Advisors at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mittal also serves on Hakluyt’s International Advisory Board and has been on the boards of several multinational companies, including Unilever PLC, Standard Chartered Bank PLC, and SoftBank Corp.

He is closely associated with spearheading the Indian industry’s global trade and investment initiatives. Mittal has served on the Prime Minister of India’s Council on Trade and Industry and was President of the Confederation of Indian Industry. He is Co-Chair of the ICT, Emerging Technologies & Digital Infrastructure Working Group of the India–US CEO Forum and a member of the India–UK, India–Japan, and India–Sweden CEO Forums. He is also Co-Chair of the India–Africa Business Council.

Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson, HCLTech

Roshni Nadar Malhotra is the Chairperson of HCLTech, a leading global technology company with a market capitalisation of $55 billion, and Chairperson of its CSR Board Committee.

In recognition of her outstanding business and philanthropic work, she received France’s highest civilian award, Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), in 2024. In 2023, Forbes featured her for the seventh consecutive year in ‘The World's 100 Most Powerful Women’ list.

Uday Kotak, Founder, Kotak Mahindra Bank

Uday Kotak is the Founder and Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank. He has played a vital role in the growth of the Kotak Mahindra group for over 38 years. He stepped down as Managing Director & CEO on 1st September 2023 and became a Non-Executive Non-Independent Director from 2nd September 2023.

Under his leadership, the group became one of India’s leading diversified financial services conglomerates, offering banking, asset management, insurance, stock broking, investment banking, private banking, microfinance, and asset reconstruction.

He has influenced India’s banking and finance sectors significantly. He is currently Co-Chairman of the Indo-UK Financial Partnership (IUKFP), served on the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s International Advisory Panel until December 2023, was President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from June 2020 to May 2021, and was on the International Advisory Board of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. From October 2018 to April 2022, he served as Non-Executive Chairman of the Government-appointed board to resolve the IL&FS crisis. In 2017, a Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Committee on Corporate Governance under his leadership recommended major reforms for corporate governance.

Lalit Keshre, Co-Founder and CEO, Groww

Lalit Keshre is the CEO of Groww, overseeing all business aspects, especially product and customer experience. Prior to founding Groww, he held a senior product management role at Flipkart, where he launched Flipkart Quick and Flipkart Marketplace. Keshre also founded an online learning company, Eduflix, and was an early team member at Ittiam Systems. Keshre is an alumnus of IIT Bombay.
Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group

Sajjan Jindal, the reclusive 60-year-old billionaire chairman of JSW Group, began his career at a steel plant in 1982 and now heads the country’s largest steel company, JSW Steel. His journey has included notable challenges and successes.

While JSW Steel has overtaken Tata Steel, the oldest private player in the business, the path was not without difficulties. Jindal’s key traits, such as calculated risk-taking and optimism amid adversity, have helped transform JSW Group into a $12-billion infrastructure conglomerate.

JSW Steel is India’s largest steel producer, and JSW Energy ranks fourth after Tata Power, Adani Power, and Reliance Power. JSW Cement, managed by his son Parth, is sixth among cement players. The group also includes unlisted JSW Infrastructure in ports and berths and has entered consumer-facing businesses like steel furniture and paints.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court

Abhishek Manu Singhvi is a distinguished Indian jurist, senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India, and a veteran parliamentarian currently serving as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha for the Indian National Congress.

He was among the youngest to reach top positions, designated Senior Advocate at 34 and appointed Additional Solicitor General of India at 37. Singhvi is also a prolific writer and commentator, contributing to legal and political discourse for decades.