Our speakers

Aakrit Vaish, CEO and Co-Founder, Haptik

Aanchal Jain, CEO, PMI Electro Mobility Solutions

Aanchal Jain is a dynamic and visionary leader currently serving as the CEO of PMI Electro, a renowned global technology company specializing in advanced electric bus manufacturing. Her relentless pursuit of knowledge and her desire to make a significant impact led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Economics, equipping her with a unique blend of skills in policy, macroeconomy analysis, and business acumen.

Apart from contributing as an Economist at various reputed global organizations, Aanchal has been a visiting scholar at Harvard University and visiting faculty at University of California, Berkeley.

Having gained invaluable experience working with international brands and economic consulting firms, Aanchal’s exceptional leadership skills, strategic thinking, and ability to drive growth are a true value-add to PMI Electro.

Aanchal holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University, MSc in Economics from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and a Bachelor’s degree from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University.

Aanchal's leadership style is characterized by her ability to inspire and empower her team. She fosters a culture of collaboration and encourages her employees to think creatively, pushing the boundaries of technological advancements. A true advocate for sustainability and corporate responsibility, she is guiding PMI Electro towards environment-friendly practices, spearheading initiatives to reduce the company's carbon footprint and promote responsible manufacturing processes.

Aanchal Saini, CEO & Founder, Flyrobe & RENT IT BAE

Lawyer turned entrepreneur Aanchal Saini is the CEO of India’s first and the largest fashion rental service — Flyrobe. 
The world is moving towards a shared economy and we are capitalizing on this consumer behaviour shift in the fashion industry for the past 5 years. Founded RENT IT BAE and acquired Flyrobe to make the business 10X. 

Her core belief is that sustainable fashion can transform the world with the contribution of now booming fashion rental industry. She advocates on fashion that is eco-friendly and cost-effective. Thus, catering to a mass audience through omnichannel expansion in the country and overseas is in her ‘to-dos’. 

Prior to establishing her love for fashion sustainability, she was a practising lawyer at Delhi High Court for 7 years. 

Her key accomplishments include - setting up the Delhi International Arbitration Centre and becoming a true fashion rental aficionado.

Aarav Singhal, MD & Partner, BCG

Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends

Aashish Gupta, Partner, Grant Thornton Bharat

Aashish P Sommaiyaa, ED & CEO, White Oak Capital

Aashish holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Polymer Science from Pune University and a Masters in Management Studies in Finance from NMIMS, Mumbai University. He passed out of MMS Finance at NMIMS in the year 2000.

Aashish is responsible for strategizing, growing and managing the domestic operations at White Oak Capital, a highly differentiated equity fund management firm managing Mutual Funds, AIF and PMS strategies totaling over $3 bn. WhiteOak Capital is founded by Prashant Khemka, former CIO at Goldman Sachs Asset Management for their India Equity and Global Emerging Markets strategies. White Oak Capital totally manages nearly $10 USD across its global as well domestic businesses and is one of the leading foreign portfolio investors investing into India on behalf of global investors including sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, family offices and HNIs.

Prior to joining White Oak Capital, Aashish served for nearly 8 years as Managing Director and CEO of Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company, one of the highly regarded and differentiated equity managers in India backed by excellent performance track record and well documented investing philosophy. Starting with about ?1,300 crs ($150 mn) in 2013, Motilal Oswal AMC grew to >?42,000 crs ($5.6 bn) of equity assets across portfolio management services, alternative investment funds, offshore funds and domestic Mutual Funds. Aashish played a pivotal role in launching and growing a highly differentiated passive business which for the first time introduced Indian investors to investing in Nasdaq100, S&P500 and similar differentiated indices. Motilal Oswal was awarded Brand of the Year at the CNBC India Business Leadership Awards in 2018 and Aashish was awarded Most Distinguished Alumni of the year 2018 by his alma mater NMIMS, Mumbai.  

Aashish has 25 years’ experience in business strategy and management, process driven sales and distribution, product development and marketing of investment offerings. He has been engaged with India’s private sector asset management industry for pretty much its entire growth trajectory post 1998.

Prior to Motilal Oswal AMC, Aashish was heading sales, distribution and product development at of ICICI Prudential AMC for their MF, PMS and Real Estate offerings through multiple distribution channels across India and Middle East. He has led new product development, product management, communication, and distribution channel delivery over a number of years.

Aashish Sommaiyaa, CEO, WhiteOak Capital Asset Management Ltd

Aastha Almast , Co-Founder & CEO, The New Shop

Aastha Almast is the Co-Founder & CEO of The New Shop, India’s largest tech-enabled 24/7 convenience retailer. Aastha is a true born entrepreneur and has previously founded 2 technology startups. She was a student of Economics from the prestigious Hindu College of Delhi University after which she studied PGDM in Fashion Marketing from Pearl Academy of Fashion to pursue her passion in retail and branding. She is also an alumni of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. She is a serial entrepreneur, who is always looking for solutions to simplify businesses - making them more productive and efficient.

 

Prior to launching The New Shop, Aastha spearheaded a series of startups across diverse industries such as mobile gaming, online reputation management and consumer retail. She has previously also worked in Bankof America and Standard and Poor's Capital IQ. While studying for a Bachelor's, she joined her father’s stock broking firm making her one of the youngest certified stock-brokers from National Stock Exchange. She has lived an adventurous life and has amassed 15 years of diversified experience in entertainment, finance, branding, and retail. She has also acted in a Bollywood film as a Child actress. Her interests and pursuits are also reflected in her well-rounded personality.

Abanti Sankaranarayanan, Head Group Public Affairs (India & international), Group Sustainability and Group Risk, Mahindra Group