The Impact List.
In a rapidly evolving India, meaningful impact is shaped by leaders who go beyond conventional success to create lasting value. Across industries, visionary entrepreneurs, business leaders and changemakers are redefining possibilities, driving innovation, creating opportunities and contributing to a more progressive future. Their journeys reflect the power of purpose-driven leadership, resilience and the courage to challenge the status quo. The Impact List: India's Leaders Making a Difference recognises individuals whose work, ideas and initiatives are helping shape industries, influence communities and move India forward. Through their diverse contributions, these leaders demonstrate that true impact lies not only in what one builds but also in the difference one creates.
Dr Sajjid Mitha, Founder & CEO
Polymerupdate is Asia's largest petrochemical market intelligence company and an
independent Price Reporting Agency (PRA), providing benchmark price assessments,
market intelligence and real-time news to the global polymer and petrochemical
industry.
Founded and led by Dr. Sajjid Mitha, Polymerupdate has built a reputation for credible, transparent and independent market reporting over 25 years. Its benchmark assessments support commercial negotiations, raw-material contracts and pricing decisions across the polymer and petrochemical value chain.
Polymerupdate is rapidly expanding its global footprint as a trusted and credible PRA for contract settlements and independent pricing assessments on exchanges,
strengthening its role as a reliable reference point for producers, processors, traders,
distributors and end-users worldwide.
Embracing AI and advanced data technologies, Polymerupdate is also transforming
how market intelligence is gathered, analysed and delivered, making its data and insights faster, smarter and increasingly accessible to global markets.
Beyond market intelligence, Polymerupdate has expanded its industry footprint through
education, knowledge-sharing and sustainability initiatives. Its RACE Recycling And Circular Economy) Expos and Conferences and its CSO Round Tables, bring together recyclers, sustainability officers, manufacturers, technology providers and policymakers, creating a leading platform for the rapidly evolving recycling and sustainability industry.
Ritesh Sharma, Director of RSDS Polyparticles Pvt. Ltd
Ritesh Sharma, Director of RSDS Polyparticles Pvt. Ltd., is contributing to the evolving landscape of India's plastic recycling and polymer industry through a focus on quality, innovation, and sustainability.
Headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, the company specialises in plastic raw materials, plastic granules, post-industrial regrinds, and sustainable polymer solutions. Working alongside Dinesh Sharma, Ritesh continues the entrepreneurial legacy established by his father, Ashok Sharma, with a vision to create long-term value for businesses and the environment.
By promoting responsible recycling and resource optimisation, RSDS Polyparticles supports manufacturers in reducing industrial waste while maintaining product quality. The company's recognition through the Top 5000 MSME Award 2024 and MSME Global Golden Business Excellence Award 2024 reflects its industry achievements.
Ritesh Sharma's journey highlights how entrepreneurial vision and sustainable practices can contribute to India's industrial growth.
Raj Shamani, Entrepreneur, Content Creator & Podcast Host
Raj Shamani has emerged as one of India's prominent digital entrepreneurs, building a platform that connects business, culture and entrepreneurship with a new generation of audiences. Best known for hosting Figuring Out, he has turned long-form conversations with founders, investors, celebrities and industry leaders into an accessible medium for exploring business strategy, personal ambition and the realities of success.
His entrepreneurial journey extends beyond content creation. Through House of X, Shamani has explored the intersection of creator influence and consumer brands, reflecting a broader shift in how digital communities can translate into commercial opportunities. What distinguishes his approach is the ability to make business conversations engaging without losing sight of the people and decisions behind them.
As digital media continues to reshape how Indians discover ideas and engage with entrepreneurship, Shamani represents a generation of founders who are building influence not just through businesses but through conversations that shape aspirations, perspectives and ambition.
Rishabh Lalwani | Entrepreneur, Leadership Coach & Changemaker
Rishabh Lalwani is a seventh-generation entrepreneur, technology leader and leadership coach who believes success is meaningful when it creates a positive impact.
As Managing Director of Verificient Technologies (RemoteDesk & Proctortrack) and Co-founder of Efforti.ai, he drives technology-led innovation, helping organizations build trust, efficiency and smarter workplaces.
Beyond business, Rishabh founded GROWTH, a transformational coaching initiative empowering entrepreneurs, professionals and individuals through Clarity, Action, Consistency and Transformation.
With over 888 learning sessions and thousands of lives touched, his journey reflects a belief that true wealth extends beyond financial success to include health, relationships, time and peace.
Rooted in gratitude, positivity, integrity and purposeful living, Rishabh is driven by an extraordinary mission: to create 100 billion smiles.
His philosophy is simple yet powerful: Build successful businesses, transform meaningful lives and leave the world smiling.
Abhiraj Gupta,Author & Executive Director of IOL Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Abhiraj Gupta,Author & Executive Director of IOL Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd., represents a new generation of Indian business leaders combining industrial expertise with strategic foresight. A second-generation entrepreneur, he is actively involved in steering one of India's established pharmaceutical and specialty chemical manufacturing enterprises.
An alumnus of the University of Warwick and the Indian School of Business, Gupta believes sustainable success demands more than operational excellence. It requires disciplined decision-making, ethical governance, adaptability, and long-term vision.
His interest in timeless leadership principles inspired him to author The Chanakya Playbook, published by Rupa Publications, which explores the relevance of Kautilya's Arthashastra in contemporary management and entrepreneurship.
Through his work in industry and writing, Gupta advocates a leadership philosophy rooted in continuous learning, institutional strength, and responsible growth. His approach reflects a conviction that meaningful impact comes not merely from building successful businesses but from creating systems, values, and institutions that endure.
Rohit Goyal, Managing Partner at Property Station
Rohit, the Founding Managing Partner of Property Station, stands out as one of India's most influential emerging leaders in real estate. Over the last two decades, he has championed a simple conviction: trust, transparency and consistency are the real differentiators in an industry often defined by information gaps. His philosophy is clear and unwavering: real estate is a responsibility, not a transaction; a belief that shapes the firm's interaction with its clients.
He is also the co-founder of prOPIUM.ai, India's emerging real estate data intelligence platform built to redefine how the country buys and sells property. By combining behavioural insight, data science and transaction transparency, prOPIUM.ai aims to shift the market from intuition led decisions to insight led outcomes; a structural upgrade India's property ecosystem has long needed. The platform reflects Rohit's belief that better data builds better decisions, and better decisions build trust.
Over the years, Rohit has earned a reputation for clarity, integrity and a steady, people first approach that has helped thousands make confident, long term choices. Today, he is shaping not just Property Station's growth but, through prOPIUM.ai, building an AI led proptech engine for a new era of Indian real estate shaped by intelligent, independent and insight led decision intelligence systems.
Ananya Birla, Entrepreneur, Investor & Singer-Songwriter
Ananya Birla has built a professional identity that spans entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and music, bringing together disciplines that rarely occupy the same career path. She founded Svatantra Microfin with a focus on expanding access to financial services for underserved women, particularly those seeking greater economic independence through entrepreneurship. Her work in the sector reflects an approach to business that combines institutional growth with a broader social purpose.
Alongside her entrepreneurial pursuits, Birla developed a career as a singer-songwriter, entering the international pop music landscape while continuing to build her business interests. This dual trajectory has made her a distinctive figure in India's evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem, where leadership increasingly extends beyond a single industry or professional identity.
As a businesswoman and artist, Birla illustrates how ambition can take multiple forms. Her journey offers a perspective on building independent ventures, pursuing creative expression and defining success across different arenas, rather than being confined to one conventional professional path.
Nikita Bansal | Founder, Yaahvi
Nikita Bansal is a designer and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in product design, manufacturing, retail, and global exports. An alumnus of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bengaluru, she received an academic award from former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
After working with leading design and lifestyle brands, Nikita founded Yaahvi, a contemporary lighting and décor brand that brings Indian craftsmanship into a global design language. Rooted in traditional techniques and reimagined through contemporary forms, Yaahvi collaborates with skilled artisans to create handcrafted lighting that celebrates material, process, and individuality.
With a philosophy centred on thoughtful design, material exploration, and sustainable craftsmanship, Nikita aims to build a globally recognised Indian design brand that honours its cultural roots while embracing modern living.
Suresh Kumar Reddy, Founder and CEO of EVICE Auto Tech Pvt. Ltd
Suresh Kumar Reddy: Building an Indian mobility powerhouse with the ambition to create a global footprint through innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth.
As the global mobility industry undergoes a major transformation, M. Suresh Kumar Reddy, Founder and CEO of EVICE Auto Tech Pvt. Ltd., is building a business with ambitions that extend beyond national boundaries. Drawing on over two decades of experience across leading automobile and consumer brands, he combines industry expertise with a forward-looking entrepreneurial vision.
Headquartered in Bengaluru, EVICE is developing an integrated two-wheeler ecosystem encompassing electric vehicles, conventional two-wheelers, rentals, and franchising. With a stated valuation of Rs 103 crore, more than 100 investors, and over 1,000 electric two-wheelers deployed across Bengaluru, the company is preparing for its next phase of growth.
Its roadmap targets 10,000 rental vehicles by year-end and 100,000 in the long term, alongside franchise expansion, indigenous EV manufacturing, and drone technology research.
Known for his energetic working style, humble nature, and people-focused leadership, Reddy also encourages management students to gain practical experience through live industry projects.His larger vision is to take EVICE from Bengaluru to India and from India to the world-building an internationally recognised mobility brand that creates entrepreneurial opportunities, advances sustainable transportation, and showcases Indian innovation on the global stage.
