Akash has been recognised by Business world as one of the top 40 under 40 future master of retail industry. He is a seasoned Retail and Hospitality professional with 15+ years of experience across Business Development, Retail Real Estate, Leasing, Project Management, Franchising & brands Market Entry strategy and holds a Master’s degree in Retail Management.

Akash is Currently leading Raymond brands Expansion across India in the brand’s fastest growing phase.

In his past assignment, Akash lead strategy and spearheaded expansion for Jubilant foodworks across India ( Domino’s, Dunkin Donuts, Popeye’s & Hong’s kitchen).

He brought innovation via extensive use of tech for site research & selection, Revenue prediction and process management while building Site research, PMO and Asset management verticals too.

Key achievements – opened over 700+ stores overall.

200+ stores in 2021 and 270+ in 2022 breaking global record for highest ever in Domino’s stores opening in any country in any year.

• Launched popeyes successfully in India and home grown Chinese brand – Hong’s kitchen.

Akash was instrumental in setting up and expanding Chaayos across multiple cities and formats.

Prior to Chaayos, Akash ably lead the store expansion for Tata Starbucks and YUM Brands as well.

My role is to network extensively with major real estate developers across India to procure the finest real estate for my brands.

Akash work with an entrepreneurial bent of mind, am ownership driven and have strong business acumen to lead the teams in achieving organizational objectives.

He has been an Academic Advisor with Birla Institute of Management ( BIMTECH) for their retail management program.

Akash works with National Skill development council of India ( NSDC) advising the Govt. on curriculum formulation for Retail Entrepreneurs in India.

He is the Co-founder – All India Retail Group, a network of over 1000+ Retail professionals.

He speaks regularly at various retail forums, including CII, PhD chamber of commerce, Food forums, Shopping centre forums, Institutions, UPGrad, Microsoft and various other summits. Actively engages with NRAI & RAI for industry policy making initiatives.

Awards

Reaching for the starts – badge of honour – from Mr Russel Weiner – Global CEO Domino’s,

Top retail Minds – Asia Africa GCC by Economic times – 2 times

BIMTECH – Retail Alumni Achievers

DORI – Retail Business development performer of the year

Ashish Gupta is a diligent & spirited professional with demonstrated track record in Retail Leasing & Business Development with proficiency strength in:

• Leasing & Lease Management – Maximise revenue & achieve/maintain optimum occupancy level through effective leasing strategy.
• Strategy Planning & Analysis – Formulating Annual business plans for maximising revenue generation & realize organizational goals.
• Client Relationship Management – Building & Maintaining healthy professional relationships with key partners & liaise with IPCs, Consultants & brokers etc.

He is currently working with Pacific Group as Vice President – BD & Leasing and heading leasing of Pacific Tagore Garden, Mall of Dehradun, Pacific Dehradun, Pacific D21 (Dwarka).

His career spans over 15 years & has been associated with companies like Ambience Malls, Brigade (Orion Malls), DLF Malls, Gumberg & Elan.

Ashish has completed his Post Graduation Diploma in Retail Management from BIMTECH, Greater Noida & Bachelor of Engineering from ITM, Gurgaon.

Mr. Gurnani has over 12 years of experience in Hospitality and more than 19 years in Retail and Real Estate. Prior to joining Prozone, he was working with some well-known hospitality chains around the world namely; Taj Group of Hotels, Ramada Grand Hotel, Australia Moving on he joined Piramyd the retail arm of the Piramal group in 2006 he became the CEO of the lifestyle division of Piramyd Retail Limited and was responsible for driving the aggressive growth plans of the company.

He joined Future Group as CEO- Joint venture business in 2007 and in 2008 he moved to Provogue (India) Ltd as Group President to drive the expansion of the brand business and support the new initiatives of the group.

Mr. Gurnani is currently a Whole time Director and CEO with Prozone intu Properties ltd. Prozone Intu has two operational Malls in Coimbatore and Aurangabad. Prozone with other mixed use Mall and residential projects under development in Mumbai, Coimbatore,Nagpur and Indore.

He has been instrumental in the overall growth of the company and is focused on creating value for all stakeholders. He is a on leader who works along side the team and supports their development. He is known for being a customer’s person and believes that any strategy without the customer in the middle of it is heading for disaster.

I head the expansion across the Wow Momo brand portfolio in India. In the past 5.5 years at Wow Momo from 80 operational stores have taken the brand to 450+ stores across 19 cities with inclusion of 2 new brands – Wow China and Wow Chicken – ensuring with the best of locations and high visibility across malls, high streets, IT parks, airports, railway stations etc. I have an experience of 20 years in the retail industry – have worked with brands like Shoppers Stop, Wills Lifestyle , Essar Telecom Retail Ltd (The Mobile Store), Mobiliti World, Spice Telecom.

Jonathan Yach possesses over 35 years of expertise in the commercial real estate and shopping mall domains. He is recognized as a seasoned professional in the realm of shopping malls, boasting comprehensive proficiencies in strategic, tactical, and operational management. His focus is on delivering effective solutions and tangible outcomes. Priorly, he has held key leadership responsibilities across several distinguished organizations including CBRE/Broll Property Group (Africa), Colliers, Propcare Mall Management, BlackStone, and Virtuous Retail. Through his extensive international exposure, spanning regions like South Africa, India, and Kenya, he has cultivated a profound understanding of the intricate balance required to adapt shopping malls to their perpetually evolving markets.

His contributions encompass a broad spectrum, spanning from Mall Development to Mall Management, with a significant emphasis on adeptly managing mall marketing strategies and operational aspects.

Madhur Tapadia is the Execu1ve Director of Tapadia City Centre,
Amrava1. A Dedicated Retail Real Estate Developer with over 12 years of
experience in strategic planning, designing, and execu1ng retail
projects in Amrava1, Maharashtra. Tapadia City Centre Amrava1, his latest
project, is Western Vidarbha’s only Mall and is spread over 3.5 Lakh Sq Ft. It
opened in June 2022. The Mall has 70 Interna1onal & Na1onal Brands. It has
the best brand-mix of Fashion, Food and Entertainment under one roof in
a Tier 3 city. He has led end-to-end development, from strategy, design to
construc1on, leasing and making TCC 99% Opera1onal within 1 year of
opera1ons. TCC had 35,00,000 visitors in 1st year of its opera1ons.
Awards Received –
• Most Admired Shopping Centre Launch of the Year 2023 –at ISCA
Shopping Centre Awards
• Most Admired Shopping Centre of the Year in Tier 3 & 4 City – 2023
at MAPIC Shopping Centre Awards
• Iconic Commercial Project (West) – at Economic Times Real Estate
Awards 2023
• Best Commercial Retail (West) – at Economic Times Real Estate
Award 2023
• Top-Most Retails Minds – 2023 by Retail & Shopping Centre Congress
& Awards
• Most Admired Upcoming Shopping Centre of India – 2021 by
Shopping Centre Associa1on of India

Speaker At –

• Economic Times Great India Retail Summit 2024 – Reimagining
Engagement in the Age of the Customer
• Shopping Centres Next 2023 – Small miracles: the promising merger
of shopping centres and small-town India
• Modern Retail in Tier 3 &4 ci1es – Shopping Centres Associa1on of
India Webinar 2022
• Panel Discussion: Will Tier 2-3 Ci1es Drive the Next Wave of Retail
Growth? – MAPIC INDIA 2021

Social Media Profile –
• Madhur Laddha
o LinkedIn – hfps://www.linkedin.com/in/madhurladdha/
o Twifer – hfps://twifer.com/madhurladdha
o Instagram – hfps://www.instagram.com/madhur.laddha/
o Facebook –
hfps://www.facebook.com/share/GhWnoeX9YdMGM4C/?mibex
1d=WC7FNe
• Tapadia City Centre

o LinkedIn – hfps://www.linkedin.com/company/tapadia-city-
centre/

o Instagram – hfps://www.instagram.com/tcc_amrava1
o Facebook –
hfps://www.facebook.com/TapadiaCityCentreAmrava1

A graduate of Mumbai University with a business program from the University of Michigan and IIM-A, Najeeb has over 25 years of experience in the real estate sector with 20 years of specialisation in mixed-use retail-centric assets. He has in-depth domain knowledge of hyper-local and regional markets coupled with extensive relationships with leading developers, land owners, national retailers and financial institutions. Over the last decade, he has developed and managed large retail-centric mixed-used assets, building a strong track record in creating incremental value for the asset owners.

Najeeb continues to be driven by innovation across the retail industry and is focused on ensuring that PPZ stays ahead of the competition through the early adoption of technology, data analytics and the owning of end customers through constant engagement.  Najeeb also has been actively involved in the consummation of multiple investment advisory transactions within the retail real estate segment. Najeeb is also the Chairman of the south chapter of SCAI (Shopping Center Association of India).

PPZ currently manages 13 operational malls, with 9 more in pipeline to be operational in the next 6 months, with an additional 13 assets in development stage, pegged to be operational over in the next 3 years.

Mr. Pramod Arora has been associated with Cinemas, Real Estate, Retail and the larger investment eco system in the industry for the last 3 decades. Since 1996, with advent of cinema multiplex development in India, he has been playing a pivotal role in development and growth of shopping centres and cinemas.

An astute, accomplished and seasoned professional, he presently leads, guides & enables growth, expansion and development strategy at PVR INOX alongside all other facets of the business. From a very humble beginning with a 4 screen multiplex cinema in Delhi in 1996 to more than 1700 screens across the country in 2023, he is widely regarded as the brain behind the growth of modern age cinema theatres & shopping centres in the country. Designing and developing the best in class, hospitality led cinemas spaces to mergers, acquisitions and financial structuring of complex deals, he has been actively involved in helping unleash the India consumption story in modern retail and cinemas.

Coming from over 20 years of professional experience, I am currently serving as the Vice President,

Business Development – India & Global at Being Human Clothing. In my current capacity, I spearhead

national and global expansion initiatives, ensuring that the brand’s ethos of sustainability, product

value, and design innovation reaches consumers worldwide.

Prior to my tenure at Being Human Clothing, I held pivotal roles at prominent fashion retail majors,

including Raymond Apparel Limited, where I served as the National Head – Business Development.

Under my leadership, renowned fashion and retail brands such as The Raymond Shop, Ethinix By

Raymond, Ready to Wear, Made to Measure, Park Avenue, Colorplus and Parx touched outstanding

topline growth and profitability numbers. My strategic acumen facilitated the opening of 50-300+

new doors while maintaining a robust bottom line. My contributions to accelerating organisational

growth and achievements in boosting market expansion were recognised numerous times by the

organisation’s top management.

During my earlier tenure at Blackberrys, I orchestrated a comprehensive expansion roadmap across

diverse market segments, scaling up the brand’s footprint from 25 to 250 stores across tier 1, 2, and

3 cities. My keen understanding of market shifts, operational efficiency, and stakeholder

management played a pivotal role in driving Blackberrys’ growth trajectory.

My journey in business development began at M&B Footwear, where I honed my skills in retail

expansion and brand management for prestigious labels such as Lee Cooper and Geox. I was

instrumental in conceptualising retail design concepts and spearheading new market initiatives,

setting the stage for subsequent successes in the industry. I oversaw the opening of 100 + stores

during my tenure at the organisation.

Beyond my corporate achievements, I am well regarded for my analytical prowess, negotiation

finesse, and commitment to excellence. I has been lauded by industry peers and recognised through

prestigious accolades and roles, including:

*Outstanding women leadership Award (Retail) ET – World HRD Congress 2019.

*Recipient of Raymond Award for Excellence 2021 – Cost-saving Initiative of the Year.

* Top Most Retail Mind Award 2023 – Asia Retail Congress (CMO Asia)

*Featured in IMAGES Retail magazine as 30 Best Retail Business Development Heads in India.

* Have been a speaker at multiple industry events over many years.

My passion for learning, coupled with my collaborative leadership style, fosters an environment of

innovation and growth within my teams. I am deeply committed to driving business success through

strategic planning, public relations, and franchise management, cementing my reputation as one of

India’s foremost business development leaders.

Lifestyle International Private Ltd, (LIPL) is part of the Dubai based retail giant Landmark Group,

which runs iconic retail stores like “Lifestyle”, “Max”, “Home Centre”, “Easybuy” apart from other

group retail formats of Landmark Group namely, “SPAR Hypermarket” “Fun City / Tridom – FEC”

etc.

Landmark Group in India operates more than 800 stores, spread over 5.0 million square feet of retail

space, and patronaged by 100s of million customers. The Group Formats have been consistently

bagged many coveted retail brand awards.

As President, GBD, Raghu is currently responsible & steering the Business expansion of all the retail

formats of LIPL.

Prior, Raghu Rajagopalan, held the position of COO for Max Fashion in India, was managing the

delivery of business productivity synergizing the Retail operations, Marketing, Supply chain and

planning functions.

With an illustrious career spanning 3 decades plus, Raghu, with double Post Graduation Degrees in

Commerce and Business Administration, has a rich and diverse experience in Commercial, Finance,

Logistics and Business management in the Consumer Durables, Luggage and Retail formats in India

Rakesh Ajila is having 24+ years experience of Rapid Brand expansion in India and UAE. He was part of the CCD expansion journey for 12 years and Jubilant food works for 7 Years. Currently He  is heading Cult.fit  sports arena expansion for the past 7 years which has revolutionised indian fitness and sports arena with  brands Like Cult.fit,Fitness first,Golds ,Volt, Reset,Playon , Cult.play,Cult.sports and Cultplay  sports vertical.Rakesh Ajila is also serving as President of Adhyaa Foundation charitable trust which is working on upliftment of Rural students and needy in karnataka state.He has done his masters in economics,Diploma in Export management, MBA in HR & PM and alumnus of IMT Ghaziabad.

Rohan is Director – Asset Management at VR South Asia, an integrated urban development and operating platform, sponsored by the Xander Group. As part of the leadership team of VR South Asia and board member for multiple operating entities, Rohan is responsible for asset management, business performance and governance at VR.

Rohan has worked in multiple geographies across the Middle East and South Asia. Prior to joining Xander Group, Rohan was a Director at JLL, a Fortune-500 professional services firm, where he provided real estate advisory services. Rohan holds a Master of Business Administration from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

Mr Surjit Singh Rajpurohit took over as the CEO of Amanora Mall Pune in 2017 and is now leading the City Realty and Development Pvt Ltd-owned mall into an admirable retail model. Under his dynamic leadership, Amanora Mall has reached new heights to become one of the most preferred shopping, food and entertainment destinations in Pune. He revived the mall by introducing several changes from revamping the facility to adding to the brand portfolio and taking the mall to the next level.

With a robust experience of over two decades in the retail sector, Mr Rajpurohit has been one of the pioneers in mall management and development in the country. He was heading India’s first organized retail mall, Ansal Plaza, New Delhi way back in 1999. After Ansal Plaza, Mr. Rajpurohit moved to Jones Lang LaSalle as Head Business Development & Marketing Advisory for the vertical SANDALWOOD which was a joint venture between Jones Lang LaSalle & Colonial First State Property Management (Australia) for introducing Retail Asset Management in India in 2007.

It was during his tenure with JLL that he realised that there exists a gap for right expertise for managing shopping centres which prompted him to start his own venture IDEAS Consultancy & Advisory in 2009. As founder & CEO of his own company, IDEAS Advisory & Property Management Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Rajpurohit conceived and popularised the science of designing and planning malls. His firm has been instrumental in educating mall developers about the gaps in the mall sector, and in setting up this business to revolutionalise the way malls are managed.

A versatile personality, Mr Rajpurohit added more new projects and titles to his kitty to propel the company’s business to higher orbits of growth. One of them saw him holding the position of Chief Executive Officer for Neptune Magnet Mall, Mumbai. From here, he moved to Prestige Estate Ltd as Head, Retail, handling all their existing and new malls including Forum Malls in Hyderabad and Chennai, Forum Value Mall, Forum Koramangala Mall, UB City and Forum Shantiniketan in Bangalore, Forum Fiza Mall in Mangalore, Forum Mall Kochi

An entrepreneur in spirit, Mr Rajpurohit believes in credibility of plans, and measurable deliverables. He also believes in sharing his experiences and knowledge gained, and hence participates in various forums including FICCI, CII, Indian Retail Forum and Asia Shopping Centre Forum. He has been guest editor with various Retail and Industry Magazines.

Mr Rajpurohit is a MBA from Delhi University.

Earlier he has been CEO for Smaaash Entertainment, India’s largest Family entertainment Centre’s combining amazing Food and Beverage experiences with VR, AR and other gaming concepts.

He was also instrumental in building and running Reliance Big Cinemas as Chief Operating officer to a retail entertainment business of great repute and scale across Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal& India.

Tushar has been the brand Architect for PVR Cinemas and was instrumental in evangalising and providing strong foundation of Cinema Advertising Industry in India as their CMO.

Earlier in his career he established Concierge service for Taj Group and the youngest and one of the first to adorn golden keys in India.

Tushar is a Bachelor of Arts, Hospitality Management and Post Graduate in Management from IMT Ghaziabad.

He was recognised with several awards including 2008 “Exhibitor of the year in Asia by Hollywood reporter and 2007,8,9 Retailer of the year in entertainment Industry by India Retail Forum. Most admired innovative concept of IRF 2009 for Cine Diner, Retailer of the year (leisure & entertainment), Reid Tailor Award for Retail Excellence etc.