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&rsquo;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 &amp; CEO

Polymerupdate is Asia&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;s recognition through the Top 5000 MSME Award 2024 and MSME Global Golden Business Excellence Award 2024 reflects its industry achievements.
Ritesh Sharma&rsquo;s journey highlights how entrepreneurial vision and sustainable practices can contribute to India&rsquo;s industrial growth.
Raj Shamani, Entrepreneur, Content Creator &amp; Podcast Host

Raj Shamani has emerged as one of India&rsquo;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 &amp; 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 &amp; 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 &amp; Executive Director of IOL Chemicals &amp; Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Abhiraj Gupta,Author &amp; Executive Director of IOL Chemicals &amp; 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&rsquo;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&rsquo;s interaction with its clients.
He is also the co-founder of prOPIUM.ai, India&rsquo;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&rsquo;s property ecosystem has long needed. The platform reflects Rohit&rsquo;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&rsquo;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 &amp; 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&rsquo;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 d&eacute;cor 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.

The Impact List: India’s Leaders Making a Difference

Following CMB.TECH&rsquo;s announcement that Mineral Europa has embarked on her maiden voyage, Anglo-Eastern is recognising the multi-year engineering, newbuilding and operational effort that helped bring the pioneering vessel from an early alternative-fuel concept into service. CMB.TECH set the project in motion through its vision, investment and willingness to take the technology and commercial risk associated with a developing fuel pathway. Working within a longstanding relationship with CMB.TECH, Anglo-Eastern brought together the capabilities of Anglo-Eastern Technical Services (AETS), its newbuilding and project management arm, with ship management, crewing, training and operational expertise to help convert that ambition into a ship designed and prepared for safe operation at sea.
The work began in 2018, when CMB.TECH and AETS explored alternative-fuel concepts for bulk carriers and their associated commercial viability across Supramax and Newcastlemax vessel types, starting with hydrogen before progressing to ammonia. By 2020, AETS was developing the design philosophy, safety concept, risk-mitigation methodology, fuel-supply arrangements, general arrangement and preliminary engineering calculations at a time when established rules and standards for ammonia as a marine fuel were still developing.
The resulting concepts received Approvals in Principle from Lloyd&rsquo;s Register and the American Bureau of Shipping in 2021 with the design approach prioritising crew safety, zero loss of cargo volume and the prevention of direct or diffused release of green ammonia from the ship. It integrated fuel tanks, double-wall piping, ventilation, detection, containment, engine interfaces, emergency shutdown and vapour-management arrangements as one operating system.
&ldquo;Mineral Europa demonstrates what can be achieved when an owner&rsquo;s conviction is matched by deep engineering and operational capability,&rdquo; said Bjorn Hojgaard, Chief Executive Officer of Anglo-Eastern. &ldquo;CMB.TECH had the vision and courage to commit capital and move decisively while the pathway was still being shaped. Anglo-Eastern brought together the capabilities needed to help turn that ambition into operational reality. For me, that is the real significance of this project: our ability to work alongside an owner from an early idea all the way through to safe operation at sea, whichever technology pathway they choose.&rdquo;
The 210,000 dwt Newcastlemax was constructed by CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd and is equipped with a WinGD dual-fuel ammonia engine and a Sun Rui Ammonia Fuel Supply System. The dual-fuel configuration allows operation on ammonia or conventional marine fuel, providing operational flexibility as ammonia supply infrastructure and economics continue to develop.
&ldquo;The technical challenge was not just accommodating a new fuel. Safety, containment and operational requirements all had to work together as an integrated system without compromising the vessel&rsquo;s primary purpose as a commercial cargo carrier,&rdquo; said Arunava Sengupta, Managing Director of Anglo-Eastern Technical Services. &ldquo;We adopted a risk-based approach supported by extensive safety studies to develop a design that was commercially viable, practical to build, and ultimately safe and manageable for the people who operate it every day. Seeing the vessel progress from a feasibility study to successful ammonia operation is a significant milestone and a proud achievement for everyone involved.&rdquo;
Operational preparation also began well before the vessel entered service. Anglo-Eastern developed vessel-specific operating, bunkering, maintenance and emergency arrangements. Training for seafarers and shore teams incorporated a three-dimensional digital twin, an ammonia fuel-gas-supply-system simulator, bunkering familiarisation and emergency scenarios. Senior officers also participated in yard and sea trials, building direct familiarity with the vessel, its systems and its safety philosophy.
Anglo-Eastern itself remains fuel-agnostic and is actively supporting its breadth of clients in assessing different technologies against their fleets, trades and risk profiles. Mineral Europa demonstrates Anglo-Eastern&rsquo;s ability to support those choices. Anglo-Eastern Univan Group is a leading global provider of independent ship management services.

Anglo-Eastern helps turn CMB.TECH’s ammonia ambition into an operational reality

With over 5000 lawyers signed up ahead of launch, VakilPlus is building an AI-powered platform for legal drafting, contract review and redlining, aimed at independent advocates and law firms across India.Artificial intelligence is finding its way into some of India's biggest law firms. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has adopted tools such as Harvey and Lucio, Trilegal has partnered with Lucio, and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas is among the firms working with Harvey.
The market is growing too. According to Grand View Research, India's legal AI market was valued at approximately $29.5 million in 2024 and is expected to reach $106.3 million by 2030.
While large law firms are investing in specialised legal AI platforms, many independent lawyers and smaller firms still depend on general-purpose AI tools for drafting, research and document review. These tools are not always built for legal work. Incorrect formatting, unreliable citations and AI-generated errors can make their outputs difficult to trust without extensive checking.
That is the gap VakilPlus wants to address.
The new AI-powered legal platform with an India first outlook is being developed to make drafting, reviewing and redlining documents easier for lawyers, whether they work independently, in a small chamber or as part of a larger firm.
Taking the effort out of drafting and redlining
Anyone who has worked on a commercial agreement knows that writing the first draft is only the beginning.
A client asks for changes. The other party sends back a revised version. A clause needs to be rewritten, another needs to be negotiated, and the document goes through yet another round of review.
Lawyers can spend hours working through these changes, particularly when dealing with multiple agreements at the same time.
VakilPlus is being built by HouseofTech to help with this part of legal work.
The platform aims to assist lawyers in preparing drafts, reviewing contracts, identifying clauses that need attention and suggesting alternative wording. It also supports legal research, allowing lawyers to look up relevant laws and judgments when needed.
The emphasis is on drafting and redlining, where a considerable amount of work goes into preparing documents, checking changes and refining language.
The lawyer still makes the decisions. VakilPlus is intended to make the process of getting to those decisions less time-consuming.
5000 lawyers have already signed up
Even before its official launch, VakilPlus has received more than 5000 sign-ups from lawyers.
The early response is encouraging for a product entering a market where legal AI is still finding its place in everyday practice.
&ldquo;A lot of our time goes into drafting agreements, reviewing clauses and making changes to documents. We have started experimenting with AI tools, but the problem is that most of them are not built for Indian legal practice. You still have to spend considerable time checking the format, verifying references and correcting errors. A tool designed specifically for lawyers could make a real difference to how we work,&rdquo; said Advocate Hemant Jain.
For a solo practitioner, reviewing a lengthy agreement may mean working through every clause personally. A small firm might have only a handful of associates handling multiple matters. Corporate legal teams have their own challenges, with contracts arriving regularly from vendors, customers and business partners.
All of them could benefit from tools that reduce the time spent preparing and reviewing documents.
VakilPlus is looking to make those tools accessible to a much wider group of legal professionals, rather than limiting them to firms with large technology budgets.
A different kind of support for lawyers
There is also a practical limit to what AI should do in legal work.
A contract is not simply a collection of clauses. The wording can affect a client's rights, liabilities and commercial interests. A suggested change may look reasonable but still be unsuitable for a particular transaction.
Lawyers need to make those calls themselves.
VakilPlus is being developed with that in mind. AI can assist with drafts, suggest edits and help review documents, but the final responsibility remains with the legal professional.
As more Indian law firms begin using AI, the question is no longer whether the technology has a place in legal practice. It is how widely that technology can be made available, and whether it solves problems lawyers face every day.
For VakilPlus, the starting point is a familiar one: the hours spent between receiving a document and getting it ready for signature.

As India's Law Firms Embrace AI, VakilPlus Wants to Bring It to Every Lawyer

Green hydrogen could change where some of the world&rsquo;s industrial work takes place and allow India to export the value of its renewable resources, according to Krishan Rattan, founding partner of global investment firm Terra Invest.
&ldquo;India&rsquo;s sunshine could become part of an industrial product bought on the other side of the world,&rdquo; Rattan writes in a commentary published on the firm&rsquo;s website. Renewable electricity can be converted into hydrogen and then into products that travel, such as ammonia or iron produced with hydrogen as a reducing agent.
Some of the most interesting trade, he expects, will involve shipping finished industrial products rather than energy itself. &ldquo;I expect some of the most interesting trade to emerge where a product arrives ready to perform its industrial function,&rdquo; he writes.
Rattan highlights the National Green Hydrogen Mission&rsquo;s initial outlay of Rs 19,744 crore, including Rs 17,490 crore for the SIGHT programme supporting electrolyser manufacturing and hydrogen production. Linking a new industrial input with the ability to make the equipment behind it, he writes, &ldquo;is how lasting industries begin&rdquo;.
The commentary points to the International Energy Agency&rsquo;s Global Hydrogen Review 2025, which describes demand concentrated in established industrial uses such as refining and chemicals, as the practical starting point: serve customers who already need the product, and build expertise from there.
Rattan also sees the Gulf as a natural partner, with renewable resources, ports, industrial customers and capital able to support projects on both sides, and suggests India develop industrial clusters where equipment suppliers and engineering teams can learn across many projects.
&ldquo;Exporting sunshine would then mean exporting Indian capability along with it,&rdquo; he concludes.
About Terra Invest
Terra Invest (Terra Vision Investments LLC) is a global investment firm where capital works alongside public policy, academia and governance, investing across AI, financial services, healthcare, green energy and infrastructure in India and the Middle East. The firm has offices in London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Miami and Singapore. The full commentaries are available at terra-invest.com/insights.

Green Hydrogen Could Let India ‘Export Sunshine’, Says Terra Invest’s Krishan Rattan

Recognition follows recent honour presented by Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya at the Times Now Education Summit 2026
Galgotias University has been honoured with the &ldquo;Excellence in Industry-Aligned Curriculum and Employability&rdquo; award at the 36th Elets World Education Summit 2026. The award adds to the University&rsquo;s recent recognition for connecting academic learning with industry needs, career readiness and entrepreneurship.
The award was presented by Dr. Rabindra Narayan Behera, Hon&rsquo;ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Member of the IIT Council, Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, and Member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Steel, Government of India.
The event was attended by senior thought leaders, policymakers and academicians, including Dr. Rabindra Narayan Behera; Deepak Bagla, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog; Prof. Pankaj Arora, Chairperson, National Council for Teacher Education; and Prof. Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIM Ahmedabad. The gathering provided a distinguished platform for discussions on educational innovation, curriculum relevance and the capabilities graduates need to succeed in a changing economy.
The honour comes shortly after Galgotias University received the &ldquo;Excellence in Industry-Aligned Curriculum &amp; Student Entrepreneurship Ecosystem&rdquo; award at the Times Now Education Summit 2026, National Edition, in New Delhi. That award was presented by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon&rsquo;ble Union Minister of Labour &amp; Employment and Youth Affairs &amp; Sports, Government of India. Together, the two recognitions bring attention to the University&rsquo;s work across industry-integrated education, employability and student enterprise.
Galgotias University&rsquo;s approach brings industry expertise into curriculum design and delivery through collaborations with organisations including Accenture LearnVantage, IBM, L&amp;T EduTech, Tata Technologies, Microsoft and byteXL. Its Centres of Excellence and advanced laboratories provide opportunities for students to apply their learning to practical problems, while incubation and mentorship support help aspiring entrepreneurs develop their ideas into ventures.
Dr. Dhruv Galgotia, CEO, Galgotias University, said: &ldquo;Our responsibility is to ensure that students graduate with the knowledge, practical capability and confidence to contribute in a rapidly changing world. Industry alignment must be built into the learning experience, from curriculum design to the problems students solve. These successive recognitions encourage us to deepen that work and create more opportunities for our students to build meaningful careers, develop new ideas and become entrepreneurs. This honour belongs to our faculty, students and industry partners, whose collective effort makes that vision possible.&rdquo;
For Galgotias University, the award is both a moment of institutional pride and an impetus to strengthen the connection between education and opportunity. It reinforces the importance of preparing graduates who can apply their knowledge, adapt to emerging technologies and contribute meaningfully to industry and society.
About Galgotias University
Galgotias University is one of India's leading multidisciplinary universities recognised for academic excellence, research, innovation, global collaborations, and industry aligned education. With a vibrant student community of over 50,000 learners and a global alumni network of more than 100,000 graduates, the University has built a rapidly growing ecosystem focused on technology, entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary learning, and real-world impact.
In the QS World University Rankings 2027 by Quacquarelli Symonds, Galgotias University was placed in the 1201-1400 global band and ranked 16th among private universities and 46th among all universities in India. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, the University was placed in the 1001-1200 global band and ranked 20th among private universities and 41st among all universities in India. The University is also accredited with NAAC A+, one of India's highest institutional quality ratings.
Galgotias University offers programmes across engineering, artificial intelligence, computer science, semiconductors, business, law, media, design, health sciences, hospitality, liberal education, and emerging interdisciplinary domains. In 2026, students secured more than 5,500 job offers from over 1,250 recruiters. The University has built strong industry and innovation partnerships with organisations including Apple, Infosys, IBM, Accenture, Microsoft and byteXL, Intel, Cisco, Tata Technologies, L&amp;T EduTech, Capgemini, and Salesforce, while continuing to strengthen its global academic engagement and startup ecosystem.

Galgotias University Honoured for Excellence in Industry-Aligned Curriculum and Employability at 36th Elets World Education Summit

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The Impact List: India’s Leaders Making a Difference

The Impact List: India’s Leaders Making a Difference

Anglo-Eastern helps turn CMB.TECH’s ammonia ambition into an operational reality

As India's Law Firms Embrace AI, VakilPlus Wants to Bring It to Every Lawyer

Green Hydrogen Could Let India ‘Export Sunshine’, Says Terra Invest’s Krishan Rattan

Galgotias University Honoured for Excellence in Industry-Aligned Curriculum and Employability at 36th Elets World Education Summit