Participants of the Growth Retreat 1.0

Shishir Goel is a Founding Partner of GoGroup, an independent venture studio with a focus on creating diverse companies across various industries. GoGroup has not only launched successful companies like GoParts, Trustspace, Eduneon, Evolut, and Wandel but has also forged strategic partnerships with prestigious organizations such as HHLA, ZF, Maxsolar, Terazo, GoPuls, and Warehousing1.

These collaborations are aimed at enhancing the digital capabilities of their ventures, marking significant progress in the European market. Since 2019, Shishir has been dedicated to three primary objectives: nurturing long-term collaborations, ensuring profitability from the very beginning, and embarking on multiple ‘zero to one’ product development journeys.

Before the inception of GoGroup, Shishir built and scaled several tech-product companies and engineering teams across various international organizations. Active in the Indo-German sector for over a decade, he firmly believes that exporting goods and services from India and importing innovation and technology into India is crucial for the nation’s advancement.

Saurabh Nigam is the Vice President of Human Capital at Omidyar Network, which is one of the world’s ing impact investing organizations. Saurabh supports ON’s portfolio of entrepreneurs in India, with a focus on organization design, change management, talent management and executive coaching. Saurabh has been recognized as one of the Top 25 future HR ers of the country by People Matters & DDI International. He is also the recipient of HR 40 Under 40 award by Jombay for the year 2018. A Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) in Electronics and Telecommunications Saurabh holds Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations (PM&IR) and SPHR, GPHR and HRMP certifications from SHRM, USA – being the only Indian and one among the first 10 professionals globally to hold these three certifications simultaneously.

Dr Ravindra Singh Shekhawat is a neurologist practicing at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore. He has a special interest in stroke and post stroke neuro-recovery. Dr Ravi has completed his medical training from Madras Medical College, Chennai, India, and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree. He later became a member of the Royal College of Physicians, London (MRCP, UK), before moving on to pursue his senior residency training in Neurology at Singapore General Hospital. This was followed by fellowships at the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (FAMS) and the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP, Edinburgh). He was working as a Neurology consultant under the National Neuroscience institute and has been providing neurology services at Singapore General Hospital and Changi General Hospital.

Pooja Surana is a sports enthusiast and holds a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Karate. Professionally, she is a CA, CS, and CFA, currently serving as an Associate Partner at RADS & Co. Chartered Accountants. In this role, she oversees financial consultancy and leads a team specializing in trading and investment across equities, derivatives, and commodities. Additionally, she serves as an Advisor to the issue for SME IPOs

Kaushal is the Founder/CEO of Teabox, the world’s first vertically integrated premium tea brand that is disrupting a $50 billion industry with its innovations in technology/supply chain. It has been widely chronicled as a disruptive idea in a 200-year old industry and has raised funds from global marquee investors such as Accel Partners & Mr. Ratan Tata among others.

Started in 2013, Teabox has shipped over 5bn+ cups of tea to customers in 150+ countries. Kaushal has also been recognised as Reuter’s Change Maker, Fortune 40 Under 40, Entrepreneur Magazine’s 35 Under 35, Fortune Magazine’s Top 5 Creative People (2016), CNBC’s Young Turk (2016), an INK Fellow (2015) and AACSB Influential Leader (2015). Kaushal has also been featured in publications such as New York Times, CNN International, Forbes, Discovery and The Economic Times.

Kaushal graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Business Management from the Singapore Management University (SMU).

Manish is a driven professional, started working from the tender age of 11, teaching tuitions, working on daily wages to sitting in the PCOs and working in the factories during school breaks. After completing 12th in 2007, he started working in a call centre and McDonald’s in Pune, shuffling two jobs for a period of nine-months before entering an international call centre that paid a need-based sizeable income.

He moved to digital marketing after four years in the call centre industry, and started doing pre-sales, appointment settings, and social media marketing. Manish kept working on all opportunities, moved up to managerial roles and then to leadership over the years.

Now he works with content creators across the Nation helping them with content strategy, working with early-stage startups, helping them set up their teams, branding and marketing units and much more. He also works with many entrepreneurs helping them elevate their personal brands using video content and social media platforms.

Manish has worked with several digital and social media agencies, projects like TEDxGateway, and Wikipedia, and is a part of the leadership team of India’s best social impact organization – Josh Talks. Over the years he has now built a profile as a Generalist.

Recently, he co-authored a book ‘Booming Digital Stars’ – covering the aspects of the creator economy and stories of 11 most inspiring content creators of India. The book has gone to become a best-seller within a month of its launch.

Priti Rathi Gupta, Founder of LXME, has led and inspired over 200,000 women towards building their financial acumen and financialization of their small savings.

An Alumni of Harvard Business School, she had held leadership positions as M. D. of Anand Rathi, one of India’s largest Financial Services Conglomerate, at YPO, and Founder of Ishka films. She is a reputed expert awarded for setting up the Commodities desk, Currency, and Forex Advisory business with two decades of experience in the BFSI industry & is now focused on bridging the gap between women & wealth.

Amongst many recognitions, Priti & LXME were featured in Her Majesty the Queen: The Official Platinum Jubilee Pageant Commemorative Album. This album features a range of outstanding individuals and organizations selected for their transformational contribution around the world.

LXME was awarded The “Annual Impact Creator Awards 2021” (ICA2021) as the “Warrior of Change” under the Fintech Innovation category, an initiative by Billennium Divas. Being LXME Facebook Community was one amongst 130 communities globally, to be part of Facebook’s Community Accelerator Program that helps leaders harness the power of their community to turn impactful ideas into action.

LXME is one of the 20 women-founded or co-founded startups selected by the Google for Startups Accelerator Program out of nearly 400 applications.

Rakesh Sheth is a multi-faceted management professional with over 20 years of experience leading businesses across multiple domains and managing cross-functional teams and operations. A passionate entrepreneur at heart, he has a strong finance background, and built successful ventures from the ground up and grown them to leadership stages in their domain. He also has significant experience in helping family-owned businesses aiding in asset restructuring and family wealth & estate management with a focus on reducing risk to family wealth exposure to business uncertainties.

Sivakumar’s Twitter profile (@S_Sivakumar) reads: Urban Farmer (#HomeGarden #GreenHouse), Science Simplified (#SundayScience), Business Model Innovation (#Mentor #Angel), Creative Photography (actually, creative captions for routine photographs).

He heads the Agri and IT Businesses of ITC Limited, a three billion dollar portfolio out of the group’s ten.

Sivakumar also oversees ITC’s Social Investments Programme and Corporate Sustainability Initiatives, which helped ITC achieve the distinction of being water positive, carbon positive and solid waste recycling positive for nearly two decades in a row – the only enterprise in the world to do so.

ITC’s trailblazing ‘e-Choupal’ initiative was developed and executed under his leadership. Operating in 21 crop value chains across 220 districts, the initiative reaches over four million farmers with customised agri extension services, while securing identity-preserved agri produce for ITC’s Branded Foods business and other customers around the world.

Sivakumar serves on the Advisory Council to the Ministry of Rural Development, the Commodity Derivatives Advisory Committee of SEBI, and on the Management Committee of National Agricultural Higher Education Project of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. He chairs the National Agricultural Council of the CII.

Sivakumar has also been on the boards of NABARD and IRMA (Institute of Rural Management – also his alma mater, where he topped the Class of 1983). He has been the Vice Chairman of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Social Innovation and UN Global Compact’s Core Advisory Group to develop Sustainable Agriculture Business Principles.

Sivakumar blogs at shivsthirdeye.in.

Shubho Sengupta: a veteran ad guru, Subho Sengupta has worked in traditional/brand advertising working with brands like O&M, Leo Burnett, JWT and Contract Advertising. Senguptahas experience across a spectrum of brands, from multinational to start-ups, including Amex, NIIT, GSK, Gillette, Pepsi, Coke, Motorola, Star-ESPN,DeBeers, etc.Since 2007 he has been involved indigital/integrated advertising and marketing and joined Interactive Avenues in 2007, a digital advertising agency, as National CreativeDirector. Over the years he has worked with brands like NIIT, ICICI, ESPN, Colgate, Travelocity, Rediffusion Y&R Delhi, Airtel, LG, and Xerox.2011-2011. Eventually he moved to Coca-Cola as a digital consultant. From 2013 onwards he has been working as a creative consultant with India’s biggest brands like ABP Group,Tata Tea, Airtel, Nokia, Lava Mobiles, Times Group, and Outlook. Currently he is a consult with IT Ministry (Government of India) functioning as a Director, MyGov.

Vipul Gupta is the Executive Director of Earth Focus, which has a vision to shape a landscape where people and nature thrive together.

Prior to Earth Focus, Vipul spent three decades building teams and organisations in the corporate sector, in the realm of manufacturing and distribution. His last venture, Excel Controlinkage, has over 800 employees and exports to 70 countries. He is as comfortable working with tribal communities as he is in board rooms.

In parallel, Vipul’s philanthropic journey spans over three decades on girl child education across the country. Bringing his business expertise to a new life in the non-profit sector, Vipul works to solve development challenges through a community-driven approach that creates resilient, long-lasting solutions. Through extensive engagement with local communities, civil society organisations, government agencies, and businesses, he realised the need to connect the gaps between funding, data and research, and local practitioners – which led to the birth of Earth Focus Foundation’s bottom-up, in-depth approach.Outside of Earth Focus, he also mentors small businesses and individuals on management and strategy.

He is also leading a mission to bring millets into the mainstream collaborating with researchers, agriculture machines, farmers and CSO’s and retailers. He plays a strategic advisor role at Nature in Focus, a portal on nature, wildlife and conservation.

A passionate and awarded nature photographer, Vipul also dabbles in spatial design and process design.Vipul has a BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manipal University.

Sandeep Mall is a multifaceted individual who has made significant strides in various domains of life. He is not just an accomplished entrepreneur, but also a renowned wildlife photographer, a dedicated health coach, a respected mentor, and a devoted family man. His journey is a testament to his diverse talents and unwavering commitment to excellence.

Sandeep is the founder of LNM Auto Industries Pvt Ltd, a 100% Export oriented company that specialises in producing precision engineering components for a wide range of industries, including agriculture, mining, construction, and automobiles. His dedication to innovation and quality has earned LNM Auto recognition on a national scale. The Government of India honoured it twice as one of the Top 100 MSMEs in the country, in both 2016 and 2019.

Beyond the boardroom, Sandeep has a deep passion for wildlife photography. His talent in capturing the beauty of the natural world has been acknowledged through numerous accolades. He received the prestigious DJMPC India’s Best Wildlife Photographer award in 2014 and was named the ICICI Camaraderie National Winner in 2015. These honours underscore his ability to communicate the wonders of nature through his lens.

Sandeep Mall is not only a successful entrepreneur and photographer but also a Level 2 Health coach. He holds certifications in various aspects of health, including sleep, nutrition, stress management, and recovery. His commitment to holistic well-being is reflected in his role as a health coach, where he guides individuals towards healthier, more balanced lives.

His influence extends beyond his professional and creative pursuits. He serves as a mentor and coach to some of India’s prominent entrepreneurs and professionals, sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience. He is the author of “Finding the Oasis,” a comprehensive book on deep health that covers all aspects of well-being. His commitment to empowering others shines through his mentorship and written work.

Sandeep’s life journey has taken him to 42 countries, providing him with a wealth of experiences and perspectives. His extensive travel has undoubtedly enriched his understanding of the world and its diverse cultures.

Sandeep remains a devoted family man. He lives with five generations under one roof, from his grandmother to his granddaughter. This strong family bond serves as a foundation for his life’s endeavours and underscores the importance of family values in his life.

Sumant Kothari is Co-founder of Echo Connect, a dynamic marketing agency dedicated to delivering innovative marketing & branding solutions, market outreach consulting, and result-driven digital communication & tech services to entrepreneurs & SMEs, world over. With a combination of technology acumen and a strategic mindset, Sumant has been instrumental in helping businesses, across different domains, amplify their digital footprint and achieve measurable success.

Having spent 12 years in the US for higher education (MBA in Marketing and Finance, an MS in Software Development & Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems with a Minor in Finance) and working in large global corporations, he is able to spearhead the organisation to serve businesses in different geographies. He is an alumnus of La Martiniere, Kolkata.

In addition to his life partner, his other loves include tennis, music & nature, and doting on his son.