Chairman Emeritus,
Godrej Group
Adi Godrej receives the Padma Bhushan
Award from
the former President of
India Pranab Mukherjee in 2013
Adi Godrej served as Chairman of the Godrej Group between 2000 and 2024. Established in 1897, Godrej has its roots in India’s Independence and freedom movement. Through his career of over 50 years at the Group, Mr. Godrej has been instrumental in transforming, diversifying and significantly scaling the Group businesses. Today, Godrej serves over 1.1 billion consumers globally across a wide range of industries, and operates as two business groups – Godrej Industries Group and Godrej Enterprises Group
Mr. Godrej is a recipient of several awards and recognitions, including the Padma Bhushan 2013. He has been President of several Indian trade and industrial associations. He is the Past Chairman of the Board of the Indian School of Business, and Past President of the Confederation of Indian Industry. He has been a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the MIT Sloan School of Management, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies and a member of the Wharton Asian Executive Board. He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.
This video was created as a tribute to Adi Godrej
(or ABG as he is fondly referred to) for his lifetime dedication
to building Godrej and being our ‘lighthouse of values’.
A decade is a great event Especially when it’s well spent! And gratefully we do thank heaven That Adi’s celebrating seven.
Adi to me is an elder brother, For good advice, there was no other. He always took the greatest care And in all things was very fair.
At school he was extremely smart, Excelled in all, except for art. For fame he never seemed to hanker, In SSC he was first ranker. Then Xavier’s college up to Inter. Then he had to contend with winter. As his next step was MIT, Where, when just twenty-one, you see, He was both Bachelor and Master. And few have ever done it faster!
Once back home he started work. No matter what he’d never shirk, Just two crore was then the size. Adi set out to modernize-MBA’s were soon recruited And cars for managers were mooted. The marketing was revamped, And those who couldn’t change decamped. He introduced cost accounting And soon the sales started mounting. But hair dye was his greatest coup And over the years, it grew and grew.
The nineties then brought quite a change The landscape now seemed very strange-With multinationals at the door We hardly knew what was in store. Pepsi and Coke bought all in sight. Should we sell or should we fight? We chose a path that’s in between. In hindsight now it can be seen That Indian firms that learnt to hone Their skills, easily held their own.
But then we thought that we should seek Strong partners or we would stay weak. And so we formed the odd joint-venture, Which proved to be quite an adventure, We learnt a lot and that’s for sure. It helps us still to endure. But when we got our business back We were rather off the track. But he was ready for the fight. And very soon he set things right.
Though Godrej Soaps began to soar On market price we couldn’t score. Then our advisors thought it fit That Godrej Soaps should be split.
GCPL came in to being. And Adi, very quickly seeing, The trend for better governance, Put in to place all at once, With lots of help from CII, Best practices that surely vie With the very best in the world. When our new stock was unfurled, It very soon began to fly And to this day it still stays high.
Is his success because of skill, Or is it more his iron will? For Adi was always organized And punctuality was prized. By dusk his desk is very neat, His paperwork is all complete. Not agonizing is the trick, Decisions must be very quick.
Although it now seems like a steal When Kotak offered him the deal, At no low price, but eighty crore, He had a week, no less no more. There was no time for diligence. With courage and intelligence He very quickly clinched the deal, Relying on his good gut feel. Not that he threw away all caution. He took the brilliant precaution Of ensuring he bought good wares By selling a small chunk of shares To Kotak and the firm’s M.D. Ah! What a clever strategy!
And with this move so swift and bold The company came in our fold. And over time this company Well known as Godrej-Sara Lee Became a star within the group. For Adi this was such a scoop. And by and by when Sara-Lee Decided it would like to be An exclusively food company. We bought the shares of Sara Lee. We called it first GHPL, Soon merged it with GCPL. Since we had made a beeline To very quickly buying Keyline We got to know of other firms, Whose selling owners liked our terms. So Rapidol came in our fold And that success made us quite bold.
All over Africa we spread With Darling we now forge ahead. And very soon our eyes went starry And so we bought Megasari! And LatAm also came our way With Argencos and Issue. The developing world’s our playing ground A strategy that we find sound. And Adi never seems to tire With frequent visits to the empire!
Adi can’t stand the status quo All novel things he wants to know. And if he thinks that it is right He puts in all his will and might Behind the new initiative And with support that he can give We quickly learn the latest ways, Make sure the group sees better days.
But while he strives for the group The industry is in the loop. He’s always ready to lend a hand, Be President or take a stand With government on policy And he’ll persist till industry Gets exactly what it needs. And now he heads CII And I am sure it will fly high. Thus with conviction Adi leads. All who see him are inspired.
For all he does, he’s never tired Where does he get the energy? It’s really not a mystery, Adi of course, is very fit. He doesn’t seem to want to sit. There’s not a sport, he hasn’t tried For he can even paraglide. He really loves to water-ski, Not on a lake but on the sea. And on a trip to Mt. Kailash, Although conditions were quite harsh, The mount was circled in a day. Most folks his age would say, “No way”. And none of us can fail to see That he is full of energy. He has set a rapid pace As he leads us in the race. Though all of us most surely know That we have many miles to go But still we’re sure it can be done. Indeed this race must be won.
And if we stay on the proper way And never let our values sway, If all of us fulfill our roles We will surely reach our goals. A billion Indians, we can say, Will use our product every day And every where it will be seen That we are great, good and green.
Now hearing praise can be quite tough, I’m sure by now he’s had enough. But all the same why don’t we stand And then give him a rousing hand?
Chairperson and Managing Director, Godrej Industries
Nadir Godrej is the Chairperson of Godrej Industries Group and the Chairperson and Managing Director of Godrej Industries.
He received a B. S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1973 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1974 from Stanford University. He also earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1976. Since 1977, he has been a Director of Godrej Soaps Limited. He has been very active in developing the animal feed, agricultural inputs, and chemicals businesses of Godrej Industries Group. He has also been very active in research and holds several patents in the field of agricultural chemicals and surfactants.
In 2001, Godrej Soaps Limited was renamed Godrej Industries and he was appointed Managing Director. He is also the Chairman of Godrej Agrovet and a Director of Godrej Properties, both subsidiaries of Godrej Industries Group. He serves as a Director of Godrej and Boyce, Godrej Consumer Products, and other Godrej Industries Group companies.
He has been active in various industry associations, including CLFMA (Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association of India), ICC (Indian Chemical Council) [erstwhile ICMA (Indian Chemical Manufacturers Association)], OTAI (Oil Technologists’ Association of India), and the Alliance Française de Bombay. He is currently the President of the Alliance Française de Bombay. He is on the National Council of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and is very active in the Harvard Business School and MIT Alumni Association in India.
The French government awarded him the Ordre National du Mérite in 2002 and the Légion d’Honneur in 2008. He has also received Lifetime Achievement Awards from OTAI (Oil Technologist Association of India), Chemexcil and the All India Liquid Bulk Importers and Exporters Association (AILBIEA). The Board of Management of Manav Rachna University has unanimously conferred Mr. Godrej an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. He has been inducted as a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) and has also received a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management from XIM University, Bhubaneswar, in recognition of his contribution to industry and society.
Mr. Godrej is deeply committed to the Good and Green strategies and the achievement of set targets for the Godrej Industries Group. He encourages and supports a shared vision value for all programs of Good and Green.
Non-Executive Director, Godrej Industries
Pirojsha Godrej is the Executive Vice Chairperson of the Godrej Industries Group and the Chairperson of Godrej Properties, Godrej Capital, and Godrej Fund Management. Pirojsha graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 2002, completed his Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University in 2004, and an MBA from Columbia Business School in 2008. Pirojsha has led Godrej Properties through a phase of rapid growth culminating in it becoming the largest real estate developer in India by sales in FY 21. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark ranked Godrej Properties #1 globally amongst listed residential developers for its sustainability and governance practices.
Executive Director, Godrej Industries
Tanya Dubash is the Executive Director of Godrej Industries and Chief Brand Officer of Godrej Industries Group. She is responsible for the group’s brand and communications function, including guiding the Godrej masterbrand.
Tanya is a Director on the Boards of Godrej Industries Group, Godrej Consumer Products Limited and Godrej Agrovet Limited. She also serves on the boards of Britannia, Escorts and India@75. Additionally, she served on the Board of the Bharatiya Mahila Bank between November 2013 and May 2015.
Tanya was a trustee of Brown University between 2012 and 2018 and on the Watson Institute Board of Overseers between 2013 and 2016. She continues to be a member of the Brown India Advisory Council.
Tanya was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2007. She holds an AB cum laudé in Economics and Political Science from Brown University, and is an alumna of the Harvard Business School.
Non-Executive Director,
Godrej Industries
Nisaba Godrej is the Executive Chairperson of Godrej Consumer Products Limited. She has been a key architect of GCPL's strategy and transformation for almost two decades.
She is also the Chairperson of Teach for India and sits on the board of Godrej Agrovet, Bharti Airtel, and Mahindra and Mahindra. She has a BSc degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Nisaba is passionate about education, the human mind, trekking and equestrian sports. She lives in Mumbai with her children Zoran and Aidan.
Independent Director, Godrej Industries
Shweta Bhatia joined Eight Roads Ventures in April 2018 and leads the Technology, Consumer and Financial Services (TCF) Investments team in India. She has over 15 years of experience in private equity and finance, most recently as Head of Asia Investments for the Venture Capital and Growth Equity team at Goldman Sachs Investment Partners.
Shweta began her career in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs based in New York and worked in a growth equity investing role at Warburg Pincus in Mumbai before re-joining Goldman Sachs in 2010. Her key focus sectors include consumer, enterprise SaaS, and fintech, with investments in companies such as Whatfix, Chaipoint, Shadowfax, MoEngage, Early Salary, and FarEye.
Shweta holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Computer Science and Economics from Smith College.
Executive Director, Godrej Industries
Vishal Sharma is as an Executive Director on the Board of Godrej Industries. He brings 27 years of business experience, primarily in the Specialty and Process Chemicals space, serving both industrial and institutional segments throughout his career.
Vishal has lived and operated across five continents, in both developed and developing markets, in operational as well as strategic roles. He has led start-up businesses and is credited with multiple transformational and scale-up initiatives.
Prior to his current role, Vishal spent 10 years with Ecolab Inc., leading businesses across Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, and Africa. Before that, he spent 12 years with Diversey Inc., in various country, regional and global roles and had a 4-year stint with GE at the start of his career.
Vishal is driven by a strong focus on financial performance and is passionate about value creation for all stakeholders while growing individuals and teams. He believes in continuous improvement and drives a deep learning, coaching, and sharing leadership style. He is passionate about sustainability and is focused on driving innovations and solutions that aid sustainability in business operations and the environment, making the world a better place for future generations. He is a keen observer of economic and geopolitical developments, with an active involvement in new initiatives. An avid reader, he provides thought leadership across various areas of business, especially on leadership and strategy.
Vishal earned a post-graduate diploma in Management from IMDR Pune, and a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from MIT Manipal, both in India.
Independent Director, Godrej Industries
Dr. Ganapati Yadav is the Founding Vice Chancellor, R. T. Mody Distinguished Professor, and Tata Chemicals Darbari Seth Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Leadership at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai. He is a J. C. Bose National Fellow, and a Conjoint Professor at the University of New Castle, Australia, and the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2016, he was conferred the Padma Shri by the President of India for his outstanding contributions to Science and Engineering.
He has won over 125 national and international honours, awards, fellowships, editorships. He holds a B. Chem. Eng. Ph.D. (Tech.), D.Sc. (Hon. Causa, DYPK), and numerous fellowships, including FTWAS, FNA, FASc, FNASc, FNAE, FRSC (UK), FISTE, FIChemE (UK), FIIChE, and FICS.
He is a member of the Maharashtra Innovation Council and Chairman of the Waste Management Expert Committee for DST-Government of India. He also serves as an Independent Director in the boards of two companies. Recently, he participated in the review of the functioning of the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the Review Committee of IISER Pune, and the Selection Committee of Directors of IIT, MHRD, among others.
Independent Director, Godrej Industries
Mathew Eipe joined Godrej Soaps Limited as a management trainee in 1977 after completing his Chemical Engineering graduate degree at IIT Mumbai, and his postgraduate studies in Business Management at IIM Calcutta.
In 1994, he was appointed as Senior Vice President – Marketing in the Chemicals Division of Godrej Soaps Limited, serving from 1995 to 2000. He led the successful turnaround and integration of GGIC (Gujarat Godrej Innovative Chemicals) with Godrej Soaps Limited.
After the demerger of Godrej Soaps Limited in 2001, he was appointed as Executive Director and President (Chemicals) at Godrej Industries Limited and headed the Chemicals business till his retirement in 2013. During 2010 to 2013, he led the team that successfully relocated the Chemicals factory from Vikhroli to a world-class manufacturing facility at Ambernath near Mumbai.
He served on the Board of Godrej Industries from 2001 till his retirement in 2013. He was a member of the Group Management Committee from 1994 till 2013.
Independent Director, Godrej Industries
Monaz Noble is an accomplished finance leader with over 33 years of wide-ranging experience on the Board of listed MNC and Indian companies. She is on the Board of Ageas Federal Life Insurance Co. Ltd. And Godrej Industries Group as an Independent Director.
She works for Sandoz Private Limited as Global Competency Centre and Country Chief Financial Officer with effect from May 2023. As a CFO Global Competency Centre (GCC), she is responsible for driving the finance agenda of Sandoz GCCs located at Hyderabad, Prague and Mexico and as a Country CFO she is responsible for building strong governance and finance community in India.
Prior to joining Sandoz, she worked with Novartis, and in her last role, she was a CFO of Novartis Global Service Centre, Hyderabad, responsible for strong financial leadership and governance. She joined Novartis India Limited in 2010 and progressed through roles of increasing responsibilities in treasury, taxation, statutory audited accounts, M&A, and board governance. She was the CFO of Novartis India Limited from October, 2013 to June, 2019, responsible for providing the Board and Audit Committee with guidance relating to finance and corporate governance, investor relations along with compliance with the Companies Act, Listing Agreement etc. She has been on the Board of Novartis India Limited as Whole-Time Director from June, 2016 to May, 2019 and as Non-Executive Director from June, 2019 to November, 2022. Monaz has also worked with Cadbury India Limited where she was the Company Secretary and held various responsibilities in treasury, tax, integrated portfolio management, board governance, investor relations, financial planning and international business development.
Monaz started her career with Godrej Soaps Limited as a management trainee where she worked in different capacities in the finance function. Throughout her career, she has led various M&A and legal entity structuring assignments, which has given her rich experience on the perspectives of regulators, management, and investors. She holds a Bachelor’s of Commerce and a Master’s of Management Studies with a specialisation in Finance from Mumbai University, India. She is also an Associate Member of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India and The Institute of Cost Accountants of India.
Independent Director, Godrej Industries
As an early investor in InMobi and InfoEdge, two of India’s billion-dollar technology companies, Sandeep Murthy is one of the builders of India’s internet economy. He has not only witnessed the highs and lows as an investor but also held operational roles, including a three-year tenure as the CEO of Cleartrip starting 2006.
A dreamer from the start, who doesn’t believe in choosing between ‘this or that’, he pursued undergraduate degrees in both business and engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Following this, he delved into investment banking during the peak of the dot.com boom, but with a twist – he relocated to Palo Alto, California to join CSFB Technology Group.
He teamed up with a friend to build a digital music company incubated by Sony Music, which they subsequently sold to Sony after the Internet bubble burst. Sandeep lived the Bay Area dream for a few years before moving to New York to join InterActive Corp (IAC), the parent company of Expedia, TicketMaster, and Home Shopping Network, where he played a key role in launching Gifts.com. He then turned his attention to the technology opportunities in India, eventually moving to Mumbai to oversee investments for Sherpalo Ventures, a fund based out of Menlo Park in California.
Today, Sandeep is a co-founder and partner at Lightbox, a Mumbai-based venture capital firm that invests in Indian consumer technology companies. Lightbox has secured over $380 Million from leading institutional investors. Recent investments include Droom, Rebel Foods, Furlenco and AI-platform Embibe, which secured a $185 Million investment commitment from Reliance, India's leading internet conglomerate. This represents the largest AI investment in edtech globally. Sandeep is also involved with platforms like Magic Bus, a non-profit organisation that uses activity-based curricula to teach life skills underprivileged children. He devotes most of his time to pioneering unprecedented initiatives. Known for his all-in, nothing-held-back approach, Sandeep thrives on immersing himself in the heart of the matters, experimenting with new ideas, and involving as many people as possible. In a somewhat unpredictable market, his investment success is rooted in a blend of profound product intuition and unconventional thinking.
Independent Director, Godrej Industries
Ajay Vaghani is the Founder, Chairman, and Managing Director of Hamilton Housewares. Established in 2000, Hamilton has pioneered products in the Houseware, Kitchenware and Tableware space, with MILTON becoming a highly recognised brand in India. Over the years, ‘CLARO’, ‘TREO’ and ‘SPOTZERO’ have also carved niches for themselves. With four manufacturing locations and more than 6,000 products, Hamilton is present across India and has experienced tremendous growth in all areas in recent years.
Ajay is an innovator who enjoys working with technology. He has been instrumental in launching more than 6,000 products over the past 18 years. Under his leadership, the company has achieved a 20% CAGR over the past 5 years. Ajay has served on the Board of the Young Presidents’ Organisation in Mumbai and South East Asia. He also served as an advisor to a USA-based private equity firm. Currently, he is a member of the President’s Council at Wesleyan University in the U.S.A.
Chairperson, Godrej Industries Group and Chairperson and Managing Director, Godrej Industries
Nadir Godrej is the Chairperson of Godrej Industries Group and the Chairperson and Managing Director of Godrej Industries.
He received a B. S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1973 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1974 from Stanford University. He also earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1976. Since 1977, he has been a Director of Godrej Soaps Limited. He has been very active in developing the animal feed, agricultural inputs, and chemicals businesses of Godrej Industries Group. He has also been very active in research and holds several patents in the field of agricultural chemicals and surfactants.
In 2001, Godrej Soaps Limited was renamed Godrej Industries and he was appointed Managing Director. He is also the Chairman of Godrej Agrovet and a Director of Godrej Properties, both subsidiaries of Godrej Industries Group. He serves as a Director of Godrej and Boyce, Godrej Consumer Products, and other Godrej Industries Group companies.
He has been active in various industry associations, including CLFMA (Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers Association of India), ICC (Indian Chemical Council) [erstwhile ICMA (Indian Chemical Manufacturers Association)], OTAI (Oil Technologists’ Association of India), and the Alliance Française de Bombay. He is currently the President of the Alliance Française de Bombay. He is on the National Council of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and is very active in the Harvard Business School and MIT Alumni Association in India.
The French government awarded him the Ordre National du Mérite in 2002 and the Légion d’Honneur in 2008. He has also received Lifetime Achievement Awards from OTAI (Oil Technologist Association of India), Chemexcil and the All India Liquid Bulk Importers and Exporters Association (AILBIEA). The Board of Management of Manav Rachna University has unanimously conferred Mr. Godrej an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. He has been inducted as a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) and has also received a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management from XIM University, Bhubaneswar, in recognition of his contribution to industry and society.
Mr. Godrej is deeply committed to the Good and Green strategies and the achievement of set targets for the Godrej Industries Group. He encourages and supports a shared vision value for all programs of Good and Green.
Executive Vice Chairperson - Godrej Industries Group and Executive Chairperson - Godrej Properties and Godrej Capital
Pirojsha Godrej is the Executive Vice Chairperson of the Godrej Industries Group and the Chairperson of Godrej Properties, Godrej Capital, and Godrej Fund Management. Pirojsha graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 2002, completed his Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University in 2004, and an MBA from Columbia Business School in 2008. Pirojsha has led Godrej Properties through a phase of rapid growth culminating in it becoming the largest real estate developer in India by sales in FY 21. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark ranked Godrej Properties #1 globally amongst listed residential developers for its sustainability and governance practices.
Executive Director, Godrej Industries and Chief Brand Officer, Godrej Industries Group
Tanya Dubash is the Executive Director of Godrej Industries and Chief Brand Officer of Godrej Industries Group. She is responsible for the group's brand and communications function, including guiding the Godrej masterbrand.
Tanya is a Director on the Boards of Godrej Industries Group, Godrej Consumer Products Limited and Godrej Agrovet Limited. She also serves on the boards of Britannia, Escorts and India@75. Additionally, she served on the Board of the Bharatiya Mahila Bank between November 2013 and May 2015.
Tanya was a trustee of Brown University between 2012 and 2018 and on the Watson Institute Board of Overseers between 2013 and 2016. She continues to be a member of the Brown India Advisory Council.
Tanya was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2007. She holds an AB cum laudé in Economics and Political Science from Brown University, and is an alumna of the Harvard Business School.
Executive Chairperson,
Godrej Consumer Products
Nisaba Godrej is the Executive Chairperson of Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL). She has been a key architect of GCPL’s strategy and transformation for almost two decades.
She is also the Chairperson of Teach for India and sits on the Board of Godrej Agrovet, Bharti Airtel, and Mahindra and Mahindra. She has a BSc degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Nisaba is passionate about education, the human mind, trekking and equestrian sports. She lives in Mumbai with her children Zoran and Aidan.
Executive Director,
Godrej Agrovet
Burjis Godrej is the Head of Special Projects at Godrej Agrovet Limited, where his focus is on agrochemical projects for Astec LifeSciences Limited and Godrej Agrovet Limited’s Crop Protection businesses. His role involves evaluating products, synergies, technologies, business models, geographies, consultant engagements, and capex plans. He has been appointed as an Executive Director of Godrej Agrovet Limited effective from November 1, 2022.
Burjis Godrej is also a Non-executive Director of Astec LifeSciences Limited and Godrej Maxximilk Private Limited, subsidiaries of GAVL
Burjis Godrej completed his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2021. He first joined Godrej Agrovet Limited in 2017, working on new product development in the strategy division. His role involved monitoring R&D activities, product quality improvement, new product trials and innovation partnerships with external organisations. Before joining Godrej Agrovet Limited, he worked for Conservis Corporation, a firm that provides software for farmers (now a joint venture between RaboBank and Tellus Corporation). His role there involved software implementation, customer success, water quality monitoring and sales development.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Godrej Consumer Products
Sudhir Sitapati is the Managing Director and CEO of Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL). GCPL is one of India’s largest consumer goods multinationals with a presence in over 85 countries and serving 1.1 billion consumers. Sudhir is responsible for guiding the purpose and ambition of the company; to bring the goodness of health and beauty to consumers in emerging markets.
Prior to this, Sudhir worked at Unilever for 22 years where he led teams across several categories and functions in India, Europe, South East Asia, and Africa. His last job was as an Executive Director - Foods and Refreshments at Hindustan Unilever.
He is current Co-chair of the CII FMCG Committee and a past Co-chair of the CII National Committee of Food Processing. Sudhir was awarded the ‘Young Alumni Achiever’ by his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, in 2017. He is also the author of the best-selling book 'The CEO Factory: Management lessons from Hindustan Unilever'.
Sudhir has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a B.Sc. in Math with Economics Honours from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. Sudhir is married to Ketki and spends his free time trying to get his children, Sahaana and Kabir, interested in his own hobbies — tennis, Hindustani music, farming and scrabble. So far to not much avail.
Managing Director,
Godrej Agrovet
Balram Singh Yadav is the Managing Director of Godrej Agrovet Limited, one of India’s foremost diversified agribusiness companies. He also serves as Managing Director of Godrej Tyson Foods Limited. He has been the Chairman of CLFMA of India (twice), an association of the livestock industry. In addition, he is a Director of numerous firms, including ACI Godrej Agrovet Private Limited - Bangladesh, Creamline Dairy Products Limited - Hyderabad, Astec Lifesciences Limited, and Godrej Maxximilk - Mumbai.
Balram began his career with Godrej in 1990 and, over the years, has handled roles of increasing responsibility across businesses and regions in the company. He became the Business Head in 1999 when he was asked to establish and lead the Poultry Business. He established Real Good Chicken and Yummiez as the leading processed poultry brands in India.
In 2007, he took over reins of Godrej Agrovet Limited as Managing Director and has since put Godrej Agrovet on the path of rapid growth. In 2017, Balram was instrumental in taking Godrej Agrovet Limited public. The public offer received a record response and was subscribed over 96 times. He is a regular contributor to National and International fora in the areas of food and agriculture.
Balram completed his BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Science at Haryana Agricultural University, where he ranked second in his class. He earned his MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Godrej Properties
Gaurav Pandey is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Godrej Properties.
He comes with over 18 years of experience in the real estate sector and has previously worked at Burman GSC as the CEO and PropEquity as Senior Vice President.
Gaurav started his career at Godrej as the CEO for the North Zone, where he was responsible for transforming the P&L of the business and building a high-performance team. During his tenure as CEO, the zone grew by 6X in Booking Value, 4X in Collections and 27% in ROCE. In fiscal year 2022, the Profit After Tax for the North Zone was the biggest contributor to Godrej Property’s P&L.
Through his career, he has advised stakeholders, been part of the Management Committee of Ascendas India and has also co-anchored the Property Show on NDTV. He is part of the Management Committee of Godrej Properties and serves as Co-Chair for the Committee on Urban Development and Real Estate.
He has an Economics Honours Degree from the University of Delhi and a Postgraduate Degree from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode. Gaurav is also the recipient of the Economic Times ‘Realty Personality of the Year’ Award, which he won at the 2022 Real Estate Conclave and Awards (North).
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Godrej Capital
Manish Shah is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Godrej Capital, the financial services business of the Godrej Industries Group. He joined the Group in 2019 and has led the company from its pre-license incubation phase to becoming a multi-product, multi-geography lending business. Prior to this, he was the MD & CEO of BoB Financial, the credit card subsidiary of Bank of Baroda.
With over 25 years in retail financial services, Manish has experience in secured and unsecured lending, credit cards, wealth management and life insurance with companies like Citi India, Citimortgage US, AEGON, and Bank of Baroda. He has held leadership roles in multinational companies and public sector enterprises, and co-founded a robo-advisory start-up that was acquired by News Corp, marking one of India’s earliest fintech exits to a global organisation.
Manish has also been an accomplished cricketer, representing Mumbai at the junior state and university levels for over a decade. He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai University.
Chief Executive Officer, Godrej Chemicals
Vishal Sharma is as an Executive Director on the Board of Godrej Industries. He brings 27 years of business experience, primarily in the Specialty and Process Chemicals space, serving both industrial and institutional segments throughout his career.
Vishal has lived and operated across five continents, in both developed and developing markets, in operational as well as strategic roles. He has led start-up businesses and is credited with multiple transformational and scale-up initiatives.
Prior to his current role, Vishal spent 10 years with Ecolab Inc., leading businesses across Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, and Africa. Before that, he spent 12 years with Diversey Inc., in various country, regional and global roles and had a 4-year stint with GE at the start of his career.
Vishal is driven by a strong focus on financial performance and is passionate about value creation for all stakeholders while growing individuals and teams. He believes in continuous improvement and drives a deep learning, coaching, and sharing leadership style. He is passionate about sustainability and is focused on driving innovations and solutions that aid sustainability in business operations and the environment, making the world a better place for future generations. He is a keen observer of economic and geopolitical developments, with an active involvement in new initiatives. An avid reader, he provides thought leadership across various areas of business, especially on leadership and strategy.
Vishal earned a post-graduate diploma in Management from IMDR Pune, and a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from MIT Manipal, both in India.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Godrej Fund Management
Karan Bolaria is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Godrej Fund Management. He is the founder of the private equity real estate business for the Godrej Industries Group and is responsible for investments, strategy, operations, transformations and exits across platforms. He works with leading institutional capital providers, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and private equity funds globally to partner them on their investment programs. Having joined the Godrej Industries Group in 2009, Karan has worked across the areas of investments, strategy and development and has overseen the deployment of capital in excess of $5 Billion.
Karan serves as a member of the Manager Advisory Council at ANREV, the leading platform for investors in the Asia Pacific non-listed real estate industry, with the goal of improving transparency and best practice across the region.
He holds advanced degrees from Columbia University and the University of Florida and currently resides in Singapore with his family.
Head - Group HR and Corporate Services, Godrej Industries Group
Sumit Mitra is the Head of Group HR and Corporate Services for Godrej Industries Group. Sumit joined Godrej as a management trainee, and has spent over 25 years working across different Group businesses including FMCG, Real Estate, and Food and Agriculture. He currently leads the people practice and efforts to build a purposeful, authentic, inclusive Godrej employer brand for 20,000 team members in over 20 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. He has been instrumental in making Godrej an inspiring place to work with an agile and high performance culture that attracts and engages some of the best global talent.
Sumit plays a key role in due diligence, mergers and acquisitions, change management and cross-cultural integrations, which form a major part of the Group's aggressive global growth strategy. He also spearheads Godrej Good and Green, the Group's Corporate Social Responsibility focus on creating shared value opportunities to address social and environmental concerns.
