Ms. Alka Upadhyaya, an Indian Administrative Service Officer (IAS) (Madhya Pradesh: cadre) was appointed as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in April, 2023.

Ms. Upadhyaya has done M.Sc. (Organic Chemistry), MA (Economics) & Masters in Public Administration from Maxwell School of Public Policy, Syracuse University, USA. She has a long distinguished administrative experience of 33 years in the IAS. Ms. Upadhyaya has served in various positions in Madhya Pradesh & Government of India. She has been involved in policy making and project execution in various sectors like Road Infrastructure, Finance, Health and Personnel.

She has specialized in Roads and Infrastructure, having spent more than a decade in the sector. She has held key positions as Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India, Chairperson National Highways Authority of India, leading one of the largest Highway development programme in the world. She was also Director General, National Rural Infrastructure Development Authority and Additional Secretary Ministry of Rural Development, looking after PMGSY and other Rural Infrastructure programmes.

Mr. Dilip Shanghvi is the Chairman and Managing Director of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (Sun Pharma), world's 4th largest and India's No. 1 specialty generic pharmaceutical company. He is also the Chairman of Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company, which is engaged in R&D of new innovative drugs and delivery technologies.

He was honoured with India's fourth highest Civilian Award, the Padma Shri, in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the Indian Trade & Industry, in 2016. In 2018, the Indian Government appointed Mr. Shanghvi to India's central bank, Reserve Bank of India’s 21-member Central Board Committee. He is part of the Economic Advisory Council formed by the Government of Maharashtra, India to achieve rapid and comprehensive development in the state. The Government of Gujarat appointed him as the Chairman of Gujarat Biotechnology University in 2022.

Mr. Shanghvi has been conferred with many awards and recognitions. In 2023, 2021 & 2020, India’s leading magazine, India Today has included him in its Annual Power List of 50 influential personalities in India. Some of the other awards and recognitions bestowed on him include: Moneycontrol Lifetime Achievement Award (2023), NDTV Business Leader of the Year (2015), Forbes Entrepreneur for the year (2014), Economic Times’ Business Leader of the Year (2014) and Ernst and Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year (2011). He has also been awarded the Economic Times’ Entrepreneur of the Year (2008), Business Standard’s CEO of the Year (2008) and CNBC TV 18’s First Generation Entrepreneur of the Year (2007)

He is a former President of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) and has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay). He is a former Trustee of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship Programme at Oxford University. In 2019, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Tel Aviv University, Israel’s largest and most comprehensive institution of higher learning.

Mr. Shanghvi has played a key role in the global reach of the Indian pharmaceutical industry and continues to inspire generations of entrepreneurs in their journey to success.

Mr. Vivek Kumar Dewangan is the Chairman & MD of REC Limited, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. He is an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer and holds a Bachelors of Engineering in Electronics from NIT, Bhopal and a Post-Graduation degree from IIT, Delhi. Prior to joining REC, he was Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

During his illustrious IAS career, he has held various administrative positions in the areas of Finance, Power & Energy, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Elections, Law & Justice, Commerce & Industries, Minister’s Offices (Corporate Affairs, Agriculture & Food Processing Industries), Education, Human Resource Development, Sericulture, Agriculture & Cooperation, Economic affairs, Economics & Statistics, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, District Administration (Surguja & Raipur district in Chhattisgarh and Senapati district in Manipur) and revenue administration.

In his current role as CMD - REC, he provides strategic vision and overall direction to REC for achieving its corporate objectives. REC has achieved greater heights under his leadership and is looking to diversify into energy transition and infrastructure funding businesses along with its strong footprints across the energy sector. Under his leadership, REC has been conferred the Maharatna status – the highest recognition for a Central Government organization and became the latest entrant to this coveted club. He is also the ex-officio Chairman of REC’s wholly-owned subsidiary viz. REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL).

Mr. G. Kamala Vardhana Rao is a distinguished Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala Cadre, renowned for his exemplary leadership and extensive contributions across a wide range of public service domains.

In his current regulatory role as the Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), he has taken several groundbreaking initiatives in the field of Food Safety. He has been instrumental in setting new standards for 14 types of millets, which was highlighted by the launch of “Shree Anna - A Holistic Overview” by the Prime Minister. He also organized the International Millets Conference and the Global Food Regulatory Summit, elevating India's role in the global food safety landscape.
His tenure at FSSAI has seen the initiation of modernizing Street Food through the “PRASADAM” project, which emphasizes hygienic protocols and food safety. Additionally, he has introduced innovative IT portals such as Food-'O'-Copoeia, SaNGRAHA, and a Common Digital Dashboard, aiming to enhance regulatory transparency and support the food industry.

Mr. Sandeep Kumar Gupta is CMD of GAIL (India) Limited, India's leading natural gas company with diversified interests across the natural gas value chain of trading, transmission, LPG production & transmission, LNG regasification, petrochemicals, city gas, E&P, etc. He has wide experience of over 35 years in the Oil & Gas Industry. Before joining GAIL in October 2022, he held the position of Director (Finance) since August 2019 on the Board of Indian Oil Corporation Limited. As Director (Finance), he was in charge of F&A, Treasury, Pricing, International Trade, Optimization, Information Systems, Corporate Affairs, Legal, Risk Management, etc. Mr. Gupta is also the Chairman of Mahanagar Gas Limited, Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL), GAIL Gas Limited and also on the Board of Petronet LNG Limited. He is also Chairman of Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE), an apex professional organization representing the Central Government Public Enterprises. Mr. Gupta is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and has received prestigious individual recognition such as “CA CFO – Large Corporate – Manufacturing and Infrastructure Category” in January 2021 by ICAI, adjudged among Top 30 CFOs in India by StartupLanes.com in May 2022, Best CEO – Oil & Gas Sector 2022-23 by India Today in April 2023 and “CEO with HR Orientation” Award by World HRD Congress in February 2024.

Abdullah Mohammed Al Mazrui is an Emirati businessman and entrepreneur from Abu Dhabi. He founded his family business in 1972. The Group’s companies are now market leaders in various sectors including oil & gas, retail, trading, construction & logistics, education, real estate and financial investments. Mr. Mazrui has cemented his reputation as a leader of the Arab oil & gas industry through long standing strategic partnerships with Baker Hughes, Schlumberger and Cameron International. Recent Joint Ventures with ENI Versalis, Woodserv, and Ramco reflect his continued influence in the oil & gas sector. Mr. Mazrui is the Chairman of several companies and institutions, including Emirates Insurance Company, International School of Choueifat, Aramex, Jashanmal National Company, National Catering Co. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the following organizations and institutions: Depa, Investcorp, Dun & Bradstreet and Emirates Specialties Company. Mr. Mazrui holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the Chapman University of California, USA. He has been listed as one of the world’s most influential and respected Arab businessmen.

Dr. Surender Singh Kandhari was born in 1948 in India. He graduated with Honours from Loyola College Madras, where he was the Student Union President. In 1976; He came to Dubai and formed the Al Dobowi Group. The group today is the leading management services provider in the UAE and has grown to have over 1500 employees and have a significant presence in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Ghana, Europe and Canada. He is a vivid golfer and is a founder member of the Emirates Golf Club, where he was until recently the Club Captain. He is also a founding member of the World Trade Centre Club, on the Board of the Governors of the Indian Sports Club and the Vice President of the Auto Parts Merchants Group. He is also the Chairman of the Guru Nanak Darbar, Sikh Temple, Dubai - the First Sikh Gurudwara in the UAE; to name a few of his activities.

Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the ADGM Registration Authority (RA) in January 2023. In this role, he spearheads the innovation and supervision of registration procedures for both financial and non-financial service entities and real estate assets under ADGM's purview, as well as ensuring that ADGM-registered legal entities adhere to the institution’s commercial rules and regulations.

With a history of instrumental leadership roles at ADGM, including his prior position as Chief Operating Officer, Hamad has played a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s strategic direction. He was the driving force behind the ambitious "OneADGM Project," which aimed to achieve enhanced customer journey and support the growth of the international financial centre in Abu Dhabi.

Shriti Vadera is Chair of Prudential plc and The Royal Shakespeare Company. She was formerly Chair of Santander UK, Senior Independent Director of BHP and Non-Executive Director at Astra Zeneca.

She was recently appointed Co-Chair of the World Bank Private Sector Investment Lab. During her 40 year career spanning the public and private sectors, Shriti has undertaken a wide range of assignments in the UK and internationally. She was a UK Government Minister from 2007 to 2009 in the Cabinet Office, Business Department and International Development Department and led the UK Government’s response to the financial crisis and was a key architect of its pioneering bank recapitalisation and funding plan and helped design and negotiate the outcomes of the 2009 G20 London Summit. She was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers at the UK Treasury from 1999 - 2007 where she led on policy for business, international finance and development issues and the management of the Government’s shareholdings and public private partnerships. She has undertaken a wide range of assignments including advising the South Korean Chair of the G20 in 2010; two European countries on the Eurozone and banking crisis; the African Development Bank on infrastructure financing; and a number of sovereign wealth funds and global investors on strategy. She started her career as an investment banker for 15 years with SG Warburg / UBS, with a particular focus on emerging markets.

Mr. Mohit Ralhan is the Managing Partner & CIO of TIW Private Equity. He is specializes in buyouts, margin expansion & turn- around situations. Prior to TIW, he was an investment & Operating professional at Baring Private Equity Partners India Fund II and Fund III. He has served on advisory board of companies in the interest- rate sensitive sectors, Technology, Education, Consumption, Media, Digital Businesses & Manufacturing Consumption. He has been awarded with Economic Times Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia in 2019.