Adil Jal Darukhanawala
Founder & Chief Editor, Fast Bikes India
Often referred to as the father of motor journalism in India, Adil Jal Darukhanawala has over 40 years of expertise of the automobile industry. He currently leads Fast Bikes India magazine and holds the distinction of being the first Indian honoured at the Guild of Motoring Awards in the UK for his outstanding contributions to Indian motoring history. He has been involved with motoring and motorsport start-ups that cater to like-minded automobile and motorsport enthusiasts. Since 1987, he has helped build some of the finest automotive properties in the country and continues to do so with the same passion and enthusiasm.
Agnieszka Ziemiszewska
Graphic Designer, Educator and Art Curator
Agnieszka Ziemiszewska has been awarded numerous distinctions and awards and her works have been presented all over the world. She first built her career working as an independent designer creating visual identification systems. Currently she is a professor at the Faculty of the New Media Arts at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology. Agnieszka has led workshops and lectures at international events and universities and has been part of juries and committees in national and international graphic design competitions and events. She has also curated and co-organised multiple exhibitions in Poland and abroad.
Anubha Kakroo
Lead – UX Research, IDFC First Bank
Anubha is a multi-disciplinary professional with a strong academic background. She’s a graduate of the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and a post-graduate in Industrial Design. Additionally, she holds a degree in Design Management with a specialisation in Strategy, Innovation, and Branding from Brunel University in London. Throughout her career, Anubha has held various leadership positions in the design industry, serving as the Dean at several premier educational institutes. Anubha is an accomplished design thinking coach and has been a Mentor at the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship at the IIM Ahmedabad. She currently leads the UX Research at IDFC First Bank.
Arjun Sirur
Managing Director, Cotmac Electronics Private Limited
As the Managing Director of Cotmac Electronics and Cotmac Industrial Trading, Arjun oversees the corporate strategy, sales, and overall performance of both companies. Cotmac Electronics is the largest system integrator for Siemens in India and a leading solutions provider in Plant Intelligence and Industrial Automation, operating in 20 branches across India and international offices. Cotmac Industrial Trading specialises in specialized welding wires and products, representing top brands such as Lincoln Electric and Venus Wires in the Indian market. Arjun holds a bachelor’s degree from Symbiosis International University. He has contributed immensely to the success and growth of both these companies.
Avik Chattopadhyay
Brand Strategy, Marketing, and Automotive Product Planning Expert
Avik is an entrepreneur with over 22 years of experience in the automotive industry, having worked for top organisations like Maruti Suzuki, ExxonMobil, Apollo Tyres, Stellantis, and Volkswagen. In 2014, he co-founded “Expereal,” a brand strategy and solutions consultancy. Avik holds degrees from IMD Lausanne and XLRI Jamshedpur and contributes to various automotive media platforms. He advises an automotive forum, an automobile art institution, and is part of a sustainable mobility think-tank called CAPR. Avik’s first book, “52@52,” is a compilation of his essays on automotive policy, brand strategy, and socioeconomics. He enjoys sketching, football, and all kinds of music.
Dr Sanjeev Prasher
Professor of Marketing, IIM Raipur
Dr Sanjeev Prashar is a professor at the Indian Institute of Management Raipur, with 32 years of experience in teaching postgraduate management courses, corporate training, and consulting. He holds an MBA and Ph.D. in Management from the University of Kurukshetra, India, and has published 90 research papers in reputable international journals such as the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Journal of Consumer Marketing, and Journal of Business Research. Dr Sanjeev has authored 70 case studies, including some available at Harvard Business Publishing, Ivey Publishing, and Emerald Group Publishing. His current research focuses on shopping behaviour, including impulse buying, online buying, and celebrity endorsement.
Daniel Burka
Director of Product & Design, Resolve to Save Lives
Daniel Burka is a product manager and designer who focuses on solving complex global health problems in simple ways. He is the director of product and design at Resolve to Save Lives, where he leads the open-source project, Simple.org. Simple is used by thousands of hospitals in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Ethiopia to manage over 3.2 million patients with hypertension and diabetes. Daniel’s commitment extends beyond healthcare. As a member of Adobe’s Design Circle, he champions diversity through scholarships for aspiring designers. With an impressive background, Daniel co-founded tech startups like Digg, Pownce, and Tiny Speck (now Slack) in Silicon Valley.
David Kusuma
President, World Design Organisation
David Kusuma is the President of the World Design Organization (WDO) for 2022-2023. He has led design and product innovation at major multinational companies, including Oregon Tool Inc., Tupperware Brands Corporation, and General Electric. At Tupperware, he developed game-changing product solutions, resulting in the creation of 150 to 200 new products annually, launched in over 100 countries worldwide. David collaborated with NASA to develop the PONDS plant growing system, designed to simplify growing vegetables in microgravity, which is now being used on the International Space Station. He is a Fellow of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE).
Dr Li Xu
Founder and Art director, Beijing Art A&B
Dr Li Xu is a Designer, Educator and Curator. He has served as the head of teaching and research at Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, and has been a guest professor and academic leader in Germany, Poland and China. Dr Xu has given lectures and conducted workshops at prestigious universities and design institutions worldwide. He has curated numerous international design exhibitions and served on the jury for over 15 poster festivals and competitions. He has also designed the poster for the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, 2010, and has won several significant design awards with works permanently displayed in art galleries and poster museums.
Harsh Goenka
Chairman, RPG Enterprises
Mr Goenka heads one of the largest industrial groups in India that’s active in key economic segments including tyres, infrastructure, technology and other diversified segments, with an annual turnover of over US $4.40 Billion. He is the Chairman of the Board of KEC International Ltd (global infrastructure company), CEAT Ltd (tyres), Zensar Technologies Ltd (technology), RPG Life Sciences Ltd (pharmaceuticals) and Raychem RPG (energy). Having graduated in Economics from St Xavier’s College, Kolkata and thereafter earning an MBA from IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland, Mr Goenka has since been inducted into the Board of IMD. He is a member of the executive Committee of FICCI and Past President of the Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC). His interests in other areas include art and sports.
Harsha Paruchuri
Director, Pragati Group
Harsha is a director at Pragati Group, one of India’s leading packaging and printing companies. A Rochester Institute of Technology graduate, Harsha’s strengths are prepress, colour management, IT, and process control. He joined the Pragati group in 2000 and is in charge of the operations of the commercial printing division and the prepress operations of the group. His expertise in colour management stands the company in good stead with some of the most colour-sensitive customers, such as paint and textile companies. Always looking to streamline processes, he has automated estimation and job planning at Pragati to maximise efficiency.
Jasjit Singh
Professor at Ingvar Kamprad Design Center, Lund University
Jasjit is an industrial design educator at Lund University School of Industrial Design, specialising in design for user experience, product form and semantics. With almost 25 years of professional experience, he has worked with leading brands in various industries, designing colour systems, brands, identities, and experiential spaces. He has also taught at NID and internationally renowned Umea Institute of Design. Jasjit focuses on linking product form and styling practices with innovation, user experiences and semantic approaches in product design. He is a consultant, advisor, and visiting faculty in several prestigious design schools and offices globally, and calls himself a “designer in education”.
Jutta Jerlich
Lecturer & Consultant – Leadership Development, Vienna University of Technology
Jutta excels in designing environments that foster creativity and promote a sense of safety for embracing new perspectives. As a seasoned product and business development consultant, she bridges diverse perspectives and leverages dilemmas as opportunities for growth and learning. Over the course of two decades, Jutta has immersed herself in various roles across industries, start-ups, companies, and government organisations, collaborating with individuals from over 30 countries. Beyond her consulting expertise, Jutta is a passionate educator and mentor. Through her mentorship, she empowers individuals to develop their creative capabilities and embrace innovation as a career-driving force.
Mikko Koria
Director, Institute for Design Innovation at Loughborough University London
Mikko Koria is the Professor and Director of the Institute for Design Innovation at Loughborough University London, UK, and a Visiting Professor at Aalto University, Finland. As a researcher and practitioner passionate about design-driven social and enterprise innovation, the last thirty years has seen extensive work with large and small organisations, start-ups, NGOs and the public sector in European, Asian, African and South American countries. As a global design thinker and doer, he engages widely with service design, design for policy, design for business models, ecosystems and entrepreneurship with enterprises, health and education, university-industry collaboration and humanitarian work.
Minti Shah
Design Entrepreneur
Minti is an NID graduate with a rich experience in the Indian Television industry in various capacities at major news channels in India. Minti is a multidisciplinary designer with expertise in motion graphic design and has worked on many “Firsts” in communication. She was awarded the BW Business World Future of Design award and now runs her own design company, focusing on storytelling by perceiving a design possibility from different scenarios. Minti also co-curates “The Drawing Room,” offering art and design workshops for all ages and professions.
Mervyn Kurlansky
Principal, Mervyn Kurlansky Design
Mervyn Kurlansky, studied in London at the Central School of Arts and Crafts (now known as Central St. Martins). He built up a substantial experience before co-founding Pentagram in 1972. His work spans commercial, cultural, and educational sectors and is featured in permanent collections at MOMA NY and Design Museum Copenhagen. He has conceived and designed books, delivered lectures, and served on design juries globally. A former President of Icograda Seminars and Fellow of CSD, ISTD, RSA, and AGI, he’s been inducted into the Design Hall of Fame South Africa, and awarded the Icograda President’s Award. He has also been conferred with an Honorary Doctorate by the National Academy of Art, Sophia.
Nataliia Syniepupova
Founder & Creative Director, School of Visual Communication & Design Studio “meta2”
Natallia is the Founder & Creative Director of the School of Visual Communication in Kyiv. She mentors and teaches courses on “Design Systems” and “Composition and Free Composition” and is recognised as a Master of the School of Mentors. Nataliia is a published author and a teacher and has served as a jury in international festivals and competitions. She has collaborated with several organisations, such as the Ministry of Culture, Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, French Institute, Polish Institute, and Congress of Cultural Activists, for projects in Ukraine and abroad. In the past, she has engaged with the creative industries sector of the Export Strategy of Ukraine and has developed two training programs on “Effective Visual Communications” for UNICEF.
Pan Nalin
Film Director
Pan Nalin is a globally renowned director acclaimed for his powerful, diverse and visually striking movies such as “Samsara”, “Valley of Flowers”, “Faith Connections” and “Angry Indian Goddesses”. His latest movie “Chhello Show” (Last Film Show) has received an Oscar Shortlist nomination for Best International Film and is currently being screened worldwide, as well as being available on Netflix India. With over 50 international awards to his credit, Nalin is a member of the Directors’ Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars) and the French Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema (Cesars).
Praveen Nahar
Director, NID Ahmedabad
Director of National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad, with its extension campuses in Gandhinagar and Bengaluru, Praveen Nahar has also been a faculty member in Industrial Design and Discipline Lead of Product Design at NID since 2002. He has served on NID’s Senate and Policy Planning Committee for several years, and in various positions at NID as Activity Chairperson and Head of various departments. Praveen has also served as jury member, and been part of scientific committees and academic advisory boards.
Sambit Mohanty
Creative Head (North & South), McCann Worldgroup (India)
Sambit is the Creative Head (North & South) at McCann Worldgroup (India), where he is responsible for brands such as Dettol, Nestle, Flipkart, Britannia, ITC, TVS Bikes, and Ujjivan Bank, among others. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, he has spent over two decades in advertising & design across agencies such as JWT, Lowe-Lintas, DDB, Leo Burnett and Elephant Design. Sambit has been instrumental in creating memorable campaigns and building brands such as Coca-Cola, Apollo Tyres, Hero Motors, Adidas, Bata, and Wrigley’s, to name a few. Having been acknowledged by Business Standard as one of ‘India’s Gen-Next Creative Brains’, Sambit has won numerous international awards, including Cannes Lions, Clios, D&AD Pencils, One Show Pencils, and Spikes Asia.
Sanyukta Shrestha
Fashion Designer
Sanyukta Shrestha is a pioneering sustainable luxury fashion designer empowering women in developing countries since 1998. One of her creations is preserved in The Fashion Museum, Bath UK since 2012 alongside pieces from Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen and many historic treasures from the 16th century. Winner of ‘PETA Luxury Vegan Wedding Awards’, Sanyukta has been recognised as “the Dawn of the Sustainable Movement” and “the Greta of the Wedding World” by the media. Her designs have been worn by celebrities at The Oscars, BAFTA and Cannes. She was among the first to introduce sustainability to the UK bridal industry in 2011.
Sathiyaseelan Gangasalam
Vice President Design – Styling, Ashok Leyland
Sathiyaseelan is an eminent design practitioner in the field of transportation. He is an industrial designer, a design thinker, mentor and writer. He is an Alumni of IIT-Delhi with career spanning over 20 years in various domestic and global automotive companies. He is the Vice President, Design – Styling at Ashok Leyland since the last 15 years.
Sathiyaseelan has been a part of more than 25 prestigious transportation design projects for automotive giants like TATA Motors, General Motors, TVS Motors, and Ashok Leyland. He is also credited with establishing a full-fledged design studio and consistent design practices in Ashok Leyland. His work has been appreciated with prestigious awards from various government and non-government organisations like SIAM, CII.
Seemant Shrivastav
Founder, Mool Innovation Labs and Attentio Corporate Services
Seemant is a Chartered Accountant and a Registered Valuer, who has co-founded the taxation fintech start-up Mool Innovation Labs. He is also a founder partner at the management consulting firm Attentio Corporate Services. He has been CFO and Finance advisor for SME’s & Start-ups since 2011. He has worked in the corporate world across various industries for a decade prior to that. With over two decades of experience in Business operations, Fund raising & Finance strategy across varied sectors, Seemant has gathered unique insights and experience by which he is able to offer unique customized solutions to his corporate clients.
Sirish Chandran
Founder & Publisher, Project GTO Publishing
Sirish started testing cars and bikes straight out of engineering college, and over two decades on – despite a short detour to work for Porsche – firmly believes that automotive journalism is the best job in the world. Testing cars led him to rallying, winning his class in the Raid-de-Himalaya and Desert Storm rally raids. Recognising a gap in enthusiastic writing and evaluation of cars and bikes he launched the Indian edition of EVO magazine. He is known for his insightful reviews along with his expertise and love for all things automotive. You’ll often find him behind the wheel or in the saddle experiencing the adrenaline rush of powerful machines, and sharing his adventures with fellow car enthusiasts.
Dr Sudhir Mehta
Chairman and Managing Director, Pinnacle Industries Ltd
Dr. Sudhir Mehta is a serial entrepreneur, a columnist and the Chairman & Managing Director of Pinnacle Industries, India’s leading automotive products and specialty vehicles company. He is also the Founder of EKA Mobility, a commercial electric vehicle and technology company. He has started and led several successful ventures. His group of companies employs over 3000 people globally. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Depauw University, USA and an MBA from the University of Chicago, USA. He is a Member of the Managing Committee, Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP) & Advisor of the Nation First Policy Research Centre (NFPRC). He has also served as the Past Chairman of CII Western Region & is the Immediate Past President of MCCIA.
Sumit Singh
Head of Design and User Experience, Havells India Ltd.
Sumit is an experienced product design and innovation leader with a proven track record of delivering high-performing, award-winning designs. He is skilled in fostering creative teams and establishing design studios with an expertise in human-centric design, innovation strategy, craftsmanship, and end-to-end product development. In his current role, he’s responsible for delivering innovation and superior user experience, generating positive business impact through design thinking and co-creation. He’s been a member of CII National Design Committee since 2018 and his prior experience includes Whirlpool, LG Electronics, and Xerox PARC. Sumit holds an industrial design degree from NID, Ahmedabad and an MBA in Strategy and Leadership from IIM, Calcutta.
Sudhir Sharma
Founder, IndiDesign & DesignIndia
Sudhir Sharma is the founder of IndiDesign and DesignIndia, India’s largest social community of professional designers. A reputed brand design and business transformation consultant, Sudhir serves on various design, innovation, and management council boards and institutions. He is known for his brand design work for several reputed Indian Brands. He was on the jury panel of the inaugural Cannes Lions for Design, Adfest Pattaya, Spikes Asia Singapore, Dutch Design Awards, Eindhoven, and Design Turkey. He was nominated twice as a member of the India Design Council by the Government of India; and is an Alumnus of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Global Council for Design. He teaches at over 25 universities worldwide.