Mumbai: India’s most influential business leaders took centre stage at Business Today’s BT MindRush 2025, held on March 22 at Mumbai. The event saw the unveiling of BT India’s Best CEOs Awards 2025—a high-powered list of winners celebrating business visionaries.
Leading the honours, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, was named Business Icon of the Year, while S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, received the Impact Icon of the Year awar. In recognition of enduring leadership, Harsh Mariwala, Chairman, Marico Ltd, and Anu Aga, former Chairperson, Thermax, were conferred the Lifetime Achievement Awards.
The other winners included Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman of Narayana Health, recognized as the Most Trusted Leader, and Deepinder Goyal, Founder & CEO of ETERNAL, honored as the Resilient CEO. Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD of Tata Power, was celebrated as the Green Growth Visionary, while Alakh Pandey, Founder & CEO of Physics Wallah, earned the title of Startup of the Year. Dilip Shanghvi, CMD of Sun Pharma, was acknowledged for Services Vanguard, and Sudarshan Venu, MD of TVS Motor, was awarded for Manufacturing & Retail Excellence. Motilal Oswal, Group MD & CEO of MOFSL, was named among The Wealth Makers, whereas Ramesh Juneja, Chairman of Mankind Pharma, was recognized as The Deal Maker. Pieter Elbers, CEO of InterGlobe Aviation, received the Glocal CEO title, and Abhyuday Jindal, MD of Jindal Stainless, was honored as an Urban Visionary. Manish Satyanarayan Nuwal, MD & CEO of Solar Industries, was celebrated as one of the Pillars of Progress, while Tech Titans included Kishor Patil of KPIT Technologies and Sandeep Kalra of Persistent Systems. Finally, Sanjeev Singhal, Former CMD of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, was named the Bharat PSU Icon.
The theme, “Vucanomics 2025: Thriving in Turmoil – Turning Global Disruptions into Growth,” set the tone for a day of sharp insights and grounded optimism. As global volatility continues to redraw business, the conversations at BT MindRush made it clear that CEOs are looking to leverage technology and capital to turn disruptions into growth.
In a keynote that blended realism with resolve, Kumar Mangalam Birla made a case for strategy over scale. “Each overseas acquisition must be driven by clear strategic rationale-securing raw materials, strengthening value chain resilience, or accessing higher margin markets with lower volatility,” he said, adding that “India is firmly on course to achieve developed country status by 2047.”
Chief Guest Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced a national tolling policy rollout before April 1, promising “reasonable concessions to commuters,” alongside 36 new green express highways and 8.05% returns for infrastructure investors. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, awarded Impact Icon of the Year, framed India’s foreign policy as uniquely non-aligned yet fully engaged. “From Russia and Ukraine to Israel and Iran-and from the BRICS to the QUAD-India engages across divides with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas,’” he said. “Even after the recent downturn, benchmark indices continue to deliver positive one year returns,” said Motilal Oswal, urging measured optimism on the equity market front.
SEBI Chair Tuhin Kanta Pandey assured that regulatory consistency would remain intact: “Taxation has been rationalised; let’s not unsettle that certainty.” Meanwhile, NSE MD Ashish Chauhan noted a deeper transformation at play: “Domestic investors are increasingly becoming a stabilising force even as foreign flows ebb and flow.”
As the sessions concluded, the audience gathered for the unveiling of Business Today’s annual special issue, honouring India’s finest corporate leaders. The issue was launched by Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and S. Jaishankar, Kumar Mangalam Birla, and India Today Group Chairman Aroon Purie.
The event featured 18 prominent speakers in 13 sessions, attracting over 200 CXOs from across corporate India. The event was supported by PwC as the Presenting Partner, Diageo as the Celebration Partner, Polymatech as the Semiconductor Partner, Becquer Solar Studio as the New Energy Partner, Logitech as the Collaboration Partner, GAIL as the Energy Partner, Sofitel Mumbai BKC as the Hospitality Partner, and Laqshya Media Group and Omark Media Around Life as Outdoor Partners.
-Based on Press Release
