We bring you this year’s BT-PwC India’s Best CEOs list—a line-up of India’s sharpest and most effective business leaders who have guided their companies through choppy waters and remained resilient in the wake of unforeseen challenges
Central to the new Zomato growth menu is Blinkit (formerly Grofers), the quick commerce company Goyal bought for a substantial Rs 4,447 crore in June 2022. That was a big bet at a time when the Zomato stock was floundering, and the investors had to be convinced the deal was worth going for despite the steep asking price. But Goyal went with his instinct and picked up Blinkit, which today is one of the key reasons why it is racing towards what could be its first full year of profits.
The aspiration is to hit $7 trillion by 2030. This momentum has been brought about by a few key factors—a big push on infrastructure spending by the government, a massive focus on leveraging digital public infrastructure, and a clean-up of bank balance sheets enabling them to push lending for growth.
The buzz around GIFT City was in ample evidence at the recent Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, where the PM and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman underscored the seriousness of the government’s intent to ensure the IFSC becomes a major player in the frenetic world of global finance.
Today, the buzzword across the Indian start-up ecosystem is ‘profitability’. Chastened by earlier setbacks, both VCs and start-ups are realising that the path to profitability is the only route to survival: start-ups must have a clear profitability game plan, and be sustainable and scaleable.
If there was an award for the most number of pivots, twists and turns in strategy, e-commerce firm Snapdeal, founded by the duo of Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, would qualify hands down.
From the financial sector to manufacturing, entertainment and the pharma sector, women leaders are showing the way, proving to be role models not just for other women, but also men.
The trend then is long-term bullishness with short-term volatility. Amid this choppiness, Indian bellwether companies have, by and large, fared well, and held their ground as far as market performance is concerned. The BT500, the much-awaited ranking of India’s most valuable companies—where we rank the Top 500 in terms of their average market capitalisation (m-cap)—reflects this.
Ever since the pandemic subsided, Indians have come out in droves, with revenge shopping initially, and then backing it up subsequently with some serious spending on luxury goods and experiences. Not surprisingly, various estimates peg India’s luxury market to grow rapidly over the next few years, as global brands make a beeline for Indians’ wallets and the country’s luxury brands capture the imagination of the world.
Amul, under MD Jayen S. Mehta, is putting in place a strategy that involves cashing in on adjacencies and grabbing the opportunity in organic food products.
The $3-billion Indian online gaming industry was growing smartly. Then came the onslaught in the form of the 28 per cent GST from the government. What this has done is throw the gaming industry—which has also spawned unicorns— into disarray, with many of them looking to downsize in the wake of the tax burden that they feel makes their operations unviable.
The Chandrayaan mission’s success has also rubbed off positively on around 400 private sector firms that have, over the years, formed part of the vendor ecosystem for the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), the agency that forms the core of India’s space programmes.
With a net worth of Rs 1.2 lakh crore, Ambani is keen to leverage his balance sheet and draw on Reliance’s huge footprint across telecom and retail to leapfrog into the financial services space
Buffeted by problems from all sides, Think and Learn—the corporate name Byju’s goes by—is battling a sharp valuation markdown from one of its investors, Prosus, which has reduced the firm’s valuation from the earlier $22 billion (which made it the world’s most valued edtech firm) to just $5.1 billion now.
With the world’s top leaders set to arrive for the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in Delhi in September, India, by way of the G20 presidency this year, has emerged as the driving force in a wide range of areas, wielding enormous influence in shaping the future of the world. At the centre of all this is Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Cut to August 2023, and Adani appears to be succeeding in getting his beleaguered group out of the crisis. While a Securities and Exchange Board of India probe into the allegations is ongoing, the group is working overtime to ensure it balances its growth ambitions with its capex plans, even as it deleverages key companies and cleans up their balance sheets.
Over the past couple of years, Mahindra has seen its auto business get infused with a good dose of new energy, powered by a slew of new launches, a focus on electric vehicles and even a brand new logo.
Cut to 2023. In FY23, Sun Pharma registered its highest-ever consolidated revenue of Rs 43,279 crore and net profit of Rs 8,474 crore, signalling to the market that the company was back in the game.
Over the past few years, particularly during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, the management education space has seen the emergence of a variety of options. B-schools now offer flexibility in course delivery, and the emergence of edtech companies offering management courses
Massive amounts of money are being pumped into what has become the country’s favourite sport, with team owners, media firms and advertisers all keen to get a share of the lucrative pie as viewers—both on television and digital—remain hooked to their screens to watch the game in its various formats.
The 58-year-old Singhania can afford to be satisfied with the performance of his company, given that it was teetering on the edge just a couple of fiscals ago, battered by the pandemic and the consequent lockdowns. Today, not only has Raymond been able to bounce back into the black, FY23 saw profits doubling along with highest-ever revenues.
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